2016 in numbers...

Me reading in Trier, Germany - June 2016

While my blogging has gone down in the past years, there's been one constant: the numbers post :) So to continue my streak, here is the 7th edition!


Number of books read

132

The year before, I read 153 books with a goal of 180. Taking in account three weddings, travels and curling, I lowered my objective to 160 for 2016. I think I would've been close to my objective, even though everything turned out to be more intensive than I expected, but I forgot something really important: the Rio Olympics. And yes, it did affect my reading! LOL. I was updating my spreadsheet earlier this week and in had this huge gap in August - no books read between August 5 and 23! I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out what I did, if I forgot to log any books... and suddenly, the light went on: the Olympics! So lots of distractions in 2016 :)

Overall, I'm okay with 132 books read. A bit disappointed because it's the lowest number since I've started keeping track, but happy since it's over 100 books. As I mentioned above, lots of distractions this year and as a result, I felt I never really got into a good reading rhythm. There was always something around the corner to break any rhythm. Finally, a lack of excitement... My list of auto-buy authors seem to be down to its core and a few of those authors did not have any releases. In addition, with my lack of blogging, I've been out of the loop when it comes to new authors and book buzz. All combined, I felt this year was quite underwhelming and the eternal question "what to read next" did not go away.

I do have high hopes that 2017 will end the rut though!! I have a list of most anticipated books in the work that I'm excited to share - hopefully soon LOL. As for my reading goal, I'm keeping it at 160 books. What can I say, I'm an optimist :) With one wedding, one cruise and lots of curling planned for 2017, I still think 160 books is achievable. However, the most important in 2017 will be to have fun :)


Number of books bought

I was not very diligent this year, so my number for this section is not accurate. The best I could do was go back to my order history and tabulated those numbers. The break-down is as followed:

• Bought print online: 18
• Bought print in-store: 15-20*
• Bought e-books: 12

For a grand total of...

45-50

Wow, how things have changed... I can't believe that I bought so little books this year. I might be off by 10 books, but even then,  kind of sad :( Guess that's life though, things change and my book buying habits definitively have. I think it can be in part attributed to bookstores also changing. There's definitively less promotions and the discounts online are not what they used to be. As a result, I stick to my auto-buy authors list and end up borrowing a lot and only buying books that I've really enjoyed to support the authors.


What did I read

Contemporary romance: 50
Young Adult: 25  (Contemporary: 19, Mystery: 3, Fantasy: 3)
Urban Fantasy: 12
New Adult (Contemporary): 11
Fantasy: 8
Romantic Suspense: 7
Historical romance (Regency): 6
Paranormal romance: 5
Mystery/Thriller/Cosy Mystery: 4
m/m: 3
Women's fiction: 1

And the trend continues! My favorite genre has always been contemporary romance and it remains so in 2016. The big surprise for me is the number of YA books I read... 25!? How did that happen? LOL. If I have to come up with an explanation for it, I think it's because the authors of contemporary YA have more freedom than romance authors. As a romance reader, I expect certain things from a romance book and the authors know it and have to adhere to it, thus inevitably creating some predictability. I'm not saying YA are not predictable, but there is less expectations/limitations. If a main character dies, there will be less outcry. If the H/H don't end up together, well they're young - who knows what will happen in the future and anyway, not sure they would have stayed together forever. With more freedom, YA authors can shake things up, be more original, try different things and styles... and I think that's what I was looking for in 2016, some refreshing reads to spur my reading.

At the same time, my hunt for new urban fantasy and fantasy series continue. I love series such as Kate Daniels, the Dresden Files and I'm always on the look-out for new ones. Also hoping to find more romantic suspense books featuring cops or FBI agents. Have a weakness for those :P

As for my historical romance reading, it's probably at its lowest ever. It's funny because most of the ones I read, I enjoy... but they're all from auto-buy authors. I haven't had the urge to pick up outside of that selection and I don't know what it's going to take to make me to.

For the other genres, the numbers are pretty consistent with last year.


Who published them

1. Penguin (all imprints): 27
1. Self-published: 27
3. Macmillan (all imprints): 13
4. Harlequin + Carina Press: 12
5. Harpercollins (all imprints): 10
6. Hachette (all imprints): 8
7. Simon & Schuster: 7
8. Kensington: 5
8. Sourcebooks: 5
10. Amazon: 3
10. DAW: 3
10. Scholastic: 3
13. Entangled:2
14. Bloomsbury: 1
14. Dreamspinner: 1
14. Hyperion: 1
14. Random House: 1
14. Samhain: 1
14. Sky Pony Press: 1
14. Other: 1

The numbers are pretty consistent with last year with Penguin and self-published way ahead. For self-published books, I think it's because self-published authors can release more books in a year than with regular publishers, so it skews that number :) Not that I'm complaining because I'm very selective when it comes to self-published authors and so, that means more books by authors I enjoy :)

I'm still very reluctant to step out from the traditional publishers. Partly because I know them - I know which imprints I like, which don't work for me. Also, in my mind - and I might be wrong, going through traditional publishers is a more rigorous process and they are more selective when they pick new authors.


When they were published

2016: 111 (84.1%)
2015; 12
2014: 1
2013: 1
2012: 1
2011: 2
2009: 2
2008: 2
2006: 1

I've alwaysbeen a very current reader and 2016 was no different. What helps is that I'm pretty much up-to-date on all my series, so I'm always waiting for the new installment to come out and as soon it does, I read it :) And books I don't get to right away fall off my radar, kind of like ... "out of sight, out of mind." At least this year, I did go back further than 2012! Mostly because I was looking up specific reads.


How much did I enjoy the books

A: 4    (1 A, 3 A-)
B: 69  (18 B+, 32 B, 19 B-)
C: 58  (17 C+, 31 C, 10 C-)
D: 1

Only 4 As books, same as last year.... Technically though, it's better than last year since I read less books. Know what I mean? In any case, this just contributes to the feeling of an underwhelming reading year.

I have a reputation for being a tough grader... but honestly, I think I'm not tough enough. I was filling my spreadsheet and in many instances, I had to lower the grade that I originally given. In addition, I feel like I'm not objective enough. I think I'm easier with authors that I like - have difficulty giving a harsher grade :( Is it only me?


Random numbers

• I wrote 13 reviews in 2016. Given how sparingly I blogged, 13 is good :) After all, it's 4x more than in 2015 :P At least, thanks to Ames' 30 Days Blogging challenge, I have more than 16 posts :P
• New-to-me authors: 36 - Another pretty consistent number. This is good, because it means I'm taking risks in my reading :)
• Part of a series: 97 - Last year, I read 137 books part of a series... To put things in perspective, I read 132 books this year. So proportionally, I think this number is down from 2015... but I know why!! Because most YA books I read were stand-alones :) 

***

That's it for me :) No real surprise in 2016 except perhaps for the number of books bought ^_^; Otherwise, I've been pretty consistent over the years... which makes me wonder, is this post still relevant? Do you still find it interesting?

Best and Favorite Reads of 2015

Well, I thought I had figured out how to juggle real life and blogging... but I was obviously too optimistic LOL. Or perhaps I should say that it doesn't take much to disrupt the balance ^_^; Anyway, all to say that I was very busy and didn't manage to post anything up :( The good news though is that I wanted to!! That's a very good sign and a step up from last year, so I'll take it :) Still a lot of curling ahead in the next few weeks (months), but I think it'll be more manageable - I hope :)

All right, enough about my life and let's talk books :) Here is my list of Best and Favorite Reads for 2015:


Contemporary romance

While contemporary romance was my most read genre in 2015 with 62 books, I did not give out a single A grade ^_^;  I had to look at the B+ reads and two stood out: Sustained by Emma Chase and No One Like You by Kate Angell.

I initially didn't intend to buy Sustained in the bookstore, just wanted to check it out because Ms Chase was supposed to attend RARE 2015... However, after reading the first few pages, I was hooked and had to have it :) Sustained is about a hotshot defense attorney - confirmed bachelor - who falls in love with a woman who just got the guardianship of her six orphaned nieces and nephews ranging from 8 months old to 14 years old. The appeal for me was the 6 kids and Sustained sure delivered :) Loved the H/H and their interactions with the kids - the day-to-day life snippets were great. The male 1st POV was also very refreshing and made this book stand out. The only reason Sustained didn't get an A was because the hero got cold feet twice and I thought the second time was just unnecessary/redundant.

Kate Angell is an auto-buy for me. I love her writing style and the Barefoot William series has just been the ray of sunshine I need after a long winter :) Light, fluffy and fun, they are the perfect beach reads. No One Like You has four adorable dogs - especially the big doofus Atlas,  a nice-paced romance and likable characters. The best? Ms Angell has corrected my biggest pet peeve with her books: our H/H is the only couple and the focus of No One Like You!!

Honorable mentions - Ransom Canyon by Jodi Thomas and Dirty Thoughts by Megan Erickson


Category romance

The Spy Who Tamed Me is the last book in Ms Hunter's The Wests series and features the eldest sibling, Jared West. Jared has been undercover for two years, determined to find out the culprit who caused the mission in which his younger sister got injured to go FUBAR. Back to his life, Jared must now face the music which is being delivered by new Director of Operations, Rowan Farrington.

I'm not a fan of older woman/younger man romance, but Ms Hunter makes it work for me - probably because the age difference wasn't a huge issue. Also, Jared and Rowan had great chemistry :) The Spy Who Tamed Me was fast-paced and sucked me right in from page one. Not much happened in the story action-wise as The Spy Who Tamed Me was more about Jared's internal turmoil - making amends to his siblings for disappearing on them for two years and what is the next step in his career, but there was something about it that just worked. It was also a nice conclusion to the series :)

Honorable mentions - A Bad Boy for Christmas by Kelly Hunter


Historical romance

I haven't been much in the mood for historical romance lately. All the books I've picked up in this genre were from auto-buy authors with the exception of The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne. It's a strategy that paid off because my favorite authors all released very solid books... but no wowzer, unfortunately. The Duke and the Lady in Red by Lorraine Heath is the one that stood out the most for me. Rosalind Sharpe is a swindler - she seduces men and disappears with their money. In order to provide the best last days to her ailing brother, she goes for the biggest mark: the wicked Duke of Avendale... and she almost succeeds! Avendale is not ready to let our heroine go, especially not after she almost made a fool out of him, and so, makes a proposition - to be his mistress for a week.

The Duke and the Lady in Red started out like any other typical regency historical romance, but turned out to be more thanks to our great H/H and their circumstances. I loved Rosalind's loyalty, Avendale's generosity and their chemistry. This was a book about the journey with no nefarious villain :)

Honorable mentions - Catching a Falling Heiress by Laura Lee Guhrke, The Daring Exploits of a Runaway Heiress by Victoria Alexander and Love in the Time of Scandal by Caroline Linden


RS/Mystery/Cosy Mystery

Yes, once again, my Favorite RS read of the year is a Karen Rose book. What can I say? I simply love her writing! Also, there aren't many RS out there featuring cops or FBI agents and focusing on the investigative work nowadays :( If you know of any other, let me know!

In Alone in the Dark, Ms Rose tackles the subject of human trafficking with a cop heroine close to a burn-out and a reporter/vigilant hero whose family is still reeling from a recent tragedy. As usual, the book was fast-paced with a lot of twists and turns and cold-blooded villains. I liked the H/H, but they were not my favorite couple. It'd be nice to have some main characters with less baggage from time to time. Still, a very enjoyable read :)

One of my favorite series ever is the FBI SCU aka Bishop series by Kay Hooper. Fear the Dark is newest installment and also the beginning of the new trilogy. Bishop's FBI agents are sent to Serenity, a small mountain town in Tennessee, where five men and women have gone missing without a trace. Readers renew with Lucas and Sam which were the H/H of Hunting Fear - one of my favorite books of the series - and introduced to medium Dante Swann and telepath Robbie Hodge. Once again, Ms Hooper delivers a chilling mystery :) Also, the feel I got from Fear the Dark is a lot closer to the earlier books in the series - more investigative work and clues - which I really appreciated :)

Honorable mentions - Hunted by Karen Robards


Paranormal romance

I did not read many paranormal romance in 2015, but I don't think it would have made a difference if I'd read more LOL. Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh is one of my 4 reads which got an A-. I just loved everything about it, especially Aden and Zaira. I loved their devotion and loyalty for each other. Lots of things happening and characters interacting with each other, but it all fit. The over-arching story is also advancing well and is almost coming to a conclusion :) I also found Shards of Hope refreshing because so many paranormal and urban fantasy series/books at the moment are about the fractures between races while here, the different races are coming together. The only reason why Shards of Hope did not get an A was because the focus was on Arrows and I wished to see how less powerful Psy are adapting.

Honorable mentions - Fangs for the Memories by Molly Harper


UF/Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Hmmm, this was a tough category. Again, all my favorite authors delivered solid reads in 2015... however, none of them really wowed me. Perhaps it's because my expectations were too high or I'm just extremely picky, but I just wanted more out of them all. In my opinion, Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs lacked intensity, Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews had "transition feel" written all over and the humor has vanished in Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop, in addition of having the heroine take a step back. In the end, the surprise of the year for me was Driven by Kelley Armstrong. And I mean, it literally took me by surprise because I had forgotten all about it ^_^; However, I guess it played in its favor in earning the A- grade since I had no expectations for it :P

Elena always knew being Alpha was a tough job, but she never thought she'd have to juggle between welcoming Malcom back to the Pack and protect the Cains, a clan of werewolves known to be big, brutish and not-too-bright, from someone bent on exterminating them. I really, really enjoyed Driven. Over the years, we've witnessed the difficulties and challenges of the Pack and it was just nice to catch up with it and see how their ranks have been replenished and the new dynamics they have. Also, Malcom's return!! Talk about a twist that I have never never seen coming!! And the reference to Derek was just the perfect final touch :) I hope that Ms Armstrong will continue writing these stories and that eventually, we'll have a cross-over with Derek and the others.

Honorable mentions - Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs, Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews and Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop


Young Adult

This was another tough category because all 11 YA books I read this year were excellent. The lowest grade was a B-!

I've been meaning to read a book by Jennifer Lynn Barnes ever since RT 2010 where the panel of YA authors mentioned her debut novel, Raised by Wolves. Finally, this year, I picked up The Fixer and wowzer - my third A- read!! The Fixer is about Tess Kendrick who moves to Washington D.C. to live with her estranged older sister after their grandfather has been diagnosed with Alzheimer. Tess finds herself attending Hardwicke Academy along with the children of the rich and powerful and discovers that her sister's job is to fix their problems - any problems... and it seems everyone believes that Tess is following in those footsteps. I've always loved court intrigues in fantasy novels and this is like the modern version of it - political conspiracy. Tess is thrown in a world she doesn't know and readers learn along the way with her. The mystery is interesting and complex, but what I enjoyed the most about The Fixer it's realistic aspect. Sure, it's fiction so some of it stretches a bit, but overall, it didn't feel over the top like the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter.

I really kick myself for not picking up My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick earlier. It got quite the buzz when it came out and it was totally deserving! My Life Next Door is a sweet romance between Samantha and Jase. The two have been neighbors for years and have watched each other from afar as their home lifestyles are completely different; Sam with her single, strict Stepford-style mother and Jase with his loud and chaotic 7 siblings. When the two finally meet, sparks fly... but can their romance surpass tragedy? Everything about this book was great: the story, the characters, the romance :) I loved Sam's strength, Jase's family and I thought Jase was such a great hero. Would have been great to get his POV.

I picked out Emmy & Oliver on a whim and I'm so glad I did!! Emmy and Oliver were neighbors and best friends... until Oliver's father abducted him in the middle of a messy divorce. For the next ten years, Emmy and her friends' lives were shaped by this event. Then, one day, Oliver returns. Can Emmy and Oliver become best friends again? From the start, this book made me smiled. I loved the characters and the story, but what got me was the friendship and the honesty - it saved this book from being too dark and transformed it into a ray of sunshine :)

Honorable mentions - To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick, The Libby Garrett Intervention by Kelly Oram and The Summer Sword by Rick Riordan


New Adult

In 2014, I discovered Sarina Bowen and fell in love with her writing after reading The Understatement of the Year. They were my picks for Favorite New-to-Me Author, Favorite NA Book, Favorite Book of 2014 and Author of the Year (except I never got around to write that post). Ms Bowen does it again in 2015 with Him that she co-wrote with Elle Kennedy. Him is about two college hockey players and estranged best friends reconnecting during hockey camp where they are now instructors and falling in love. Obviously, there's more to the book... but really, all you need to know is that this book is awesome! My last and final A- read of 2015 :) I loved the characters and the romance and the story was fun and sexy :)

Honorable mentions - The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan, The Shameless Hour by Sarina Bowen and A Shattered Moment by Tiffany King

Favorite Book of 2015

***

And there you have it, my list of Best and Favorite Reads of 2015 :) If you've read all the post, thank you - you've been a trooper!! I'm really sorry for the long post, but since I've barely reviewed this year, I really wanted to share my thoughts of the books :) 

2015 in numbers...

Well... I don't know why I thought writing this number post was going to be such a big endeavor, but obviously, it wasn't ^_^; Yep, my spreadsheet was blank, but it didn't take that long to complete it... Guess there's a positive to reading less in 2015 LOL. Of course, taking out a whole section of the breakdown - the one that requires the most numbers crunching - didn't hurt either :P

Big thanks to Li and Wendy for inspiring me with their own number posts :)

Number of books read

153

My reading goal for 2015 was 180 books, 1 more than what I read in 2014 (179). I thought I had the whole juggling between curling and reading down to pat and therefore, 180 was achievable... but 2015 turned out to be a lot busier than 2014 since I traveled a bit and played hostess/tour guide for guests :) Also, I had no way to predict I'd renew my passion for Chinese tv series with Nirvana In Fire!

Another big hurdle in 2015 was the eternal "what to read next" question which led to many mini-reading slumps :( Aside from the auto-buys, I just didn't know what to pick up! In many instances, I turned to "safer" bets - authors I knew, story tropes I liked; nothing too out of my comfort zone... Except I think I'm tired of my comfort zone ^_^; And so, many of those "safer" bets didn't really engage me :( Hopefully, with me getting back in touch with blogland, this hurdle won't be an issue anymore (or at least, not be as big) in 2016. Gotta say, I'm optimist though! I've already got quite the list of recommendations based on everyone's 2015 recaps and 2016 anticipated lists :)

Since 2016 is going to be as busy - if not more ^_^; - than 2015, I'm aiming for 160 books. I have a good start so far, so hoping it'll continue! :)


Number of books bought

This section of the post has always been the hardest for me to keep track... perhaps because deep down, I don't really want to know LOL. This year was even harder - what with the blank spreadsheet, RWA and RARE. I did manage to scrounge up some numbers though, so let's take a look :)

• Bought print online: 25
• Bought print in-store: 26*
• Bought e-books: 10
• RWA print books: 127
• RWA e-books:  35
• RARE print books: 13

For a grand total of...

191 print books* + 45 e-books

Okie dokie. That is a lot of books ^_^; Especially, considering that the number of print books should be higher as I'm pretty sure I bought more in-store than what's indicated (hence the asterisk). Not much more though - perhaps 10?

Overall, I'm actually quite happy with myself.. even a bit proud! If we don't look at the books I got at RWA and RARE, I purchased only 61-71 books. Okay, so I held off buying books because I knew I would get many of them  at RWA... but still! I took a look at my numbers in 2011, the other time I attended RWA, and that year, without counting my RWA haul, I bought 157 books! So I did exert some self-control this year! :) More evidence of that self-control: most of my book purchases in-store were done after RWA!

Out of those 61 books that I bought, I have read 43 which means 70.5% . That's an increase over last year, but still a bit low in comparison to 2012 and 2013. Of course, this percentage takes a drastic plunge if we consider my RWA haul ^_^; In my RWA post, I said I had read 15 books prior to RWA... and since then, have only add 9 reads from the haul. Oups. So if you take in account books from RWA and RARE, I have perhaps read approximately 76 books total from all those new books - 32.2%. Not too bad, but I think I can do better ^_^; At least, I know where to turn to for the TBR 2016 challenge that Wendy is hosting and I'm participating in lurker-mode :P Now that I think about it... one of my goals this year should be to keep reading from the RWA haul, hmmmm.

Since I didn't do a great job at keeping track of my book purchases in 2015, I really have no idea of how much money I saved. I always try to avoid paying full price for a book and would say I succeeded 90% of the time. I did try to limit my spending at RARE... and in any case, I'd say that my haul at RWA - even factoring the registration fee - more than made up for it. So all I can is in 2015, I saved a lot LOL.

For 2016, I predict some changes in my book buying habits - not from my free will, but due to circumstances. First, Chapters/Indigo as well as Amazon have changed their discount policies - at almost the same time. (Seriously, how do they expect the regular consumer to believe there's no collusion/price fixing among them?!) It used to be 10% off on books over 10$, 24% off on books over 15$ and 34% off on books over 25$... but those everyday online discounts are gone :( I'm not sure what is their current policy as I see 8% and 11% on some books, but do not know how it is decided. Second, it really doesn't help that the Canadian dollar is soooo low :( Suddenly, book prices are increasing - print and e-format - and Book Depository or shopping in the States aren't as attractive either. So yeah, I'll be stalking Chapters/Indigo website, waiting for sales and promotions and hoping that books I really want to buy make it to the best-seller list ^_^; On the positive side, it'll probably mean I'll buy less books which given the state of my room and TBR pile is not a bad thing... However, it'll also mean I'm going to stick more with auto-buys and will less likely be inclined to pick up new authors on impulse. Oh, and my days of pre-ordering are most likely over as well :(


What did I read

Contemporary romance: 62
Urban Fantasy: 14
New Adult (Contemporary): 14
Historical romance: 12 (Regency: 11, Western: 1)
Romantic Suspense: 11
Young Adult: 11 (Contemporary: 9, Mystery: 1, Fantasy: 1)
Category romance (Contemporary): 10
Paranormal romance: 7
Mystery/Thriller/Cosy Mystery: 4
m/m romance (NA, Contemporary): 3
Fantasy: 3
Sci-Fi: 1
Fiction: 1

Well, no big surprise about what I read. Contemporary romance is again the big winner in 2015. I've always had a preference for it and considered it my go-to genre. Remember how I mentioned earlier that I went for "safer" bets in 2015? Yep, those "safer" bets would be contemporary romance. That, combined with the renewed and continued popularity of sport and small-town romances respectively as well as the current "billionaire" trend, probably explains why my number for contemporary romances has increased so much. The past few years, I was pretty constant with about 40 reads... but sharp increase this year: +22. As for the rest, well the numbers are down for almost every other genres. The math is pretty simple: total books read down and contemporary romance up ^_^;

For 2016, I don't really have any expectations. Sure, I'd like to bulk up my UF and Fantasy reads a bit, but Contemporary romance is still very popular. Considering I'm a pretty current reader, I feel my reading actually reflects not only my reading tastes, but what's being published as well... so it's not totally all in my hands :P

Who published them

1. Penguin (Berkley, NAL, ROC, Putnam, etc.): 40
2. Self-published: 25
3. Harlequin (HQN Books, Mira, SuperRomance, KISS, Mills & Boon, Carina Press, etc.): 19
4. Harpercollins Publisher (Avon, Avon Impulse, etc.): 15
5. Simon & Schuster: 14
6. Macmillan (St. Martin's Press, etc.): 12
6. Hachette (Grand Central Publishing, Little Brown Books, Headline, Orbit, etc.): 12
8. E-Publishers (Samhain, Entangled, Montlake, Tule): 6
9. Kensington: 3
10 .DAW: 2
10. Sourcebooks: 2
12. Bloomsbury: 1
12. Hyperion: 1
12. Subterranean Press: 1

I've always maintained that I'm a mainstream publishers reader and I still believe it's true. A few years ago, if you have told me that self-published books would be #2 on my list, I would not have believed you... however, there is no denying the changes in the publishing industry. And do I want to go against it? No, not if it means I'd miss out on so many good books. I'm still quite picky though on self-published and e-publisher books. Most of the time, I need to be already familiar with the authors or it comes as a recommendation for me to pick up the book. All those freebies on Amazon? Not for me. Also, as Li pointed out, authors who non-traditionally published books tend to have more releases per year which explains in part the jump of self-published books to #2 :)

Otherwise, I'm pretty predictable when it comes to the traditional publishers. My big three remains Penguin, Harlequin and Harpercollins. The big surprise for me: the total absence of Random House Publishing in my reading. That is crazy!


When were they published

2015: 131 (85.6%)
2014: 11
2013: 6
2012: 4

Well, I did say I was a current reader! Still, even that's a huge number for me ^_^; And seriously, nothing published before 2012?! That's  a first for me ^_^; Obviously, I didn't fall in love with any new authors with extensive back-lists LOL.

Anyway, I'm kind of torn... do I want to read more older books? I don't know.

How much did I enjoy the book

A: 4 (4 A-)
B: 86 (16 B+, 39 B, 31 B-)
C: 63 (19 C+, 35C, 9C-)

I know I have a reputation for being a tough grader, but this is getting ridiculous! 4 As only?! Actually, not even A, but A-... Looking back though, the last A I have given was back in 2012.  Still, only 4 A reads is a new low for me. Obviously, I need to loosen up a bit ^_^; Then again, most of the time, I grade on feeling/impression and that's how I felt. Perhaps I'm expecting too much? Or am I becoming even tougher with age?

I was also surprised that I had nothing lower than C-... But after reflection, it actually  makes sense. As I mentioned, I had the dreaded "what to pick up next" syndrome this year. I started a lot of books, but did not read them all... See, a book must hold my attention for me to finish it. When it fails to keep me engaged, I just put it aside with the intention of coming back to it - one day. However, they don't go in the DNF category... they just stay in limbo LOL. That's probably why I don't have anything lower than C-.


Random numbers

• I wrote a total of 16 posts last year, 3 of them were reviews. Embarrassing!! I thought 2014 was bad, but seriously, I can't go lower than this!
• New-to-me Authors: 38 - I didn't think this number would be this high, but lo and behold! It's also staying consistent with previous years, so can't complain. The most popular new-to-me author this year must be Karen Robards! LOL.
• Part of a series: 137 - Series are fun... but I do think I need to cut a few of them out of my autobuys ^_^; And part of me really wish more more stand-alones!

***

There you got it, my numbers for 2015 :) Next will be a recap of my Favorite Reads, so stay tuned!

2014 in numbers...

Back by popular demand, here is my numbers post :) I've had the numbers compiled for a while, but haven't had the chance to put this post together until now. I'm so happy to finally have a post up and one about books, yay!! Enjoy all these numbers LOL.


Number of books read

179

This number is always the most important, isn't it? The one we care so much about LOL. My goal in 2014 was 175, so being up 4, I'm quite happy. It's also the most books I've read since 2011 :) The one thing that bothers me a bit though is that part of that 179, 8 were The Kraken King since I read it as a serial ^_^; In addition, there were a few very short novellas... so it does feel like the number is somewhat boosted. Oh well, I'd rather reach my goal and has that feeling, then count The Kraken King as one book and be short and so close of my goal ^_^;

For 2015, I'm aiming for 180 books. Hopefully, all goes well ;)


Number of books bought

125

I've been working hard on lowering this number in the past few years and been quite successful :) However, this year, I have a jump of +30. I don't mind it that much because I know exactly what happened: Chapters closing. On that shopping spree, I bought 38 books!! So had it not been for it, I would have been -8. Not bad :)

This year, I wasn't such an avid customer of Book Depository. Well one explanation is the Canadian dollar losing some of its value, so the exchange rate wasn't as advantageous for me. Plus, Chapters/Indigo had quite a few sales... And of course, there were a few trips to the States :) So the break-down is as followed:

Bought print online = 29
Bought print in-store = 82
Bought e-books = 14

Basically, I've stayed consistent for e-books and my numbers for online and in-store just switched up. Many wonder why I haven't converted more to e-books and it's basically because buying e-books is not cheap. First, because you don't get discount on books from main publishers... and also, because I pay two taxes on e-books (federal and provincial) while only one on print books (federal). Weird, I know, but that's how it is. And the provincial tax is 9.5%, so not negligible!!

So, want to know how much money I saved this year?! 621.89$!!! Isn't that awesome? That's my highest number ever :) In 2010, I did save 517.57$, but for 193 books... so 621.89$ for 125 books? I'm in heaven LOL. Obviously, we're going back to that Chapters shopping spree where all books were 50% off and where my i-rewards discount of 10% was applicable :) Gotta grab those opportunities :)

By the way, I've read 81 books out of those 125... so that's 64.8% of the books I bought, I've read. A bit low compared to other years, but still pretty good I think. As long as it's above 50% LOL...

For 2015, I'm going to try my best to limit my book purchases because I'm planning to go to RWA. Wish me luck! :)


What did I read?

Contemporary = 40
YA = 25 (Contemporary = 18, Fantasy = 2, Sci-Fi = 5)
Urban Fantasy = 22
Romantic Suspense = 21
Historical = 18 (Regency = 16, Western = 1, 1920's = 1)
New Adult = 16 (Contemporary = 16)
Paranormal romance = 10
Steampunk = 8
Category romance = 8 (Contemporary = 8)
Mystery/Thriller/Cosy Mystery = 4
Fiction = 2
Erotica = 2
Chick-lit/Women's Fiction = 1
Fantasy = 1
m/m = 1

Genre-wise, I don't feel like there's been much change in my reading. Contemporary romance is still leading the pack. I am surprised that YA came in second, but I think it's because I binged on certain authors such as Julie Cross. New Adult being all the rage at the moment, it's no surprise that that number increased. The genre with the biggest decrease was category romance and for that one, I think it's a publisher thing. I usually read Harlequin KISS and I think there was a re-structuration or something because there weren't that many released. Plus, it seems many of my favorite category romance authors decided to try something different...

Quite frankly, I have no idea what to expect from 2015. I don't really know where the romance market is heading, what's going to be the new hit...  Guess I'll have to wait and find out.


Who published them?

1. Penguin (Berkley, NAL, ROC, Putnam, etc.) = 53
2. Harlequin (HQN Books, Mira, SuperRomance, KISS, Mills & Boon, Carina Press, etc.) = 22
3. Self-published = 19
4. Harpercollins Publisher (Avon, Avon Impulse, etc.) = 17
5. E-Publishers (Samhain, Entangled, Montlake, Tule) = 14
6. Kensington, Random House Publishing = 12
7. Simon & Schuster = 11
8. Macmillan (St. Martin's Press, etc.) = 9
9. Hachette (Grand Central Publishing, Little Brown Books, Headline, Orbit, etc.) = 8
10. Hyperion/Scholastic/Bloomsbury = 6
11. Hardie Grant Egmont, Llewellyn Books, Walker Books = 3
12. Subterranean Press, Traverse = 2
13 .DAW = 1
14. Sourcebooks = 1

Well wow. I still read a lot of mainstream publishers, but look at that! The self-published and e-publishers books are increasing! Slowly, but surely!! Of course, that has a lot to do with my favorite authors trying different route and me being a follower LOL. Still, it's nice to see. I'd also say if you're a new author, I'm more likely to pick you up if you're with Penguin, Harlequin or Harpercollins. I know that Hachette still releases a lot of romance, but I don't know... I feel they don't do such a great job at marketing. I mean, I see them around at the bookstore and on blogland... but aside from Jill Shalvis' Lucky Harbor series, nothing stands out in my mind for that publisher. Also, I need to give Sourcebooks another go. In the past few years, I've been shying away from that publisher because I don't seem to click with their books... but I think it's time to give it another go.


When were they published?

2014 = 140 (78.2%)
2013 = 25
2012 = 4
2011 = 6
2010 = 2
2009 = 1
2007 = 1

Yep, I'm a current reader. That hasn't changed... which is kind of sad considering the state of my TBR pile. In other words, if I don't read a book in the two years following its release, chances are slim that I'll ever pick it up... Maybe it'll change one day, but I seriously doubt it ^_^;


How did I enjoy the books?

A = 6 (A+ = 0, A = 0, A- = 6)
B = 100 (B+ = 17, B = 57, B- = 26)
C = 70 (C+ = 30, C = 30, C- = 10)
D = 3

Seems like my grade distribution has been very consistent compared to last year. I still have difficulty to dole out A grade. Perhaps I'm being very picky. At the same time, it means if I give it a A, it automatically makes it to my Best and Faves list :)

In any case, I think I'm fair with my grading. Or at least, it really reflects what I think of it, how I feel about it :)


Did I share my thoughts with you?

I'm skipping this section, because I know I didn't ^_^;


Random numbers

New-to-me Authors = 36

This number is pretty similar to last year and I'm quite happy with it. It's actually more than I expected LOL. I mean, I know myself. I'm very picky when it comes to trying new authors... It needs a nice cover, a good blurb or lots of recommendations... but this number shows that I'm trying ;)

Books part of a series = 148

What can I say? This is how it's been the past few years and it's not changing.

***

There you go. My number post... All in all, I feel that I'm a very consistent reader... which makes for very boring comments because really, they're the same year to year LOL. Still, I think it's fun to have these numbers and be able to compare from year to year :)

Bookish Recap of 2013

And here we are, my last retrospective post of 2013. Ames and I take a look at how the past year was, reading-wise and book-wise. Which books measured up to our expectations? Which series is still going strong? Which authors did we read most? Which ones impressed us? To find out, head over to Breezing Through or simply click here :)

To complete the post, a few more pictures of authors :P Recognize them?

 

Best and Favorite Reads of 2013

And I continue my retrospective of 2013 with the 'Best and Favorite Reads' post :) Once again, Ames and I teamed up for this post. It's just more fun when there's a bit of discussion going on :P You can find our lists of Best and Favorite Reads for 2013 over at Breezing Through or by simply clicking here. Curious? Well what are you waiting for? :P

I don't want to give away my picks by posting the covers in this post, but a post without pictures is a bit sad. Especially the Best and Favorite Reads post :) So here are some pictures of authors who have written some of my favorite books in 2013. Recognize them? :P

2013 in numbers...

In the Happy New Year 2014 post, I said there wouldn't be a numbesr post for 2013... Well I lied LOL. Although it wasn't intentional. At the time, I really thought there wouldn't be one because my spreadsheet was months outdated! However, as other bloggers's numbers posts started popping up, I got curious... I wanted to know what my numbers were! And so on New Year, I spent the whole afternoon updating my spreadsheet ^_^;

I tried my best and these numbers are as accurate as they could be, given the retroactive updating of my spreadsheet... So here we go, my numbers post!


Number of books read

146

Once again, my goal for the year was 205 books... However, it became quickly evident to me that I wouldn't achieve it. Starting off the year in Germany just set up the tone for the rest of the year. I don't seem to get much reading done while I'm away from home... whether I'm on a trip or at the hospital LOL. Anyway, I just couldn't seem to get into a reading rhythm this year... Whenever I'd start one, it'd either get disrupted by me going away or a reading slump :(

In the end, I only managed 146. In December, when I realized that I was close to 150, I tried for it... but LOL, holidays and reading slump ^_^; 146 is really the lowest number I've had in years. Although in actuality, I read more than that since whenever I'm in a reading slump, I re-read... However, I don't count re-reads in my tally. Then again, I never count re-reads, so that's the same in previous years. Okay, I'm getting lost. Just to say that I wished I've read more than 146 books, but given the really busy year I've had, I'll take it.

The good news for 2014 is that I can only do better... right? :P Also this year, I've decided not to pressure myself too much and so lowered my reading goal to 175. I've already have 2 books under my belt, so... so far so good :)


Number of books bought

95

Wow, this number is getting better and better as years go! LOL. Compared to last year, it's -31 less books bought!! Coincidentally, it's the same decrease as in 2012 :) However, I really doubt I can go lower than that!

This year, I've pretty much stuck to my auto-buy authors list when it came to purchasing books. I've pre-ordered pretty much everything online and as such, there were very few impulse buys. It didn't help that I rarely went to the bookstores and also rarely browsed the aisles :( It's kind of sad, but I guess that's how my book buying habit has evolved :( Here is my break-down:

Bought print online = 51
Bought print in-store = 29
Bought e-books = 15

A few years ago, I would never have thought I'd be buying more books online than in-store. One of the reasons these two numbers have swapped is Book Depository. When I pre-order books there, I save almost 2$ per paperback. Such a deal!! As a result, I now pre-order all the books from my auto-buy authors list.  As for e-books, well it's still my last option... unless the books are self-published. That's because buying e-books is not cheaper than buying print. Given the pricing, then I'd rather have something I can hold than not.

Speaking of  pricing, guess how much I saved this year? Drumroll please... 343.31$ Another awesome number! It's less than last year, but then, I also bought less, so it makes sense to me :) I've kept the habit of buying hardcovers and trade-sizes online and now, have added paperback pre-orders at Book Depository. Almost all the books I've bought in-store was done so during a promotion and e-books, with a coupon. Those are some habits I plan on continuing :P

Finally, out of those 95 books, I read 73! That's 76.8% of books bought read which is another good number in my opinion and quite similar to last year's :)


What did I read?

Contemporary = 37
Category romance = 22 (Contemporary = 22)
Urban Fantasy = 21
YA = 17 (Contemporary = 8, Fantasy = 3, Paranormal = 1, Sci-Fi = 2, Steampunk = 1,  UF = 2)
Historical = 14 (Regency = 14)
Romantic Suspense = 11
Paranormal romance = 8
Mystery/Thriller/Cosy Mystery = 4
New Adult = 4 (Contemporary = 4)
Fiction = 2
Chick-lit/Women's Fiction = 2
Fantasy romance = 1
Erotica = 1
m/m = 1
Steampunk = 1

Contemporary romance came on top again this year... No surprise given it is my favorite genre :) I might complain about contemporary romance market being over-saturated by small town romance books, but at the end of the day, I do pick them up LOL. However, I do think my complaint is the reason why my number of category romance books is up. I find the setting for contemporary category romance, especially the Harlequin KISS and SuperRomance lines to be interesting and refreshing. Most of them take place overseas or in big cities and that's really an appeal for me.

Urban Fantasy, YA, RS and Paranormal romance numbers have been pretty constant. I think it's because I'm quite specific as to what I want to read in those genres and there's not that many books that fit my criteria ^_^; For example, I prefer to read YA novels that do not feature high school life; cops, PI and FBI agents as main characters in RS instead of military men/women, etc. Also, always on the look-out for UF series, so please feel free to make any suggestions! If it wasn't for the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, my UF number would be way down - say 7 books down LOL.

One genre whose number exhibited the most change is Historical romance and that number is way down in 2013, from 33 to 14. One of the reasons is because I prefer regency historical romance... and well they're all quite similar one to another, author to another ^_^; I don't think the genre is dead, but I think it could use some new ideas, settings, etc.

What does 2014 has in store for me? I have no idea. I'm quite sure Contemporary romance will remain number one LOL. And unless I get hook on a new series with quite a backlist, I think that UF will take a hit. One genre that will probably increase is New Adult, simply because there are so much of it being published... What are your predictions?


Who published them?

1. Penguin (Berkley, NAL, ROC, Putnam, etc.) = 38
2. Harlequin (HQN Books, Mira, SuperRomance, KISS, Mills & Boon, etc.) = 29
3. Harpercollins Publisher (Avon, Avon Impulse, etc.) = 14
4. Simon & Schuster = 10
5. Hachette (Grand Central Publishing, Headline, etc.) = 9
5. Self-published = 9
7.DAW = 8
8. Hyperion/Scholastic/Bloomsbury = 7
9. Kensington,  Random House Publishing = 6
10. E-Publishers (Samhain, Entangled) = 4
11. Macmillan (St. Martin's Press, etc.) = 3
12. Sourcebooks = 2
13. Subterranean Press = 1

As usual, top publishers are Penguin and Harlequin. Really not surprising since most books I read are from Berkley and New American Library. Harlequin is my source of category romance, so right there, it's 22 books! Wait, only 7 books from HQN Books and Mira?! Oh no, wait, there's one from LoveSwept and another from Entangled... Still, only 9 from HQN Books and Mira?! I used to love Mira books, but the current trend is not really to my taste :(

I'm one of those readers that do take into consideration the publishers when I pick up a book, but then this year... well I've pretty much been reading according my auto-buy author list and so I've followed more the authors than the publishers. Might as well since I feel most publishers have been stagnant in 2013 in their publishing.

Have to say, two publishers I'd like to see publish more interesting books/romance are Grand Central Publishing and Macmillan. Ever since Ms Rose switched publisher, Grand Central Publishing has kind of lost me as a reader. They do publish a lot of RS which is good, but it's almost all military men... and their contemporary romances, well it's quite similar to everyone else. As for St. Martin's Press, they have great covers... but story-wise... not impressed.


When were they published?

2013 = 116 (79.5%)
2012 = 13
2011 = 7
2010 = 7
2009 = 2
2006 = 1

As usual, I'm pretty current on my reading :) On one hand, I'm surprised I haven't read anything published before 2005... and on the other hand, well I know I do have a prejudiced for romance books before 2000 ^_^; I feel like 2000 marks a shift in romance novels writing... and I'm just so used to the style after 2000. I doubt the trend will change in 2014.


How did I enjoy the books?

A = 7 (A+ = 0, A = 0, A- = 7)
B = 82 (B+ = 20, B = 34, B- = 28)
C = 51 (C+ = 17, C = 19, C- = 15)
D = 3
DNF = 2
No Grade = 1

I am very stingy with As. I don't know why, but I have difficulty giving them out... and even when I do, well it seems like it's mostly A-s ^_^; I guess I need to be less stringent.

As for the rest, well as you can see, the bulk is in the B and C ranges. I do enjoy almost all of the books I read to a certain degree :) However, I have to say this year, I was probably a bit tougher. For example, if it was between a B+ and a B, I would go with a B; between a C and a C-, it'd be a C-... I feel this is indicative of how 2013 felt like to me... Everything was just so predictable, authors going through the motion, etc. Hopefully, 2014 will be different.

The no grade book is Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 1 by Ms Armstrong which is a collection of novellas she's written for the Darkest Powers series. Because most of these novellas were very short, I just didn't want to assign a grade.


Did I share my thoughts with you?

Full reviews = 38
Week-End's Minis = 5
Mini-reviews from Monthly Reads posts = 23

That gives me a grand total of 66 reviews. 20 of them being for books I've read in 2012. This is half of what I reviewed in 2012, but given the blogging year I've had... I'll take it! I hope to do better in 2013 - shouldn't be that hard ^_^; - and starting from a clean slate will take off a lot of the pressure to "catch up."


Random Numbers

New-to-me Authors = 32

For a girl who supposedly stuck to her auto-buy author list for her book purchases, I did read quite a good amount of new authors LOL. That's mainly due to reading so many category romance, especially with the new Harlequin KISS line - had to pick out new authors.

Books part of a series = 107

This number is quite consistent with last year's % and once again, is not surprising. That's how the publishing industry works nowadays. A lot of the books that were not part of a series were the category romance, some of the YA and all the fiction and chick-lit books LOL. As usual, I wouldn't mind for more stand-alone books, but I'm not holding my breath over it :P

***

And voila, my numbers post! Lots of work involved, but always a fun post to read :) What do you think? Good numbers? I think so. Obviously, there's room for improvement for some of them... but at the end of the day, I'm just glad to see I'm consistent-ish LOL. Seriously though, I can't believe 2013 is over... Then again, starting fresh with 2014 is not bad either :)

Best and Favorite of 2012

Brrrr, I don't know the weather where you live, but here in Canada, we are being hit with a cold wave. and it's really, really cold ^_^; We've been having -25C (-13F) consistently this week, but today is going to be the worst of it. Sigh, -30C (-22F) and overnight, -45C (-49F) when you factor in the winds. I'm starting to be a bit concerned for my car ^_^; The battery is not as good as it could be, but hopefully, it holds up!

Work is going okay. What I'm doing now is new to me, so I'm training. It's going to be harder than I thought because there's a lot of adjustments each time to do and well, it'll only come with practice. What also sucks is that I'm going to be sitting at the machine the whole day, so less time to check my emails and blog :( Going to have to find a way to adjust.

This whole week, I've been busy watching the TV show Hawaii Five-0 with my sister. Between work and that, it means I haven't had much time to read :( Hopefully, that changes once we're all caught up :) In the meantime, I still haven't written a review ^_^; That has to change soon!! But in the meantime, to go along with my "2012 in numbers..." post, here is the list of my best and favorite books read in 2012 :) Much quicker to write LOL.


Contemporary romance

Category romance

Historical romance

RS/Mystery/Cosy Mystery

Paranormal romance

 

UF/Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Young Adult

Novella

Best Book of 2012

***

And there you go :) My list of best and favorite books in 2012! I've tried to stick with 2012 releases, which was quite easy considering how many I read LOL. Also, most have been reviewed (yay!) except for the books read near the end of the year which I'm planning to get to... eventually :) A lot of books are part of my favorite series or have been written by favorite authors. What can I say, they delivered LOL. Now, I hope 2013 will be as good!