End of the 100 Books in 2012 Challenge

Although I haven't updated my blog recently, I have been reading. Here are the final additions to my 100 Books in 2012 Challenge update.

79. Into the Storm by Suzanne Brockmann

80. Force of Nature by Suzanne Brockmann

81. Ashes to Ashes by Tami Hoag (reread from 10 years ago)

82. Dust to Dust by Tami Hoag (reread from 8-10 years ago)

83. Falling Home by Karen White

84. Following the Drum: Women in Wellington’s Army by F.C.P. Gage

85. Jane Austen and Ghosts by David W. Wilkin

86. The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer

87. Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

88. The Days of Summer by Jill Barnett

89. Blue Moon Bay by Lisa Wingate

90. Love Will Find a Way by Barbara Freethy

91. Almost a Bride by Patricia McLinn

92. The Witness by Dee Henderson

93. Cry Uncle by Judith Arnold

94. Sing Me Home by Jerri Corgiat (reread from 10-15 years ago)

95. True Devotion by Dee Henderson

96. My Man Pendleton by Elizabeth Bevarly

97. Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson

98. Sleepwalker by Karen Robards

99. The Angel Knight by Susan King (reread from 10-15 years ago)

100. Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate (read 3 times in 2 months)

101. Silken Threads by Patricia Ryan (reread from 10-15 years ago)

102. The Poisoned Serpent by Joan Wolf

103. The Earl by Cecilia Holland

104. Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson

105. The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (reread from 4 or 5 years ago)

 106. Knit Two by Kate Jacobs (reread from 4 or 5 years ago)

107. Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs (reread from three years ago)

108. The Last Hope by Nora Roberts

109. Carolina Home by Virginia Kantra

110. Spinning Forward by Terri DuLong

111. Sunrise on Cedar Key by Terri DuLong (again)

112. Postcards from Cedar Key by Terri DuLong

113. Tangled Up in Love by Heidi Betts

114. Lone Star Cafe by Lisa Wingate (reread from 8 years ago)

115. Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner by Lisa Wingate (reread from 6 years ago)

116. Texas Cooking by Lisa Wingate (reread from 8 years ago)

117. Under the Kissing Bough by Shannon Donnelly

118. Mistletoe and Mischief by Mary Jo Putney, Jo Beverley, Nicola Cornick, Cara Elliott, Anne Gracie, Susan King, and Patricia Rice

119. See Jane Score by Jane Gibson

120. Regency Christmas Magic by Amanda McCabe, Allison Lane, Edith Layton, Barbara Metzger, and Sandra Heath (a reread from 8 years ago)

I enjoyed all these books except two (Jane Austen and Ghosts and The Earl). My favorite books, aside from the rereads (which I wouldn't have reread if I didn't really like), were the books whose covers are shown on the right.

I don't know what my favorite book of the year was. Narrowing the choice down to one single book is almost impossible. Did you have a favorite among the books you read this year?

100 Books in 2012 Challenge: Update

The latest additions to my list of books read this year.

54. The Witness by Nora Roberts (2 times)
55. Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (2 times)
56. Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (2 times)
57. Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (reread from 10-15 years ago)
58. Acts of Mercy by Mariah Stewart (2 times)
59. Shattered by JoAnn Ross
60. Dark Side of Dawn by Merline Lovelace (reread from 15 years ago)
61. After Midnight by Merline Lovelace (2 times) (reread from 10 years ago)
62. Against the Law by Kat Martin
63. Count to Ten by Karen Rose
64. Prior Bad Acts by Tami Hoag
65. Hide by Lisa Gardner
66. The First Mistake by Merline Lovelace
67. Bad Medicine by Eileen Dreyer
68. Haunting Rachel by Kay Hooper
69. Brown-Eyed Girl by Mariah Stewart
70. On the Run by Iris Johansen
71. Dirty Blonde by Lisa Scottoline
72. Dead Ringer by Lisa Scottoline
73. Sleep No More by Susan Crandall
74. The Prey by Allison Brennan
75. The Hunt by Allison Brennan
76. The Kill by Allison Brennan
77. Birthright by Nora Roberts (2 times)
78. Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown

All of the books were good. My favorites were Prior Bad Acts by Tami Hoag, Birthright by Nora Roberts, and Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown. Why were those three books my favorites? Hard to explain, except that I had a difficult time putting them down.

The three books in Allison Brennan's Predator Trilogy were also very good, but scary enough that I needed to put them down several times in mid-read. Dead Ringer by Lisa Scottoline was very good, too. It's been a while since I read a book by Ms. Scottoline, but this book reminded me why I liked Ms. Scottoline's books.

The books on the list I liked the least: Glitter Baby, which is an generation-spanning saga that hasn't aged well, and On the Run, which seemed over-the-top throughout.

What have you been reading? If I don't respond to a comment, it's because I can't. I reported the glitch to Blogger weeks ago, but they still haven't solved the problem.

Susannah

100 Books in 2012 Challenge: Update

I was an avid reader long before I ever thought about writing a novel. I'm still an avid reader. I took up the challenge to keep track of the books I read this year, and to try to read 100 books. So far, I'm making good progress toward my goal.

Here is a list of the books I've read since I last posted an update.

37. When Dreams Come True by Cathy Maxwell
38. Blame it on Bath by Caroline Linden
39. One Night in London by Caroline Linden
40. Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke
41. Once Around by Barbara Bretton
42. Sleeping Alone by Barbara Bretton
43. The Day We Met by Barbara Bretton
44. Maybe This Time by Barbara Bretton
45. At Last by Barbara Bretton
46. A Soft Place to Fall by Barbara Bretton
47. Girls of Summer by Barbara Bretton (read it twice)
48. The Penalty Box by Deirdre Martin
49. The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts
50. Just Down the Road by Jodi Thomas
51. Here to Stay by Catherine Anderson
52. Home for the Summer by Mariah Stewart
53. Moonshell Beach by JoAnn Ross (read it twice)

Of all these books were good. The best of the bunch was Barbara Bretton's Girls of Summer, which is my all-time favorite contemporary romance. Also excellent were Home for the Summer by Mariah Stewart, the fifth book in her Chesapeake Diaries series; Moonshell Beach by JoAnn Ross, the fifth book in her Shelter Bay series, which I was fortunate enough to read before its release due to an advanced reading copy I won in the weekly contest on her website; and The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts, the second book in her Inn Boonsboro trilogy.

I'm on a contemporary romance kick at the moment, and I plan to start reading Ms. Roberts's new book, The Witness, tonight.

What have you been reading?

Susannah

100 Books in 2012 Challenge Update

An update on my progress in the 100 Books in 2012 Challenge, which has just been thrown a complication (as have my knitting and writing challenges) by an upcoming job change and a move across the country. Most of the chaos will occur next month, which may mean I don't post as often as usual. I have several Georgian and Regency posts to finish up, when I have a little spare time.

 The books I've read recently are:
28. Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb
29. Shattered by Karen Robards
30. Justice by Karen Robards
31. Hometown Girl by Mariah Stewart
32. Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick
33. Captive Queen by Alison Weir
34. Marrying the Captain by Carla Kelly (re-read from last year)
35. The Surgeon’s Lady by Carla Kelly  (re-read from last year)
36. The Garden of Happy Endings by Barbara O’Neal (2 times)

I liked all of the books. My favorites were Mariah Stewart's Hometown Girl and The Garden of Happy Endings by Barbara O'Neal, which was compelling enough to start reading again as soon as I finished it.

The most informative book was Lady of the English. Captive Queen, while interesting, was a bit of a disappointment. I read the author's biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine a few years ago, and liked it. In this novel, however, she used as fact rumors that most historians discount (including, if I remember correctly, herself). Maybe Ms. Weir's ideas about novel writing are different than mine, but I believe novels should be rooted in fact.

The Garden of Happy Endings is not, as its title might lead you to suspect, a romance. (I'd call it mainstream fiction with romantic elements.) It's a story of sisters, faith, friendship, community, and love. With gardens, dogs, and recipes. I found it riveting.

What are you reading?

Susannah

100 Books in 2012 Challenge Update

I deliberately did not post about by progress in this challenge for almost two months because I needed a long-ish list so that it wouldn't be obvious which books I read and judged for the RITA contest.

Listed below, not necessarily in the order in which I read them, are books 8-27 in my progress toward the goal of 100 books read this year.

8.  Dangerous Diversions by Margaret Evans Porter (reread from 15 years ago)

9.  Toast of the Town by Margaret Evans Porter (reread from 15 years ago)

10.  Lady Emma’s Dilemma by Rhonda Woodward (reread from 6 years ago)

11.  The Marquis’ Kiss by Regina Scott

12.  Heiress in Love by Christina Brooke

13.  Dangerous in Diamonds by Madeline Hunter

14.  Heartache Falls by Emily March

15.  Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo

16. Risky Christmas by Jill Morrison and Jennifer Morey (two novellas)

17.  One Summer by JoAnn Ross (sb2)

18.  The Angel in my Arms by Stefanie Sloane

19.  The Next Always by Nora Roberts

20.  On Lavender Lane by JoAnn Ross (sb3)

21.  Devlin’s Light by Mariah Stewart

22.  Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea by Sophia Nash

23.  Coming Home by Carla Kelly (three novellas)

24.  Sunrise on Cedar Key by Terri Dulong (ck3)

25.  Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb (id32)

26.  New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb (id33)

27.  Tides of War by Stella Tillyard

Of all these books, the ones I liked the best were On Lavender Lane by JoAnn Ross and Sunrise on Cedar Key by Terri Dulong. The book I liked the least was Tides of War by Stella Tillyard. The author's non-fiction books that I've read were excellent, but, unfortunately, she does not know how to write a good novel.

Considering that the year is not quite one-quarter old and I've read twenty-seven books, I think I'll succeed in this challenge.

Is anyone else participating in the 100 Books in 2012 Challenge? What's the best book you've read this year?

Susannah

5 Books Read, 95 to Go

I took the challenge to read 100 books in 2012. (Click on the link in the left sidebar to learn more.) Most years I read more, but I'm not always good at keeping track of exactly how many I've read.

So far this year, I've read:
1. Marrying the Royal Marine by Carla Kelly,
2. The Admiral’s Penniless Bride by Carla Kelly,
3. A Garden Folly by Candice Hern (a reread from 10-15 years ago, read on the Kindle app on my phone),
4. The Best Intentions by Candice Hern (a reread from 10+ years ago, read on Kindle app),
5. Miss Lacey’s Last Fling by Candice Hern (a reread from 10+ years ago, read on Kindle app).

I'm currently reading The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance, editted by Trisha Telep. True to its title, it's huge. I'm about one-third of the way through the book, and so far I've enjoyed almost all of the stories. Like any anthology, some stories are better than others. A few have been excellent.

As you can see from the list, I'm in a Regency romance mood. What are you reading this week?

Susannah

2012 Reading Challenge

I (and several writer and non-writer friends) have accepted the challenge to read 100 books in 2012. Most years I read that many or more, but there may have been a year or two in the past four when I didn't not reach that level, either because I chose to read a bunch of long books or because I didn't have as much time for reading. Or both.

Want to join us? Click on this link to sign up. I'll be listing the books I read here. For example, last week I read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Right now, I'm reading another medieval novel, For the King's Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick, which started about the time Pillars of the Earth ended.

I'm also, rather sporadically at the moment, reading The Years of Endurance 1793-1802 by Arthur Bryant, about the early years of Britain's opposition to the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte.

What are you reading this week?

Susannah