So... in 2010 I read 301 books (revised from previous post). Here's the breakdown:
Historical: 96
Contemporary: 130
Romantic Suspense: 50
Futuristic: 16
Nonfiction: 1
Paranormal: 7
Thriller: 4
M/M: 7
(total is > 301 because some books were placed in more than once category)
I think the contemporary is so high because I read a lot of category romance. I didn't read a ton of single title contemporaries. Plus, often if a book is a RS, it also gets categorized in my contemporary shelf. But it definitely confirms that my two favorite subgenres are historical and RS. Hmm... wonder if I can stick to just one category per book for next year. Not likely.
So what books did I absolutely love? I had 24 5-star reads. That's 8% of my total. I'm not going to list them all; you can find them on my Goodreads account (link to my 5-star shelf is at the right). Of those, several were rereads, and I won't include them here. I only had one 1 rating in there (Sexy as Hell, which I reviewed for Book Binge - I just don't like reading about cheaters and assholes, what can I say?).
Here are the ones that stood out to me so greatly that I would pimp them to you and nag until you read them. In no particular order.
Captain's Surrender: Alex Beecroft (m/m)
A sweeping epic historical showing a wonderful, sweet love set against the harsh life of the Royal Navy.
Shaken: Dee Tenorio (contemporary)
I've never ever included a novella before, but this was soooo good! A married couple tries to put their life back together after the death of their daughter.
The Darkest Hour: Maya Banks (romantic suspense)
Another married couple. Wife comes "back from the dead" with serious addiction issues and fear. Wonderful family, too.
The Perfect Family: Kathryn Shay (comtemporary, m/m)
Not a romance, but a wonderfully relevant look at a family dealing with the coming out of the youngest child.
Duke of Shadows: Meredith Duran (historical)
I cannot believe I waited so long to read this. Simply fantastic.
Song of Seduction: Carrie Lofty (historical)
A gorgeous portrayal of 18th century Europe, the music industry, and obsessive love.
The Dark Tide: Josh Lanyon (m/m)
I've always been a Jake fan, and I simply adored the end of this series.
Visions in Death: JD Robb (futuristic, R/S)
A welcome relationship-focused issue in this series following the very intense and tense Divided in Death.
Loyalty in Death: JD Robb (futuristic, R/S)
A spooky foreshadowing of 9/11. A terrific suspense portion and a wonderful relationship aspect as well.
Exclusively Yours: Shannon Stacey (contemporary)
Proof that writing what you know pays off. A fantastic family story that features reunited lovers and loads of mud and teenagers. (It works, trust me!)
Cold Sight: Leslie Parrish (romantic suspense)
Parrish writes like Karen Rose, and her books are sufficiently creepy to keep me happy and contain the perfect amount of romance to balance it out. Plus, no TSTL heroines!
I Can See You: Karen Rose (romantic suspense)
Loveloveloved Noah and Eve. Both so damaged, but so perfect for one another.
Honorable Mentions go to:
Slow Heat: Jill Shalvis
Silent Scream: Karen Rose
Marry Me: Jo Goodman
Coming Undone: Lauren Dane (which was a Jan release, but I technically read it in Dec 09)
Something About You: Julie James
What were your favorites this year?
You had a great year, Lori!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to see two In Death books made your favorites list!
And look at that... a handful of paranormals managed some time in your reading queue! I know you're not much of a fan. No urban fantasy for you, huh? What's funny is that I don't consider urban fantasy my go-to genre, but so many favorites end up being UF anyway. Maybe I'm in denial. LOL.
Here's to a great 2011!
Wow - you had a great reading year. I see some authors on your list I need to try - Kathryn Shay, Carrie Lofty and Shannon Stacy. And I have 3 of the Parrish books.
ReplyDeleteI love reading these lists because there's always some books that are on my tbr pile. :)
I still haven't done my best of list but I know some YA will be on there. Probably some contemps & UF too.
@Christine: All the paranormals this year were shifters (wolves specifically, if memory serves). I think I had an In Death book on my list last year, too.
ReplyDelete@Leslie: Kathryn Shay's single titles are great. And I haven't read any of Carrie Lofty's other books, but Wendy put two of them on her best of list this year. And Shannon Stacey is awesome. Love both her straight contemps and her RS. Oh, and she's written a couple western historicals, too!
Savor the Parrish's when you read them. It doesn't sound like she'll get to do any more of them. Although with so many authors pubbing their own work on Smashwords, there is still hope :)
301 books! That's really awesome, Lori! Also the fact that you enjoyed so many of them :)
ReplyDeleteWoohoo on the Karen Rose making your best and Honorable Mentions list ;)
I'm glad also that Loyalty in Death is up there. I really enjoyed that one... and yes, spooky isn't it, the foreshadowing!
On the top of my head though, I can't think of best books. My brain is too mushy and I need visual aid - as in, need to see my list of books read LOL.
I like that even though you read 7 m/m's, a few made your top reads. :P
ReplyDeleteI thought you read more than that though. LOL
And good stuff on the 301!! That's awesome. :P
Awesome year, Lori!
ReplyDeleteI have Shay on my "to buy" list, definitely! And, I just won that book by Carrie Lofty! I'm so excited. :) We share our love of Adrien English as favorites for 2010. :) I was surprised that my top pick was UF this year and not romance... that's a new one for me.