Since 2001, I’ve been keeping track of books which I have read (but not reread – that would be too much work!) For 2010, I wound up reading 61 books, which is lower than I had hoped I would (64 is the most since I started this record-keeping) but still on the upper level of yearly scores.
One of the things that probably took a bit away from my reading was that I was rereading the entire Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold in anticipation of Cryoburn coming out. It was my first time rereading and I almost got the books in the right order (messed one up – whoops!) I enjoyed the reread as much as the initial read, and then capped it all off with Cryoburn, which continued the excellence.
This year had me discovering two wonderful trilogies: the Millennium Trilogy (by Stieg Larsson) and the Hunger Games Trilogy (by Suzanne Collins). Lisbet and Katniss are both women who kick ass (and are on fire, heh) and it was fun getting to read about their adventures.
The year started with me reading the books for my Masters thesis, so I guess I can blame the thesis for not getting more than 61 books read. Heh. But despite the required reading and writing, I got a few classics read, including Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson) and The Time Machine (HG Wells). I didn’t get any new Dickens read, but I intend to rectify that this year.
Other notables were the discovery of Poppie Z Brite’s foodie books, Liquor and Prime. I bought the rest which I’ll probably get read this year. Thanks to gregmce for recommending her and for recommending The City and the City by China Mieville.
Chemistry got a good showing this year in popular nonfiction. The Poisoner’s Handbook (Deborah Blum) was excellent and both dad and I finished it while we were visiting my sister this summer. I got about half of The Disappearing Spoon (Sam Kean) read before I had to return the book to the library. But both of those books will be going into my collection when they become paperbacks.
I’ve noticed that many of the books that I read this year came recommended by friends IRL and virtual – thank you for your recs and keep ’em coming! I’m now using the library again (thanks to my Masters program and being able to order books online) and can expand past the books in my own library. Still, I have far too many unread books in my library which I hope to fix (and not by selling ’em!)
(Already for 2011, I have two books read. Plus there’s a partially read one from 2010 that I should finish up. Didn’t get too many books for Christmas, but that’s OK. I have lots to read as it is!)