Read

In 2016 I, like so many people out there set a list of goals, resolutions if you will. I also decided to set a reading goal for the very first time. I wanted to see if I could put a number to the amount of books I was going to read, as I never really keep count.

So being the planner that I am, I made an excel document, and typed up all the books I had already agreed on reading, and made a neat little list to keep track of my progression.

I set the goal to read 100 books in 1 year, and as I started off, it seemed like a pretty high goal, but an achievable one.

As the months past, I got the impression I was definitely going to make it. I even got a little crazy and embarked on a very adventurous and ambitious other project, but I’ll fill you in on that later.

Then life kicked in, at a much faster gear, and plastered me to my seat. I literally lost my bearing there for a minute. And with it I kind of went on auto-pilot, getting all the urgent matters done, but there was no time to read, blog, or relax much. When there was free time, it was filled in with collapsing on the sofa, and falling asleep almost instantly. I think I went about 6 weeks without reading a book, that hasn’t happened to me in the last 5 years.Glow

With a little bit of an adjusted count, and a lot of reading over the holidays, I made it to 101 books in 1 year. I started on the 7th of January 2016, and I finished number 101 yesterday morning.

Here is a list of the books that stuck out the most this year, in the order of me reading them, not the ranking of my preference:

  1. Sparked by Sheena Snow: this was such a surprising read, as I never expected to like a book on robots and such. It sucked me in, had me reading until the wee hours of the morning, and I had hoped to reread it during the year upon completing my goal. I guess I’ll get to do that at a later point.
  2. That Girl Darcy by James Ramos: I love P&P and who knew a guy could get the inner workings of the female mind so well. Loved it!
  3. Pimpernel by Sheralyn Pratt: Sheralyn was one of the best discoveries of 2016 for me. I read all of her books I could get my hands on, and more will pop up in this list!
  4. The Crazy Girl’s Handbook: I loved this cute story. DelSheree just has a way with romance!
  5. Solsitce by Jane Redd: Loved it! I was hooked, and pleading for more. I was lucky to beta read the sequel, which is added in this list further on.
  6. The Stranger She Married by Donna Hatch: this book had my toes curling and me sighing out loud. I fell in love with Regency all over again, and devoured this one. What a treasure!!
  7. Four Chambers by Julie Wright: An amazing read. I cried during this one, it really had me experiencing it more than reading it.
  8. Convergence by Tenille Berezay: This was a great find. I am so glad I picked this beauty up. It was a treasure read!
  9. Chasing fireflies by Taylor Dean: I beta-read this last year, and I was honored Taylor decided to put a quote of yours truly on the back of this SPECTACULAR read! This might be my absolute favorite EVER!!! The story is amazing, the characters are so real, the male lead takes swoon worthy to a new level, it is beyond perfection.
  10. Lake Town by Jane Redd: The Sequel to Solstice, and will be releasing on March 1st. I love to beta-read J
  11. Rachel Laine by Jennifer Peel: This was my favorite read in the Women of Merryton series.
  12. The Host by Stephanie Meyer: I know, I know. But as much as the Twilight series is what she is most famous for, I am not such a big fan of that (definitely not the films). This book is her best work ever. It took me a while the first time I read it to get past the weirdness of it, but once you get into the story, there is some pretty loaded romance going on. This book really brings me to tears, as I can relate to Wanda and her willingness to sacrifice. I love this book and have read it probably 6-7 times. I try to get it in once a year, and am chuffed I got around to it this year. In case you are on the fence about this one, do not watch the movie to decide on the book. The movie is terrible, the casting atrocious, Hollywood got that completely wrong, just pick up the book, power on through the first part, and be amazed by what follows!
  13. There once were stars by Melanie McFalane: A SiFi jewel if ever there was one. I inhaled this book, it was that good!
  14. King of the Friend Zone by Sheralyn Pratt: what can I say, AMAZING!!!
  15. Between Hope and the Highway by Charissa Stasny: I don’t like anything inspirational at all. This book was an exception to that rule. There was some very inspirational stuff in there, but nothing pushy, no preachiness, with delicious kisses and great romance.
  16. The Trouble with Falling by Rachel Morgan: I read this when I was sick and going through a rough week. This hit the spot just right. This series is the perfect balance of feel-good, great storyline and HEA.
  17. Death Thieves by Julie Wright: Such a compelling tale, such imagination to come up with these ideas. I couldn’t get enough.
  18. The Book of Mormon: This will always and forever be on my list, and I read it every year. To find out why, click here.
  19. Failchild by Jaima Fixsen: Sweet Regency tale told in such eloquent language, had me turning page after page, and rooting for the HEA.
  20. The Wife Maker by Karey White. I have a little of a love/hate relationship with this series. I read the first book and fell in love with the concept after a few chapters. Then the ending just about did me in. I knew Charlotte and Angus were meant for each other, but for them to go through three books to get there… Do yourself the favor, and get the boxed set, and prepare to read it all soon after each other. I had such heartache having to wait to get to book three.

Now why on earth did I ever set such a crazy goal you are probably thinking,… By the time December rolled around, I was thinking the same thing. I could have kicked myself. But I am glad I made it.

I have learned of few things during 2016.

I learned that life isn’t about amounts of books, or kilo’s on the scale. Life is about doing the important things. Many times my books, my blogging was set aside to do what was important. Spending time with the kids, helping a friend in need, catching up on laundry (which is very important if you want to stay on top of things at home).

Life Ok

I also learned once again that balance is important. I had times when I forgot all about my own needs, and I turned into this mean, snippy, horrible person that wasn’t great to be around at all. And it was all my own fault for trying to move mountains when my reserves where running low or maybe even completely depleted.

I learned that I will not set a number to the amount of books I need to read in a year. At times I read to reach my goal, and it wasn’t even fun. Shut upI want to take the time to smell the roses, and not focus on numbers that aren’t important. I understand that certain goals are important, and the only way to know if you are reaching that goal, is to measure it with a number, but books, that isn’t about numbers.

I think I can look back on this year and see that is has been one of growth, and that makes me happy. I have left my comfort zone many times, and done things that were hard, new, and even scared me at times. That helped me to push myself, and grow. That brings me to the new and adventurous project I started in May of 2016 I think.

Now to understand this I need to back up here and fill you in on a little background info. I have this crazy friend Inge. She and I have been the best of friends for years. She is fun, wild, always telling the craziest stories, basically she is a barrel of laughs. She is also a great friend, someone who picks me up when I need it, who listens to me when I whine, and encourages me whenever I get a new idea. When I started blogging, she would read my stuff. I love her for that. She would complement my writing abilities, and encourage me to write more. She even thinks I have it in me to write a book. She kept telling me “You should write a book, you write so well, it would be a great success.” To which I would roll my eyes like a snooty teenager (I still have that skill down to a tee), and reply “I will when I have a great idea.” So that would always be our thing, she would say “You need to write a book”, and I would reply, after an eye roll my eleven-year-old hasn’t even mastered that well, and say, “Yeah, yeah, once I have a good idea.”

Well, in May of last year I had an idea, and started writing. It just came, and came, and after a rough few chapters, a few very encouraging words from some great friends (Thank you Taylor, Aubrey, Jen Bee!) I continued on. I had some hard moments, thoughts of inadequacy, doubts,…

I even had a hard time continuing with it after I ran into a snag along the way.

But after a lot of thought, I decided to  just write the story these people have to say.

I can currently say I am at 43K, which is over half a novel’s worth, and the story is fully outlined. This is going to happen people.

This was definitely one of the most unexpected things to happen to me, and I am very excited to finish it, and share it with you all. I love the story, I love these people, and the tale they have to tell.

Author

I will keep you posted about the book, and this year I promise to do better at posting regularly. I have so many reviews to share with you all.

In case you are interested in the full list, here it is. Happy reading!

Keep on reading

1 Storm
2 A Healing Spirit Melissa A Hanson
3,4,5,6,7,8 Under the Mistletoe Timeless
9 Twelve days in December Michele Paige Holmes
10 Not always Happenstance Rachael Anderson
11 Sparked Sheena Snow
12 That girl Darcy James Ramos
13 Man of her Dreams Sue Barr
14,15,16 A Midwinter Ball Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon and Michele Paige Holmes
17 Pimpernel Sheralyn Pratt
18 Trouble Magnet DelSheree Gladden
19 The Catalyst DelSheree Gladden
20 Broken things to mend Karey White
21 If we were a Movie Kelly Oram
22 The Crazy Girl’s Handbook DelSheree Gladden
23 The Passionate One J Lewis
24,25,26,27,28,29 Mail Order Bride Anthology
30 Legally Wedded Jennifer Griffith
31 The Resillient One C. Checketts
32 Taylor Lynne Jennifer Peel
33 House Without Lies Rachel Branton
34 The (Re)Model Marriage Maria Hoagland
35 Solstice Jane Redd
36 First Light Michele Paige Holmes
37 The stranger she married Donna Hatch
38 Marry Your Billionaire: A Modern Cinderella C.J. Ananya
39 Love is Come HB Moore
40 Scarlett Rachel Morgan
41 Four Chambers POM Julie Wright
42 O’er The River Liffey Heidi Ashworth
43 Beyond the Rising Tide Sarah Beard
44 Convergence Tenille Berezay
45 Chasing Fireflies Taylor Dean
46 Lake Town Jane Redd
47 Rachel Laine Jennifer Peel
48 Me before You Jojo Moyes
49 Pianos and Promises – Christopher and Jaime Jennifer Peel
50 The Host Stephanie Meyer
51 A Faerie’s Curse Rachel Morgan
52 Heart of the Ocean HB Moore
53,54,55 Summer House Party Timeless Romance Anthology
56,57,58,59,60,61 Road Trip Timeless Romance Anthology
62 Dear Jane Rachel Ward
63 I am Delilah Josi Kilpack
64 The Villain Nicole May Abbey
65 The woman he married Julie Ford
66 Fresh Starts Kimberly Krey
67 Orison Brandon Gray
68 Pianos and Promises – Beck and Call Jennifer Peel
69 Between Heaven and Earth Michele Paige Holmes
70 Accidently Me Kim Karras
71 Cupid’s Quest Lori Soard
72 There Once Were Stars Melanie McFalane
73 The Oblivious Girl’s Handbook DelSheree Gladden
74 Boyfriend by the book Laura Briggs
75 Always You Ruth Roberts
76 King Of the Friend Zone Sheralyn Pratt
77 Pianos and Promises – Cole and Jilian Jennifer Peel
78 The fall of Lord Drayson Rachael Anderson
79 How I met your brother Janette Rallison
80 To Move the world Regina Sirois
81 That thing formerly known as my life Sally Johnson
82 Between Hope and The Highway Charissa Stasny
83 Marie and Mr Bee Margaret Welwood
84 The Keep Tenille Berezay
85 The trouble with falling Rachel Morgan
86 Blue eyes and other teenage hazards Janette Rallison
87 Love Right  Rebecca Rode – Stormy Kisses Sweet Sassy Antology
88 Waves of Deceit Donna Weaver – Stormy Kisses Sweet Sassy Antology
89 Back to You Jo Noelle – Stormy Kisses Sweet Sassy Antology
90 Book of Mormon LDS
91 Fairchild Jaima Fixsen
92 Death Thieves Julie Wright
93 Incognita Jaima Fixsen
94 Walk of Infamy Sheralyn Pratt
95 Saints and Sinners Josi Kilpack
96 Teachings of Presidents: Howard W Hunter LDS
97 The Perfect Christmas Jennifer Moore
98 Memory’s Edge DelSheree Gladden
99 The Christmas Box Richard Paul Evans
100 The Match Maker Karey White
101 The Wife Maker Karey White

 

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