Update: I managed to squeeze in another book while traveling to my in-laws this weekend bringing my total up to 55!
My uberlist goal for reading for the year was 50 books. This number pales in comparison with many of the book bloggers I have seen but it represented twice as many books as I completed each of the previous two years. One of the things I wanted to see some change in was my habit of starting, and not finishing, books. A subset of this goal was to try to pull books off of my pile in the basement rather than just starting new books. I did really well with that at the beginning of the year but slacked off as the year progressed. All told, out of the 54 books I completed, 13 were books I had owned (but not yet read) prior to the start of the year. 18 were books I purchased new this year, 3 were books I purchased used, 7 were gifts from others (some of which also count as the 13 I mentioned first), and 9 were books that I borrowed from others or from the local library. The rest were re-reads. How many books did I purchase this year but have not read to completion, or even started? Ummm……
I am not sure when urban fantasy/urban horror was released on the scene but it is safe to say that there are a number of authors whose books would fit within this genre. Laurell K. Hamilton and Charlaine Harris are two that come to mind. Simon R. Green’s Nightside series and Liz Williams’ Snake Agent are two that I have read which are written in a similar vein. Mystery stories featuring a private investigator set in a world where the supernatural is not a myth, but a reality. While the products of good writers tend to spawn derivative works from those looking to cash in on a trend, there are surprises to be found amongst the pretenders. Kat Richardson‘s debut novel, Greywalker, is one of those surprises.
Of all the diversions of life, there is none so proper to fill up
its empty spaces as the reading of useful and entertaining authors.
~ Joseph Addison ~
Books are not made for furniture,
but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.
~ Henry Ward Beecher ~
Over the past two days we (Mary, Tori and I) have engaged in both old and new traditions. Since we are always with extended family either home or away over the true Christmas Eve and Day we generally choose a day at the beginning of December on which we will celebrate our Christmas. That gives us a day to plan ahead with all the excitement and anticipation that Christmas Day should bring.
