Friday, December 23, 2011

TOPS n BOTTOMS 2011

END OF YEAR SUMMARY

Total Books Read: 214

DNFs: 6

Books in/books out (note that this is since Feb. 1, 2011 so is actually only 11 months worth:

Books Acquired (all from Paperbackswap and Amazon Vine): 92

Books Lost (traded, sold, donated) from physical TBR shelves: 543

Net loss: 451 books

Total left on TBR: To be announced--still compiling...

TOPS n BOTTOMS:
This was VERY difficult...but this is what I eventually settled on. Even with the honorable mentions listed, there were a LOT of excellent books that didn't make the list!

TOP TEN MYSTERIES (in no particular order...but I did cheat a little, counting series books that I read this year in the same series as one entry)

1. A TRACE OF SMOKE/A NIGHT OF LONG KNIVES by Rebecca Cantrell (#1 & 2 Hannah Vogel series)

2. BREATHING WATER/THE QUEEN OF PATPONG by Timothy Hallinan (#3 & 4 Poke Rafferty series)

3. AMONG THE MAD/THE MAPPING OF LOVE AND DEATH/A LESSON IN SECRETS by Jacqueline Winspear (#6, 7 & 8 Maisie Dobbs series)

4. THE VICTORIA VANISHES by Christopher Fowler (#6 Bryant & May mysteries)

5. A RED HERRING WITHOUT MUSTARD/I AM HALF SICK OF SHADOWS by Alan Bradley (audio) (#3/4 Flavia de Luce series)

6. SNAKESKIN SHAMISEN/BLOOD HINA by Naomi Hirahara (#3/4 Mas Arai series)

7. LOVE SONGS FROM A SHALLOW GRAVE/SLASH AND BURN by Colin Cotterill (#7/8 Dr. Siri Paiboun series)

8. GUNSHOT ROAD by Adrian Hyland (#2 Emily Tempest mystery)

9. BURY YOUR DEAD by Louise Penny (#6 Three Pines mystery)

10. THE WEAVER AND THE FACTORY MAID/FAMOUS FLOWER OF SERVING MEN/MATTY GROVES by Deborah Grabien (#1/2/3 "Haunted Ballad" mysteries)

Honorable mention:

A FIELD OF DARKNESS by Cornelia Read (#1 Madeline Dare mystery)

CHILD 44 by Tom Rob Smith (#1 Leo Demidov mystery--note: I didn't like the second one nearly as well)

IN THE SHADOW OF GOTHAM by Stefanie Pintoff (#1 Simon Ziele historical mystery)

THE LIONS OF THE NORTH by Edward Marston (#4 Domesday medieval mysteries)

THE PURE IN HEART by Susan Hill (#2 Simon Serrailler mystery)

THE CASE OF THE MISSING SERVANT/THE CASE OF THE MAN WHO DIED LAUGHING by Tarquin Hall (audio) (#1/2 Vish Puri mysteries)

FROM THE GROUNDS UP/A CUP OF JO by Sandra Balzo (#5/6 Maggy Thorsen mystery)

TO FETCH A THIEF/THE DOG WHO KNEW TOO MUCH by Spencer Quinn (audio) (#3/4 Chet & Bernie)

TOP "OTHER" GENRES

1. THE WEE FREE MEN/A HAT FULL OF SKY/WINTERSMITH by Terry Pratchett (Discworld fantasy series, Tiffany Aching sub-series)

2. THE LAST KINGDOM by Bernard Cornwell (#1 Saxon historical fiction series)

3. THE LAST ARGUMENT OF KINGS by Joe Abercrombie (#3 First Law fantasy trilogy)

4. THE WARDED MAN by Peter V. Brett (#1 Demon Cycle trilogy, fantasy)

5. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (audio)

6. THE EAGLE'S BROOD by Jack Whyte (#3 Camulod Chronicles historical fantasy)

7. DOWNPOUR by Kat Richardson (#6 Greywalker paranormal mystery)

8. BLOODSHOT: CHESHIRE RED REPORTS by Cherie Priest (#1 Cheshire Red paranormal)

BOTTOMS--WORST MYSTERIES (that I actually finished...DNF's not counted)

MAMA RIDES SHOTGUN by Deborah Sharp

CAT OF THE CENTURY by Rita Mae Brown

CUT SHORT by Leigh Russell

DEAD CONNECTION by Alafair Burke (audio)

PRETTY GIRL GONE by David Housewright

THE INDIAN BRIDE by Karin Fossum

I will amend this post later to do a summary of my year's reading--# of books, the status of my TBR pile, etc. Roll on 2012...it's going to be a GREAT year! :)

Cheryl