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Friday, December 29, 2017

My A-Z of 2017...

Authors I ended up reading the most this year (with 5 books each):  Anna Lee Huber (Lady Darby series) and Rob Thurman (Cal Leandros series.)  Best of all? These were new authors to me this year.

Borrowed the majority of the books I read this year from the library; it never has all the books I want to read, but I'm very grateful for the ones it does have...especially when there are multiple available copies!

Celebrated my blog's 5th anniversary. I published my first post on Dec. 21, 2012. Can you believe I've been doing this for five years? Because I can't!

Didn't read as many classics this year as I normally do...I'll try and read more than four next year.

Enjoyed doing "buddy reads" with both Bettina and Melody this year and chatting with ALL my blogging friends. You guys are the best!!

Favorite new fictional character:  Magnus "Steps" Craig from Spencer Kope's Collecting the Dead. His second book comes out in April and I can't wait!

Genre hopped between mystery & suspense, non-fiction, fantasy, supernatural, dystopian, survival, romance, and then back to mystery & suspense.

Hoping that The Broken Girls, the new Simone St. James novel coming out in 2018, exceeds expectations (and makes up for the disappointment last April when its publication was delayed for an entire year.)

In desperate need of more bookshelves...mine are double-stacked and starting to spill over.

Just finished reading:  An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd

Keeping too many lists of books that I want to read; I'll never get to them all, but at least I'll never run out.

Longest book read this year:  The Shining by Stephen King with 659 pages.

Managed to read 10 books from my own TBR shelf this year. Only 39 more to go.

Not my cup of tea:  erotica, graphic novels, anything political, and those l-o-n-g multi-generational family sagas.

Only purchased 26 books this year (because I was trying to be good). But it wasn't easy. And I already have a list of books that I'm planning on buying in January.

Popcorn (preferably Smartfood's White Cheddar) along with roasted peanuts are my two favorite bookish snacks.

Quote from a recent read:  "...courage and endurance are useless if they are never tested."  --Penelope Fitzgerald, The Bookshop


Long-Eared Owls
Reached #161 on my birding life list this summer when I spotted some long-eared owls on a birding field trip.

Superpower I wish I had:  Teleportation.  That way I could go wherever I wanted without the hassle of going through airport security, or the discomfort of flying economy class.  (My own private plane would be okay, too.)

Tried to read more books from around the world this year and managed to read books set in Yemen,  South Sudan,  Romania,  India,  Syria,  Egypt,
Zimbabwe, and Hungary.

Undecided on whether or not I'll sign up for any reading challenges next year; they're fun, but they can also be a bookish burden. And I didn't exactly finish the ones I started this year. I think maybe it's time to take a year off.

Solar Eclipse, August 2017

Viewed my very first total eclipse of the sun back in August up in Rigby, Idaho. It was indescribably awesome!! (And totally worth the 10-hour traffic jam we got stuck in going home afterwards.)

Wasted way too much time watching TV this year; I should really work on changing that habit in 2018.




X marks the spot!
marks my favorite reading spot. It's not much, but it's a comfortable place to curl up and get lost in a good book:

Young adult fiction pet peeves:  love triangles, instalove, and alternating POVs written in first person. All three have been done to death. I think it's time we all move on.

Zombie read of the year:  Can You Survive A Zombie Apocalypse by Max Brailler. Why?  Because it's a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book which are always fun. I especially loved the Barnes and Noble ending in this one; although the fan convention detour was also great.


Hope you had a great 2017! 
I'll see you in the new year.
Happy Reading!!
And Happy New Year!


26 comments:

  1. A wonderful A to Z! I'm very impressed with the 26 book purchases this year, I will try to emulate that next year. Thought as you reminded me, you can always buy more bookshelves :)

    Also, now I want some popcorn!

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    1. :D Popcorn is the best! And more bookshelves is always a good thing.

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  2. Great list! I love the A - Z summary of your year. The eclipse was definitely worth the crazy traffic afterward. And I am wondering if your 26 books purchased includes the 7 books from the library sale you got for 35 cents? Happy 5th Anniversary on your blog. Keep going!

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    1. Thanks, Amy! (And I don't think I added in those last 7 library books to my list of books bought 'cause I only spent 35 cents.)

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  3. What a creative way to wrap up your year! This was super fun to read.

    Congratulations on your 5 year anniversary!

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    1. Thanks! I really appreciate your comments and good wishes. :D

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  4. Happy blogoversary and Happy New Year!

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  5. Congratulations on reaching a blogging milestone! I love this list you put together. Such a fun way to wrap up the reading year. I hope 2018 is a terrific reading year for you!

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  6. I love this abc idea! I hear you on the telaportation idea. That would be so nice.

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    1. If only there were some way to acquire that particular superpower! :D

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  7. Congratulations on your anniversary and what an original way to look back at the past year!
    I love reading books together as well, and I am glad you enjoy it as much as I do. I am looking forward to our next project!!

    All the best for 2018!
    Warm regards,

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    1. Thanks, Bettina! I hope you have an amazing 2018, too.

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  8. I need to get reading the Rob Thurman series. I read half of book one and loved it but for some reason never got back to it! Ooh white cheddar popcorn??? Where has THAT been all of my life! Pity I can't get it here!

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    1. That is sad! White cheddar popcorn is the way to snack. :) If it weren't so darn expensive to mail anything I'd send you some.

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  9. Love your alphabetical post of highlights and goals!

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  10. I love the format of this post! Such a great idea, Lark!

    Happy Bloggiversary--albeit a little late. :-) It goes by fast, doesn't it? I'm so glad to know you through blogging.

    I want to read more classics this coming year as well. I didn't do too well with it this year. I am looking forward to The Broken Girls, and hope it is good too.

    I'm already planning to do five reading challenges this coming year after not doing any this year. I might be overdoing it a bit. LOL

    I hope you have a Happy new Year, Lark! Happy Reading.

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    1. Wow...five reading challenges! You're brave. Good luck with that and everything else in the new year! :D

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  11. Happy 5 years! I'm so glad I discovered your blog -- not sure exactly how long it's been, but I've gotten so many great recommendations from you. I've enjoyed our interactions and look forward to more in 2018. Happy New Year!

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    1. Thank you so much, Susan! I'm glad to be blogging friends with you, too. Happy New Year! :D

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  12. Lovely way to wrap the year--I took a year off from challenges in 2017, and found it liberating, but I'm back with the Back to Classics (my classics reading in 2017 was also pretty low).

    Best wishes for a happy and book-filled 2018!

    Congrats on 161 birds--do you log with Ebird.com? Going to England last summer netted me 32 new birds!

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    1. 32 new birds is awesome! I don't log with Ebird, but maybe I'll look into it. :) And good luck with the Back to Classics reading challenge in 2018.

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  13. Congrats and Happy Bloggiversary! I like your idea of wrapping this post in a fun way, not to mention creative! :) Here's to another great reading year in 2018!

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