My Photo
Name:
Location: Vero Beach, Florida, United States

My name is Pat and I live in Florida. My skin will never be smooth again and my hair will never see color. I enjoy collecting autographs and playing in Paint Shop Pro.,along with reading and writing. Sometimes, I enjoy myself by doing volunteer "work" helping celebrities at autograph shows. I love animals and at one time I did volunteer work for Tippi Hedren's Shambala Preserve.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Reading in the year 2012.

Reading in 2012 produced 59 books. (23,464 pages) Not my greatest amount, but it does seem to be average for me.

I began 2012 with a book Debi sent me: The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A McKillip.... and guess what… I am ending 2012 with a book Debi gave me: The Dead Secret by Wilkie Collins!  I have come to really like Wilkie Collins.  He may have written a lot less then his friend Charles Dickens, and may not have been as famous.. but I like his writing better than Dickens! (but still like Dickens). I only read 2 Wilkie Collins books but I also did read one that was a small biography of Wilkie by Peter Ackroyd, and one book (Great Expectations) by Charles Dickens this year but I am pleased that I have come to like and read any of them!  Keeping with classics I also read Frances Burnett’s Secret Garden and Little Lord Fauntleroy. I think I did well with Classics in 2012!

This year is also the year I read more “reality” books such as autobiographies and history related books.

2012[3]

2012p3[1]

I read The Secret of Crickley Hall by a new author to me named James Herbert. And a few books by another author I had never read before, named Andrew Taylor which began with An Unpardonable Crime. Both very enjoyable reads.

I also read some series including, the Hood trilogy by Stephen R Lawhead , the Amber trilogy by Margaret Weis, and The Scions of Shannara series by Terry Brooks.  I also concluded a series I have been enjoying over the years by reading Michael Scott’s Enchantress.  I hated to see the end of that YA series which I enjoyed immensely!

Lastly, I re-read some of my Favorites! Drood by Dan Simmons (which I enjoyed every bit as much the second time around!).   The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien which I had wanted to read over before the movie came out, and my absolute favorite books ever: Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonflight, Dragonquest and the White Dragon.

As for Favorites :

For New Authors I liked Blacklands by Belinda Bauer and And Unpardonable Crime by Andrew Taylor.

But I have to say my absolute favorites are my rereads of Drood and The Dragonriders of Pern trilogy.  I doubt anything will ever top Anne McCaffrey, and so in a year where I reread them no one else stands a chance!

I want to give special mention to Michael Scott’s Enchantress, and I Am Half Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley because I have so enjoyed both series.

There were 2 books that surprised me that I even read them :, Citizens of London by Lynne Olson. It’s about as far away from fiction as one can get, recalling the time before and during WWII  when President Roosevelt entered the war to help Churchill/ England. The Other book is called Sisters by Mary Lovell and it’s about the Mitford Sisters.  I had never even heard of them before but they are quite famous in England.  One became the Duchess of Devonshire and another was in love with Hitler! Again, both were excellent reading.

As for movies:

I went to only 1 movie this year… but I did go twice. (heh) Of course it was The Hobbit.  How I love Peter Jackson’s version of The Hobbit.  I love it every bit as much as I loved his versions of Lord of the Ring. He always manages to take me right to NZ and to the Shire and keeps me entranced until his movie is over. I am so glad I lived to see the day that someone could make a fantasy movie as well as he has done.

Since I only went to one movie I feel a need to count television ..for only 2 reasons.

1)   11 hours straight of Roots! (I haven’t seen it since it aired in 1977 and it held up beautifully!) I had forgotten how many wonderful actors and actresses were in that movie and how fabulous everyone was!

2)   Lord of the Rings back to back trilogy.  After seeing the Hobbit it was good to see LoTR again. (yes, I own the movies but when movies I like come on tv I sit and watch!)

I guess that’s it for this year.  I set no goals in my reading for 2013… just that I enjoy whatever I read! 

So here’s a toast to 2013

…and to next May when Star Trek comes to the theaters

…and next December when the Hobbit returns!!!

11 Comments:

Blogger chrisa511 said...

What a fantastic year for you mama!! You really did get a lot done!! And that page count is awesome! You read 1 book less than me, but 10,000 pages more than me :p

4:56 PM  
Blogger Susan said...

You had a very good year in reading, Pat! I'm happy to see you enjoyed Blacklands so much, which I did too. I have started Drood and am enjoying it, but am holding off until January to to get into it as the holidays are just too distracting. I need a big chunk of time....maybe New Year's Day :-)

Is the Andrew Taylor book part of a series by him? Or stand-alone?

All those chunksters - you did awesome, Pat. I hope 2013 has some incredible books and plenty of reading for you.

1:00 AM  
Blogger OldLady Of The Hills said...

You AMAZE me!!!! I bet I haven't read that msny books in the last 10 years!!
I do read a number of magazines on a weekly and monthly basis, and I see a lot of films (Netflix) and watch a lot of TV....but I just seem to be very very s-l-o-w where books are concerned.....

I think you are Fantastic, Pat! And I admire the fact that you have read such a huge number of books this past year....WOW!!!

FYI: Since I stopped anonymous commenting and have 'comment moderation' on, as well....I HAVE HAD NO SPAM!!!!!! HOORAY!

2:23 AM  
Blogger Cath said...

Pat, you did fantastically well. All those chunksters you read would probably add another half a dozen books to that total if you went by pages. I read 20 less books this year, but that's fine, I said at the beginning of the year that it would suit me ok to do that so am not unhappy about it.

The Secret of Crickley Hall was dramatised by the BBC in the autumn. I'd never heard of the book but enjoyed the drama, very creepy!

I want to read some Wilkie Collins next year too. And that bio of Dickens you read. Lots of plans for next year. lol

5:37 AM  
Blogger DesLily said...

chris: really? it must be those chunksters! lol

naomi: magazines and such count because they are like short stories!... yes! since I took off anonymous I've had no more spam!!!

cath and susan: emailed you two

6:09 AM  
Blogger Debi said...

I feel so honored that I was a part (in a way) of the start and the finish of your 2012 reading year! :D And oh my gosh, woman, I cannot believe how much you got read--so many of those books are HUGE!!! And you've totally got me wanting to watch Roots now. I haven't seen it since it first aired either, and I was just a kid then, so it's really past time I gave it another viewing. Hope netflix has it!

Hope 2013 brings you much happiness and tons of happy surprises, Pat!!!!

8:38 AM  
Blogger Carl V. Anderson said...

You had a really nice year, some great variety of both authors and types of books. I smile when I see you re-reading the books you are passionate about. I've gotten away from that a little bit over the last few years and I miss it. I need to take time to get back to more of my favorites.

If you could only make it out to one movie in a year, you picked the perfect one! I too can't wait for Star Trek next year and the second Hobbit film. Both will assuredly be on my favorites list at the end of the year (fingers crossed, anyway).

I'll raise that toast right back to you for 2013. :)

4:31 PM  
Blogger DesLily said...

Debi.. I am glad to know you yet another year! Hopefully it will be a good one for us both

Carl:...2013 can't be too bad.. we will have 2 fantastic movies!! I can't wait until you read Dragonriders! I get to relive it again thru all the readers!

4:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't think we read the same kind of books but I really loved The Secret Garden. :) Congrats on a great reading year and best to you in 2013! (Can't wait to see The Hobbit!)

7:59 AM  
Blogger Kailana said...

Happy New Year, Pat! You look like you had a great reading year in 2012. I hope lots of treasures await you in 2013!

1:22 PM  
Blogger samantha.1020 said...

It sounds like you had a really great year of reading!! I've been hoping to find the time to read Drood..hopefully 2013 will be the year. I hope you have a great reading year in 2013!

8:51 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home