2013 Novels: aka wow kol read a lot of novels by ladies in 2013

[kol]

I gave myself the lofty goal of reading 50 new novels for 2013, and damned if I didn't win that challenge with 9 minutes left in the year :D. Of the novels, only one of them was written by a guy. The genres I read were Urban Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Hard Scifi, and a lot of Regency/Victorian Romances. And now on to the lists:

NOVELS:

1. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (4/5)


2. Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (5/5, instant fav!)


3. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong (4/5 - tempted to give 5/5 for how boss Elena is)


4. Stolen by Kelley Armstrong (4/5 - so many awesome ladies omg)


5. Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong (3.5/5 - love the characters, had difficulty sinking into the narrative, also not enough Elena)


6. Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong (3.5/5 - love the characters, had difficulty sinking into the narrative


7. Haunted by Kelley Armstrong (4/5 - Eve :D)


8. Broken by Kelley Armstrong (4.5/5 - Elena continues to be boss)


9. No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong (3.5/5 - Jaime = win! Plot not so much)


10. Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong (4.5/5 - Elena + Alaska = win)
11. Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James (4/5)


12. An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James (3.5/5)


13. Duchess by Night by Eloisa James (4/5)


14. When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James (4/5)


15. A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James (4/5)


16. This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James (3.5/5)


17. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi (this is the first fiction book by a dude I've read all year :D!) (4/5 stars)


18. The Posterchildren: Origins by Kitty Burroughs (5/5 stars!!!) (aka that kickstarter book I supported that came out on my birthday :3)


19. The Archived by Victoria Schwab (3/5)


20. Unlocked by Courtney Milan (3.5/5)


21. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn (3.5/5)


22. Hammered by Elizabeth Bear (5/5)


23. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (4.5/5)


24. Bedding Lord Ned by Sally MacKenzie (3/5)


25. Unveiled by Courtney Milan (4/5)


26. Unclaimed by Courtney Milan (4/5)


27. Unraveled by Courtney Milan (3.5/5)


28. Once Upon A Tower by Eloisa James (3.5/5)


29. The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James (3.5/5)


30. Surprising Lord Jack by Sally MacKenzie (3.5/5)


31. Seduced by a Pirate by Eloisa James (3/5)


32. Much Ado About You by Eloisa James (3.5/5)


33. Kiss Me, Annabel by Eloisa James (3.5/5)


34. The Taming of the Duke by Eloisa James (2/5)


35. Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James (4/5)


36. Eon by Alison Goodman (4.5/5)


37. A Kiss At Midnight by Eloisa James (3/5)


38. Chimes At Midnight by Seanan McGuire (4.5/5)


39. A Fool Again by Eloisa James (3.5/5)


40. Winning the Wallflower by Eloisa James (3/5)


41. The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan (3.5/5)


42. Mistress by Midnight by Maggie Robinson (2/5)


43. Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling (4/5)


44. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (3.5/5)


45. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner (4/5)


46. Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong (3.5/5)


47. The Duchess War by Courtney Milan (4.5/5)


48. The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan (5/5)


49. Midnight Pleasures by Eloisa James (2.5/5)


50. Potent Pleasures by by Eloisa James (3/5)

NON-FICTION BOOKS:

1. Egyptian Religion: Ideas of the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt by E.A. Wallis Budge


2. Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler

THOUGHTS ON THE YEAR:

Looking at this list, roughly 60% of the novels I read this year were loans from SJPL's Overdrive (or library ebooks). About 20% of the remainder were ebooks of dubious origins. The rest were either library books, books Angie or Fly loaned me at Readercon, or books I purchased, usually at a used bookstore. I actually helped fund one of the novels this year-- The Posterchildren: Origins even came out on my birthday, so happy birthday me!

I did not keep track of any novels I read for a second time; off hand I'd say the number is somewhere between 7 and 9, which is abnormally low for me and does factor in me re-reading The Queen of Anatolia & The Thief. ^.^;; 2014 I'm going to keep track of how many re-reads I do, especially since I want to re-tackle my favorite fantasy series, Tad William's Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. Which are also the only books I have that are signed, lol.

For the second year in a row, the months I tended to read a lot of books were also the months I tended to write the most words. The one exception to this was July, but a lot of those words came from the grieving process after my grandfather died.

Anyway, all and all 2013 was a pretty successful year for books. :D

For 2014 I am once again aiming for 50 new books, but this year I will be including non-fiction in that number, if only to make listing things easier. I will also have a second list for any books I read for an additional time. My goal is to include a rundown on each book I read for 2014 on my consumed media list at the end of the month. Since I'm tentatively planning on doing a monthly rec post each month (largely new music, but also new books, art tumblrs, movies, and beloved fanfics), having a write-up of the books I've encountered should help speed that part of the rec list up immeasurably. :D