Thursday, January 01, 2015

Reading Roundup: 2014

By the Numbers
Teen: 127
Tween: 36
Children: 27

Sources
Review Copies: 78

Purchased: 7
Library: 81

Standouts
Teen: The Drowned Cities (chosen in January)
"Wrenching, harrowing, violent, and for me, totally unputdownable. Even though it was a terrible world, I kept wanting to crawl back into it and find out whether Mahlia and the others were going to save their lives or their souls." (Link goes to my review, which finally went up last week.)
Tween: The Swift Boys and Me by Kody Keplinger (chosen in April)
"One tumultuous summer changes all the things eleven-year-old Nola has always taken for granted. Some better, some worse, some just different. I've loved Keplinger's work for teens, and she displays the same deft touch with people and relationships in her first book for younger readers."
Children: Lord and Lady Bunny - Almost Royalty! by Polly Horvath (chosen in February)
"As hilarious and weird as the first one. My favorite scene was the one in the bookshop. I dare you not to crack a grin at that."


Last year, I made a resolution to actually read less. To make room for other things, focus on reading the books instead of finishing them, blog more.

Well I didn't really blog as much as I wanted to, but I definitely gave myself more breathing space when it comes to my reading. I can see it in the numbers, but I can also feel it in how many more books I remember enjoying and diving into. My TBR list grew mountainous, of course, because there are so many good books out there, but I'm getting really good at pruning hard.

For 2015, I'd like to keep up that mindset, and definitely try to blog more steadily, rather than going in spurts the way that I have for some time. At least two reviews a month. You heard it here first, people.

Happy 2015!

They're Here, They're Here!

Check out the 2014 Cybils finalists! What do you think?