2014 Recap of Books Read

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

My goal for 2014 was 52 books and, once again, I did not make it. I read 42 books this year--I will not finish one I am currently reading before the end of the year.

My average rating on a 10 point scale was 7.88. (I tend to rate high...) The lowest book was a 2, The White Queen, and I had seven books that rated a 10. They were The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, The Darkest Road, First Lord's Fury, Look to Windward, Assassin's Quest, and A Deepness in the Sky.

My goal for 2015 will, once again, be 52 books, an average of one per week. One of these years I will meet or exceed that goal!

[Matt]

I only read about 20 books cover to cover, but reading on this scale is new for me. Before my ereader I read maybe one book a year. I learned a lot about the world of books as well as my own tastes and preferences.

My most unforgettable read this year was the Hyperion books. True masterpieces in opinion. I hope 2015 brings as many literary discoveries as 2014 did.

[Ken]

I dont like to set goals. It makes it feel like I have to do it and thats not what reading does for me.
With that said I read about 20 books, maybe more. The last couple of years I have slowed down, one reason is failing eye sight, not bad just getting older. I bought an ereader and just recently picked up a new prescription.
I have also been reading some think and dense fantasy doorstops. This year I read Books 4 to 7 of The Malazan Empire Series. Which are very good.
I book I least enjoyed was David Brin's Existence.

[Shel, Moderator]

I don't set goals either, just want to read as much as I can manage. 72 books for me this year - best total since my son was born in 2011. Next year's probably going to be a much slower year since I'm expecting a daughter in May! :)

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Matt wrote: "My most unforgettable read this year was the Hyperion books"

I read them several years ago and I agree--amazingly good!

[Random]

2014 was massively chaotic for me and so my reading was in spurts here and there.

According to my Goodreads stats, my read count was 56. The real number is higher, however, since I did a reread of the entire Vorkosigan series as well as a number of humor books, all of which were already shelved as read. (I don't bother keeping track of rereads.)

My favorites of last year were
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
American Elsewhere
and
The Republic of Thieves

[Lindsey]

2014 was a good reading year for me. I hit 52 books, which was 16 books more than my goal and my highest reading year since my son was born. I also only re-read 3 books which was good for my TBR shelves. My average rating was 3.77 and I didn't rate anything under 3 stars (yay!).

My top two books read were definitely Words of Radiance and Fool's Assassin and in non-fiction I was very impressed by The Mercury 13 and Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War.

I'm aiming for 50 books in 2015 and hoping half of those are titles I added prior to last year.

[Matt]

Lindsey wrote: "My top two books read were definitely Words of Radiance and Fool's Assassin ..."

I so want to get into the Stormlight Archive series, but I'm trying to wait until the series is finished before I start it. I'm no end of annoyed waiting for book 3 of the Kingkiller Chronicles and I can't put myself through that again...lol

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Matt wrote: "I'm trying to wait until the series is finished before I start it..."

I resolved to do this a few years ago. I broke my resolution when the group read The Wars of Light and Shadow but I've been pretty good otherwise. I may buy the books but I don't read them. Of course, every once in a while, an author decides to revisit a trilogy and writes more books in that world or with those characters, but overall, the strategy is working for me.

[Ken]

Same here. Wait for the series to published in its entirety. GRRM and Jordan broke me.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Ken wrote: "Same here. Wait for the series to published in its entirety. GRRM and Jordan broke me."

Collecting but have not started the GRRM series and waited until Sanderson finished WoT for Jordan before reading that with another GoodReads group. I was one of the few who have not read any of the books.

[Ken]

I got pulled in with the first WOT book in the early 90's. Then in the late ninties I got pulled into Ice and Fire.
By the early 2000's I learned my leason.