Best Books of 2012

After sharing my favourite HF books at Historical Tapestry I decided to share my favourites in the other genres I read. There was only one book I gave 5* to in 2012 and it is HF but there are several other stories that I have loved to read. So here is my list of best books read in 2012:

Best Historical Fiction Read

review here

Best Mystery & Thriller Read

review here

Best Romance Read

review here

Best Fantasy Read

review here

I'm looking forward to read more by these authors in 2013. There were a few authors and genres that I had almost abandoned in the last couple of years and as I go through the list of series I'm reading I find myself eager to pick them up once more. I'm not going to make any reading resolutions for 2013 but I am curious to see which books will appear on my best books read next year.

2011 in Review

I have sadly only read 13 books this year. There were so many things to do after the twins were born that time flew by and not only I didn't have time to read any more but I also forgot about what books were coming out that I wanted to keep an eye on.

Looking at my list I see my mood lead me to read mostly historical fiction and mysteries. Definitely two of my favourite genres that are usually combined with romance fiction but not so this year. My favourites for the year are The Black Pearl by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, A Vision of Light By Judith Merkle Riley and the two books I've read by Karin Slaughter, Broken and Fallen.

My least favourites, sadly there were those too, were Secrets of the Tudor Court by D.L. Bogdan and Mr and Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy, Two Shall Become One by Sharon Lathan. I think I may give the Tudor's a rest in the near future but I know I won't resist a few more Austen themed books.

I have no idea how 2012 will be in terms of reading. I've decided not to do any reading resolutions because it may well be that I wont have time to fullfill them. I would love to know, though, what great books I missed in 2011 and what should I keep an eye on in 2012. So, if you are in a mood to recommend something I'll gladly take notes...

Tank you for being there even when I haven't posted much and have a great 2012!!

The Best of 2008

With so many lists going round in the blogosphere with the best books of 2008 I decided to do my own listing too.



I think I've read more this year than in any of the previous years, for one because I read more mysteries and thrillers which I usually read faster (I can't wait to find the culprit!) but also because I've read a lot more traditional regencies (smaller books) than in previous years.



I've read a total of 184 books and gave a 5 star rating to 16 books:




Devil in Winter - Lisa Kleypas


Dreaming of You - Lisa Kleypas


Texas Splendor - Lorraine Heath


Winter's Heat - Denise Domning


Shadows and Strongholds - Elizabeth Chadwick


Mistress of The Revolution - Catherine Delors


Lady Gallant - Suzanne Robinson


These Old Shades - Georgette Heyer


The Tea Rose - Jennifer Donnelly


Warprize - Elizabeth Vaughan


Warlord - Elizabeth Vaughan


The Winter Rose - Jennifer Donnelly


Mine Till Midnight - Lisa Kleypas


Devil's Cub - Georgette Heyer


Slave to Sensation - Nalini Singh


The Sharing Knife: The Beguilement - Lois MacMaster Bujold





Of the authors I already knew Lisa Kleypas is the author who received more 5 stars with 3 books and Georgette Heyer being a close second. The list reflects the fact that most of my readings were historical romance, it also reflects a new genre that I just discovered this year - fantasy/paranormal - with Elizabeth Vaughan, Nalini Singh and Lois MacMaster Bujold being the new finds.



I'm looking forward to a 2009 full of good books and new authors! I plan to read more Historical Fiction, more Mysteries and Thrillers and especially I hope to make a bigger dent in the TBR pile than I did this year.