2012 Reading Wrap-up

2012 has been quite a year in reading for me.  I love looking over my reading trends to see how my tastes have changed and there were some significant changes between 2011 and 2012.  However, I have also realized that I am pretty much only ever going to read between 67 or 68 books a year – it has been one of those two numbers over the last 4 years – I’m pretty consistent I guess!

Some reading trend changes for me:

• I read less of the favorite authors that made up the most of my authors in the last three years – very few James Patterson and Janet Evanovich.  This is due to the fact I was having a harder time getting my hands on their audio books.
• Read less physical pages – more e-books and many more audiobooks than the last couple years.
• Historical Fiction still makes up the bulk of my books, however several more non-fiction books this year
• Less variety in settings – less set in England and more set in America.

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Here are my reading statistics this past year:

BOOKS READ: 67

BOOKS REVIEWED: 54

PAGES READ: 12,482

HOURS LISTENED: 332.07

TYPE OF BOOK (some may overlap)

• Hardcover: 4
• Paperback: 20
• ARC: 29
• Audio: 32
• E-Book: 10

GENRE (may overlap)

• Historical Fiction: 33
• Young Adult: 14
• Contemporary Fiction: 4
• Romance: 1
• Non-fiction: 17
• Mystery: 1
• Fantasy: 5
• Memoir: 1
• Classic: 6

SETTING (may overlap)

• England: 11
• France: 10
• Italy: 1
• Ireland: 1
• Scotland: 1
• Spain: 1
• America: 29
• Ancient Egypt: 1
• Ancient Greece: 1
• Fantasy: 5
• Middle East/Africa: 1

MALE/FEMALE AUTHOR RATIO: 22/35

FIRST LADY READS/PRESIDENT READS: 1/6

AUTHORS MOST READ:

• C.S. Lewis (4)
• A.A. Milne (2)
• John A. Heldt (2)
• Kristiana Gregory (2)
• Donna Russo Morin (2)

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Now for my favorite reads of 2012.  I did not do a Top 10 list – I actually selected 7 which were my top favorites (in no particular order): 

• Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard
• The Ruins of Lace by Iris Anthony
• A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick
• Jane by Robin Maxwell
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Cascade by Maryanne O’Hara
• The Mine by John A. Heldt

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In terms of my most anticipated releases of 2013 – again 7 in no particular order:

• Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini
• Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent
• Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick
• Paris by Edward Rutherfurd
• Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck
• Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler
• The Tudor Conspiracy by C.W. Gortner

There are so many more that I am excited about but there is just too many to name!  Welcome 2013!!!

What kind of trends did you notice in your reading the past year?

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

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1st Annual Historical Holiday Blog Hop

Welcome all to my little part of the 1st Annual Historical Holiday Blog Hop - hosted by Amy Passages to the Past!!!

This is such a great idea for the holiday season.  A great collection of historically focused blogs are participating with giveaways - at last count there were 38 blogs participating - from today to December 17th!  Please be sure to visit all of the participating blogs to get in on all of the fun.  You can find the list of blogs here (or below) and many are doing international giveaways.



Also, at Passages to the Past there will be 4 massive book prize packs and a $25 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble:

Prize Package #1

The Sumerton Women by D.L. Bogdan (PB)
The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick (PB w/Signed Bookplate)
What You Long For by Anne Clinard Barnhill (PB)
The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig (Signed PB)
Claude & Camille by Stephanie Cowell (PB)
Selene of Alexandria by Faith L. Justice (eBook, author will send)
A Dance of Manners: A Regency Anthology by Susan Flanders, Kristi Ahlers, Gerri Bowen, Cynthia Breeding and Erin E.M. Hatton (PB)
By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan (PB)
The King's Daughter by Barbara Kyle (PB)
The Darling Strumpet by Gillian Bagwell (PB)
Four Sisters, All Queens by Sherry Jones (PB)
The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh (ARC, sponsored by Penguin Publishing)
The Queen's Daughter by Susan Coventry (PB)
I, Jane by Diane Haeger (PB)
Cascade by Maryanne O'Hara (Signed HC)
Illuminations by Mary Sharratt (HC)
The King's Agent by Donna Russo Morin (Signed PB)

Prize Package #2

The Master of Verona by David Blixt (HC)
The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick (PB w/Signed Bookplate)
At the Mercy of the Queen by Anne Clinard Barnhill (PB)
The King's Grace by Anne Easter Smith (Signed PB)
Oleanna by Julie K. Rose (PB)
The Sumerton Women by D.L. Bogdan (PB)
Rebel Puritan by JoAnn Butler (Signed PB)
The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen (Audiobook)
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchahan (ARC, sponsored by Penguin Publishing)
The King's Concubine by Anne O'Brien (PB)
The September Queen by Gillian Bagwell (PB)
The Secret Keeper by Sandra Byrd (PB w/Tower of London Tea Sachets)
Selene of Alexandria by Faith L. Justice (PB)
The Virgin Queen's Daughter by Ella March Chase (PB)
The Sign of the Weeping Virgin by Alana White (PB)
The Queen's Mistake by Diane Haeger (PB)
The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig (Signed HC)
The Secret of the Glass by Donna Russo Morin (Signed PB)

Prize Package #3

The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose (HC)
Sea Witch by Helen Hollick (PB w/Signed Bookplate)
The Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland (Signed PB)
Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan by Robin Maxwell (Audiobook)
Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth (PB)
A Thing Done by Tinney S. Heath (PB)
The Sumerton Women by D.L. Bogdan (PB)
By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan (PB)
Royal Romances by Leslie Carroll (PB)
The Rose of York: Love & War (Book 1, War of the Roses trilogy) by Sandra Worth (PB)
The Plum Tree by Ellen Marie Wiseman (Signed PB)
Above All Things by Tanis Rideout (ARC, sponsored by Penguin Publishing)
Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri (ARC, sponsored by Penguin Publishing)
Three Maids for a Crown by Ella March Chase (PB)
The Queen's Rival by Diane Haeger (PB)
The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau (Signed PB)
The Courtier's Secret by Donna Russo Morin (Signed PB)

Prize Package #4

A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick (PB, US Edition)
Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell (PB)
The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner (PB, UK Edition)
The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell (PB)
The Lady's Slipper by Deborah Swift (PB, UK Edition)
Before Versailles by Karleen Koen (PB)
The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora by Stephanie Thornton (PB w/Theodora Bookmark)
The Forgotten Queen by D.L. Bogdan (ARC)
The Sister Queens by Sophie Perinot (PB)
Movement of Stars by Amy Brill (ARC, sponsored by Penguin Publishing)
Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn (PB)
Second Lisa by Veronica Knox (eBook)
To Serve a King by Donna Russo Morin (Signed PB)
Into the Path of Gods (Book 1, Macsen's Treasure Series) by Kathleen Cunningham Guler (PB)
In the Shadow of Dragons (Book 2, Macsen's Treasure Series) by Kathleen Cunningham Guler (PB)
The Anvil Stone (Book 3, Macsen's Treasure Series) by Kathleen Cunningham Guler (HC)
A Land Beyond Ravens (Book 4, Macsen's Treasure Series) by Kathleen Cunningham Guler (HC)

And as for the giveaway being hosted here - I have two gently used copies of the first two books in Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series - The Secret History of the Pink Carnation and The Masque of the Black Tulip.  The giveaway is open to the USA and Canada.  Ends at midnight on Monday December 17th.  Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway





Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

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Upcoming HF Blog Hop!!

This is just a quick post to say keep your eyes open for the 1st Annual Historical Holiday Blog Swap - which yours truly is participating in!

It will run from December 10th to December 17th and is being hosted by Passages to the Past.  You will be able to enter to win historical related prizes at the various participating blogs as well as be entered for grand prize giveaways (right now consisting of a $25 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble as well as some book prize packages).  My giveaway will be open to the USA and Canada - not sure what the prize will be yet - working on that!  You can check out the other blogs participating (or sign up your blog yourself) here.

 




Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

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Blogfest 2012 at The Maiden’s Court

Hi everyone and welcome to this stop on Blogfest 2012!!! This is my first year participating but I have wanted to have the opportunity to get in on one of these large giveaway parties for awhile!

So, first of all, Blogfest is exactly what it sounds like – a huge blog festival with roughly (my guess - give or take) a hundred bloggers participating. You can check out all the blogs participating (and all the great giveaways) by visiting the host site – A Journey of Books. Blogfest runs from September 28th through September 30th – so its just a short giveaway run but packed with prizes up for grabs.

I am offering up for grabs the winners pick of one of the following gently used books:

• (HC) The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
• (HC) The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
• (HC) The Dark Lantern by Gerri Brightwell
• (HC) The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

Giveaway is open to participants in the USA and Canada. The last day to enter is September 30th, and the winner will be announced October 1st. Simply complete the Rafflecoptor below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check of some of the other participants in Blogfest 2012:

• Vanessa Morgan
• With Our Best
• Reading Romances
• Ashley's Christian Book Reviews
• Ashley's Bookshelf

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

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Bloggiesta - The Plan

So, here are my goals for this weekend. I don't know how much I will complete - I happen to be WAY behind on reading for reviews that are upcoming VERY, VERY soon. But I will try to still work in some of the tasks.

• Update my Review Policy page -add a section about contest rules
• Work on my calendar/scheduling for April
• Create an Upcoming page
• Finally create my Amazon store button (or maybe get help from my boyfriend on this one)
• Update my To Be Reviewed widget and I Recommend widget
• Update some links for my recent reviews
• Create an actual description for my rating system
• Respond to review request emails
• Clean up my Google Reader subscriptions
• Work on SEO
• Consider Pinterest usage for the blog

Bloggiesta is being hosted at It's All About Books.  Click on the link to go to the starting line and participate.  I will cross out as I complete goals.

Challenge Updates


Pinterest @ Joy's Book Blog - added a board for Author Interviews, Reviews in 2012, and Weekend Cooking.  Also added a follow me on Pinterest button to the sidebar.  If anyone needs an invite to Pinterest let me know!

5 Ways to Spiff Up Your Book Reviews @ The Bluestocking Society - some helpful hints - ps. if you have been looking for HTML to add stars to your reviews, check out the website!

Get Noticed by Search Engines (SEO) @ Good Books and Good Wine - I updated one post, my review of The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick for ease of searching.  However to update all my posts is going to take forever and be a labor of love.


Windows Live Writer @ The Reading Housewives of Indiana - I might try using this for my posts - but it will take some getting used to.  UPDATE - I wrote and prescheduled my first post through Live Writer and it was actually very easy!  Here is a screen shot of my sample post in Windows Live Writer:

Summary/Wrap Up: I was able to get more tasks completed than I expected too and still get some reading in too.  I still have a lot to work on in terms of my SEO - that will be a long project.  I however didn't finish the one thing that was my #1 goal for this - revising my review policy.  I will get to it sometime this week.  Another great bloggiesta.  Thanks everyone for hosting challenges, giving advice and dropping by!





Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

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Bloggiesta 2012 is Almost Here

It is almost that time again - Bloggiesta time!!!  It is being hosted this year by Suey at It's All About Books (you can click on this link to sign up).  Bloggiesta will be March 30th - April 1st.  We all have things that we know we have needed to do to clean up our blogs for awhile - and this is the perfect opportunity!  It is a fun experience with friends all doing the same thing.  Last year I accomplished SO much and I have some things to catch up again with this year - especially since I have been focusing on school and not doing little housekeeping things.  I don't know that I will be able to dedicate quite as much time as last year, but any amount will be an improvement!  Hope to see some of your there too! 




Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

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Legacy of Eden Scavenger Hunt

I have the pleasure today of hosting one of the stops on the Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy blog tour. By now you have already read the guest post by Nelle (if you haven't, here is the link) and there will be a review forthcoming in two weeks. Today I have the chance to present you with a small teaser from Chapter 1. If you are interested in reading all of the first chapter you simply have to follow along with the Scavenger Hunt, as a piece of the chapter will be presented at each stop.

So far there have been 15 stops, so you might want to check those out before reading the below section if you desire to read the entire first chapter, otherwise continue on for a teaser preview.


Here is today's excerpt:

"Only later did I come to realize how she had longed to be at the receiving end of such jealousy, that she had geared her life toward that moment. It had for so long been the other way around.

Can you understand? Can you discern even from these fragmented recollections the hold that place could have? Why those who lived there would do anything to protect it regardless of the consequences? It was stronger than the bonds of community, this love, stronger in the end than that of family. It affected all of us. Not the same, never the same, but it always left its mark and you knew then who you truly were and why you bore your name.

On the rare occasions my sister and I have talked since resuming contact a few years ago, our conversations have tiptoed around her bitterness—her, I should say, justified anger. Out of fear or diplomacy we have steered clear of anything that might have forced us down a path on which we would have to confront what is between us. I have done this dance mainly on my own."

Follow onward tomorrow at Bea's Book Nook!





Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

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2011 Reading Statistics

Well, another year down.  In terms of reading it was very similar to last year and that surprises me after all of the lows I have had this year in my personal life.  I would say if I was at my full potential this year I would have accomplished so much more reading.  But that being said, it wasn't a bad reading year.

Here are some statistics:

I read 68 books this year - the same exact number as in 2010!  I was a little surprised because I thought I had read more than 2010.  But alas...

Out of those 68, I reviewed (or will be finishing up reviewing in January) 55 of those.  The others are mostly audiobooks from the contemporary genre that I don't really review.  So overall that is 10 more reviews than 2010.  I credit this to my desire to review more of the books I read as well as listening to some historicals on audio.  I read 15,053 pages and listened to 294.81 hours of audio.

To look at the book formats, genres, and settings I created a couple of charts (much more interesting than lists of numbers!).  Some of these statistics overlap.

 My book formats were pretty evenly split between audiobooks, paperback, and ARCs.

I did spread my horizons a little this year and read from a wider variety of genres, even if it was only a book or two in some of them, but clearly historical fiction reigns supreme.  I was pretty impressed with my non-fiction stats!

I actually read across a wide number of settings - noticeably missing is Asia - I still haven't really explore that setting yet.  Maybe that will change in 2012.

Male to female author ratio - 16:44.  This is an improvement in male authors over last year, and I contribute that to the emergence of more male authors in historical fiction who I am willing to take a chance on.

In my own personal reading quest of reading First Lady and President books I manged 2 of each - quite an accomplishment seeing as I only stated in the last quarter of this year.

The authors that I read the most this year include: Janet Evanovich (3), Christy English (2), William Shakespeare (2), James Patterson (2), Kate Quinn (2), Elizabeth Chadwick (2), and C.S. Lewis (2).

Alright, time for my favorite reads of 2011 - just a note, not all of these were published in 2011, just read in 2011.  All of these I reviewed and you can click on the links to read them.  These are in no particular order.

The Tudor Secret by C. W. Gortner
India Black by Carol Carr
The Circus Fire by Stewart O'Nan
Prima Donna by Megan Chance
Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn
New York by Edward Rutherfurd
The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin
1906 by James Dalessandro
A Race to Splendor by Ciji Ware
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel.

Honorable Mentions that didn't make the Top 10


The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
First Family by Joseph Ellis

There are 5 books that I really didn't love this year - and they were significant enough to continue to stand out in my mind throughout this year.

Blood and Silk by Carol McKay
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Broken Promises by Elizabeth Hoffman
The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason

In 2012 I hope to meet my goal of reading 75 books - a manageable number if I don't get down with a really bad cold or other disasters.  I'm also hoping to increase my number of non-fiction reads and maybe journey into Asia a little.  Hope you will continue to stick with me in 2012!




Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

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Book Blogger Holiday Swap 2011

For the second year in a row I took part in the Book Blogger Holiday Swap. For those of you have never heard of this before basically it is like Secret Santa with bloggers! You can check out more on their blog.  I have always had a great time participating in the swap and it runs so smoothly.  Thanks!

I received my package during the first week in December and couldn’t wait to dive in. Inside I found some awesome loot. In terms of books (which there is required to be at least one) I received 3! I received two hardcover copies of Lisa Klein’s books, Ophelia and Lady Macbeth’s Daughter. I have been dying to read both of these. I also received a copy of The Belly Dancer by Deanna Cameron – another book I have been dying to read and have been using the promotional bookmark for it for months! There was also some caramel filled Ghirardelli chocolate (which my boyfriend and I ate in less than a day!), some hazelnut coffee (I have only smelled it thus far as I don’t have a coffee maker, but I’m considering getting one of those small 1-2 cup ones), a bookmark, and a naughty/nice coffee mug.

I wish I had thought to take a picture of everything before it either got eaten or spread to the four winds! I want to graciously thank my Holiday Swap Partner – Jodie at Uniquely Moi Books.  The gifts were wonderful!  Stop by and check out her blog if you are interested in YA books!

I certainly can’t wait to do it again next year!





Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

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New in Paperback - For the King by Catherine Delors & Giveaway!

In June 2010 the HFRT featured For the King by Catherine Delors.  Today, the book is being released in paperback!  In honor of the release I am re-featuring my review of the book and have a giveaway of the book up for grabs.

For the King by Catherine Delors

Trade Paperback, 352 pages

NAL

ISBN: 978-0451233301 

July 5, 2011

"The Reign of Terror has ended six years earlier, and Napoléon Bonaparte has seized power, but shifting political loyalties still tear apart families and lovers.

On Christmas Eve 1800, a bomb explores along Bonaparte’s route, narrowly missing him but striking dozens of bystanders. Chief Inspector Roch Miquel, a young policeman with a bright future and a beautiful mistress, must arrest the assassins before they attack again.

Complicating Miquel’s investigation are the maneuverings of his superior, the redoubtable Fouché, the indiscretions of his own father, a former Jacobin, and two intriguing women.

For the King takes readers through the dark alleys and glittering salons of post-revolutionary Paris. It is a romantic thriller, a tale of love, betrayal and redemption”.

On the surface For the King tells the story of the investigation into the attack on Napoleon Bonaparte, but deep down it tells a tale about the politics of Paris after the Revolution. There was constant speculation as to who had carried out the bombing and which side was to blame. There were also the internal political games that were played within the police department – who owed a favor to who and what they could hold over the heads of someone to make them do what they want. The political aspect was very interesting to me because I had not read anything set during the reign of Napoleon and really didn’t have much knowledge of the period either.

I did enjoy how this was similar to a police procedural. I always enjoy watching these types of shows on t.v. and I was a criminal justice major in college, which made it that much more interesting to me. I had not really thought about how crimes were investigated in the past – especially with the limited technology that was available at that time. I would classify this as more of a procedural rather than a mystery because you get to see the perspective of both the bad guys and the good guys. The reader is aware of who the perpetrators are and their motives, while the police are out of the loop – you are able to watch the investigation start to come together while knowing what is going on. That isn’t to say that there are not some secrets kept from the reader and twists along the way.

My complaint with this book comes with the ending. While I really liked the main character, Roch, I didn’t really feel connected enough with the other characters to really care what happened with them in the ending. I also felt that the ending was a little abrupt. As a whole bunch of things happened, it then just ended – I would have liked to have a little bit more in the end.

3.5 out of 5 stars

And now for the giveaway - I have two copies of the newly release trade paperback up for grabs to US residents.  Just fill out the form below to enter.  The book will be shipped out by the publisher.  The last day to enter is July 22, 2011.





Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

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