I have been justified in holding off my best of list until the end of the year as one of these books was read only last week. I wonder if people stop reading in December just so that they don’t ruin their carefully selected lists…
In 2011 I read a whopping 176 books. My target was 130 so I’ve over-achieved but I don’t think I’ll be raising the bar too high in 2012. I have read a fair few easy going urban fantasy books this year which has helped the numbers. I would rather try and read a few more weighty books than just increase the numbers. I think I’ll aim for 180 and see how it goes.
My top ten reads from 2011 are not all new releases. It’s only since I started blogging that I have read a lot of new books, usually they are a few years old. So my list is a genuine “great books I’ve read this year” list:
You can see all my stats at a glance over on Goodreads and read more five star reviews on my blog. The majority of my reads have earned three or fours stars which is good going. A three star book isn’t a bad one in my world. Here’s to another book-filled year in 2012.

Related posts
11 Comments
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
Read Next
Subscribe via Email
Recent Posts
Forgot how hard fishing is at the start of Stardew Valley. At least they've added a training rod so I have some cha… https://t.co/3lOs92nZRm
FollowToday's #bookpost , my pre-order of A History of What Comes Next and a review copy of For the Wolf from @orbitbooks https://t.co/CW9NjJZTbT
Follow[gifted] Surprise #bookpost from @orbitbooks_uk - thanks @gambit589! 🐺🐺🐺 #bookpost #bookpost #bookpost … https://t.co/eUUi813dxG
FollowCurrently Reading
Black Sun
Today he would become a god. His mother had told him so. The opening line may seem like something any mother would tell her son, but in the case of Serapio, his mother truly believes he will become the Crow God reborn. She blinds him,…
Legendborn
The day Bree gets accepted into an early college placement at UNC, is the day her mother dies. The last words they spoke were of anger. Unable to deal with her dad’s grief on top of her own, Bree goes ahead with the placement. Once…
Ninth House
Alex Stern does not belong at Yale. When she awakes as the sole survivor of a multiple homicide, presumed a drug deal gone wrong, she is given an unlikely offer. Come to Yale, join the House of Lethe and oversee the rituals of the other…
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
Just let me dust off this blog thing, I have a review for you! One of my anticipated reads released during lockdown was the follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. If you read that, of course will will be dying to know what happened to…
Impressive accomplishment! And you'll be aiming for 180 next year? Wow… I loved Shades of Grey, but haven't yet the others on your list. Here's to a very bookish, 5-star filled 2012!
Thanks, Ellie, for selecting STAR GAZING. It's an honour to be included in that starry list. 🙂
Happy New Year to you.
I'm officially impressed by the amount of books you read … not to say I was that far behind 😉 !
Wishing you a happy new booktastic year!!
Great to read your selection. I love The Book Thief and Shades of Grey too. I also really liked the Mari Strachan book. It's very hard to select just a few. I had so many that were 4 or 4.5 out of 5. I still have Never let me go and Water for Elephants to be read.
Happy New Year, Ellie! I just can't express how much I like the pic of the stormtrooper picking up the book!
I see you're reading The Last Dickens by Matthew Pear, I got it for Christmas last year and I loved it.
Now I'm looking at your When God was a Rabbit review, I've been having my doubts about that book for a long time now.
I have Never Let Me Go sitting on a shelf, waiting to be read. Hopefully this will be the year I do it. A Monster Calls is another one I really want to read someday.
Hope you have a great new year.
Star Gazing hit many top lists this year including mine.
I have not see that cover for Water for Elephants before. It is lovely.
Happy reading in 2012
carol
Happy New Year!
There are some great books here. I hope to read Water For Elephants and Never Let Me Go in 2012.
Oooh lots of good books on your list, and a couple of my own favourites too.
A good year of reads I think for you. I have Water for Elephants and Never Let Me go on my TBR. I read The Book thief a couple of eyars ago and enjoyed that. I read When God Was a Rabbit last month and gave it 3*.
Happy New year x
Great list. I didn't stop reading before I posted. I was reading books I didn't think would make the list. Mind you the last book I read I would have given a shout out to. Mine were all books I had read last year rather than books just out last year too.
So many good books on your list. I loved Never Let Me Go, When God Was a Rabbit, Shades of Grey and the Book Thief. Your 176 books is impressive. I doubt I will ever manage that, lol.