Amazon discontinued the ability to create images using their SiteStripe feature and in their infinite wisdom broke all previously created images on 12/31/23. Many blogs used this feature, including this one. Expect my archives to be a hot mess of broken book cover images until I can slowly comb through 20 years of archives to make corrections.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

2008 Year In Review: Final Thoughts

Hang in there gentle blog readers, I'm finally in the home stretch. It's now officially time to sweep 2008 under the rug, and begin looking ahead to all the fantastic books I'm convinced I'll read in 2009. But before that, one final post to make your eyes glaze over. Here are some final thoughts about my reading year that was 2008.
  • Karen Templeton wins the award for the author I read the "most" this past year. I read four (count 'em four!) books by her, in 2008! She also wins the award for Best Author Wendy Discovered Last Year. She's now on the autobuy list.
  • Another great author I discovered this year was Nicola Cornick. For several years (too many to count) I've suffered from extreme burn-out on anything Regency. It's never been my favorite time period in British history anyway, and the glut on the market didn't help matters. For that reason, I've read very few Regency historicals in the past 5 years (at least!), and I'm sure I've missed out on some great writers. I discovered Cornick because she wrote an Edwardian this year, and hot damn, I love Edwardians. Then I read her Harlequin Historical Undone story and I was hooked. I hit the nearest UBS and bought all the Nicola Cornick titles they had on the shelf.
  • Damn Harlequin, but they got me hooked and good. I know a lot of readers don't care for anthologies or short stories, but I adore them to bits. Probably because they allow me to fool myself into believing I'm a "fast" reader. Also, I have little patience for verbosity in writing. Don't use 25 words to say something when 5 words work just as well. So when Harlequin introduced their new Harlequin Historical Undone eBook-only short story line? Oh yeah, I was a goner. I've read all of them so far, and discovered several new authors that way.
So what's ahead in 2009? Oh, the usual. I want to read more out of the TBR. I want to read more period, preferably getting my reading totals back up to 100 books on the year (which hasn't happened since 2005). Which means less TV, more reading in the evenings, and generally kicking my ass into gear. Yeah, let's see how long these resolutions lasts.

6 comments:

seton said...

Nicola Cornick is one of those authors I dont get. I read one of her novels. Um, DECEIVED? The characters had appeal but all the scenes in it were ones that I have read in other novels and done with more verve. Very been there, done that.

Lori said...

I do loce Karen Templeton and Nicola Cornick, both. I still haven't read any of the HHU yet. None looked that appealing. Hmmm....

Wendy said...

Seton: I haven't read any of her single titles - only her work for HH. Hmmm, I'm curious now to read a single title and see how it compares to the shorter HHs.

Lori: So far I've liked the Cornick Undone story the best - but I also enjoyed Michelle Willingham's, which has a really well done Alpha hero. I've found them all decent reads though. Haven't graded one below a C+ yet.....

Rosie said...

Of course your review (and Holly's?) convinced me to try Templeton. I've never read Cornick. There are a lot of her HHs at my UBS. Maybe I'll give her a try. Or, maybe I should check my tbr because if you wrote a favorable review I might have picked a couple up already.

Tracy said...

oh noes! Now I'm gonna have to go check out the Harlequin Historicals Undone. You're eviiiiiiil! lol

Barbara said...

I've been meaning to try one of the Historical Undone stories. That is the new line by Harlequin, right? I think I'll try the author you recommended. Thanks, Wendy :)