A Reading Year

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2013 has been a “return to reading” year for me. Sometimes life hits you with multiple punches at the same time…the “old one-two,” as my Dad used to say. And three years ago, my family was hit by a combination punch that left me emotionally unable to focus well enough to read [or blog] for well over a year. But when 2013 began, I was delighted to realize that my reading focus had returned. It’s been a wonderful, enjoyable year of books for me, and it’s interesting to step aside for a moment and look back on my year’s reading journey.

Some Quick Stats:

  • 90 books read this year (hoping to finish up a couple of ‘currently reading’ books before ringing in the New Year
  • 21 audiobooks (listening-while-knitting also made for quite a few FOs). And for comparison, last year, I only listened to 3 audiobooks in the entire year!
  • 27 Kindle books (I unashamedly love reading on my Kindle because I can enlarge the type, read in the dark, and download thousands of books from the library!)
  • 16 classics. I’ve always loved reading the classics, and reading those 16 books filled me with a wonderful feeling of “returning to myself.”

Favorite Series:  I am loving reading Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series. And I also loved reading Jeanne Birdsall’s Penderwick series!

Favorite Non-Fiction: The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown.

Favorite Classic: Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury.

Favorite Book of the Year: The Morville Year, by Katharine Swift. This was the first book I read in 2013. As I read this book, I created a “visual book review” on Pinterest, with photos of all the plants, people, places mentioned in this wonderful story of an English garden. For me, it was a lovely project that combined my love of reading, gardening, and learning!

2013 also brought more major life changes for us, but this time they were the most positive of changes. My husband and I retired this year, and thus, there is more time for joyfully reading on my front porch as I take breaks from the garden. We’ll see where my reading journey takes me in 2014!

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10 thoughts on “A Reading Year”

  3. Cath

    It’s been so nice to have you back. We’ve read the same amount of books this year – how odd. Katherine Swift’s Morville books are wonderful. I’m about halfway through The Morville Hours. Happy reading for 2014.

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  4. lynnsbooks

    I really want to read the Ray Bradbury. I read Something Wicked by him this year and loved it and lots of people have recommended Dandelion Wine so really looking forward to that.
    Lynn 😀

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  5. Robin Post author

    Thanks, Kelly. I’m enjoying the blogging, the photography on instagram, and the twitter and tumblr conversations.

    Thanks, Heavenali. I’m looking forward to my 2014 reading! You have lead me to some very enjoyable books in the last few months, so I’ll be visiting your blog often to see what other treasures you have found.

    Thanks, Cath. The same number of books and the Morville garden…we are definitely kindred spirits! I’ve just downloaded The Morville Hours from Audible, hoping to listen to it in January. If listening to it doesn’t seem right, I also have a copy of the book waiting for me on my shelf.

    Lynn, and I’d like to read Something Wicked! We can compare notes when done with both! 🙂

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  7. Robin Post author

    Thank you, Nan! It was fun for me to search for photos that matched the Latin names of the plants she talk about… a lot of learning that I really enjoyed.

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  8. deslily

    Happy New Year and WOW on the amount of books you read!…it’s always interesting to look back at what we read… maybe someone can figure out how we think by what we read huh?..doh, that’s scary! lol lol

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