Mid-Year Round-Up

Just past the midpoint of the year, I have read 161 books -- approximately 85% of them new reads.

My reading peaked in March, dropping off in the last couple of months.  Why is this?  Busier at work, busier with writing, and -- now that the weather is nicer -- I'm actually trying to get outside more.  Also, I've begun to experience a bit of burnout.  I don't want to read constantly as much as I did before.  Sometimes, I really do just want to watch TV.

Just finished Bloodlust by Michelle Rowen -- awesome contiuation to the Nightshade series.  I've got a literary crush on Declan.

Up next...probably Hammered by Kevin Hearne.  I love the voice of those books.  Urban fantasy can often get really, really dark -- and my work-in-progress is certainly no exception.  But Hearne's books are both action-packed and incredibly funny.  One of my favorite characters is Oberon, the protagonist's...dog.  Definitely something to check out if you're looking for something a little different in your urban fantasy.

Recent interesting find: Megan Hart.  Her books are considered romance/erotic, but I don't think that quite fits.  They are erotic, and some are romantic, but they're not ROMANCES, per say...at least not all of them.  They're more character-driven than traditional romance, and certainly more than most erotic fiction.  They're emotional, and can be quite devistating at times.  I was sobbing when I finished Broken about a week or so ago.  Definitely something different, impossible to catagorize.  Be warned: some of her books can be difficult reads.  (I've read three so far, and two definitely meet that standard.)

And my goal for the remainder of the year: I need to check out some new and different stuff altogether.  I still love urban fantasy, but I'm getting harder and harder to impress.  I spent much of 2011 reading romance, and while it's enjoyable, and I've found some romances I really, really like...it's not really my genre.  Overall, I tend to like books with romance in them more than romance books.  I'll probably continue reading romances, but the genre will never own me the way urban fantasy does.  It's also probably not something I'd write myself.  (And if I did, it would involve a lot of blood and death and violence.  I'm really not a very romantic person.)

Lastly...how the hell is it July already?  I need a vacation.  In the words of Simon and Garfunkle, "Slow down, you're moving too fast; you've got to make the morning last."  Apply that to a year!  (Though, I'll admit, this is not the year I'd really want to last, anyway.)