Best of 2006

I thought I would do a wrap-up for the books I read during 2006. After comparing my results with previous years I was surprised to find that each year I am reading less and less.

2006: 140 books
2005: 166 books
2004: 197 books
2003: 227 books

This is not a good trend. I think this result is directly proportional to how busy I am at work. I was unemployed for the entire year of 2003 and worked only about 6 months of 2004. I got my present job in April of 2005 and we got incredibly busy in 2006. My job is interfering with my reading and this is not acceptable, don't you think?

This year I only gave 3 books published in 2006 an A- grade and none an A, compared to last year's 3 (A) and 4 (A-) books. But I tackled my TBR quite a bit this year so I had an additional 10 books from other years in the A range. Maybe I'm being pickier with my A grades now.

Crazy Love by Tara Janzen (2006) (A-)
Some people didn't like this book but it is my favorite of the Crazy series. It's Dylan Hart, Special Defense Force commander, and Skeeter Bang's story and was very fast paced featuring three storylines that were all well done. All the action with muscle cars and high tech gadgets kept me turning the pages and there was never a dull moment. But don't think the romance was short changed because Dylan and Skeeter's story was very hot with great sexual tension.

A Reason to Live by Maureen McKade (2006) (A-)
I have become a big fan of historical westerns but they seem to be few and far between. I bought this one on Wendy's recommendation and was so glad I did. Here's my review.

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh (2006) (A-)
This book had such a HUGE amount of buzz with lots of accolades from most bloggers. I thought there was a few confusing moments at the end but overall it was an excellent paranormal. Singh sets up a fascinating alternate reality world populated with psychics, shapeshifters and human. This is the first full length offering from this author so I'm looking forward to more books from her.

The Kissing Game by Suzanne Brockmann (1998) (A)
Heart of Deception by Taylor Chase (1999) (A)
Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie (1993) (A)
A Crime of the Heart by Cheryl Reavis (1988) (A)
A Rose at Midnight by Anne Stuart (1993) (A)

Get Lucky by Suzanne Brockmann (2000) (A-)
Body Language by Suzanne Brockmann (1998) (A-)
The Nightingale's Song by Kathleen Eschenberg (2001) (A-)
Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer (1990) (A-)
Isn't It Romantic? by Rhonda Thompson (1998) (A-)

I have a few more 2006 books left to read so I may be able to add another one to this list before the end of January. My goal for 2007 is to read more than 140 books. I just can't let this 'work thing' interfere with my fun.