I hope you’ve all had a wonderful start to the year. Despite having to go to the office today, I managed to get out early enough to go out for a nice trail walk. We enjoyed the sunny skies and cool temps and got to see several deer which actually are sort of a usual sight around our neighborhood.

Anyway, I thought I’d start my first post of the year with what else but a list of books. I didn’t get a chance to tell you about some my Christmas presents and purchases so here it goes:

• A Time of Mourning by Christobel Kent. I’ve enjoyed several of her books and this looks to be a first in a mystery series.
• A Mortal Curiosity by Ann Granger. I found the first one in this series to be really enjoyable and so I look forward to visiting again with the characters.
• Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico. I finally got a Bloomsbury Group book after hearing so much about these from some of you guys.
• In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff. An Edgar Award winning novel.
• Sheer Abandon by Penny Vincenzi. Must read this author.
• Laura Rider’s Masterpiece by Jane Hamilton. I remember when this book came out I was instantly drawn to it because of the cover. I know some of you have really liked it so I’m glad to add it to my collection.
• Kept by D.J. Taylor. A tale of Victorian London. I’m there.
• The Blind Side of the Heart by Julia Franck. Winner of a prestigious German Book prize.

Some of these were new but the last five were finds I got at Half Price Books with a gift card. I still have a few bucks left on that so I’ll have to drop in again soon.

I have the day off on Monday so I may just go visit the bookstore. Hope you have a great start of the week.

The year is almost over (I’m already hearing fireworks) but I still have one post I must get out before end of the year. I promised you a list of favorite reads and my annual year in review so here it is.

My favorites of 2011 were:
Fiction: Someone At A Distance by Dorothy Whipple, One Day by David Nicholls, Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger and The Observations by Jane Harris

Mystery: The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Highasino and The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olson.

The numbers:
Total books read in 2011: 55
Books by women: 39
Books by men: 16
Fiction: 29
Mystery: 21
Young Adult: 2
Romance: 1
Sci-Fi/Fantasy: 1
Non-Fiction: 1
Books in translation: 10 (Swedish, German, Japanese, Norwegian, and Danish)
Books from the library: 11
Kindle reads: 8

While I read some great books this year I can say that it was not as great a reading year as others. I had a lot of DNFs and this is perhaps the least amount of books I’ve read in a long time. I also didn’t get a chance to read any classics, no short story collections, and no graphic novels.

But with 2012 almost here I’m feeling quite hopeful about the books I’ll read next year. I’m not one to make resolutions but I do like to say I have good intentions and I have plenty of those for the coming year. I like the idea of a fresh start. Returning to my blog, to my studio and to all of those things that lift my spirits.

I wish you all a very happy 2012. May you find your life bursting with health, happiness and heaps of good books!

Hugs,
Iliana