Roundup of 3Q books

It's hard for me to accept that 2009 is now 3/4 over. I've read 99 books so far this year compared to 105 in 2008. And, my page counts are a bit lower as well.

In July, I read 11 books— seven paperbacks, one audio book, and three electronic editions—with 3581 pages. As with previous months, the paperbacks had been offered to members of BookObsessed in swaps and VBBs (virtual book boxes). I did take time out to read two more of Janet Evanovich's zany mysteries starring Stephanie Plum: Lean Mean Thirteen and Fearless Fourteen. I had stumbled upon a special price for the Kindle edition of Lean Mean Thirteen and snatched it up. When I finished reading it, I wasn't done with Stephanie, so I used the built-in wireless connection in my Kindle to immediately purchase and download Fearless Fourteen given that the Kindle price was the same as the paperback.

August was a month in which I broke all my records for reading: 17 books and 5123 pages. August 2008 I read 15 books and December 2008 I completed 16 books. Chief reason why I read so much in August is the semi-annual conference held by SHARE. This year's Summer Conference was held in Denver and we drove up and back, giving me 4+ days to read in the car. Eleven of the books were paperbacks, two were audio CDs, and four were electronic editions.

I couldn't keep up the pace in September. We did take a trip driving from Dallas to Atlanta and then to Richmond, and I should have been able to finish at least one book, if not two, between Dallas and Atlanta, but I wound up sleeping most of the way instead of reading. And, the last two weeks of the month we were vacationing in Ireland. Although this was a “Fly-Drive” trip, I spent most of my time watching the road rather than reading. I didn't take any paper books with me to Ireland—other than the travel guides—but I did buy a couple of books. I mean, can you imagine me passing up every bookstore I passed?

Prior to leaving the USA, I had read six books and was well into the seventh which I left in Chris's car at the airport. I took my Kindle and a brand new BeBook reader with me and read on both of them the little bit of time that I took to read. I also picked up two books at a charity bookshop in Galway. I read one of them right away and took it to The Long Stone Pub in Dublin where I left it on a shelf with other BookCrossing books.

The genre breakdown shows that the bulk of my reading in the third quarter were mystery novels, 15 of the 38 boooks. Fantasy, science-fiction, and PUF books added up to 11 more. There were six of those books that I have trouble classifying, so I just call them “mainstream”, three romance/chick-lit novels, and one each adventure and historical fiction.

• July
1. Talk Nerdy to Me by Vicki Lewis Thompson
2. Nessie and the Celtic Maze by Lois Wickstrom & Jean Lorrah
3. Death by Inferior Design by Leslie Caine
4. The Whole Truth by David Baldacci
5. Gone with the Nerd by Vicki Lewis Thompson
6. The Ghost and the Dead Man's Library by Alice Kimberly
7. Godmother by Carolyn Turgeon
8. The Ghost and the Femme Fatale by Alice Kimberly
9. Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich
10. Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
11. The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith
• August
1. A Summer Affair by Susan Wiggs
2. Offspring by Steven Harper
3. A Kiss Remembered by Sandra Brown
4. Expendable by James Alan Gardner
5. Naughty Neighbor by Janet Evanovich
6. Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich
7. Vigilant by James Alan Gardner
8. Minerva Wakes by Holly Lisle
9. Soul Intent by Dennis Batchelder
10. Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Landvik
11. What's a Ghoul to do? by Victoria Laurie
12. A Novena for Murder by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie
13. Demons Are a Ghoul's Best Friend by Victoria Laurie
14. Hog Wild by Cathy Pickens
15. Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
16. The Three Miss Margarets by Louise Shaffer
17. Shaker Run by Karen Harper
• September
1. In the Company of Others by Julie E Czerneda
2. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
3. Thursdays at Eight by Debbie Macomber
4. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
5. One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
6. At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost
7. Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
8. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
9. Recipes for a Perfect Marriage by Kate Kerrgan
10. Navajo Courage by Aimee Thurlo