Reading Challenge

At the end of 2011 I found myself wanting to read more.  After having Allyson I got out of the habit of reading and I was finding it difficult to get back into reading (hard to imagine I know).  After arming myself with my recently acquired library card I set a goal to read 50 books in 2012.  I figured it would be easy to average around 1 book a week.
It was much harder than I thought, in the end I read 47 books in 2012.  While I did not meet my goal I am certainly back into the habit of reading.   I loved searching for good book suggestions, trying out new genres and becoming a frequent visitor at our library.
There were books I didn't finish, books I finished but didn't love (or even like) but it was fun exploring.  In the end I found out my favorite books are still historical (both fiction and non fiction) and I still love reading.  I just have less time for it!

Here are my Top 5 from 2012 (in no particular order)

Hawaii: A Novel I think this falls into the epic novel category, it is long!  Such an interesting read following the various peoples throughout Hawaii's history.  I loved it, I just know I need to have some free time before I pick up my next Michener book.

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters This book is from my favorite genre, Historical Fiction.  It was a bit more gruesome than I was prepared for, though probably realistic to the times.  This book follows a teenage boy on his journey west to California during the Gold Rush. 

 

The Valley of the Moon I chose this book based on our trip to Jack London State park back in February.  This could possibly be my favorite read of the year (if I could commit to a favorite).  Set in turn of the century California it was fun to follow Bill and Saxon in their travels around California and their struggles making their life together.  They even spent some time in Ukiah!

Jubilee Trail I am a sucker for historical novels about California, they get me every time.  This was an easy read that ended up having a really interesting storyline. The story is told from a woman's perspective, Garnet as she travels along the Santa Fe trail and her life in California around the time of the Bear Flag Revolt. 

Riders of the Pony Express I already blogged about this book in the post about camping here.  It is still one of my favorites from this year.  So much that I have started reading other books by Ralph Moody, I loved Little Britches, a book based on his childhood in Colorado told in a way that reminded me of the Little House series.