Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Books Read in 2018

I began the year with no reading goal.  I was finishing up the Sweet Valley High series and intended to go back to vintage series books after finishing my Sweet Valley High experience.  I wasn't interested in setting a goal because I proved in 2017 that I can average at least one book per day.  I felt no need to try to read more than that.  I wished to take a more relaxed pace, especially since I was planning to read vintage series books that I could not read as fast as modern teen books.

That is indeed what happened.  By around August, I decided that I was on pace to read around 300 books by the end of the year, so I set that as my goal.  I ended up reading 315 books.

At the end of this post is the list of all the books that I read in the order that I read them.

Those of you who study the list closely might notice some oddities, like how I read Trixie Belden #1-20 and then #22-39.  You might wonder why #21 is missing.  I didn't like it and quit the book at less than halfway through.  If I read less than half a book, I don't count it as a book read since I didn't read enough of it.  If I read at least around two-thirds of a book and skim the rest, I usually count it.

I partially read and abandoned quite a few books in 2018 that are not listed.  I estimate that I abandoned at least 12 to 24 books.  If I don't like the book, then I don't read it.  If I had forced myself to read those books, I probably would have read far fewer books in 2018, since forcing myself to read those books would have slowed me down.

You will also notice that I did not review all books that I read.  Sometimes I do not review a book simply because I do not feel like it.  When I read a single volume by an author, I am less likely to write up a review.  The motivation to write the review is lower when the book is not part of a larger set.

I also balk at writing reviews when I did not enjoy books that were highly recommended to me or that were mentioned as having been someone's childhood favorite.  I read several such books this year.  Those books weren't bad, but they didn't do anything for me, either.  I hardly want to write up a review of one of those books saying that it wasn't very interesting to me.

Books in blue are books that I had read before.

January:  37 books

Rayn Mirago #1-4
Sweet Valley High #112-114, Murder in Paradise, 115,116, Stranger in the House, Killer on Board
Nancy Drew Diaries #16
Sweet Valley High #117, 118
Story Thieves #1-4
Sweet Valley High #119, Return of the Evil Twin, 120-122, Falling for Lucas, 123-128, Jessica Takes Manhattan, 129-133

February:  27 books

Sweet Valley High #134, "R" for Revenge, 135-143, Last Wish, Earthquake, Aftershock
Sweet Valley University #1
The Wave by Todd Strasser
Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Super Mystery #1-3
Kay Tracey #1 original text, #1 revised text, 2-5
Hardy Boys Adventures #16
Kay Tracey #6

March:  18 books

Kay Tracey #7-18
Story Thieves #5
The Mystery of the White Knight by Ruby Radford
Mystery Hunters #1-4

April:  28 books

In the Camp of the Black Rider by Capwell Wyckoff
Pandora by Clare Turlay Newberry
Smudge by Clare Turlay Newberry
Babette by Clare Turlay Newberry
Percy, Polly, and Pete by Clare Turlay Newberry
Ice Cream for Two by Clare Turlay Newberry
Mittens by Clare Turlay Newberry
April's Kittens by Clare Turlay Newberry
The Antique Cat by Bianca Bradbury
The Mystery of the Bradley Pearls by Ruby Radford
Roy Stover #2
The Mystery of Gaither Cove by Capwell Wyckoff
The North Point Cabin Mystery by Capwell Wyckoff
The Sea Runners' Cache by Capwell Wyckoff
Mercer Boys #2-4
Drawing a Cat by Clare Turlay Newberry
Mercer Boys #5
Cats and More Cats by Diana Thorne and Connie Moran
Mercer Boys #6-10
The Secret of the Armor Room by Capwell Wyckoff
Roy Stover #1, 3

May:  22 books

Roy Stover #4
Outboard Boys #1-4
The Haunted House Mystery by L. P. Wyman
Hal Keen #1
Bailey Twins #1, 2-5
Ranger Boys #1, 2-5
Golden Boys #1
Hunniwell Boys #1
The Girls of Hillcrest Farm by Amy Bell Marlowe
Mystery in the Square Tower by Elizabeth Honness
The Secret of the Stone Frog by Dorothea Snow

June:  25 books

The Boarded-Up House by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Sapphire Signet by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Mystery of Ghost Burro Canyon by Dorothea Snow
The Girl Next Door by Augusta Huiell Seaman
Three Sides of Paradise Green by Augusta Huiell Seaman
Golden Boys #2
The Slipper Point Mystery by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Crimson Patch by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Dragon's Secret by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Whistling Mountain Mystery by Dorothea Snow
The Mystery at Number Six by Augusta Huiell Seaman
Tranquility House by Augusta Huiell Seaman
Sally Simms Adventures It by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Edge of Raven Pool by Augusta Huiell Seaman
Bluebonnet Bend by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Secret of Tate's Beach by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Adventure of the Seven Keyholes by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Shadow on the Dial by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Disappearance of Anne Shaw by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Dark Tower Mystery by Mary C. Jane
The River Acres Riddle by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Brass Keys of Kenwick by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The House on Hidden Lane by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Stars of Sabra by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Mystery of the Empty Room by Augusta Huiell Seaman

July:  33 books

Bitsy Finds the Clue by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Riddle at Live Oaks by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Figurehead of the Folly by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Pine Barrens Mystery by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Mystery at Linden Hall by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Curious Affair at Heron Shoals by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Missing Half by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Case of the Calico Crab by Augusta Huiell Seaman
Mystery of the Folding Key by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Half-Penny Adventure by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Mystery of the Other House by Augusta Huiell Seaman
Voice in the Dark by Augusta Huiell Seaman
The Vanishing Octant Mystery by Augusta Huiell Seaman
Trixie Belden #1-20

August:  32 books

Trixie Belden #22-35, 36, 37, 38, 39
Meg Duncan #1-4
The Vanderlyn Silhouette by Augusta Huiell Seaman
Meg Duncan #5, 6
Kim Aldrich #1-4
James Budd #1-3

September:  19 books

The Ski Trail Mystery by Virginia McDonnell
James Budd #4
Golden Boys #4-6, 3, 7-10
Storm Over Garnet by Virginia McDonnell
Hunniwell Boys #2
Nancy Drew Diaries: A Christmas Story
Hunniwell Boys #3-8

October:  24 books

Donald Price's Victory by L. P. Wyman
Mystery of Eagle Lake by L. P. Wyman
Tom Austen #1, 2, 3
Haunted Summer by Hope Dahle Jordan
The Phantom of Walkaway Hill by Edward Fenton
What Happened to Amy? by Jane Edwards
Bob Dexter #1, 2, 4
The House on Hackman's Hill by Joan Lowery Nixon
A Deadly Game of Magic by Joan Lowery Nixon
Blue Treasure by Helen Girvan
When Midnight Comes by Carol Beach York
Beware of This Shop by Carol Beach York
The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts
The Secret in the Old House by Judith St. George
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Escape from Nowhere by Jeannette Eyerly
Mystery at Deer Hill by Virginia Frances Voight
Revenge of the Dolls by Carol Beach York
Mystery of the Unwelcome Visitor by Helen Girvan
The Clue in the Antique Clock by Helen Girvan

November:  26 books

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
Messenger by Lois Lowry
Son by Lois Lowry
Megan's Island by Willo Davis Roberts
Once Upon a Dark November by Carol Beach York
Dry by Neal Shusterman
Endless Winter #1-4
Judy Bolton #1 1932, #1 1964, #1 1967, #2 1932, #2 1967, #3 1932, #3 1967, #4 1932, # 4 1967, The Talking Snowman, 5-10

December:  24 books

Judy Bolton #11-13
Hardy Boys Adventures #17
Judy Bolton The Mystery on Judy Lane, #14-28
The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle
Judy  Bolton #29
The Islands at the End of the World by Austin Aslan

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