Last Reads of 2012: Update and Scary Books Challenge

ByJen
13 Comments

Well, I am happy to report that I will make my Goodreads challenge of reading 200 books in 2012. I’m currently reading book number 200.

So, in the remaining three days of 2012, I’m going to try to work on some blogging to-do stuff, so I can start the New Year all organized.

1. Put 2012 reviews on Goodreads. 
I read and appreciate others’ Goodreads reviews, so I feel like I must reciprocate and get my reviews up there. The last time I did this was the summer, so I have some catching up to do.

2. Write 2012 Stats Post
I’m busy crunching the numbers on all the books I reviewed in 2012 — format, publisher, genre, etc.

3. Write January reviews
I am a very organized person, but I’m not one of those bloggers who has their posts scheduled months in advance. If I’m lucky, I have a week of posts in the bank. But I’d love to start January with some scheduled reviews.

Scariest Books Challenge


Steph @ Fake Steph Dot Com is hosting a Scariest Reads of 2012 Challenge. You can find her challenge post here.

I used to love scary movies and books, but I’m a way bigger wimp than I used to be. Still, I’m crazy about suspenseful and creepy stuff. Here are some of my favorite scary reads of 2012.

The Hallowed Ones
Laura Bickle
I don’t usually read zombie books, but the whole Amish zombie thing just got me curious. As you can see by reading my review, I LOVED this book. It was smart and scary.
Ten 
by Gretchen McNeil
This book was not overwhelmingly scary, but I think it did a very clever job of adapting the original Agatha Christie book to modern times and to YA. My full review of Ten is here.
The Evolution of Mara Dyer
by Michelle Hodkin
To me, this book was almost campy-creepy, like the movie Scream. It took all those great B-movie tropes, like the insane asylum, the dead animals on the porch, etc. etc. and made them just awesomely creepy and fun. Check out my review of Mara Dyer 2 here.
I Hunt Killers
by Barry Lyga
I really loved this one. The whole “am I going to turn into my parents” worry takes on new weight when your dad is a notorious serial killer. I was enjoying this so much that I didn’t even identify the killer, which annoyed me, because all the clues were there. Read my review, which defines both “mangst” and Cabot Cove Syndrome, here.
The Diviners
by Libba Bray
Because this book was sooo long, I listened to the audio version while I walked the dog. Let me tell you, there is nothing like walking through a deserted part of Central Park on a foggy day while someone is singing that creepy “Naughty John” song in your ears. I know I jumped a few times!  You can read my review of the Diviners here.
How is your end of year reading coming along?

Jen has been blogging about books since 2011. In that time, she has read and reviewed over 1500 books. She loves helping readers find their perfect next read and helping books find their audience.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

13 Comments

  1. Great goals-I am actually hoping to do all that too! Sadface for me though because I have work 1/31 so I won't have as much time as I'd like to dedicate to that. I will just have to be super efficient this weekend!

    Glad to see Ten on your list-I got my very picky sister to read it and she enjoyed it. That always makes me feel so good!

    Reply

  2. Awesome list of scary books. I want to read all of the ones you mentioned – especially The Diviners. And good gosh – my organiztion is usually only a week out at best. I do have the titles & stuff planned months in advance – but just not the actual posts.

    Tanya Patrice
    Girlxoxo.com

    Reply

  3. I have to read I Hunt Killers and buy Ten. They both sound great.

    I pretty much write my posts day to day lol Occasionally I get motivated and sit at the computer all day writing reviews.

    Good luck with all your goals.

    Reply

  4. LOL. I would Never listen to something scary while out of the house I'm too much of a wuss.

    And you say, you're not a fan of zombies, but you seem to like all the books, hmm. Am I seen sing a conversion? Next thing I know, you'll be watching The Walking Dead!

    Reply

  6. Congratulations on reaching your Goodreads goal! Woohoo! I need to up my number next year. I set it at 125 for 2012 and I'm up to 178 right now. Looks like I was a little off. Lol!

    I loved The Evolution of Mara Dyer and Ten was a great read. I still need to read I Hunt Killers (sigh).

    Reply

  7. I was really orgamised up until the 22nd when Christmas madness took over! I had stuff scheduled for the end of the year which was good because I have been pretty absent this week! Got nothing scheduled for the new year though, and I've been reading books that I wanted to read rather than books that I needed to read so am a bit behind too! Got some serious catching up to do now 🙂

    Reply

  8. Ten was probably the only scary book I got to this year. That's kinda unfortunate. lol

    I have to write reviews as soon as I finish or I forget everything. So occasionally I have a couple scheduled. Other than that, things get done the night before. LOL I was so excited this week b/c I had about 7 things scheduled and then they ran out and I wanted to cry.

    Great job on reaching 200!!! I haven't had much reading time this week like I though. 🙁 I still have 2.5 books to finish to hit my goal for the LR2012. I don't think I'll make it.

    Reply