2007 Summary

2007 isn't quite over yet, but I thought I'd go ahead and post my yearly summary. (I'm reading a suspense book right now that I'll probably finish by the end of the year, but it won't make my top list.)

I read 51 books in 2007, which is pretty good (unemployment will do that to you!) Unfortunately, I didn't read a keeper this year, and most of the books I read were in the "average" range.

I read five books (or stories) that I graded at 4.5, or approximately A-. I'd call these books very good, but with slight flaws - not quite keepers, but very enjoyable. They were:

Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
The Billionaire Next Door by Jessica Bird
A Bed Of Spices by Barbara Samuel
"Street Corners and Halos" by Catherine Spangler (short story)
Fantasies by Pamela Wallace

There were another 14 books that I graded at 4, or Good. (Equivalent to B+, roughly.) They were:

A Summer To Remember by Mary Balogh
One Night For Love by Mary Balogh
The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll
Twin Willows by Kay Cornelius
The Earl's Prize by Nicola Cornick
Deceived by Nicola Cornick
The Seduction by Laura Lee Guhrke
Dirty by Megan Hart
The Word of a Child by Janice Kay Johnson
Heavens To Betsy by Beth Pattillo
Creation In Death by J.D. Robb
Whom The Gods Love by Kate Ross
Still Life With Murder by P.B. Ryan
The American Duchess by Joan Wolf

The rest were graded at 3.5 or below - for the most part, books that were OK to read, but nothing special. Average or slightly above average. I suppose most books fall into this category, especially since I don't grade (or review) any book that I don't finish. With my limited reading time, I don't bother finishing a book that's not doing anything for me by page 50 or so, so a book has to be at least decent for me to grade it at all.

But there were three books that I gave a 2.5, which is almost the lowest grade I give. (I've given a few 2's in previous years, but these days I rarely finish a book that's that bad.) Usually these are books that, for some reason, I keep reading to the bitter end - it's by a favorite author and I keep thinking the book will get better, or it's a badly flawed book that has some glimmer of promise that keeps me reading. Those three books were:

Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts
The Slightest Provocation by Pam Rosenthal
Slightly Scandalous by Mary Balogh

The astonishing thing is that one of these books is by Mary Balogh!! And there were two other books in this series that would have received even lower grades, since I didn't finish them. This is probably the biggest, most shocking news of my reading year - that my beloved Mary Balogh is writing books that I can't even finish. (As usual, I'm behind in my reading - these books came out a few years ago.) She has said in interviews that she no longer wants to write the emotional, angsty books that were once her trademark. She did redeem herself in my eyes by writing the lovely Slightly Dangerous, but it's still terribly sad for me. She was my last "auto buy" author, an author I'd always buy and enjoy, no matter what she wrote. Although I will continue to buy Balogh, I will no longer have that excitement and joy, anticipating the newest Balogh book - she'll just become another author whose next book might be enjoyable, or might not.

It's a bit like losing an old friend.

Millionaire, Billionaire

Although this book doesn't really emphasize the money aspect, I find it amusing that we now have the "billionaire" next door. I guess millionaires are too commonplace now?

The Billionaire Next Door by Jessica Bird (SSE 1844)
(2007, Contemporary Series) 12/27/07
Grade: 4.5

Wall Street wizard Sean O’Banyon has it all, or so it seems. But when his father dies, and he goes back to his old home in Boston, the years of abuse come flooding back. The only thing keeping him together is Lizzie, the downstairs neighbor who excites his body and warms his heart - but can he learn to trust her, despite his past?

A great book that’s just a bit too short. The author does a great job in depicting these characters - the hero is particularly well done, although the heroine is a bit “too good to be true” - and also their strong chemistry together. It really felt like they were building a relationship, not just “instant love”. However, the ending was too rushed. Sean’s “big misunderstanding” actually made sense, in the context of his emotional issues, but there wasn’t enough time to really resolve it. (Although I appreciated that the heroine mentioned therapy - a realistic note that’s all too rare in romance.) This book could have easily gone on another 50 pages, and it would have been richer and more complete if it had.

Even though this book didn't quite hit keeper territory, it was so lovely to finally read a book that thrilled me. I was so glad to finally find a book with some real emotions and heart, I literally did the "happy dance" at one point while I was reading. (OK, that's a little weird, but it's been soooo long!)