I’ve been a voracious reader from a young age. In my pre-teen and early teen years, I kept a log of all the books I read. Many months it was 30, a compilation of Nancy Drew, Mandy, Trixie Beldon, and Cherry Ames books. Is it any surprise I write mysteries and thrillers.
One thing I have loved about being a parent is watching my children discover and love reading on their own. Our oldest has inhaled Lisa Bergren’s River of Times series at least five times (I love it, too!). She’s a fan of all Ally Carter’s books, and packs more books than clothes when we go on vacation. Our oldest son is reading books like Tale of Two Cities and Lord of the Flies in school. His class load doesn’t leave much leeway for fun reading right now, but he’s read through stacks.
This year it’s been fun to watch our younger two rise to and exceed every challenge that’s been extended to them at school. This week both crossed 300 AR points and 2 million words read.
Think about that 2 million words.
When was the last time you counted the words you’ve read? I don’t even want to imagine counting the ones I’ve read so far this year, though you can see the list on my Goodreads Reading Challenge here.
Good news. For those of you who love audio books, two more of mine just released including the prequel for the Hidden Justice series. You can see them here. And be sure to enter the giveaway as well.
What’s your record for books read in a year? Any idea? Do you have reading goals, or stick to reading what strikes your fancy?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Latest posts by Cara Putman (see all)
- What’s pulling you down? - May 8, 2025
- The Accused Launches and Giveaway - April 24, 2025
- Exploring Barcelona, Bookish News, and Link to a Giveaway - April 10, 2025
I get my reading gene from my mom. I’ve had a love of reading since I was in the womb. 😉
And yes! I love audiobooks. They allow me to still enter the fictional world while I’m cleaning and vacuuming the real one.
I can’t imagine my life without books 🙂
I haven’t tried the audio books YET, but I would love to try them.
Thanks for the chance to win an audio of “Canteen Dreams”.
You’re welcome, Kay!
Several years ago I began listing all the books I read and/or listened to in that year. In 2016 I logged 90 books. Since then my count has been a little lower but at least 60. While I usually read fiction, occasionally I’ll read a biography or some other non-fiction book.
That’s fantastic. What a lot of books.
Last year was the first year I kept track of how many books I read, and I read 60. This year I’m hoping to read 100. I love audiobooks! I listen while i do my housework!
That’s a fantastic goal! With my writing schedule, I won’t hit that many, but at least 65 I hope.
Last year was the first year that kept a log of the books I read. I set my goal at 60 for the year, upped it to 75 and finished reading 76! I’m at 24 so far this year, so am on track for the same goal as last year. I’ve loving reading all my life too!
That is awesome! And what a great start to this year 🙂
I love doing the Goodreads challenge as well. I have 250 books goal this year. I read tons of picture books, so that is why my goal is so high. Great job with your kids reading so much!
Angie! That’s incredible. Glad to see that picture books are part of that total LOL
I cut my teeth on Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew books also as a young girl. They are great series for young kids to learn about friendships, adventures, character-building and how to handle things when a situation doesn’t go your way. It’s a little strange that as an adult, I’m not that into the “mystery” genre. I do love a great thriller and something that takes me on a journey filled with adventure. As a writer, myself, I tend to find me drifting towards human emotion stories. Trust me, they include mystery, adventure, thrills, and drama! A smorgasbord of things. One day they may have a “genre” for that kind of writing. I look forward to reading your books.
It’s fun to see how what we like to read bleeds into what we write. I hope you enjoy my books when you read them, Pamela.
I do enjoy audio books. Currently I am listening to The Boy Born Dead.
What an intriguing title.
I’m just starting to listen to audiobooks. Thank you for sharing.
🙂
I love audio books. I keep one going in the car all the time.
My problem is I’m starting to have multiple audiobooks at a time, too.
Just finished Canteen Dreams. Loved the story and the backdrop of WWII and Pearl Harbor. It was such a cool twist having the story take place on the home front and deal with the difficult times Americans who stayed here had and how they worked through them.
I haven’t tried them yet but, I am willing to give them a try.
I have listened to audiobooks. I like them!