Reading statistics and favourite books for 2013

So, last year...

I read 306 books (not including the Love Has No Boundaries stories that were under 30,000 words)
251 of these were new books and 55 re-reads

In addition I dipped in and out of about 6 books for research into something I am plotting and hoping to write

My Goodreads stats have me reading 403 books - but that does include the short stories I haven't counted.  Next year I have challenged myself to read 350 books according to the Goodreads counting system :)

To help me I have joined in several challenges - I am still doing the "Pick it for Me" challenge but have added the "Bingo" challenge and the "Fleeting or Forever" challenge.

I've been carefully looking at the ever growing list of books that are lying around on my Kindle waiting to be read with these challenges in mind and think I can just about manage not to buy a new book until about March!  Erm, well that is to say... I can manage in terms of not needing to in order to read what I am meant to.... not sure I will survive without the therapeutic effects of buying new books :)

So, whilst I think about it - what were my favourite books of last year (sticking to M/M here - and not necessarily published last year, just read by me)

I considered all those I rated 5 stars during 2013 (there were just 23 out of the 251 read) and came up with a final top five (I really couldn't make the list shorter) ....

Raining Men - Rick R Reed - I am not sure how the author managed to take Bobby Nelson, the most unpleasant character from the first book in the series, and not only totally redeem him but give him his own Happily Ever After.  He didn't shy away from the unpleasant sides of the character or gloss over his problems which meant I really found myself rooting for him.

Safeword - A. J. Rose - this is the follow up to Power Exchange and shows the deepening relationship between newly out detective and sub Gavin DeGrassi and his Dom, the psychologist, Ben Haverson.  The author very cleverly weaves what is essentially a police procedural story with the couple's BDSM relationship.  Whilst the MC's were in a good place at the end I am hoping that the author will visit them again.

Slam! - J. L. Merrow - This book contained a lot of very British humour and for once I got it!  Jude, the narrator and main protagonist is over the top, over dramatic and in some ways a little immature where as his potential other half, David, is understated and something of an enigma.  The side characters, including Bubbles the dog, hold their own against the main characters.  This is one of those books for re-reading to cheer myself up on a cold, grey, wet British day

Learning Curve - Kaje Harper - This is the fourth and final book in the Life Lessons series.  It shows Mac's slow recovery from his head injury to full fitness and return to active duty as a detective whilst he and Tony juggle their relationship, the kids and Tony's job as a teacher at the same time as dealing with over riding crime plot.  These two have become one of my favourite fictional M/M couples.

Skybound - Aleksandr Voinov - I am not usually a fan of short stories, but this one was beautifully crafted tale of a young German aircraft mechanic and a fighter pilot during the final weeks of the second world war.  I connected with both characters and most unusually this story actually made me cry.


I am looking forward to reading through 2014 and hopefully finding some more favourites.