LOOKING BACK AT '22 - FAVORITE NOVELS (PART 3 OF 6)

Thanks to Nancy Mehl for sharing this.

 

I always wonder which is the attraction that the drums are rolling for me to announce: my fiction list, or my non-fiction list? If you want to tell me your favorite, please let me know! But in ignorance, I'll assume you're more excited about which non-fiction books influenced me this year, and start with fiction.

Last September, I did a blog giving the list of fiction authors I've read the most by. If there's any movement that might be of interest, I'll update it. And there has this year!

RANK    AUTHOR           #OF BOOKS    PREV. RANK

    1         Agatha Christie               23                    1

    2        Donna Fletcher Crow    19                    2 (Tie)

    3        Nancy Mehl                     17                    2 (Tie)

    4        Allistair MacLean            15                    2 (Tie) 

    5        Randy Singer                     14                    5

    6        James Blish                         13                    6

    7        Kerry Nietz                        11                     8

    8        Ian Fleming                        10                    7

    9        Jodie Bailey                          9                    16 (Tie)

   10        Stephen King                       8                     9

The top 6 didn't really change excepting the tie for second no longer being a tie. But Kerry Nietz has moved ahead of Ian Fleming. Also, Jodie Bailey has joined the list, jumping from a tie for 16th to 9th place. Impressive, but not quite as much as it sounds - when I made my list last year, I had read five books by her, and I read a 6th one last year and 3 this year. The reason she jumped as high was because of a 5 way tie for 11th at 6 books each.

I consider having read 5 novels by an author a milestone. Sharon Dunn made that mark, and Jessica Patch flew past it, moving from me having read three up to seven, putting her in a tie for 11th with Jill Williamson (10th place last year, with 7 read).

Other stats - I read 26 novels by 17 authors: 15 were women, and 6 were by authors I had not previously read.

One other point. I've read three stories that are top notch stories. I gave the authors five star reviews. Yet I did not enjoy them for various reasons - One was too melancholy, one was too creepy, and one was a little too weird. Yet I'm continuing in the series of one, am seriously considering the same in the second, and while giving up on the third series, I'm still reading a lot by the author.

Going to this list - I'll be listing my 12 favorites, and as usual, it's in alphabetic order by title. If I have read more than one in a series during a year, I might combine all from that series or count them as separate, depending on several factors, such as if I like one noticeably more or less than the others, or if it's a series with different authors. 

1. Bitter Truth (A Green Dory Mystery Book 3) by Janet Sketchley. I had been looking forward to this book, and it was worth the wait. This mystery kept you guessing, leading to the surprising (and bitter) truth.
   
2. Captured at Chrstmas Jodie Bailey. Perfect story for me to have read at Christmas time (never mind it was released in '21 and it's the last full novel I read in '22). Did I ever tell you Jodie Bailey is one of my favorite authors? If you read this book, you won't blame me.
   
3. Cold Case Takedown (Cold Case Investigators Part 1) by Jessica Patch. Great blend of mystery and suspense in uncovering this cold case involving high school football and how football can almost become a religion. Jessica does a great job of having characters stand out, and heroine Georgia Maxwell is one of my favorite Love Inspired Suspense leads.
   
4.  Dead Fall (Quantico Files Book 2) by Nancy Mehl. As usual, this was a top-notch thriller, but it definitely is my favorite of her series. Partly due to Kaley Quinn of Mehl's previous series being part of the cast, partly due to one of the best villians I've read. Note - if you haven't read this, I'd advise reading the three books of Kaley Quinn Profiler and the first book of this series first.
5. Deadly Cargo (Alaska K-9 Unit, Vol. 5) by Jodie Bailey. This was the 7th book I've read by Jodie Bailey, and the first that was part of a K-9 series. I definitely enjoyed the romance between bush pilot Jessica Jefferson and State Trooper Will Stryker. This book also had a good mystery going as to who is causing all the trouble.
6. Exposing a Killer by Laurie Alice Eakes. When I read the plot for this story, I had an image of what to expect, dealing with rival detectives. This novel did not meet the image, but it was just as enjoyable. This is a Love Inspired Suspense, by the way.
   
7. Rhats! and Rhats Too! (The Muto Chronicles vol. 1 and 2) by Kerry Nietz. Are you familiar with the Takomo Universe stories? I'm not really familiar with it, and the first book I read in this universe (by a different author) failed to grab me. But these stories (involving mutos, which resemble human sized rats) are very enjoyable. I especially enjoy the development of the friendship between the narrator, a muto named Frohlic, and Abs, a fellow muto he meets on a space scavenging trip.
   
8. To Dust You Shall Return (Lord Danvers Investigates, Book 3) by Donna Fletcher Crow. This series looks at true crimes from the Victorian era, with some comic relief by the Dowager Duchess. The crime story definitely was a top-notch mystery. I'm looking forward to catching up with this series next year.
   
9. Under Surveilance by Jodie Bailey. This book has characters from previous stories by Bailey, but there is no need to read them in order. Bailey has earned a place among my favorite authors (did you notice this is the third Bailey book on this list?). Great plot, great characters, and a very strong faith story, which is the norm for Bailey.
   
10. Wilderness Defender (Alaska K-9 Unit, Vol. 2) by Maggie K. Black. I've mentioned favorite heroes and heroines, but who is my favorite dog of the year? Hands down, Stormie the Irish wolf hound, who can take on a threatening thug or cuddle up with a calico kitten. Add to that a story about poachers trying to capture blue bear cubs, and definitely an exciting story.
11. Wolf Soldier (Lightraider Academy Vol. 1) by James R. Hannibal. This book is based on a role playing game designed to be a discipleship tool. Definitely an exciting fantasy story.
    
12. Yuletide Cold Case Cover-up (Cold Case Investigators, part 3) by Jessica Patch. This is an exciting conclusion to the series, and one that also includes one of my favorite heroines, Poppy Holliday. Excellent mystery as she tries to discover, with her partner Rhett Wallace's help, who killed her sister.

Well, tomorrow, I'll be looking at non-fiction!