Sometimes, I wonder if I should count YA novels towards the final count, but when the book runs over 250 pages, I think it’s a solid book. Libba Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty is a fanciful tale about a young girl named Gemma whose mother is murdered. She’s sent off to a finishing school (it’s the Victorian age) where she discovers a lot about herself (she’s got magical powers) and finds herself in over her head in terms of how to use said power for good.
A lot happens, but I found the book kind of silly, perhaps because I’m not a sixteen-year-old, but I loved the character and might read the next installment next year.
So I made it to 65 books this year. I wanted to hit 75, but I didn’t even come close. Guess that’s my goal for 2006!