Summer is over, and so is the Summer 2013 Reading Program.

I fully admit that I fell down on the job for the past two months–I forgot to enter any books. But since I wasn’t eligible to win my own contest, it hardly mattered, since the total without my added books was 187.

That means I’m going to donate $100 to the shack. I’ll let y’all know when I do so.

The WINNER was Sherri Lewis who read 76 book. That’s more than I read this summer, and I read more than anyone else I know. Congratulations Sherry! (If you’re reading this, let me know if you prefer something that arrives in the mail or something that arrives via email.)

The runner ups was Janiece who read 35 books.

Prizes will go out soon!

And now, a bit about what we read, because I LOVE information!

The most commonly read genre was mystery, with general fiction as a runner up. I was honestly surprised that SF came in 4th, because although I don’t read it, I know many of you do.

Mystery: 44
General Fiction: 39
Fantasy: 36
Science Fiction: 15
Historical Romance: 12
General Non-Fiction: 11
Romance: 6
Biography: 5
History: 3
Young Adult / Kids: 2
Religion / Philosophy: 1
Graphic Novel: 1
Nonfiction: 1

The mostly commonly read authors were:
Philippa Gregory: 8
Terry Pratchett: 5
Neil Gaiman: 5
Diana Gabaldon: 5
Candice Hern: 4

Weirdly, I’ve read all those but Philippa Gregory, even though I HAVE at least two of her books. Those Diana Gabaldon? All me, as were the Candice Herns. But looking at my ratings, I wonder why I kept reading Candice Hern, since I didn’t apparently like her books very much. All the other authors were primarily 4 and 5 star authors.

Out of all the books in the world, three were read by one or more of you.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane: 3
The Last Word: 2
The Invisible Man: 2

The Ocean at the End of the Lane doesn’t surprise me, since it was a Neil Gaiman new release. In fact, I’m kinda surprised more people hadn’t read it. (Yeah, I haven’t read it yet. It’s on The List.)

And it looks like people most read books they enjoyed, which is a good thing!

5 Stars: 51
4 Stars: 89
3 Stars: 30
2 Stars: 9
1 Star: 1

Only a single one star rating is pretty good I think. I’m leaving the results up, so you’re free to peruse the list at your leisure.

But if you’re looking for some recommendations, here are the five star books that had comments (there were lots more 5 star books, they just didn’t have comments.)

Walking Your Octopus: A Guidebook to the Domesticated Cephalopod by Brian Kesinger; [genre: Graphic Novel] “I loved this.”

The View From Penthouse B by Elinor Lipman [genre: General Fiction] “I love a book that leaves you with a smile”

The Privilege of the Sword and The Privilege of the Sword (audio) by Ellen Kushner (Swords of Riverside) genre: Fantasy “I love this book” and “Just wonderful”

Justice for Sara by Erica Spindler [genre: Mystery] “If you enjoy thrillers then this is definitely a must read!”

This I Believe (II): The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman, eds. [genre: General Non-Fiction] “Restores your faith in humanity”

Wicked Prey by John Sanford (Prey series) [genre: Mystery] “Minnesota author writing about Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension detective Lucas Sanford. These books are fun, fast reads.”

Grimoire of the Lamb by Kevin Hearne (The Iron Druid Chronicles) [genre: Fantasy] “I love The Iron Druid series. Truth be told, it’s the characters I love most. This is a novella, or possibly even a short story, but a fun read.”

Coraline by Neil Gaiman [genre: Young Adult genre: Kids] “A beautifully written, beautifully paced, beautifully balanced book.”

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman [genre: Science Fiction] “A crystalline novella of moments, memory and friendship.”

The World of the End by Ofir Touche Gafla [genre: Science Fiction] “A heart-breaking, bitterly funny, many-layered look at life, death, love and the afterlife.”

Courting Greta by Ramsey Hootman [genre: General Fiction] “I loved this book so very much.”