My Year in Books

Ever wonder what an author reads? Well, I can't speak for other authors, but here's what I've tackled this last year. I'm actually over halfway through one more, so I might raise my number again before the year closes out.
I wanted to let you know how my reading challenge went this year, too. Most of the time, when I read, I just grab a fun Christian romance and snuggle in. But this year, I joined a group of friends who agreed to read a certain type of book each month. Here's what the requirements were and what book I picked to read to fill that category:
1) A biography, autobiography, or memoir -- Elizabeth the Queen
2) A book that pushes you outside your comfort zone -- The Koran
3) A classic you have never read -- The Great Gatsby
4) A book of poetry—or a play or short story collection if you hate poetry -- Solstice to Solstice to Solstice
5) A book about an event, time period, or figure(s) from history -- Dreadnought
6) A book about science -- Case for the Creator
7) A religious book—inspirational, apologetics, topical, etc. -- Mere Christianity
8) A book on a topic you know nothing about -- Before We Were Yours
9) A book about another culture or a book in translation -- The Neverending Story
10) A book recommended to you by someone else -- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
11) A book you have previously started and abandoned OR a book you should have read in school -- Alice in Wonderland
12) Wild Card! -- Just pick one of the dozens of books I devoured in the month of December! 
I think I may do the reading challenge again this year. She's mixed up the categories and added new ones that intrigue me. It's definitely forced me to stretch outside of my comfort zone and find some books I probably wouldn't have grabbed otherwise.
I also read all the way through the Bible again. It's something I try to do every year, although I've missed a few. I always notice new things as I read, and I definitely notice that it helps me stay a bit more grounded as I go through life. I think next year I may try using a Chronological Bible to do it again. It's nice to alter the way I read through each year because it helps me look at it a bit differently.
Not included in the list of books I've read is at least one or two by friends who haven't had their work published yet, as well as working through my own manuscripts a few times.
Some people ask me how I find time to read so much. It's my downtime hobby of choice. It lets my mind relax, lets me push worries aside, helps me relax at night. I usually read a few chapters in the afternoon while my children nap, and read a few more before bed. On vacation days, or if I'm very wrapped up in the story and don't want to put it down, I tend to do more. ;-)
Here's a link to my goodreads page that shows the books I've read this year. Feel free to friend me on there and keep up with my reading progress. Did you read anything great this year? I'd love to hear about it!