A Year of Reading: 2015

1. Hostage Three by Nick Lake
2. Gunpowder Alchemy by Jeannie Lin
3. The Selection by Kiera Cass
4. Dead Wake by Erik Larsen
5. The Elite by Kiera Cass
6. The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin
7. The One by Kiera Cass
8. My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh
9. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
10. The Likeness by Tana French
11. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
12. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
13. The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin
14. 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad
15. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
16. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
17. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
18. The Martian by Andy Weir
19. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
20. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
21. It Will End With Us by Sam Savage
22. Funeral in Blue by Anne Perry
23. All the Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry
24. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
25. March by Geraldine Brooks
26. The Bees by Laline Paull
27. The Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
28. Nothing by Janne Teller
29. The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn
30. Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
31. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
32. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
33. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
34. Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler
35. Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
36. The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks
37. Mortality by Christopher Hitchens
38. A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev
39. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
40. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
41. The Heir by Kiera Cass
42. All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner
43. None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
44. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
45. Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
46. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
47. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
48. Gerald's Game by Stephen King
49. Tibetan Peach Pie by Tom Robbins
50. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
51. An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
52. Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradel
53. I Crawl Through It by A.S. King
54. Stand Out by Dorie Clark
55. Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm
56. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
57. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
58. Stand-Off by Andrew Smith
59. El Deafo by Cece Bell
60. Bright Lines by Tanwi Nandini Islam
61. Walden by Henry David Thoreau
62. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
63. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
64. Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
65. The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood
66. The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks
67. Armada by Ernest Cline
68. Black Potatoes by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
69. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
70. The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow
71. The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens
72. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
73. The World Without Us by Alan Weissman
74. American Housewife by Helen Ellis
75. Kindred by Octavia Butler
76. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
77. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
78. Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson
79. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
80. Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
81. The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian
82. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
83. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
84. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
85. Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics
86. Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase
87. Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
88. Rat Queens, Volume 1 by Kurtis J. Wiebe
89. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
90. The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
91. The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
92. Delicious Foods by James Hannaham
93. The Library At Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
94. The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins
95. The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel
96. Radioactive by Lauren Redniss
97. How To Be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman
98. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
99. Waiting On You by Kristan Higgins
100. The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski
101. How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete
102. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
103. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

I actually read two of those books twice each during the year. My Not-So-Young Adult book group at work picked both All the Truth That's In Me and None of the Above on my recommendation. They weren't fresh enough in my mind to discuss without re-reading, but I had nothing new to say that would merit a second blog post on either of them.

I also didn't count picture books, which I read a number of this year. They included, most notably, Z is for Moose and Merry Christmas Squirrels.

For 2016, I'd like to do some sort of a challenge, either an official one or just on my own, but I'm still trying to figure that out. Of course, I'm still working on the Winter Bingo but that only goes through February and I'd like to do a year-long reading project of some sort.

How do you feel about your 2015 reading? Do you have reading goals for 2016?

A Year of Reading: 2014

1. The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell
2. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
3. Home is a Roof Over a Pig by Aminta Arrington
4. Affinity by Sarah Waters
5. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
6. Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
7. The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord
8. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
9. Persuasion by Jane Austen
10. The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
11. Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell
12. Pearl by Tabitha King
13. Reality Boy by A.S. King
14. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
15. Tampa by Alissa Nutting
16. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
17. The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr
18. Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
19. The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud
20. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
21. Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kristin Cronn-Mills
22. Pain, Parties, Work by Elizabeth Winder
23. Nine Inches by Tom Perrotta
24. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
25. Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith
26. A Night Like This by Julia Quinn
27. City of Thieves by David Benioff
28. The Radioactive Boy Scout by Ken Silverstein
29. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
30. My Notorious Life by Kate Manning
31. Perv by Jesse Bering
32. Keeping the Castle by Patricia Kindl
33. Go by Chip Kidd
34. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
35. Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking by Anya Von Bremzen
36. Thunderstruck and Other Stories by Elizabeth McCracken
37. A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner
38. Winger by Andrew Smith
39. When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman
40. Panic by Lauren Oliver
41. Train Go Sorry by Leah Hager Cohen
42. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
43. The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin
44. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
45. The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Ann Long
46. The Panopticon by Jenny Fagan
47. Wool by Hugh Howey
48. Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin
49. Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin
50. Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
51. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
52. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
53. The Farm by Tom Rob Smith
54. Girls Standing on Lawns by Maira Kalman and Daniel Handler
55. Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang
56. Ten Thousand Joys and Ten Thousand Sorrows by Olivia Hoblitzelle
57. The List by Siobhan Vivian
58. The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan
59. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
60. The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
61. The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
62. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
63. The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon
64. No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin
65. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
66. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian
67. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
68. The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan
69. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
70. How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
71. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
72. The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
73. Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
74. The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason
75. Sister's Fate by Jessica Spotswood
76. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
77. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
78. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
79. Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff
80. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman
81. Stay Awake by Dan Chaon
82. Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers
83. Sally Heathcote: Suffragette by Mary Talbot and Bryan Talbot
84. In Darkness by Nick Lake
85. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
86. Nobody is Ever Missing by Catherine Lacey
87. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
88. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
89. 100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith
90. Men Explain Things To Me by Rebecca Solnit
91. Revival by Stephen King
92. Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S. King
93. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
94. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
95. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
96. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
97. The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield
98. Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell
99. Never Judge a Lady By Her Cover by Sarah MacLean
100. The Storied Life by A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
101. The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming
102. The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

I'm down a bit from last year, but that's not surprising. I actually didn't expect to hit 100. As you may remember, I spent two months reading War and Peace. I also read the lengthy David Copperfield early in the year. And this one wasn't especially long, but it took me two weeks to read The Boys in the Boat. All in all, I'm pleasantly surprised with how many books I managed to read. I also completed the 2014 TBR Pile Challenge, which means that I finally read a bunch of books that had been languishing on my To Read list for quite a while. I'm so pleased about that, I'll be doing the challenge again in 2015. I'll be posting my list soon!

As for favorites, it's such a funny thing. Here are the books I gave 5 stars on Goodreads:
Reality Boy
The Handmaid's Tale
Thunderstruck and Other Stories
Wool
Sister's Fate
In Darkness
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
War and Peace
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
I'll Give You the Sun
The Family Romanov

I stand by my 5-star ratings, but when I look at what I read this year, there are many other books that really jump out at me, that when I see them on the list I think "That one was really good."

For instance:
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Grasshopper Jungle
The Panopticon
My Notorious Life
The Woman Upstairs
We Were Liars
The Tragedy Paper
The Burn Journals
The Miniaturist
Sharp Objects

I think it was just an especially good year for books, maybe.

Here's hoping that 2015 is a great reading year too!

A Year of Reading: 2013

1. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
2. Honolulu by Alan Brennert
3. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
4. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
5. The Best American Short Stories 2011 edited by Geraldine Brooks
6. Waking Up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly
7. The Silent Cry by Anne Perry
8. Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
9. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
10. And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman
11. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Vol. 1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
12. The Best Man by Kristan Higgins
13. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
14. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
15. The Cry of the Sloth by Sam Savage
16. Every Day by David Levithan
17. Mariana by Susanna Kearsley
18. Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton
19. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
20. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
21. In This Light: New and Selected Stories by Melanie Rae Thon
22. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
23. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
24. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
25. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
26. Velvet by Mary Hooper
27. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
28. Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon
29. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
30. The Burning Air by Erin Kelly
31. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
32. Glass by Sam Savage
33. The Movement of Stars by Amy Brill
34. Why Evolution Is True by Jerry A. Coyne
35. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
36. A Breach of Promise by Anne Perry
37. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
38. The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani
39. A Lady By Midnight by Tessa Dare
40. The Stuff of Life: a graphic guide to genetics and DNA by Mark Schultz
41. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
42. A World Away by Nancy Grossman
43. The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin
44. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
45. Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath
46. Storm Front by Jim Butcher
47. The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth
48. The Way of the Dog by Sam Savage
49. Bleakly Hall by Elaine diRollo
50. Joyland by Stephen King
51. The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell
52. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
53. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
54. Tenth of December by George Saunders
55. The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti
56. One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper
57. The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey
58. Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon
59. The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
60. Carrie by Stephen King
61. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
62. The Twisted Root by Anne Perry
63. Kiss Kiss by Roald Dahl
64. Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future by Dorie Clark
65. The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian
66. The Mussel Feast by Birgit Vanderbeke
67. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
68. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
69. Firmin by Sam Savage
70. Small Damages by Beth Kephart
71. Paper Towns by John Green
72. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
73. Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma by Kerry Hudson
74. Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal
75. The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp
76. When Nights Were Cold by Susanna Jones
77. VB6 by Mark Bittman
78. MASH Angels: Tales of an Air-Evac Helicopter Pilot in the Korean War by Richard C. Kirkland
79. Slaves of Obsession by Anne Perry
80. Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach
81. Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
82. 14 by Peter Clines
83. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
84. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
85. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
86. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding
87. Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan
88. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
89. Your House Is on Fire, Your Children All Gone by Stefan Kiesbye
90. The Good House by Ann Leary
91. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
92. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
93. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will To Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
94. Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein
95. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
96. Bossypants by Tina Fey
97. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel
98. The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt
99. Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle
100. Black Aperture by Matt Rasmussen
101. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
102. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
103. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
104. Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood
105. This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
106. Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger
107. The Valley of Horses by Jean Auel

Every year I experience a bit of angst when I try to pick out my favorite books because so many of them were really good. This year is no different, in that I read a lot of great books, but there were two clear standouts: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. They are both high-falutin' literature that garnered positive reviews from critics, but also were just really wonderful reading experiences. You don't need an English degree to appreciate these novels.

Some of my other favorites were Rebecca, Tell the Wolves I'm Home, Year of Wonders, The Cry of the Sloth, and Beautiful Ruins. But I also loved The Burning Air and Kiss Me First - really, it's hard to stop naming favorites once I've started. Those last two, though, were probably the most underrated books of the year. They deserved much greater popularity.

I have a few general observations about 2013's reading. I notice several re-reads on my list: Carrie, The Great Gatsby, Alias Grace, Twilight Sleep, Firmin, Bossypants, and I read Code Name Verity twice during 2013. In most cases these re-reads were for book groups or something work-related (I read Gatsby and Twilight Sleep for Gatsby Month.) My trend of reading ever more books every year seems to be continuing, though I'm really not trying and I don't know how to stop it. Subscribing to Audible.com this year ensured that I was continuously listening to audiobooks, and I know that was a factor in this lengthy list. Also this year I read a number of romance novels as that was a previously unexplored genre, which I am unlikely to continue with such fervor. I also notice that I read ALL of Sam Savage's books this year, including a re-read of Firmin. I will likely continue to read and re-read his books in the future because they are brilliant and short. He is a bewilderingly under-appreciated author. The only other observation I can make from looking over my old blog posts is that I noticed a really large number of typos, many of which were in the post titles. Yikes. Sorry about that.

On a sad note, the author of the very enjoyable and touching It's Kind of a Funny Story recently committed suicide. Since that book was such a hopeful novel about a suicidal teen struggling with depression, I have very mixed feelings now about recommending it. Obviously it's still a good book, but knowing that the story is autobiographical, it's hard to separate the novel from the tragic end to the author's life.

So what's ahead for 2014? I'm considering more re-reads, actually. I know I'll be reading Fangirl again for a book group at work, but I've also been thinking about reading Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale again because I read it so long ago, as well as I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Maybe even Cheryl Strayed's Wild, which I only read a little over a year ago but am considering again. There's lots of new books I'm excited about as well - I still haven't read the new Diane Setterfield book Bellman and Black, and three of my favorite authors have new books coming out in 2014: Chris Bohjalian's forthcoming novel Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is a departure from his recent historical works and sounds really fantastic. Sarah Waters is releasing a new novel next fall called The Paying Guests, and Elizabeth McCracken is releasing Thunderstruck and Other Stories this spring. I have a lot of great books to look forward to!

A Year of Reading: 2012

1. Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
2. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
3. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
4. The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee
5. At Home by Bill Bryson
6. Health Care Reform by Jonathan Gruber
7. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
8. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
9. Darkhouse by Karina Halle
10. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
11. Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
12. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle
13. Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker
14. The Descendants by Kari Hart Hemmings
15. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
16. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
17. I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan
18. Where She Went by Gayle Forman
19. Weighed in the Balance by Anne Perry
20. The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
21. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
22. The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan
23. Locke and Key Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill
24. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
25. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
26. The Odds by Stewart O'Nan
27. Golden Boy by Martin Booth
28. The Wishbones by Tom Perrotta
29. A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
30. Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden
31.Wonder by R.J. Palacio
32. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
33. On Writing by Stephen King
34. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
35. The Half-Life of Planets by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin
36. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
37. I2 by James Bannon
38. In One Person by John Irving
39. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
40. The Elements of Style Illustrated by William Strunk and Maira Kalman
41. The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett
42. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
43. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
44. Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman
45. How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway
46. Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
47. Looking for Alaska by John Green
48. Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
49. The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett
50. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
51. Railsea by China Mieville
52. Packing for Mars by Mary Roach
53. The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith
54. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn
55. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
56. The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner
57. Hard Times by Charles Dickens
58. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
59. The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
60. A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant
61. Big Ray by Michael Kimball
62. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
63. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
64. The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges
65. Bad Little Falls by Paul Doiron
66. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
67. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
68. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
69. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
70. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Stephen Galloway
71. Tessa Masterson Will Go To Prom by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin
72. Stolen by Lucy Christopher
73. A Working Theory of Love by Scott Hutchins
74. Losers in Space by John Barnes
75. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green (2nd time!)
76. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
77. A Study in Seduction by Nina Rowan
78. The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling
79. Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando
80. History of a Pleasure Seeker by Richard Mason
81. More Baths, Less Talking by Nick Hornby
82. Arcadia by Lauren Groff
83. The Twelve by Justin Cronin
84. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
85. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
86. A Slender Thread by Katharine Davis
87. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
88. The Long Walk by Stephen King
89. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
90. Where We Belong by Emily Giffin
91. Above All Things by Tanis Rideout
92. Ask the Passengers by A.S. King
93. Divergent by Veronica Roth
94. Horns by Joe Hill
95. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
96. Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
97. My Life in France by Julia Child
98. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
99. The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey
100. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin

There are really only 99 books on that list because I read The Fault In Our Stars twice, but since I read it twice, it's on there twice. This is the most books I've read in a year - every year the list gets longer and longer. I don't know why, and I seem unable to stop it.

As mentioned in a previous post, I wrote about my top 12 favorite books that were published in 2012, though I also want to mention The Twelve and The Casual Vacancy which stood out among this year's books. I also read a lot of great books published in previous years: Caleb's Crossing, Ready Player One, The Piano Teacher, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle were probably my top picks, though as I look through my list I keep finding more and more books I want to give special mention to.

My "to read" list on Goodreads has also exploded this year, so I'm faced with the competing goals of wanting to slow down on book consumption in favor of possibly doing other things with my time, but wanting to put a dent in that list before it gets completely out of control. I've made another list on Goodreads called "to read priority" as some sort of emergency book triage. I don't know why I think making another list will help me get through more books more quickly.

However, what might help is subscribing to Audible.com which I plan to do today. Relying on audiobooks from the library means that frequently I make choices based on what's available in the format I need, not based on what I want to read. I need something portable, either a Playaway or downloadable mp3, but most available audiobooks are either on CD or in a file format that's not compatible with my devices. Given how rarely I spend money on books, I think this will be a worthwhile investment.

Happy New Year to you all! I hope that 2013 brings you many fantastic books!

A Year of Reading : 2011

Here's my list of all the books I read in 2011, with links to the reviews:

1. U.S. History for Dummies by Steve Wiegand
2. Wish You Were Here by Sewart O'Nan
3. The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards
4. Playing With Matches by Brian Katcher
5. In the Land of Believers by Gina Welch
6. Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
7. If You Follow Me by Malena Watrous
8. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
9. This Book is Overdue by Marilyn Johnson
10. The Sweetheart of Prosper County by Jill S. Alexander
11. The Civil War: a concise history by Louis P. Masur
12. Heaven to Betsy and Betsy in Spite of Herself by Maud Hart Lovelace
13. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
14. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn
15. Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
16. Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan
17. Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
18. American Uprising by Daniel Rasmussen
19. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
20. Bossypants by Tina Fey
21. Ape House by Sara Gruen
22. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
23. Thin, Rich, Pretty by Beth Harbison
24. Becoming a Life Change Artist by Fred Mandell and Kathleen Jordan
25. Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
26. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
27. Sins of the Wolf by Anne Perry
28. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
29. Something Blue by Emily Giffin
30. The Passage by Justin Cronin
31. Big Girl Small by Rachel DeWoskin
32. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
33. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
34. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
35. The Patterns of Paper Monsters by Emma Rathbone
36. We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
37. House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
38. Liar by Justine Larbalestier
39. Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl
40. Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian
41. Amelia Lost: the life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
42. Empire Falls by Richard Russo
43. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
44. Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain
45. The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
46. The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron
47. The Floor of Heaven by Howard Blum
48. Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
49. Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
50. Cain His Brother by Anne Perry
51. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
52. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
53. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
54. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
55. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
56. Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? by Eleanor Updale
57. The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
58. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
59. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ramson Riggs
60. What You See In the Dark by Manuel Muñoz
61. Like the Willow Tree by Lois Lowry
62. The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian
63. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
64. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
65. How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
66. The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines
67. The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht
68. Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Nick Hornby
69. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
70. Skellig by David Almond
71. Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
72. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
73. The Knitter's Life List by Gwen W. Steege
74. Love Warps the Mind a Little by John Dufresne
75. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
76. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
77. The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine by Alina Bronsky
78. Annabel by Kathleen Winter
79. All Wound Up: the Yarn Harlot Writes for a Spin by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
80. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
81. The Train to Lo Wu: Stories by Jess Row
82. Moonwalking With Einstein by Joshua Foer

I have outdone myself this year. That is a LOT of books, and none of them were even graphic novels. I'm starting to think I need to find another hobby because clearly I have too much time on my hands. Also, it is getting very time-consuming to make these lists! So much so, that now I don't have the energy to pick favorites.

Despite how many books I read, there were a lot more that I want to read and haven't gotten to yet. It would be extremely helpful to me if everyone would just stop writing books for two or three years until I get caught up. Thank you.

A Year of Reading : 2010

In the spirit of tradition, here is a list of all the books I read in 2010:

1. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
3. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
4. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
5. The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (graphic novel)
6. Isn't It Romantic? by Ron Hanson
7. Blame by Michelle Huneven
8. Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher*
9. Silverfish by David Lapham (graphic novel)
10. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
11. Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian
12. The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens
13. Food Rules by Michael Pollan
14. The Soul Thief by Charles Baxter
15. The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To by D.C. Pierson
16. The Braindead Megaphone by George Saunders
17. Normal People Don't Live Like This by Dylan Landis
18. Bound by Sally Gunning
19. On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
20. Serena by Ron Rash
21. By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
22. Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
23. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
24. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffen (audio)
25. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters*
26. This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
27. French Milk by Lucy Knisley (graphic)
28. The Art of Eating In by Cathy Erway
29. The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken
30. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
31. Home is Where the Wine Is by Laurie Perry
32. Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
33. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
34. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese*
35. These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
36. How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford
37. The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
38. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
39. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
40. The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker
41. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
42. Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner*
43. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
44. Tinkers by Paul Harding
45. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
46. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
47. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
48. It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
49. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Desson
50. This Is Just Exactly Like You by Drew Perry
51. I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman*
52. Strategies for Successful Career Change by Martha E. Mangelsdorf
53. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
54. Hopeless Savages Greatest Hits 2000-2010 by Jen Van Meter
55. Finding Your Own North Star: claiming the life you were meant to live by Martha Beck
56. The Tower the Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart*
57. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama (audio)
58. A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry
59. One Day by David Nicholls*
60. World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler
61. Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
62. Room by Emma Donoghue*
63. Strangers at the Feast by Jennifer Vanderbes
64. Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland
65. A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
66. Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick
67. A Christmas Promise by Anne Perry
68. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr*
69. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger (graphic)*
70. An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
71. Lowboy by John Wray
72. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Although my intention was to review every book I read, it seems that I missed a couple. Also, the list is in the order that I read the books, not necessarily the order in which I reviewed them. Although I post the reviews here and keep track on goodreads, I still write down all the titles in a little notebook and that's what I used to create my list.

I started and ended the year with Dickens, which is kind of lovely. My count is 72, but since I read A Christmas Carol twice, I guess it is only 71 books. I'm not sure how to count that. As an interesting note, I read a beautifully illustrated version I found at the library the first time, and the second time I read it on my new nook. Reading it on an ereader and without photos was definitely a different experience!

My favorites are starred above. I find it very difficult to choose favorites, but I forced myself to select a top ten. I didn't star books that I've read before - the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and A Giant's House are some of my favorite books of all time, but I wanted to highlight books I read this year for the first time.

So what's ahead for me in 2011? You can expect more non-fiction because one of my goals is to learn more about U.S. history. I'm also hoping to finally read some things that have been on my list for a while - either read them or delete them from the list. And there are a few that are priorities this year, such as Little Women and Tipping the Velvet, both of which I've wanted to read for so long I have no idea why I haven't yet. I'm wondering if having an ereader will change the way I read. I certainly hope not, but it will be interesting to see how many books I read that way versus in print.

Happy new year and happy reading!

A Year of Reading: 2009

1. Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan
2. Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken
3. Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie
4. Love in the Asylum by Lisa Carey
5. An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken
6. The Condition by Jennifer Haigh
7. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
8. Courtney Crumrin & the Night Things by Kelly Crumrin (graphic novel)
9. The Good Mother by Sue Miller*
10. Food Matters by Mark Bittman
11. Letter From Point Clear by Dennis McFarland
12. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
13. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
14. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. LeGuin
15. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
16. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn
17. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
18. Shopgirl by Steve Martin
19. A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
20. Here's Your Hat, What's Your Hurry by Elizabeth McCracken
21. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
22. Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
23. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
24. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
25. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
26. A Proper Education for Girls by Elaine diRollo
27. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
28. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
29. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer*
30. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
31. Rumors by Anna Godbersen
32. The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman
33. Envy by Anna Godbersen
34. Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban
35. I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
36. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer*
37. Turn of the Screw by Henry James*
38. Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
39. What Happened to Anna K. by Irina Reyn
40. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
41. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
42. Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher
43. Leadership Simple by Steve and Jill Morris
44. A Tale of Two Cities by Charlies Dickens
45. Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin
46. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
47. Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz
48. The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie
49. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
50. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
51. The Hate List by Jennifer Brown
52. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (re-read)
53. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
54. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
55. Map by Audrey Beth Stein
56. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
57. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
58. Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
59. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
60. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
61. A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck (audio)
62. Splendor by Anna Godbersen
63. Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry (audio)
64. Shelf Discovery by Lizzie Skurnick
65. Fat Cat by Robin Brande
66. Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
67. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

A few less books than last year, which may seem surprising since I was unemployed for close to half the year, but I didn't spend a whole lot of time sitting and reading during my long vacation. There are also some time-consuming reads on this list - books by Charles Dickens, Salman Rushdie, and Henry James take a while to slog through, as well as Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban (which is totally worth reading, but is difficult.) I started reading Oliver Twist on December 17th but still have a way to go, so it will be on the 2010 list. Also of course, The English Patient is still languishing on my shelf waiting to be finished. I also usually read more graphic novels, but there only seems to be one on this list - I'll have to catch up on those this year! (I did read some great comics by Cathy Leamy - definitely check out her stuff.)

Should I include children's books? I've been reading more of them. I don't think I'd count Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse even though I think it may be the cutest book in the world, or The Polar Express which I just read for the very first time (!), or Owl At Home, which was one of my favorites as a kid and which I had forgotten about until I rediscovered it at the library recently. But I read a great non-fiction children's biography called Charles Dickens: The Man Who Had Great Expectations by Diane Stanley. I've decided that non-fiction children's books are wonderful and a great way for those of us with short attention spans for non-fiction to learn about something without having to force our way through an adult-length tome. I just can't decide if a book I can read in 20 minutes should be included here.

All in all, I'm very happy with this list - I read some great books this year! I considering putting * next to the ones that I especially enjoyed but there would be so many it's practically meaningless, so instead I've put them on the very few books that I didn't like. Most of the books on this list I'd recommend quite highly!

A Year of Reading: 2008

In the spirit of tradition, here's a list of every book I read in 2008.

1. The Eight by Katherine Neville
2. A Sudden Fearful Death by Anne Perry (audio)
3. Time Capsule: Short Stories about Teenagers Throughout the Century
4. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
5. They Call Me Naughty Lola: Personal Ads from the London Review of Books
6. About a Boy by Nick Hornby
7. The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver
8. Mindless Eating: Why we eat more than we think by Brian Wansink
9. The Three Incestuous Sisters by Audrey Niffenegger (graphic novel)
10. The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar (graphic novel)
11. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
12. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
13. House of Clay by Naomi Nowak (graphic novel)
14. Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
15. The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller
16. Alice in Sunderland by Bryan Talbot (graphic novel)
17. Adverbs by Daniel Handler
18. No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting by Anne MacDonald
19. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
20. Joe College by Tom Perrotta
21. Sammy's Hill by Kristin Gore
22. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
23. Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
24. Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
25. The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu
26. While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
27. Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
28. The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond
29. Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert
30. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
31. The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
32. Digging to America by Anne Tyler
33. Sheer Abandon by Penny Vincenzi
34. The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland
35. Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster
36. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen
37. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
38. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
39. Little Stalker by Jennifer Belle
40. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
41. Freddie & Me: A Coming-of-age (Bohemian) Rhapsody by Mike Dawson
42. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
43. Straight Talk about Breast Cancer by Suzanne Braddock
44. 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
45. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
46. The Good Wife by Stewart O'Nan
47. Become Who You Were Born To Be by Brian Souza
48. American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
49. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
50. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
51. Specials by Scott Westerfeld
52. Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart
53. Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
54. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
55. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
56. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
57. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
58. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
59. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
60. American Widow by Alissa Torres (graphic novel)
61. The Borden Tragedy by Rick Geary (graphic novel)
62. Girl, 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb
63. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
64. Japan Ai by Aimee Major Steinberger (graphic novel)
65. Notes From the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick
66. The Insufficiency of Maps by Nora Pierce
67. The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll: the search for Dare Wright by Jean Nathan
68. A Winter Marriage by Kerry Hardie
69. The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City
70. Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
71. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
72. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

I read one less book in 2008 than I did in 2007. That is kind of weird.