Book It

At the beginning of 2017 I was in three book clubs and then was invited to join a fourth. I was excited at the prospect of all that reading and I realized that maybe I could crank out a book each week. I decided, somewhat belatedly, to aim to read fifty-two books by the end of the year. I decided that ebooks, audiobooks, and actual made-with-paper books would all count toward my reading goal.

I started this list to keep track of the books I'd read. Three of them are close to one thousand pages long each, so I wasn't sure I'd make my goal. Then I never ended up joining the fourth book club and at the end of September, the third book club fizzled. Still, I kept reading/listening.

If you've scrolled down to the bottom of this post, you'll have seen that I surpassed my goal and read seventy-six books. Some of those were fairly short, but like I said, I read a few very long books as well, so hopefully that adds some balance. The majority of books were of the audio variety. The titles with stars next to them were not audiobooks, only fifteen out of the total. I listened while I cleaned, sewed, snuggled kids late at night, exercised. I usually listen to audiobooks at nearly double their regular speed, though that varies based on the narrator.

The book titles that are underlined were profound, they stuck with me and I continued to think about them long after I had finished; they are the best of the books I read this year. I enjoyed nearly all the rest. Admittedly there were a few I had to push through, but I finished almost all the books I started this year. There were a handful that I returned unread to the library because of adult content and two that I started and didn't finish in time to put on this list.

I think I'd like to repeat this goal for 2018 and read/listen to another fifty-two books.

Did you read any good books this year? I'd love some recommendations.

1. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wreade
2. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
3. When Breath Becomes Air by Dr. Paul Kalanithi
4. The Scarlett Pimpernel by Emma Orczy
5. The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan*
6. Daughters in My Kingdom
7. The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti*
8. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
9. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
10. In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett
11. John Adams by David McCullough
12. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
13. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
14. Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
15. Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
16. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
17. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
18. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
19. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
20. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
21. Divergent by Veronica Roth
22. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
23. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
24. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
25. Parnassus On Wheels by Christopher Morley
26. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
27. Night by Elie Wiesel
28. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
29. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
30. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
31. The Death Cure by James Dashner
32. Wee Free Men by Terry Prachett
33. Road Trip by Gary Paulsen*
34. Poldark by Winston Graham
35. A Blue Spool of Thread by Anne Tyler*
36. Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L.A. Meyer
37. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
38. Matched by Ally Condie
39. Crossed by Ally Condie
40. Reached by Ally Condie*
41. The Magnolia Story by Joanna and Chip Gaines
42. The Book of Mormon
43. Death Comes to Pemberly by P.D. James
44. The Metropolitans by Carol Goodman*
45. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
46. Field Trip by Gary Paulsen*
47. Atlantia by Ally Condie*
48. Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow
49. The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan*
50. Woof by Spencer Quinn
51. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
52. 39 Clues Book One: Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
53. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
54. 39 Clues Book Two: One False Note by Gordon Korman
55. 39 Clues Book Three: The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis
56. Belgravia by Julian Fellowes
57. The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine by Mark Twain, Philip Stead, and Erin Stead
58. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
59. The Washington Hypothesis by Timothy Ballard
60. Worth the Wrestle by Sheri Dew
61. No Ordinary Women by Elaine S. Dalton
62. 39 Clues Book Four: Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson*
63. Amazed by Grace by Sheri Dew
64. No Doubt About It by Sheri Dew
65. 39 Clues Book Five: The Black Circle by Patrick Carman*
66. Shepherds, Why This Jubilee? by Jeffery R. Holland
67. Celebrating a Christ-Centered Christmas by Emily Belle Freeman
68. 39 Clues Book Six: In Too Deep by Jude Watson*
69. Worth the Wrestle by Sheri Dew (I listened to this twice.)
70. Lieutenant Terry's Christmas Fudge by Gerald N. Lund
71. Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett
72. Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright
73. 39 Clues Book Seven: The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis*
74. 39 Clues Book Eight: The Emperor's Code by Gordon Korman*
75. 39 Clues Book Nine: Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park*
76. The Christmas Jars Reunion by Jason F. Wright