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2018: My Year in Books - Part I: The Books

Sara Levine 1/08/2019 1 Comment Edit

2018 was another INCREDIBLE year of books! With a baby on the way (I was due in February with my son) and the regular busy-ness of everything else in life with my husband, daughter and pup, I made the crazy goal of reading 100 books over the course of the year!
There were times when I thought that 100 was far too many, and others where I thought I could make 125 or more, but at the end of the year, it turned out that it was a perfect number, and I read exactly 100 books!

In added craziness, I tried to focus on reading as much of my own shelves as possible and banned myself from buying any books for the year! The only books that I bought were a few I ordered through Audible because I could only put my membership on hold for 6 months and then needed to use up some credits. Otherwise, the only physical books that I acquired were gifts and so I am very happy to say that my to-be-read (TBR) shelf barely grew for the first time ever!
I'm breaking this year's post into two parts, this one - on the books, and a second one that will be focused on a breakdown of those books - genre, which ones were my shelves vs library, female authors, poc authors, pages read, etc!
And so, without further babbling, here are the books that I read in 2018, in the order that I read them, and the months in which they were finished! My favorites are in hot pink, and any I listened to on Audio have an "(A)" next to the title!
January
1. Castle of Water丨Dane Huckelbridge 2. Ajax Penumbra 1969丨Robin Sloan 3. They Cage the Animals at Night丨Michael Jennings Burch 4. Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History丨Katy Tur (A) 5. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town丨Jon Krakauer 6. You丨Caroline Kepnes 7. One of Us is Lying丨Karen McManus 8. When We Were Worthy丨Marybeth Mayhew Whalen 9. This is How It Always Is丨Laurie Frankel 10. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century丨Timothy Snyder
February
11. Sing, Unburied, Sing丨Jesmyn Ward 12. All-American Boys丨Jason Reynolds 13. Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose丨Joe Biden (A) 14. Behold the Dreamers丨Imbolo Mbue 15. The Fall of Rome丨Martha Southgate
March
16. The Selection丨Kiera Cass 17. The Versions of Us丨Laura Barnett 18. The Elite丨Kiera Cass 19. The One丨Kiera Cass 20. At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe丨Tsh Oxenreider 21. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things丨Bryn Greenwood 22. The Heir丨Kiera Cass 23. The Crown丨Kiera Cass 24. The Smart One 丨Jennifer Close 25. Salt to the Sea丨Ruta Sepetys 26. The Futures丨Anna Pitoniak 27. The Weight of Blood丨Laura McHugh 28. Straight Talking丨Jane Green 29. Gold Fame Citrus丨Claire Vaye Watkins
April
30. Behind Her Eyes丨Sarah Pinborough 31. Seven Days of Us丨Francesca Hornak 32. The Circle丨Dave Eggers 33. Outlander丨Diane Gabaldon 34. Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood丨Trevor Noah (A) 35. The Nightingale丨Kristin Hannah 36. After I Do丨Taylor Jenkins Reid 37. Lily and the Octopus丨Steven Rowley 38. The Underground Railroad丨Colson Whitehead 39. The Sweet Life in Paris: A Recipe for Living in the World's Most Delicious City丨David Lebovitz 40. In a Dark, Dark Wood丨Ruth Ware
May
41. French Kids Eat Everything: How Our Family Moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered Ten Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters丨Karen Le Billon 42. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter丨Erika L. Sanchez 43. Britt-Marie Was Here丨Frederik Backman 44. The Mothers丨Brit Bennett 45. Nevertheless丨Alec Baldwin (A) 46. The Good Daughter丨Karin Slaughter 47. The Problem with Forever丨Jennifer L. Armentrout 48. Columbine丨Dave Cullen 49. Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone丨Brene Brown (A)
June
50. How to Walk Away丨Katharine Center 51. When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir丨Patrisse Khan-Cullors 52. Since We Fell丨Dennis Lehane 53. Educated丨Tara Westover (A) 54. Fierce Kingdom丨Gin Phillips 55. Love, Hate & Other Filters丨Samira Ahmed 56. Revolution is Not a Dinner Party丨Ying Chang Compestine 57. This is Where it Ends丨Marieke Nijkamp 58. The Castaways丨Elin Hilderbrand 59. The Storyteller丨Jodi Picoult
July
60. The Last Mrs. Parrish丨Liv Constantine 61. Neverwhere丨Neil Gaiman 62. Sourdough丨Robin Sloan 63. Delirium丨Lauren Oliver 64. Pandemonium丨Lauren Oliver 65. Requiem丨Lauren Oliver 66. The Book of Essie丨Meghan MacLean Weir 67. Beartown丨Frederik Backman 68. Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be丨Rachel Hollis (A) 69. Just One Day丨Gayle Forman
August
70. The Virgin Suicides丨Jeffrey Eugenides 71. Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win丨Jo Piazza 72. All We Ever Wanted丨Emily Giffin 73. Bury This丨Andrea Portes
September
74. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania丨Erik Larson (A) 75. Who Do You Love丨Jennifer Weiner
October
76. No One is Here Except All of Us丨Ramona Ausubel 77. Homeless Bird丨Gloria Whelan 78. Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body丨Kate Hudson (A) 79. The Lying Game丨Ruth Ware 80. The Silkworm丨Robert Galbraith
November
81. So You Want to Talk About Race丨Ijeoma Oluo (A) 82. Turtles All the Way Down丨John Green 83. Luckiest Girl Alive丨Jessica Knoll 84. The Sunshine When She's Gone丨Thea Goodman 85. Family Pictures丨Jane Green 86. Becoming丨Michelle Obama (A) 87. In Conclusion, Don't Worry About It丨Lauren Graham (A)
December
88. What I Saw and How I Lied丨Judy Blundell (A) 89. Unaccustomed Earth丨Jhumpa Lahiri (A) 90. The Walking Dead, Compendium 2丨Robert Kirkman 91. The Reluctant Fundamentalist丨Mohsin Hamid 92. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City丨Matthew Desmond (A) 93. The Perfect Stranger丨Megan Miranda 94. The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret to Transform Your Life Before 8 AM丨Hal Elrod 95. From the Corner of the Oval丨Beck Dorey-Stein (A) 96. Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love and Baking Biscuits丨Reese Witherspoon 97. The Magnolia Story丨Chip and Joanna Gaines (A) 98. Still Life丨Louise Penny 99. Dinner: The Playbook丨Jenny Rosenstrach 100. Labor Day丨Joyce Maynard
Ah! So many incredible, wonderful books this year!! At 100 books, that's an average of 8+ books a month throughout the year!
Those listed as hot pink above were my five star reads - books that absolutely blew my mind, changed my thinking or wildly affirmed it, and have stayed with me all year long. BUT! That doesn't mean that there are others that I didn't enjoy! Those not highlighted in pink above, but that I really liked a lot (4 star reads!) were: Ajax Penumbra 1969, One of Us is Lying, When We Were Worthy, All-American Boys, The Versions of Us, At Home in the World, The Circle, After I Do, The Underground Railroad, When They Call You a Terrorist, Fierce Kingdom, Love Hate & Other Filters, This is Where It Ends, The Storyteller, Sourdough, The Book of Essie, Girl Wash Your Face, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win, All We Ever Wanted, Dead Wake, The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Evicted.
My goal for next year is set at 80 books. While I think I may surpass it, I do know that maternity leave allowed me more time than usual to read and I focused on that when I set my 2019 goal. I also set my Read Your Shelves (RYS) goal at 50 - and while I'm no longer banning myself from buying books, this year of no buying really made me think long and hard about the books I do want to own and I think my days of mindless book buying are over! So I'm looking forward to borrowing from the library and diving further into the stack below my nightstand - there are still quite a few there to read! Do you have tons of books in your shelves too? Focusing on reading them instead of buying more this year?
What were your favorite books this year? Did you set a reading goal or do you just see where your literary adventures take you? Are there must reads on your list for 2019? I'd love to hear from you!!

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2017: My Year in Books

Sara Levine 12/31/2017 Add Comment Edit

2017 was an incredible year in books for me! I soaked up so many wonderful titles - finding time to read in all formats (paper, Kindle and audio!) and fell in love with tons of incredible characters! After reading only 55 in 2016 - and not reaching my goal of 75 - I decided to reduce my goal for 2017 to only 60 books - and I surpassed that by 19 books!

Here are the books that I read in 2017, in the order that I read them. My favorites are in hot pink, and any books I listened to have an "(A)" next to them.
1. Truly Madly Guilty | Liane Moriarty 2. The Nest | Cynthia Sweeney 3. Dark Matter | Blake Crouch 4. Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls and Everything in Between | Lauren Graham (A) 5. Homegoing | Yaa Gyasi 6. Small Great Things | Jodi Picoult 7. Mosquitoland | David Arnold 8. Girl in Translation | Jean Kwok 9. The Bronte Plot | Katherine Reay 10. Friday Night Lights | H.G. Bissinger 11. Born to Run | Bruce Springsteen (A) 12. Start | Jon Acuff (A) 13. The Woman in Cabin 10 | Ruth Ware (A) 14. The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl | Issa Rae 15. We Should All Be Feminists | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (A) 16. 50 Ways to Yay | Alexi Panos (A) 17. Always and Forever, Lara Jean | Jenny Han 18. Commonwealth | Ann Patchett 19. Today Will Be Different | Maria Semple 20. Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love and Work | Jennifer Weiner (A) 21. Rich People Problems | Kevin Kwan 22. Tell Me Three Things | Julie Buxbaum 23. The First Husband | Laura Dave 24. Crimes Against a Book Club | Kathy Cooperman 25. Small Admissions | Amy Poeppel 26. The Stars Are Fire | Anita Shreve 27. The Light We Lost | Jill Santopolo 28. The People We Hate at the Wedding | Grant Ginder 29. Dreamland Burning | Jennifer Latham 30. The Rules Do Not Apply | Ariel Levy 31. I Was Here | Gayle Forman 32. Behind Closed Doors | B.A. Paris 33. The Sunshine Sisters | Jane Green 34. The Couple Next Door | Shari Lapena 35. The Hate U Give | Angie Thomas 36. A Long Walk to Water | Linda Sue Park 37. The Sun is Also a Star | Nicola Yoon 38. The Good Widow | Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke 39. Into the Water | Paula Hawkins 40. This is the Story of a Happy Marriage | Ann Patchett (A) 41. Woman No. 17 | Edan Lepucki 42. Peace Like a River | Leif Enger 43. Leave Me | Gayle Forman 44. Impossible Fortress | Jason Rekulak 45. Love That Boy: What Two Presidents, Eight Roadtrips and My Son Taught Me About a Parent's Expectations | Ron Fournier 46. When She Woke | Hillary Jordan 47. 84, Charring Cross Road | Helene Hanff 48. Hillbilly Elegy | J.D. Vance 49. Underground Airlines | Ben H. Winters 50. Before the Fall | Noah Hawley 51. Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House | Alyssa Mastromanaco (A) 52. Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions | Gloria Steinem 53. Bound | Donna Jo Napoli 54. A Man Called Ove | Frederik Backman 55. Red Queen | Victoria Aveyard 56. The Mountain Between Us | Charles Martin 57. The Guest Room | Chris Bohjalian 58. Faithful | Alice Hoffman 59. The Handmaid's Tale | Margaret Atwood 60. What Happened | Hillary Clinton (A) 61. When Dimple Met Rishi | Sandhya Menon 62. Paris For One and Other Stories | Jojo Moyes 63. I'll Give You the Sun | Jandy Nelson 64. Stay With Me | Ayobami Adebayo 65. Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks | Annie Spence 66. Young Jane Young | Gabrielle Zevin 67. My (not so) Perfect Life | Sophie Kinsella 68. The Dry | Jane Harper 69. The Wangs v The World | Jade Chang 70. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen | Lucy Knisley 71. What to Say Next | Julie Buxbaum 72. Very Good Lives | J.K. Rowling 73. When Breath Becomes Air | Paul Kalamanthi 74. Every Last Lie | Mary Kubica 75. The Vegas Diaries | Holly Madison (A) 76. Between the World and Me | Ta-Nehisi Coates 77. The Two-Family House | Lynda Cohen Loigman 78. The Atlas of Love | Laurie Frankel 79. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine | Gail Honeyman
Oh my gosh! A seriously fantastic year in books!! And I read the strong majority of them from June through December - 60 of them in fact! That's an average of 8.57 books per month after June 1! Not highlighted in hot pink above, but ones that I really, really enjoyed this year include ... Dark Matter, Always and Forever Lara Jean, Tell Me Three Things, The Stars Are Fire, The Light We Lost, Behind Closed Doors, The Sunshine Sisters, The Couple Next Door, 84 Charing Cross Road, Before the Fall, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?, The Mountain Between Us, The Dry, When Breath Becomes Air, The Two-Family House, The Atlas of Love and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.
My goal for next year is a bit higher, and I am setting it back up at 100 books - 21 more than I read this year. It will mean that I need to read more books in the first 5 months of the year, and then keep on pace with this year for the last 7 months. But, the goal is not for just 100 books - it is for 100 books out of my TBR pile - both physical and on my Kindle/Audible account. I am focusing on not buying any new books until I've made it through the GIANT stack underneath my nightstand (with about 100 books in it). Anyone else reading their shelves this year? I'd love to hear how it goes for you!
Want to join along in my literary adventures? You can connect with me on Goodreads (just search for Sara Levine)! Did you reach your reading goals this year? What were your favorites in 2017? I'd love to hear about them!!

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Book List 2016

Sara Levine 1/04/2017 Add Comment Edit

2016 was not my best year for reading. Even though I enjoyed pregnancy, my body definitely felt the effects and often I went to bed early - either not reading at all, or falling asleep after only reading a page or two of a book. Because of this, and the arrival of a certain beautiful baby girl, my goal to read 75 books was not met. However, I did read 55 books and I'm happy that I did that!

Here are the books that I read in 2016, in the order that I read them. My favorites are in hot pink, and the few books that I listened to on Audible are marked with an "(A)" next to them.
1. All Fall Down | Jennifer Weiner 2. Dept. of Speculation | Jenny Offill 3. China Rich Girlfriend | Kevin Kwan 4. Uglies | Scott Westerfield 5. Paddle Your Own Canoe | Nick Offerman (A) 6. Pretties | Scott Westerfield 7. Dear Mr. Knightley | Katherine Reay 8. Everything, Everything | Nicola Yoon 9. Cry, the Beloved Country | Alan Paton 10. Openly Straight | Bill Konigsberg 11. Specials | Scott Westerfield 12. Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik 13. The Ice Twins | S.K. Tremayne (A) 14. Did I Mention that I Love You? | Estelle Maskame 15. Did I Mention that I Need You? | Estelle Maskame 16. Rats Saw God | Rob Thomas 17. Expecting Better | Emily Oster 18. Americanah | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 19. Her | Harriet Lane 20. Delancey: A Man, A Woman, A Restaurant, A Marriage | Molly Wizenberg 21. Pretty Baby | Mary Kubica (A) 22. In The Woods | Tana French 23. The Hypnotist's Love Story | Liane Moriarty 24. Kindred Spirits | Rainbow Rowell 25. Dumplin' | Julie Murphy 26. The Summer I Learned to Dive | Shannon McCrimmon 27. Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun & Be Your Own Person | Shonda Rhimes (A) 28. Pretty Girls | Karin Slaughter 29. Big Magic | Elizabeth Gilbert 30. Every Last Word | Tamara Ireland Stone 31. Why Don't Students Like School? A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What it Means for the Classroom | Daniel Willingham 32. The Rent Collector | Camron Wright 33. When the Moon is Low | Nadia Hashimi 34. Thirteen Reasons Why | Jay Asher 35. Did I Mention I Miss You? | Estelle Maskame 36. In the Unlikely Event | Judy Blume 37. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You | Peter Cameron 38. News of a Kidnapping | Gabriel Garcia Marquez 39. Not My Father's Son | Alan Cumming (A) 40. The Little Paris Bookshop | Nina George 41. Eight Hundred Grapes | Laura Dave 42. A Separate Peace | John Knowles 43. My Name is Lucy Barton | Elizabeth Strout 44. The House on Mango Street | Sandra Cisneros 45. Bad Feminist | Roxanne Gay 46. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend | Katarina Bivald 47. Rich and Pretty | Rumaan Alam 48. Every Exquisite Thing | Matthew Quick 49. 12 Hours Sleep by 12 Weeks Old | Suzy Giordano 50. Love, Loss & What We Ate | Padma Lakshmi 51. If I Was Your Girl | Meredith Russo 52. Goodnight Moon | Margaret Wise Brown (And countless other children's books...) 53. Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of an Underground Resistance in Afghanistan | Jenny Nordberg 54. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things | Jenny Lawson 55. The Sisters Rosensweig | Wendy Wasserstein
For one of the first years in awhile, I really didn't read more than a few books that I absolutely loved. I definitely branched out in my reading this year as I tried to complete the Read Harder Challenge (check out the 2016 challenge and the new 2017 challenge) but I found myself trying to read books that fit the challenge requirements so much that I forced myself to finish books I didn't enjoy. Because of this, I took forever to read some books that I didn't really enjoy, and missed out on reading books I might have loved. I am glad I read some new genres, and more nonfiction than I would have in the past, but this year I'm just going to focus on making it through the pile of books next to my bed. (Yes, it still exists.)
I did read some books that I enjoyed, but didn't love enough to highlight above, and those would include Rich and Pretty (#47), In The Unlikely Event (#36), The Rent Collector (#32), and Every Last Word (#30). I also did really enjoy two YA series this year - the Pretties Series by Scott Westerfield and the Did I Mention... Series by Estelle Maskame. I would recommend all of these titles if you're looking for something new to read and have already read the others I've mentioned.
Want to join along in my literary adventures? You can follow along with me on Goodreads (just search for Sara Levine)! Did you meet your reading goals in 2016? What were your favorite books of the year? I'd love to see your recommendations!

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2016 Reading Challenge

Sara Levine 1/13/2016 Add Comment Edit

A new year, a new reading challenge! This year, I'm challenging myself to read at least 75 books again! In 2015, I read 76 books - largely in part because I read so much during our marathon snowy winter and days off from school last year. I do know that it may take some extra work, but I think that I can achieve this challenge.

To make things a little bit more interesting, I am giving myself a bit of an extra challenge - to only read books that as of January 1, 2016 are on my Goodreads To Read list or sitting in the large pile next to my bed or already purchased on Audible (with exceptions for book club picks!). This list is comprised of over 226 books and so I will have lots to choose from! I am hoping to start with the basket and the (not so neat and organized) piles of books next to my bed, before moving on from those.

This is the list of the books pictured above...
All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton Family Pictures by Jane Green Dead Wake by Erik Larson The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly Her by Harriet Lane The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey Peace Like a River by Leif Enger The History of Venezuela by H. Michael Tarver and Julia C. Frederick The Country Under My Skin by Gioconda Belli Understanding the Venezuelan Revolution by Hugo Chavez and Marta Harnecker Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela Native Son by Richard Wright Walking Dead Compendium 2 by Robert Kirkland Walking Dead Compendium 3 by Robert Kirkland The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz The New New Deal by Michael Grunwald We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas Z by Therese Anne Fowler Is There Tomorrow? by Caroline Leavitt The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Son by Lois Lowry The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kieran The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan The Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
And, finally, my already purchased books on Audible...

I am currently already reading All Fall Down, The People of the Book and The Notorious RBG and as soon as I'm done with them, I am excited to start reading A Little Life! I've heard incredible things about A Little Life and I am so excited to dive into it! I am also excited to finish listening to Paddle Your Own Canoe - which I will hopefully finish this week!
Have you read any of these books? What were your favorites? Are you taking on any reading challenges for 2016?

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Book List 2015

Sara Levine 1/04/2016 Add Comment Edit

As I have mentioned in the past, I keep a log of the books that I read throughout the year in a Google spreadsheet that I share with some wonderful friends. We share book recommendations and comment on what each other is reading throughout the year. Some years we read more, and some we read less, but we are a no-commitment book club filled with people who love to read and whose opinions we respect.
In 2015, I set my goal for the year at 75 books - a little bit higher than last year's goal of 65 - and I managed to not only reach it, but to exceed it! Here are the books that I read in 2015, in the order that I read them. My favorites are shown in hot pink and any book that I listened to on Audible has an (A) next to it to indicate that I did so.
1. One Plus One / Jojo Moyes 2. The Museum of Extraordinary Things / Alice Hoffman 3. Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society / Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows 4. Us / David Nicholls 5. And the Dark Sacred Night / Julia Glass 6. The Patron Saint of Liars / Ann Patchett 7. Walking Dead, Compendium 1 / Robert Kirkman 8. The House Girl / Tara Conklin 9. In the Heart of the Sea / Nathaniel Philbrick 10. The Tao of Martha / Jen Lancaster 11. Murder on the Orient Express / Agatha Christie 12. The Year of Pleasures / Elizabeth Berg 13. To All the Boys I've Loved Before / Jenny Han 14. Before I Go To Sleep / S.J. Watson 15. Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 / Stephen Puleo 16. Attachments / Rainbow Rowell 17. Flash Boys / Michael Lewis 18. Astonish Me / Maggie Shipstead 19. The Girl on the Train / Paula Hawkins (A) 20. Station Eleven / Emily St. John Mandel 21. Landline / Rainbow Rowell 22. Bringing Up Bebe / Pamela Druckerman 23. Yes, Please / Amy Poehler (A) 24. Love Life / Rob Lowe (A) 25. The Paying Guests / Sarah Waters 26. Leaving Time / Jodi Picoult 27. Three Wishes / Liane Moriarty 28. The Orphans of Race Point / Patry Francis 29. The Cuckoo's Calling / Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling 30. Love Letters to the Dead / Ava Dellaira 31. The Summer I Turned Pretty / Jenny Han 32. It's Not Summer Without You / Jenny Han 33. We'll Always Have Summer / Jenny Han 34. PS I Still Love You / Jenny Han 35. Everything I Never Told You / Celeste Ng 36. I Am Malala / Malala Yousefzai (A) 37. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena / Anthony Marra 38. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan / Lisa See 39. Someday, Someday Maybe / Lauren Graham 40. The Good Girl / Mary Kubica (A) 41. Modern Romance / Aziz Ansari (A) 42. The Martian / Andy Weir 43. Taft / Ann Patchett 44. Me, Earl & the Dying Girl / Jesse Andrews 45. The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction / Robert McMahon 46. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness / Susannah Cahalan (A) 47. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands / Chris Bohjalian 48. The Language of Flowers / Vanessa Diffenbaugh 49. Perfect Little Ladies / Abby Drake 50. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion / Frannie Flagg 51. The Cold War: A New History / John Lewis Gaddis 52. Medium Raw / Anthony Bourdain 53. The Winter People / Jennifer McMahon 54. Elizabeth is Missing / Emma Healey 55. To Kill a Mockingbird / Harper Lee (A) 56. Happiness for Beginners / Katherine Center 57. Go Set a Watchman / Harper Lee 58. The Sea of Tranquility / Katja Millay 59. Food: A Love Story / Jim Gaffigan (A) 60. Why Not Me? / Mindy Kaling (A) 61. All the Bright Places / Jennifer Niven 62. Fangirl / Rainbow Rowell 63. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children / Ransom Riggs 64. I Kill the Mockingbird / Paul Acampora 65. Down the Rabbit Hole / Holly Madison (A) 66. Going Off Script / Guiliana Rancic (A) 67. The Country of Ice Cream Star / Sandra Newman 68. The Royal We / Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan 69. The Pearl that Broke its Shell / Nadia Hashimi 70. Simon and the Homo Sapien's Agenda / Becky Albertalli 71. Truth and Beauty / Ann Patchett 72. Emmy & Oliver / Robin Benway 73. How to Start a Fire / Lisa Lutz 74. Unbecoming / Rebecca Sherm 75. Carol (or The Price of Salt) / Patricia Highsmith 76. The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap / Wendy Welch
Keeping track of statistics? This year I read 14 memoirs, listened to 12 books on Audible, enjoyed 14 YA novels, made my way through 5 non-fiction works (excluding memoirs), disliked 7 books and either really liked or absolutely loved 20 of the 78 books that I read (the other 51 books I genuinely enjoyed, but neither hated nor loved).
And for some further breakdown, I read 8 books in January, 10 in February, 3 in March, 3 in April, 6 in May, 4 in June, 6 in July, 14 in August, 4 in September, 6 in October, 4 in November, and 8 in December.
Of my 10 absolute favorites (hot pink above), I still get ALL THE FEELS thinking about To All the Boys I Loved Before, The Orphans of Race Point and The Sea of Tranquility. And the favorites that surprised me the most (meaning that I didn't think these would be favorites) were Before I Go to Sleep (SERIOUSLY. THIS BOOK. IT IS A MUST READ.) and How to Start a Fire.
Overall, this was a wonderful year for reading, made possible in part by fitness challenges where I spent long hours on the treadmill, a record breaking snowy winter in Boston, listening to books on Audible, and genuinely finding and falling in love with some incredible characters.
Want to join along in my literary adventures? You can follow along with me on Goodreads! Did you meet your reading goals this year? What were your favorites of 2015? Please leave them in the comments - everyone loves a great recommendation!

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So, it seems to be book week here as I get back into the swing of things on the blog. As the summer comes to a close, and I get ever closer to reaching my reading goal for the year - only 4 months left! - I wanted to update on all the books I've read since February. (I finally re-capped those for you here.) After February (the month of snow days), reading slowed down for me a bit, but it has picked back up this summer and now I am more than on track to meet my reading goal of 75 books for the year - only 20 books left to go!

Since February, I have read a number of wonderful (and some not as wonderful) books...
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins / This was my first ever book on Audible and I enjoyed it! I didn't absolutely fall head over heels for this one, but I did think it was interesting. I figured out the ending before it happened though, so that ruined it for me a bit.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel / I absolutely loved the story here, and I would recommend it to pretty much anyone, but I was left wanting more. I felt like the story was a bit too unfinished and I would have liked more from the author. This bummed me out a bit because I did love the concept behind the plot.
Landline by Rainbow Rowell / I read this lightning fast at the end of March and didn't love it. My favorite parts were sub-plot things that Rowell didn't focus on as much as I would have liked. I'm reading Fangirl now, so the jury is still out, but so far, Eleanor & Park is really her only book I've loved.
Bringing up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman / This was, to me, the French version of Tiger Mom. Some interesting insights for sure and definitely interesting to see what motherhood looks like in France. (Spoiler: It is way different than motherhood in America.)
Yes Please by Amy Poehler / My second Audible! And I absolutely loved it! It was more focused on motherhood and self-reflection than I thought it would be going into it, but I liked Poehler's positive, yet realistic and introspective, outlook on life She is definitely more vulgar than I thought she'd be, but it worked with who she is and I liked it. I do need to add that I think that this may be a better book to listen to than to read. I have 2 friends who read it, and neither of them loved it. The Audible version, read by Amy, has guest readers and she ad libs a bit. I laughed out loud a number of times listening to her read.
Love Life by Rob Lowe / This is Rob Lowe's second book, and follow-up to Stories I Only Tell My Friends. I listened to this on Audible too and Rob Lowe's voice is soothing and wonderful to listen to. I really liked this one and appreciated Lowe's stories and advice for loving life and living it to the fullest.
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult / Not my favorite Picoult, but the story was engaging and - BONUS! - not at all predictable. I did really enjoy it and was pleasantly surprised by it since the subject matter wasn't one I thought I would be interested in.
Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty / Another one by an author I've binge read (i.e. Picoult and Rowell), and also not my favorite. It was a fun read, but it took me a little while to get into it. This one was a little too out there for me.
The Orphans of Race Point by Patry Francis / My absolute favorite so far this year, hands down. This was a beautiful and incredible story about love and friendship. The author brought the characters to life with such clarity and realism that I cried with them and for them, and laughed with them as they did. Beautifully written, well-crafted, and refreshing to read an author that stays so true to her characters.
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith / I had this book on my Kindle for about 2 years, but didn't get around to reading it until May and then I couldn't put it down. It was a murder mystery that was well-crafted and cagely (yes, I made that word up) written. I have the 2nd one on my Audible shelf and am looking forward to reading the 3rd one - out this fall - as well.
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira / I read this as the QHS Book Club May book. It was breathtaking, tear inducing and freshly written. The story was about how a young girl recovers from a major tragedy and then navigates through the beginning of high school. The story shocked me, and grabbed me, and I cried through the end - and then some.
The Summer Series by Jenny Han / This series was good and super addicting, but I liked To All the Boys I've Loved Before much better. This series seemed to skim over too much and I wanted more detail than I got. The 3rd book had an info-filled epilogue though that I really appreciated.
PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han / The sequel to To All the Boys I've Loved Before. A good follow-up to the first book and one I enjoyed. I thought this one was a bit cheesier than the first, but I think that may be because I was a little over reading Han at that point (4 of her books in less than a week was a lot).
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng / I thought that this was good, and the writing was strong, but I just don't think that it was worth all the crazy hype. It was an interesting story, but it felt too choppy at certain points.
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra / Definitely in my top 5 of 2015. This novel was beautiful, intense and captivating. It is really a must-read for every single person ever. I cannot say enough good things about this moving story and I wished that it did not have to come to an end.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See / I liked this, and appreciated all of the Chinese history woven into it, but I just didn't get hooked on it and didn't love it.
Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham / This was a cute and fun read. I like Graham a lot and it was fun to read her first novel.
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica / Another Audible book! I really, really liked this. It was Kubica's first novel - which I didn't find out until after I finished it - and it was a thriller that I could not stop listening to. Suspenseful and full of twists, this one kept me constantly guessing. I highly recommend this one if you like thrillers.
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari / I listened to Aziz read this on Audible. It was good, but not great. Aziz provides a humorous and well-researched view of modern romance, and I appreciated that, but I wish he had written more of a memoir.
The Martian by Andy Weir / I liked this one, despite the crazy amounts of scientific jargon, but I was let down by the ending.
Taft by Ann Patchett / Another author I love to binge read! This is an earlier book for Patchett, and as in her other earlier novels, you can definitely see how she was honing her craft a bit in this one. But, the characters were engaging and I did read the entire book in one sitting since I couldn't put it down.
Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews / I had low expectations for this one, but it was an easy read and enjoyable enough that I read it in one sitting. It was kind of lackluster and just didn't grab my attention.
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan / This one surprised me and I really liked it. It was less memoir and more investigative journaling, but it was presented well and the story was definitely fascinating. I definitely recommend this one. As a side note, if you read this, you'll read a lot about something called a teratoma. DO NOT GOOGLE IT unless you have a seriously strong stomach. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian / This was definitely the summer of reading leftover books by authors whom I had binge read, but never finished all of their works. This story was intriguing - focused on the aftermath of a nuclear plant accident - and as always, Bohjalian's writing kept the reader engaged.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh / This was a well-woven story, and I cried, but I didn't love it as much as I think others have. It certainly made me think more about flowers though!
Perfect Little Ladies by Abby Drake / Given to me by my mom to as a breezy read. It was certainly breezy, but a little over the top for me.
The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg / Recommended to me by a teacher friend of mine and this one did not disappoint! Interesting story with a lot of history about the WASPs in World War 2 throughout it. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon / This one was enjoyable, and a super fast read, but I was a little disappointed because I thought it was going to be more of a thriller than it was.
Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain / This was okay, but Kitchen Confidential was much better. If you like cooking and are interested in the world of a chef, than you'll like this one.
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey / I picked this one up in Rhinebeck at Oblong Books (yay independent bookstores!!) on a staff recommendation. This story follows Maud, an elderly woman with alzheimers, as she searches for her missing friend Elizabeth. Maud is also remembering a long forgotten part of her life when her sister went missing when Maud was younger, and the two mysteries are woven together. It was confusing at parts - although I think that was, at times, the point - but a bit too confusing for me to really love it.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee / It was wonderful to end my summer reading on such a high note with TKAM. I had read this when I was 15, and really couldn't remember any of it. I am interested in reading Go Set a Watchman, and so decided that this deserved a re-read. And wow, am I glad I did. I listened to it as I worked around our house painting this last week of summer and really felt as though I was spending my summer with Jem and Scout. Lee's writing is truly beautiful and this is, without question, a classic. If it's been 15 years since you last read it, then you should re-read it too - I cannot recommend it enough.

Spring and Summer Book Report

Sara Levine 9/04/2015 Add Comment Edit

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At the beginning of February, I posted the books that I hoped to read in February, but when school finally picked up again after the snow, I never got around to posting a book report. I thought it was finally time to get around to writing it!

The original February Book List picture. I gave up on The Presidents Club, and didn't get to I Am Malala or The Paying Guests until later, and then read quite a few more in February, but they're all reviewed below!

The House Girl by Tara Conklin / I really enjoyed this one! The story follows a lawyer in Manhattan in the 2000s and a slave in Virginia in the mid-1800s. The back and forth story did not disappoint and I could not put this one down. Engaging and well-written, I was very happy to finally read this one that I had had on my Kindle for quite a long time.
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick / This non-fiction narrative about the tragedy of the whaleship Essex that inspired Moby Dick was interesting, but not my favorite. It was a powerful and momentous account of the story, certainly, but some of it was a bit dry for my taste. I am looking forward to seeing the movie this winter though.
The Tao of Martha by Jen Lancaster / After being a Goodreads Best Humor of 2013 nominee, this had been on my TBR list for well over a year and it was nice to finally get around to it. It was okay - laugh out loud funny in some parts and very sad in others - and generally well put together. I like Lancaster a lot, but now that she's looking for things to write about, her writing seems a bit forced. Bitter is the New Black was much better.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie / I read this because it was my high school book club's book of the month. I did not have high hopes for it and while I didn't hate it, the end seemed a bit too fantastical for my tastes.
The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg / I like Berg's writing and so when I found this on my daily Kindle deals, I decided to pick it up. It follows a widowed woman who moves to a small town in the midwest to start over. I sobbed through the first 40 pages while the woman's loss of her husband was explained in detail. It wasn't bad, but very depressing - despite the title.
To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han / ALL. THE. FEELS. I stayed up all night to finish this book and absolutely LOVED it. It is the story of a high school girl who writes 5 love letters but doesn't send them - until somehow they get mailed out. It was everything that high school is, and should be, and that we hope it would be - with just the right amount of cheesy romance thrown in. My favorite YA book in awhile!
Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson / Another book I loved! And, I don't say this lightly, but I think it was better than Gone Girl. It is a psychological thriller and, I think, even creepier than GG. It kept me turning page after page to find out what happens and it was wonderfully well-written. Seriously frightening and one I am not soon pushing out of my head.
Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo / I had this one on my Kindle for a long time before this, but just couldn't get into it. My friend Meg kept telling me how much she loved it though, and so I dove in on a long plane ride. I ended up liking it and loved that it wasn't only about the molasses flood (which is fascinating), but also about the political and social climate in Boston and around the world from 1914 to 1925, and how the disaster played a role in all of it.
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell / I loved Eleanor and Park, and I've been trying to fall in love with another Rowell novel ever since. This one came the closest yet, but still fell short of truly loving - I think because it was a bit predictable for me. Engaging, but just not my favorite.
Flash Boys by Michael Lewis / Normally, this type of book would not be something I'd add to my TBR list. But on recommendation from a friend, I picked it up. I loved the Big Short and hoped that this would be similar. Unfortunately, it wasn't and this book ended up being a huge miss for me. It was a bit confusing, a bit boring, and I realized that I really don't care at all (sorry Lewis) about high frequency trading.
Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead / This one was enjoyable, but I was expecting a bit more from the description on Amazon that made it seem much more like a thriller (which it is not). It was, however, a well-written novel about a family who's past, and present, is consume by ballet, and we see how they navigate through life around it.
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai / I ended up listening to this on Audible and thought it was amazing! It was a bit slow to start, but the history Pakistan and the Taliban in the Swat Valley and surrounding areas was portrayed with clean attention to detail and provided a vivid picture of life for Malala and her family. Even knowing some details of her story, this book showed that there is so much more than what I knew, and made me weep for this that have had their lives torn apart by the Taliban. Archie Punjabi narrated this on Audible and her narration was wonderful. (Read in July.)
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters / This book was not what I thought it was going to be, but I really enjoyed it. I loved Waters' writing and I am excited to read more of her novels. Once I got into this one, I couldn't put it down, and read it all in one sitting. Historical fiction at its best! (Read in May.)
I started to read The Presidents Club but it didn't hook me and so I put it down. I have saved it for another time! Have you read any of these books? Which ones were your favorites? I'd love to hear about them!

A Long Overdue Book Report

Sara Levine 8/31/2015 1 Comment Edit

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February Book List

Sara Levine 2/04/2015 2 Comments Edit

This year, as part of my goal of reading 75 books in 2015, I am keeping track of my monthly progress on the blog. I am posting my reading list for the month early in each month, and then a book report on my last blogging day of the month. Each month I'll be listing 6 or 7 books as I work towards my bigger goal. This February, I'm planning to read these 6 books...

In The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead The Tao of Martha by Jen Lancaster The Presidents Club by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
I am so excited to dive into these, and have already started In the Heart of the Sea. A couple of these - Tao of Martha and Presidents Club - have been on my "to-be-read" list for ages and I am thrilled to finally be getting to them. I'm ready for a relaxing month, and enjoying my weeklong February vacation after President's Day. I will have lots of time to read and relax.
Have you read any of these? Planning to read them along with me in February? I'd love to hear what you're reading this month!

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Each month, I'll be posting twice about the books I'm reading - first at the beginning of the month with my reading list for the month, and then at the end of my month with my report on the books that I read. I posted my January reading list early this month, and this is my first official 2015 book report!

This month, I read 7 books...
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes / A seemingly run-of-the-mill story about opposites who attract, I liked this story a lot, but I didn't love it. I loved Moyes's Me Before You and just found that One Plus One was too predictable for me. The writing was engaging and I couldn't put it down, but at times the story made me cringe. I flew through it in just a few hours, and I am definitely looking forward to reading other books by Moyes.
The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman / My favorite book this month, I absolutely loved this new one from Hoffman. A love story that follows two main characters leading two very different lives, brought together by an extraordinary event. Hoffman's writing is a stunning portrayal of love in the early 20th century. The story follows a Jewish immigrant turned photographer and the daughter of a "freakshow" museum owner. Well-researched and strikingly realistic, I could not put this one down, and it is definitely my favorite in 2015 so far.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer / I resisted reading this book for so long, and early in 2014, it was offered for $1.99 in my daily Kindle deals and so I decided to buy it. Then a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this book on my Kindle. I am glad that I finally read it and it was an interesting portrayal of life during World War 2. The plot was well-developed, if a bit all over the place from time to time, but I wish that there had been a concrete ending. It felt as though Barrows and Shaffer hit their page limit, and had to wrap the whole thing up in 2 more pages, and as such were unable to give this story the end that it was due.
Us by David Nicholls / I read Nicholls' One Day in 2012 and loved every moment of it. Now, three years later when his newest book has been released, I was excited to dive into it. Us is the story of a man whose wife has informed that she is leaving him, and he takes their summer plans with their son and turns it into a last hurrah to try to keep her from leaving him. The present day is juxtaposed with the story of the beginning of the relationship, but it was too depressing for me. Nicholls' writing that I loved wasn't as strong here and left me wanting more.
And the Dark Sacred Night by Julia Glass / My least favorite this month, I just couldn't fall in love with Glass's characters in this one, even though I knew some of the characters from her previous books. Another story (is there a theme here?) with past and present being brought together, Glass works to provide some background to the story of the main character trying to find out who is father is. The story jumped from place to place and I hated that she shielded her readers from so many important details within the story - including certain family meetings and the death of a character.
Walking Dead Compendium 1 by Robert Kirkland / As a huge fan of the television show, I had been curious about the graphic novels for awhile. I added them to my holiday wish list and my amazing husband bought the first two compendiums for me. I definitely find graphic novels to be faster reads, so this didn't take as long as I thought it would (it is huge!), but it was so different from the show that I had to make sure I was reading it slowly, and not making assumptions. I liked it a lot, but it is much more intense, and in some cases, more obscene than the show. I enjoyed getting background and meeting new characters, and I'm definitely excited for the next book, but I still prefer the show.
The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett / Not my favorite Patchett novel, but this story about a woman who leaves California for a small town, and home for unwed mothers, in Kentucky was captivating and I couldn't stop reading it. The story was told in three parts by three different characters, and the characters wove together a story with a multitude of supporting characters and fun personalities. I wanted to pull up a chair in Sister Evangeline's kitchen and help her and Rose cook. These characters will definitely stay with me for a long time.
I'm off to a great start in meeting my goal of 75 books for the year, and it has been a joy to spend days reading and relaxing so far this winter. I didn't get to Murder on the Orient Express in January, but I'm looking forward to reading it this weekend! February should be another great month for reading, and I'm especially looking forward to days of reading over the winter vacation.
What did you read this month? Did you have a favorite? I'd love to hear what books you loved in January!

January Book Report

Sara Levine 1/30/2015 Add Comment Edit

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