Books of 2022

Even fewer books read in 2022... unless you count Little Blue Truck, Tails, Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs, etc. 

Books of 2022

1. Girls Like Us by Christina Alger (288)

2. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (474)

3. Book Lovers by Emily Henry (398)

4. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (320)

5. Dead on Deadline by Lara Bricker (234)

6. Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult that Bound My Life by Sarah Edmondson (253)

7. The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang (351)

8. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (319)

9. A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy (338)

10. One by One by Ruth Ware (383)

11. Hercule Poirot's Christmas (272)

Let's see what 2023 brings!

Books of 2021

2021 was not a banner year for reading... but it was a very special year for growing a baby! 

Here's what I managed to read before things got hectic:

1. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer (384)
2. The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine (400)
3. This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell (160)
4. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (272)

5. I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown (182)

6. Long Bright River by Liz Moore (480)

7. Trust Exercise by Susan Choi (257)

8. The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson (247)

9. The Survivors by Jane Harper (374)

10. The Other Woman by Sandie Jones (294)

11. How to Be a Good Creature by Sy Montgomery (208)

12. Flush by Virginia Woolf (177)

13. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (339)

14. My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing (390)

15. Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris (352)

16. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (320)

17. Peace Pipe Dreams: The Truth About Lies About Indians by Darrell Dennis (224)

18. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose (315)

19. Loathe at First Sight by Suzanne Park (354)

20. The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park (298)

21. The Haunting of Alma Fielding by Kate Summerscale (368)

22. Ghosting: A Love Story by Tash Skilton (338)

23. Made in Korea by Sarah Suk (322)

24. Cribsheet by Emily Oster (291)25. The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse (388)

26. Untamed by Glennon Doyle (328)

27. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (179)

28. The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer by Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan (308)

29. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston(421)

30. Crooked House by Agatha Christie (236)

Books of 2020

I know a lot of people found more time for reading this past year due to lockdowns and cancelled social gatherings. It turned out to just be a typical year for me. I hit my goal of reading more books than the previous year. 

1. Ross Poldark by Winston Graham (455)

2. The Uncollected David Rakoff by David Rakoff (352)

3. Educated by Tara Westover (334)

4. My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (223)

5. Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow (414)

6. Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy (722)

7. Pantsdrunk: The Finnish Path to Relaxation by Miska Rantanen (175)

8. Looker by Laura Sims (180)

9. What You Don't Know About Charlie Outlaw (326) by Leah Stewart

10. Demelza by Winston Graham (521)

11. Normal People by Sally Rooney (273)

12. The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West (261)

13. Broken Faith: Inside Word of Faith Fellowship One of America's Most Dangerous Cults by Mitch Weiss and Holbrook Mohr (382)

14. Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham (344)

15. Warleggan by Winston Graham (471)

16. Girl, 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb (310)

17. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (384)

18. 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne (368)

19. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (322)

20. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary (321)

21. Too Late to Say Goodbye by Ann Rule (480)

22. Dead by Sunset by Ann Rule (566)

23. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (320)

24. Big Sky by Kate Atkinson (368)

25. The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (192)

26. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (386)

27. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (335)

28. Dear Girls by Ali Wong (216)

29. Ghost by Jason Reynolds (208)

30. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (240)

31. Stay Up with Hugo Best by Erin Somers (273)

32. Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad (256)

33. Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino (303)

34. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (368)

35. Little Princes by Conor Grennan (304)

36. In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (247)

37. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (286)

38. You're Not Special by Meghan Rienks (278)

39. Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith (281)

40. Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (78)

41. Birdie by Tracey Lindberg (256)

42. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn (62)

43. The White Album by Joan Didion (223)

44. Quakers by Peter Furtado (62)

45. Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer (162)

46. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (159)

47. Three Blind Mice and Other Stories by Agatha Christie (235)

48. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams (328)

Books of 2019

It was another great year for reading. Here are the titles:

1. Becoming by Michelle Obama (421)

2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (304)

3. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (368)

4. P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han (337)

5. Love! by Zoe Foster Blake (387)

6. Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han (337)

7. Playing the Field by Zoe Foster Blake (352)

8. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman (272)

9. Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Gildiner (400)

10. We're All in This Together by Amy Jones (418)

11. Women Talking by Miriam Toews

12. Arcadia by Lauren Groff (298)

13. The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman (320)

14. A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence (227)

15. Fake Plastic Girl by Zara Lisbon (276)

16. Lightly: How to Live a Simple, Serene, & Stress-free Life by Francine Jay (256)

17. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriaty (458)

18. The Stand-In by Steve Bloom (360)

19. Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography by Andrea Warner (275)

20. Not Without My Sister by Celeste Jones, Kristina Jones, and Juliana Buhring (416)

21. The Lost Man by Jane Harper (337)

22. We Oughta Know: How Four Women Rules the 90s and Changed Canadian Music by Andrea Warner (170)

23. Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (352)

24. Bunny by Mona Awad (320)

25. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (352)

26. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (427)

27. The Private World of Tasha Tudor by Tash Tudor and Richard Brown (134)

28. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson (396)

29. Tasha Tudor's Garden by Tovah Martin (160)

30. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (320)

31. This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Philipps (321)

32. The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie (241)

33. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christis (224)

34. Peril at End House by Agatha Christie (226)

35. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (103)

36. Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie (266)

37. Have a Little Faith in Me by Sonia Hartl (329)

38. Three Women by Lisa Taddeo (302)

39. When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson (348)

40. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes (304)

41. Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church by Megan Phelps-Roper (386)

42. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (232)

43. The Whisper Man by Alex North (355)

44. Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson (349)

45. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton (368)

46. How Do You Like Me Now? by Holly Bourne (368)

Books of 2018

Yikes! I was not very diligent about reading this past year. I'm not even sure I kept proper track of the titles I read...I could have sworn that total was little higher!  I also did not focus on reading more Canadian writers like I had planned. In fact, I only read one (Scaachi Koul).

At least it should be easy to read more than 22 books in 2019.

1. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (324)

2. One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul (256)

3. Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman by Anne Helen Petersen (288)

4. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantah Irby (272)

5. I'm Judging You: The Do Better Manual by Luvvie Ajayi (256)

6. The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside the Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell (288)

7. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (352)

8. The Hate U Give by April Thomas (447)

9. Greetings from Utopia Park: Surviving a Transcendent Childhood by Claire Hoffman (293)

10. Tangerine by Christine Mangan (317)

11. Force of Nature by Jane Harper (329)

12. The Power by Naomi Alderman (400)

13. I've Got Your Number by Sophia Kinsella (448)

14. Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis (241)

15. The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth (480)

16. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (336)

17. I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (340)

18. How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran (357)

19. How to Be Famous by Caitlin Moran (352)

20. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (400)

21. Sisu: The Finnish Art of Courage by Joanna Nylund (156)

22. Calypso by David Sedaris (273)

Books of 2017

It was another successful and enjoyable year for reading. I reached my goal of more books than the previous year, but just barely. I finished my final book on December 31 just a few hours before midnight for a total of 56 books in 2017.

I strayed a bit from my goal of reading more Canadian authors, but there's always 2018!

Here are the books:

1. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (224)

2. All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks (239)

3. Spark Joy! by Marie Kondo (304)

4. The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth (64)

5. Air Kisses by Zoe Foster (350)

6. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (304)

7. Canada Year by Year by Elizabeth MacLeod (93)

8. Karma Cola: Marketing the Mystic East by Gita Mehta (208)

9. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (263)

10. Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple (273)

11. The Dry by Jane Harper ( 336)

12. 10% Happier by Dan Harris (256)

13. Joe College by Tom Perrotta (321)

14. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (320)

15. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (588)

16. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (433)

17. Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis (175)

18. I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron (160)

19. I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections by Nora Ephron (160)

20. Tomatomania! by Scott Daigre and Jenn Garbee (210)

21. Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham (224)

22. I'll Be Right There by Kyung-Sook Shin (336)

23. Finding Ultra by Rich Roll (290)

24. Eat and Run by Scott Jurek (273)

25. The Bear by Claire Cameron (217)

26. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (658)

27. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson (728)

29. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson (674)

30. How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell (374)

31. Kay's Lucky Coin Variety by Ann Y.K. Choi (288)

32. When You Find Out the World is Against You by Kelly Oxford (320)

33. It's All in Your Head: Stories From the Frontline of Psychosomatic Illness by Suzanne O'Sullivan (316)

34. The Cheese Trap by Dr. Neal Barnard (320)

35. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (544)

36. China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan (400)

37. Blubber by Judy Blume (193)

38. Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dave (257)

39. The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking (285)

40. Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan (384)

41. Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden by Erin Benzakein (308)

42. My (Not So) Perfect Life by Sophia Kinsella (449)

43. Ruthless by Ron Miscavige (258)

44. Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (148)

45. You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain by Phoebe Robinson (320)

46. My Story by Elizabeth Smart (308)

47. Beyond Belief by Jenna Miscavige Hill (427)

48. Jubilee by Patricia Reilley Giff (162)

49. Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo (231)

50. Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo (272)

51. The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World's Happiest People by Meik Wiking (285)

52. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary (208)

53. Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary (213)

54. Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary (240)

55. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (332)

56. Completely Clementine by Sara Pennypacker (192)

Books of 2016

This past year turned out to be another successful twelve months of reading. The first eight months I was living in a non-English speaking country which made me very dependent on my Kindle. Unfortunately, the secondhand Kindle I was gifted a few years ago finally hit the dust. Fortunately, it broke just a few weeks before a friend came to visit so she was able to bring me a replacement.

I hit my primary goal of reading more books than in 2015. I read 55 books. However, I did not reach my secondary goal of reading all the writers on Powell's 25 Women to Read Before You Die list. I only read works by four of the writers on the list. (However, I've read a total of 11 of the writers in my lifetime.)

Here they are:

1. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (160)

2. Room by Emma Donoghue (417)

3. Dare Me by Megan Abbot (305)

4. Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary (240)

5. The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin (335)

6. Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois (419)

7. Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary (192)

8. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore (288)

9. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit (171)

10. All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister (605)

11. In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume (416)

12. When We Were on Fire by Addie Zierman (402)

13. Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary (208)

14. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman (327)

15. Wallflower at the Orgy by Nora Ephron (187)

16. How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger (576)

17. A Kim Jong-Il Production by Paul Fischer (366)

18. Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary (224)

19. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (176)

20. Proteinaholic: How Our Obsession with Meat is Killing Us by Garth Davis, MD (389)

21. Girls and Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape by Peggy Orenstein (320)

22. A Different Kind of Daughter: The Girl Who Hid from the Taliban in Plain Sight by Maria Toorpakai (337)

23. We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to Cover Girl the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement by Andi Zeisler (304)

24. The Starch Solution by Dr. John A. McDougall (368)

25. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (146)

26. The Clasp by Sloane Crosley (385)

27. The Birth of Korean Cool by Euny Hong (282)

28. The Goddess Pose: The Audacious Life of Indra Devi, the Woman Who Helped Bring Yoga to the West by Michelle Goldberg (336)

29. The Vegetarian by Han Kang (160)

30. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (180)

31. The Wrong Girl by Zoe Foster (266)

32. Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion (256)

33. Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism by Melanie Joy, Ph.D. (210)

34. Sex Object: A Memoir by Jessica Valenti (224)

35. At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson (581)

36. The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer (336)

37. Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty (432)

38. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (336)

39. You'll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein (304)

40. Weightless by Sarah Bannan (336)

41. Future Perfect by Jen Larsen (320)

42. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (208)

43. Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West (272)

44. Modern Lovers by Emma Straub (366)

45. I Know I Am, But What Are You? by Samantha Bee (256)

46. The Girls by Emma Cline (368)

47. My Life On the Road by Gloria Steinem (304)

48. The Healthiest Diet On the Planet by Dr. John McDougall and Mary McDougall (224)

49. Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (384)

50. Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini (279)

51. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (288)

52. The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson (288)

53. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (368)

54. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (208)

55. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (240)

In 2017 the plan is to read at least 56 books, read more writers on Powell's 25 Women to Read Before You Die list, and to focus on reading more Canadian writers. 

Books of 2006

I've recently been going through my belongings and pared everything down to just a few boxes. In the process I came across an old notebook that contained the list of books I read in 2006. For safekeeping I'm adding that list to the blog.

Books of 2006

1. Why I'm Like This by Cynthia Kaplan
2. An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison
3. Barrel Fever by David Sedaris
4. Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger
5. Nine Stories by JD Salinger
6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
7. Feminism is For Everybody by bell hooks
8. The Kandy Kolored Tangerine Flake Streamline Baby by Tom Wolfe
9. The Almond Picker by Simonetta Agnello Hornby
10. A Private State: Stories by Charlotte Bacon
11. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
12. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
13. Nickel and Dimed: On Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
14. Queen of the Oddballs and Other Stories of Life Unaccording to Plan by Hillary Carlip
15. Bad Haircut: Stories from the Seventies by Tom Perrotta
16. Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America by Steve Almond
17. Old School by Tobias Wolff
18. In the Garden of North American Martyrs by Tobias Wolff
19. The Evil B.B. Chow and Other Stories by Steve Almond
20. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
21. Namedropper by Emma Forrest
22. Thin Skin by Emma Forrest
23. The Naked Woman: A Study of the Female Body by Desmond Morris
24. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
25. My Life in Heavy Metal: Stories by Steve Almond
26. The Sign of the Burger: McDonald's and the Culture of Power by Joe L. Kincheloe
27. Mad Cowboy: The Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat by Howard F. Lyman
28. An American Tragedy: Volume One by Theodore Dreiser
29. The Remain's of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
30. An American Tragedy: Volume Two by Theodore Dreiser
31. The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas by Davy Rothbart
32. The Underground Man by Mick Jackson
33. Everybody Into the Pool: True Tales by Beth Lisick
34. Vegan and Vegetarian FAQ by VRG
35. Love's Labour's Lost by William Shakespeare
36. Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
37. A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
38. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
39. The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist Vegetarian Criticial Theory by Carol J. Adams
40. College Girls: Bluestockings, Sex Kittens, and Co-Eds, Then and Now by Lynn Peru
41. The Los Angeles Diaries: A Memoir by James Brown
42. The Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring
43. Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
44. Bitchfest edited by Lisa Jervis and Andi Zeisler
45. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris
46. The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
47. Running with Scissors b y Augusten Burroughs

12 Interesting and Influential Women

In addition to reading 54 books in 2015, I had a secondary goal. I wanted to read a biography a month of an interesting and influential woman. This turned out to be an excellent, though slightly challenging goal. It turns out the collection of biographies of diverse women available through my library's ebook database is quite small. It took a lot of searching to find titles available to me. In the end, I read more memoirs than biographies because they were easier to access. 

Here are the titles:

January - Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Hirsi Ali went from a traditional Islamic childhood in Somalia and Kenya to political life in the Netherlands. She is an outspoken critic of Fundamentalist Islam based upon her personal experiences.  I found myself cheering for Hirsi Ali but also feeling some discomfort at her harsh words. Her opinions are strong and wide sweeping and do not always match the experiences of other Muslim women I know. 

February - Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal by Jeanette Winterson
One of those books that makes you want to go hug your mother. Jeanette Winterson grew up queer in a strict Pentecostal household in the north of England. A story of identity, heartbreak, and the search for acceptance from those who are supposed to love you the most. 

March - Margaret Fuller: A New American Life by Megan Marshall
A Transcendentalist we should know more about. She was a premier thinker of her time, a war journalist, a social activist, and died tragically in a shipwreck. This one took a little work to get through but was excellent. 

April - Just Kids by Patti Smith
I wish I had never read this book so I could read it again for the first time. I've never had much interest in New York City until reading this book. I literally wanted a time machine. Highly recommended. 

May - Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon
I've never been a fan of Sonic Youth but felt compelled to read Gordon's memoir nonetheless. I'm always amazed by people who just do their thing and that thing turns into *the thing*. I enjoyed reading about Gordon's experiences in NYC so shortly after reading about Smith's experiences there a few decades prior. 

June - This Child Will Be Great: A Memoir of a Remarkable Life of Africa's First Woman President by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

This memoir reads like an informercial for the word determination. It's basically impossible to feel sorry for yourself after reading this. You've had a challenge come your way? Get over it. Sirleaf was abused and imprisoned yet still managed to become the first female president in Africa. Recommended. 

July - American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare - The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee by Karen Abbot

Before reading this book, I only knew the name Gypsy Rose. This biography reveals the woman, as well as the world of burlesque and the business of fame. You'll want to hug your mom after this one too. Recommended. 

August - Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman
The fascinating story of a very rich and very quirky recluse. I found myself spending her money in my head while reading. 

September - Iran Awakening by Shirin Ebadi
I liked this book because in addition to learning Ebadi's story, you learn much more about the history of the conflict in Iran. I admire Ebadi's strength, determination and pursuit of justice. 

October - Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog
The story of growing up poor on Indian land in North Dakota and later joining the American Indian Movement. Crow Dog's depiction of reservation life was eye-opening and heartbreaking.

November - The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Hyeonseo Lee
This book gave me a much richer picture of what life is like in North Korea. Lee grew up near at the border between NK and China. One day she decided to visit relatives in China, crossed the border, and found out days later that she could never go back.

December - Mary McGrory: The First Queen of Journalism by John Norris
The story of a pioneer in journalism beginning in the 1950s. McGrory was intelligent, determined, and more than a little feisty. Very enjoyable. 

I did happen to read other memoirs over the year, but these 12 were the official picks.

I loved working on this goal over the year. For this year, I've decided to have another sub-goal focusing on female writers. I'm planning to read all of the writer's on Powell's 25 Women to Read Before You Die list. 

Books of 2015

2015 was a pretty successful year for reading. Despite once again living in a non-English speaking country, I was able to reach my goal. I brought a few books with me to Korea and asked my mom to bring over a few more when she visited. The rest of the books I read through my home library's ebook collection on my Kindle. The selection is not great, but nonetheless, I was able to find plenty to read.

My goal for the year was to read 53 books. However, I made a puzzling discovery that caused me to revise my goal to 54. I was recording a back up copy of my book lists into Excel when I realized that at some point during the last few years I failed to record Skippy Dies by Paul Murray. I felt it only right to account for it now.

So, it was close. I completed my 54th book on December 31, but I made it. Another fulfilling year of reading. Here are the books:

1. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty (416)

2. Without You, There is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea's Elite by Suki Kim (291)

3. Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (350)

4. For Bread Alone by Mohamed Choukri (169)

5. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson (176)

6. Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson (240)

7. Living the Secular Life: New Answers to Old Questions by Phil Zuckerman (288)

8. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (345)

9. Margaret Fuller: A New American Life by Megan Marshall (390)

10. Looking for Alaska by John Green (221)

11. Just Kids by Patti Smith (320)

12. So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson (290)

13. A New Year by Pearl S. Buck (255)

14. The Leftovers by Tom Perotta (355)

15. Heart Burn by Nora Ephron (176)

16. Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill (180)

17. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (393)

18. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (150)

19. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (207)

20. Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham (290)

21. Fresh Off the Boat by Eddie Huang (277)

22. Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon (273)

23. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (326)

24. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer (368)

25. This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Female President by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

26. If You're Not Yet Like Me by Edan Lepucki (55)

27. American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare - The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee by Karen Abbott (448)

28. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg (320)

29. Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin (272)

30. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman (432)

31. Amsterdam: A Novel by Ian McEwan (193)

32. The Eternal Wonder by Pearl S. Buck (364)

33. Iran Awakening by Shirin Ebadi (256)

34. Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog (263)

35. I Have the Right to Destroy Myself by Young-Ha Kim (119)

36. Dracula by Bram Stoker (406)

37. Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman (306)

38. The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Hyeonseo Lee (320)

39. M Train by Patti Smith (272)

40. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (264)

41. Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling (240)

42. Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein (256)

43. Clementine and the Spring Trip by Sara Pennypacker (150)

44. You and Me and Him by Kris Dennison (288)

45. Blackout: Remember the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola (231)

46. Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead (304)

47. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit (160)

48. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (275)

49. The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison (326)

50. Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary (176)

51. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (65)

52. Mary McGrory: The First Queen of Journalism by John Norris (328)

53. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (198)

54. The Fever by Megan Abbot (314)

I'm already three books in for the new year. 52 more to go. Let's do it!

Books of 2014

This past year was a great one for reading. Despite living in a non-English speaking country for half of the year, in general, I had easy access to books. Thankfully, I was able to borrow from the school library that was fairly well stocked with novels. I was also pleasantly surprised when a parent came in and offered me her old Kindle. I've always been a bit against e-readers so it sat on my desk for a few months while I worked up the courage to use it. In the end, I'm still a paper book person. However, I definitely appreciate the convenience of an e-reader, especially while living abroad. Sometimes you need a book that you just can't get your hands on.

My goal for 2014 was to read 37 books. I very happily exceeded that goal.

Here's what I read this past year:

1. Hope was Here by Joan Bauer (186)

2. Sold by Patricia McCormick (263)

3. Bob: No Ordinary Cat by James Bowen (293)

4. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez (290)

5. Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan (252)

6. Just Juice by Karen Hesse (137)

7. Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote (194)

8. Mr. Stink by David Walliams (267)

9. Gangsta Grandma by David Walliams (297)

10. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (673)

11. Where'd You Go Bernadette? by Maria Semple (352)

12. Buster Keaton: Tempest in a Flat Hat by Edward McPherson (253)

13. Habibi by Craig Thompson (664)

14. No Longer At Ease by Chinua Achebe (194)

15. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (771)

16. The Spider's House by Paul Bowles (406)

17. Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud (186)

18. In Arabian Nights by Tahir Shah (414)

19. The Sand Child by Tahar Ben Jelloun (165)

20. A Life Full of Holes by Driss Ben Hamed Charhadi (295)

21. The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp (304)

22. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (337)

23. A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers (354)

24. Maggie and Me by Damian Barr (242)

25. Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked by James Lasdun (218)

26. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin (245)

27. This One is Mine by Maria Semple (289)

28. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence (306)

29. Northern Exposed by Darren Burrows (220)

30. Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy (559)

31. The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum (280)

32. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (325)

33. Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington (133)

34. Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami (195)

35. Wildwood Imperium by Colin Meloy (580)

36. The Circle by Dave Eggers (491) 

37. Clementine and the Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker (162)

38. Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley (160)

39. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick (273)

40. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (433)

41. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (256)

42. Mighty Be Our Powers by Leymah Gbowee (262)

43. I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (289)

44. Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein (192)

45. California by Edan Lepucki (393)

46. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (422)

47. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (112)

48. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood (267)

49. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight (400)

50. Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes (336)

51. Yes Please by Amy Poehler (352)

52. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (480)

52 books...that's an average of a book a week. Not bad. That means 53 is the goal for 2015. Better get started. 

Books of 2013

I'd say I did pretty well with my reading this year despite two fairly large obstacles. The first six months of the year I was in Australia where the price of books (and everything else for that matter) is quite high. Luckily, during our last three months we lived down the road from an excellent used book store. I was able to buy books at decent prices and get a few dollars back when I finished. 

My second obstacle occurred when I moved to Morocco in August. Not only was my life consumed by my new job, there is also a dire lack of English reading material here. Thankfully, I've been able to borrow books from friends and check out a few books from the school library. A definite perk of working at a K-12 school is the Upper School reading material. I'll need to keep that in mind for the future.

As always, my goal for 2013 was to read more books than I did in 2012. That meant I needed to read 36 books. And yep! I did it. I managed to finish my last book on December 30th with one day to spare. 

Without further ado, here's what I read this past year:

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (550)

2. The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonassson (387)

3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (512)

4. Seaworthy: Adrift with William Wallace and the Golden Age of Rafting by T.R. Pearson (304)

5. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (200)

6. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (424)

7. Wedlock: How Georgian Britian's Worst Husband Met His Match by Wendy Moore (512)

8. Dirt Music by Tim Winton (480)

9. Everything I Knew by Peter Goldsworthy (304)

10. The Laughing Clowns by William McInnes (195)

11. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas (511)

12. My Uncle Oswald by Roald Dahl (204)

13. The Getting of Wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson (260)

14. Praise by Andrew McGahan (279)

15. Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner (192)

16. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey (394)

17. Eucalyptus by Murray Bail (255)

18. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton (425)

19. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris (275)

20. Summer Crossing by Truman Capote (139)

21. Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir and Michele Fitoussi (291)

22. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (311)

23. Wildwood by Colin Meloy (541)

24. The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson (309)

25. A Separate Peace by John Knowles (204)

26. Hector Finds Time by Francois Lelord (235)

27. Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood by Fatima Mernissi

28. Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole (287)

29. Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch (344)

30. Secret Son by Laila Lalami (274)

31. Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving (314)

32. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald (315)

33. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume (217)

34. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (274)

35. Lulu in Marrakech by Diane Johnson (307)

36. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (246)

I'm halfway through my current book, so here's hoping I make it to at least 37 in 2014.

Books of 2012

Well, I'm happy to report that I achieved my resolution for 2012. I read more books during 2012 than I did in 2011. I needed to read 29 books, and I finished 35! It wasn't too hard... and I actually should have read much much more. 2012 was a year with plenty of down time. To be fair, I spent the vast majority of the year in places not very conducive to reading. The book selection in UAE is somewhat lacking (unless you love Pablo Coelho), and book prices in Australia are quite high.

Despite succeeding in my resolution, this place is still pretty sleepy. Maybe that's just the way it's going to be.

Here are my books for the year:
1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (304)
2. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka (324)
3. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs (352)
4. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (397)
5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (328)
6. Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea (304)
7. Freedom by Johnathan Franzen (708)
8. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (560)
9. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (352)
10. Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel (210)
11. Bit of a Blur by Alex James (274)
12. Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution by Holly Tucker (231)
13. The Understudy by David Nicholls (404)
14. Bossypants by Tina Fey (274)
15. The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker (274)
16. Submarine by Joe Dunthorne (309)
17. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (374)
18. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (391)
19. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (390)
20. Then Again by Diane Keaton (256)
21. Bonobo Handshake by Vanessa Woods (264)
22. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling (240)
23. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (331)
24. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall (599)
23. A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs (272)
24. Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester (198)
25. Breakfast at Tiffany's and other stories by Truman Capote (160)
26. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (368)
27. How to Be Good by Nick Hornby (305)
28. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (384)
29. The Different World of Fin Starling by Elizabeth Stead (313)
30. The Water Underneath by Kate Lyons (284)
31. The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson (259)
32. Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (307)
33. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (352)
34. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume (399)
35. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler (279)

I finished my first book of 2013 today, so it looks like I'm off to a good start! 

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

I think I first heard about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot on a podcast. If I had to guess I'd say it was Radio Lab. It sounded really interesting but fell to the back of my mind. When Shauna visited me last year she was reading it and enjoying it. Again I thought that I should pick it up, and again I forgot. So yeah, it's been on my "To Read" list for a few years. Fortunately it arrived in my Christmas package from my dad this year!

Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer in the 1950s. Without her consent, doctors removed a slice of her tumor and began using her cells in medical research. Her cells, named HeLa, reproduced so quickly and easily that they soon became widespread in the scientific community. HeLa cells were used in research relating to cancer, polio, AIDs, and so on. Unfortunately, Henrietta's family wasn't told about the medical research until a few decades later. In this book, Skloot tells the story of Henrietta's cells as well as the story of Henrietta and the Lacks family.

Recommendation: Superb. Even if you're not a fan of non-fiction, Skloot tells a fascinating story.

Swamplandia!

It would be pretty difficult for me to pass up a book with a title like Swamplandia! You just know there are good things between the pages. So naturally when I saw Swamplandia! by Karen Russell recommended by staff members at Powell's, I put it on my Christmas list.

Ava Bigtree grew up in Swamplandia!, an alligator themed amusement park in Florida. When Ava's mother, the "Swamp Centaur", dies of cancer it seems like the family won't be able to go on without the star of the show. As Swamplandia! begins to decline, so does the livelihood of the family. Ava's brother runs away, her father leaves for the mainland, her sister starts to communicate with ghosts, and Ava is left to try to save the park on her own. Turns out, that's not going to be very easy.

The blurb on the back cover states that Russell "takes us to the shimmering edge of reality." So true.

Recommendation: Sometimes sweet, sometimes sad, Swamplandia! is worth your time. I enjoyed it much more than Russell's other work St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

I noticed Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs when it was recommended by Powell's. It was one of those books that I judged by its cover because the picture was just so eerie. How intriguing. I was even more interested when I received the book for Christmas and cracked it open. The end papers are beautifully designed and old photographs are spread throughout the entire book.

The story of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children begins when Jacob's grandfather dies. Jacob is left with his grandfather's fanciful stories from childhood and begins to have nightmares he can't shake. Something isn't right. With hopes of quelling their sons anxiety, Jacobs parents agree to let him visit a tiny island off the coast of Wales to see the boarding house where his grandfather grew up. It doesn't take Jacob long to discover that something very peculiar is happening on the island.

Riggs used an interesting technique to illustrate his book. Remember those old photographs I mentioned before? They are all "authentic, vintage found photographs" that Riggs discovered via various collectors. The process of using photographs to shape a story is really interesting to me. It also adds to the delightful eeriness of the book.

Recommendation: Check it out, even if you're only planning on perusing the vintage photographs.