Jan 2016- My goals this year include reading books I already have on my shelf. I'm not sure why I keep making this goal, since I don't typically follow through with it. I also don't REALLY have a shelf since most of my books are in storage. I also want to spend more time with people, which I think I am doing better at, at least in the nice weather months.
Jan 2017- So end of year reflection, I think I did ok at spending time with people, but I could do more if I scheduled it ahead of time. A lot of this reading is first thing in the morning or in the middle of the night when I can't sleep or in the car or on the dreadmill. This was the year I transitioned from audio books on CD to audiobooks on my phone through Overdrive. This is probably the year that I've read the most in my life and don't necessarily expect this to become a pattern. I also DID NOT read the books I have on my shelf, yet, again. Please feel free to ask me about any of these books. I enjoyed most of them for the most part and only had one DNF (The Inquisitor's Tale, Chaucer in a modern kids style- which will probably will an award.) There are a lot more YA books out about Mental Illness which I find interesting.
I hesitate to blanket recommend any of these books to all humans even though they all have individual merit as "Every book his or her reader. Every book its reader."- S.R. Ranganathan
However, I will star a few (38) favorites. Also, I'm in love with Jason Reynolds and it seems like everytime I read a teen book I get so frustrated that none of the teens TELL AN ADULT WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!! (although I'm sure that's very close to reality.)
I could go on and on, but this post is already a week late. I love recommending books, let me know if you have questions. I log my books here https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3441984-jen
A=Audio
YA=Young Adult
juv=Juvenile
GN=graphic novel
January (18)
Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle- A, YA
Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez - A, juv
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby - A, YA
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman - A ,YA
*Dumplin' by Julie Murphy - A, YA (fat shaming, self acceptance)
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin - juv
The Unlikely Hero of Room 13-B by Teresa Toten - A, YA
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson - GN, YA
Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko - A, juv
A Separate Peace by John Knowles - A (technically I DO own it, paperback)
Secret Coders by Yang and Holmes - juv, GN
Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown- A
The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee Frazier - juv, A
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli -YA, A
*Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates - A (race)
Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly - juv
Scary Close by Donald Miller -
*Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - A (new american, race)
February (8)
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea by Kurlansky - A
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - A
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - A
*Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson - GN, juv (hilarious)
*Unicorn on a Roll: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Chronicle - GN, juv (hilarious)
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain - A
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline - A
Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud - A
March (10)
Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson -juv
Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano - juv/ya
*Quiet by Susan Cain
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park - juv
The Astonishing Life of Octavion Nothing, Vol 1. Pox Party by M.T. Anderson - A, YA
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson - A, juv
Furiously Happy: a Funny Book about Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson - A
The Kingdom on the Waves by M.T. Anderson - A, YA
Pax by Sara Pennypacker - A
Unicorns vs. Goblins by Dana Simpson - GN
April (20)
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff - A (I didn't actually like this book)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - A
Lumberjanes Vol 2: Friendship to the Max by Noelle Stevenson - GN (great series)
How Mirka Got Her Sword: Hereville #1 - GN
*World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks - A
90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis - A
*Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay -A (short chapters)
Drunk Tank Pink: and other unexpected forces that shape how we think, feel, behave by Adam Alter -A
I was here by Gayle Forman - A, YA
Reality Boy by A.S. King - A, YA
The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd - A, juv
Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History by Florence Williams - A
Baseball in April and Other Short Stories by Gary Soto - A, juv
Before we were free by Julia Alvarez - A, juv
Silence by Shusaku Endo - A
Forgive me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick - A, YA
Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein - juv
Glory O'Brien's History of the future by A.S. King - A, ya
My year of meats by Ruth Ozeki - A
*Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent and lead by Brene Brown (will reread)
May (19)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - A
The Third Man by Graham Greene, abridged - A
The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis - A, juv
The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye - A , juv
The Qwikpick Papers: Poop Fountain! by Tom Angleberger - A, juv
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown- A, juv
Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo- A, juv
11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass - A, juv
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys - A, YA
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - A
Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the secret history of the Vietnam war - A, ya
Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the curious adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L.A. Meyer - A, YA
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness- A, YA
The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism and Treachery by Steve Sheinkin - A, juv
Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Federle - A , Juv
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - A, YA
Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova - GN, Juv
A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch - A
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo - A, YA
June (13)
The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly- A, juv
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer - A, YAish
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L Holm - A, juv
Treasure Hunters by James Patterson - A, juv
Merlin: The Lost Years by T. A. Barron - A, juv
The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney - A, juv
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan - A, juv
The Detective's Assistant by Kate Hannigan - A, juv
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck - A
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen - A, ya
Chime by Franny Billingsley - A, ya
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk - A, juv
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Masterclass on the art of organizing and tidying up by Marie Kondo
July (13)
The Luck Uglies: Fork-Tongue Charmers by Paul Durham - A, juv
Summerlost by Ally Condie - A, juv
*Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart - A, juv (western for non western readers)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley - A
*Virals by Kathy Reichs - A, YA (exciting, realistic sci-fi)
The House of Secrets by Chris Columbus - A, juv
Brain Camp by Susan Kim - gn, YA
Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm - juv, A
A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tradgey by Sue Klebold - A
What we found in the Sofa and how it saved the world by Henry Clark - A, juv
The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost - YA, A
*11/22/63 by Stephen King- A (only King book I've read, captivating)
The Spender's Guide to Debt Free Living by Anna Newell Jones - A
August (22)
*MARTians by Blythe Woolston - YA (Satire of Consumerism, SO GOOD)
Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas - A
Six Kids and a stuffed cat by Gary Paulsen - juv, A
*Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Paulsen - ya, A (lesson in treating teens well and NOT GOSSIPING)
Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo - juv, A
The Candymakers by Wendy Mass - juv, A
*Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson - ya, A (history made interesting!)
Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer - A, ya
We are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson - A, ya
Leroy Ninker Saddles Up- A, juv
Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo - A, juv
Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride by Kate DiCamillo - A, juv
Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Racoon by Kate DiCamillo - A, juv
Curious World of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly - A, juv
For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn- A
For Men Only by Shaunti Feldhahn- A
Drive: The Surprising Truth about what motivates us by Daniel H. Pink - A
*The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner - juv, A (heroine)
*All American Boys by Jason Reynolds- ya, A (police brutality)
Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper- juv, A
*The Wild Robot by Peter Brown - juv, A (new friends)
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart - juv, A
September (13)
*The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore - A (race, class)
The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds - ya, A
Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse - ya, A
Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann - A
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - A
Geek Girl by Holly Smale - A , ya
*Girls Like Us by Gale Giles- ya (sexual harrasment, TELL AN ADULT!!!)
*All Rise for the Honorable Perry T Cook by Leslie Connor - A, juv (incarceration)
The Odds of Getting Even by Shelia Turnage - A, juv
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer: A story of violent faith - A
We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen -A, ya
Some Luck by Jane Smiley -A
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier -GN, juv
October (12)
Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff - ya (mystery)
*Towers Falling by Jewel Parker Rhodes - juv (Sept 11 for kids)
We will not be silent: the White Rose resistance movement that defied Hitler by Freedman - juv
Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky - A
Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson - A, juv
*Purity by Jonathan Franzen - A (adult disfunction)
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson - A, juv
*Bringing up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman - A (new parenting ideas)
*Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart - juv (addresses bipolar disorder and gender dysphoria)
Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff - ya, A
*Rosalie Lightning by Tom Hart -GN (loss of child- heartbreaking, beautiful study in grief)
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson - A
November (13)
*Lock In by John Scalzi -A (interesting sci-fi with medical and emphasis on personal autonomy)
Unlocked: An Oral History of Hayden's Syndrome by John Scalzi - A
*Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton - A (refreshing self help)
March: Book Two by John Lewis - GN
March: Book Three by John Lewis - GN
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin - A, YA
Nylon Road: a Graphic Memoir of Coming to Age in Iran by Parsua Bashi - GN
Masterminds by Gordon Korman - A, juv
*White Trash: The 400 Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg - A (filled my info gap)
*The Wright Brothers by David McCullough - A (more compelling than a book about history should be)
Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson - A, juv (acknowledges death at a juvenile level)
*Housekeeping by Marilynn Robinson - A (what is home?)
*My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand - A, YA (soooo great! hilarious, good for adults or YA)
December (20)
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo - A, YA
Kids of Appetite by David Arnold - A, YA
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury- A
Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit - A, juv
*Ghost by Jason Reynolds - juv (positive role models)
The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork - A, ya
The Air we Breathe: a novel by Andrea Barrett - A
Lawless by Jeffrey Salane- A, juv
The Best Man by Richard Peck - A, juv
*Find me Unafraid: Love, Loss and Hope in an African Slum by Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner- A (inspirational, change your world)
*Being Mortal - Atul Gawande - A (rethink death and end of life care)
The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos - A, ya
Saving Montgomery Sole by Mariko Tamaki - A, ya
The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island by Dana Alison Levy - A, juv
The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry - A, ya
*Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King - A, ya (anger management, mental illness)
*Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown - GN (video game licensing gone mad!)
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah -A
*How to Talk so little kids will listen: A survival guide to life with children ages 2-7 by Joanna Faber and Julie King (reminder of good communication style)
*Change the Way you see everything through Asset Based Thinking by Cramer (practical)
total: 181
