At the end of last year as other readers recapped meeting their reading goals for the year, I pondered whether or not to assign myself to some type of reading challenge for 2015. It didn't take long for me to decide no. I've been a bookworm and lover of reading for so long, I don't need a challenge. I don't need to impose any unnecessary rules upon myself. I'm still exclusively reading what's available from my library and the majority of my reading time takes place on the train during my commute. As I compiled the list of books I've read this year, I was a bit surprised to see the count total 49 books.
I was perusing a 2015 reading challenge post of another blogger earlier this week and she had linked to a 2016 challenge on another website. That challenge promises to make me grow as a reader and a person. I had to think about it for a minute and while not for me, I can see why others would accept a challenge such as this.
Without a doubt, my most favorite book of this year was The Goldfinch. I became so emotionally invested in that book that I actually felt one with the main character when the book ended. I walked around for the rest of the day with feelings that weren't mine because that book was so well written.
So there's a slew of books at the end of the list that I haven't mentioned before. Yes, I read The Happiness Project. (I'm usually too cynical to read books such as this, but I've matured.) What I found interesting is that while the author and I have a lot in common, we are extreme opposites in one big way. She researched the subject of happiness to death and detailed out the steps of her happiness project. I act very much on feelings and intuition so I found all the research peppered throughout the book slightly annoying. The first mission of her happiness project is cleaning and organizing. I've always said that if I'm ever not working like I work now, the first thing I'm going to do is get this house thoroughly cleaned up. Closets and the basement and everything. Sleep is on my list as well. It was an interesting read (kind of felt like it dragged on here and there) that had me thinking of my own happiness project. Although, I've never really thought of it with that label.
#1 - Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
#2 - The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
#3 - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
#4 - Revival by Stephen King
#5 - Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman
#6 - A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
#7 - And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
#8 - When We Were the Kennedys by Monica Wood
#9 - House at Riverton by Kate Morton
#10 - The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
#11 - Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
#12 - After Birth by Elisa Albert
#13 - The Execution of Noa P. Singleton by Elizabeth L. Silver
#14 - The Magicians by Lev Grossman
#15 - Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery
#16 - Shakespeare Saved My Life by Laura Bates
#17 - American Sniper by Christ Kyle
#18 - Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
#19 - Still Alice by Lisa Genova
#20 - The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
#21 - Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell
#22 - The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
#23 - The Orphan Sky by Ella Leya
#24 - Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
#25 - Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
#26 - Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon
#27 - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
#28 - First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung
#29 - The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
#30 - Yes Please by Amy Poehler
#31 - Serena by Ron Rash.
#32 - Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica
#33 - The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
#34 - Duma Key by Stephen King
#35 - Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
#36 - Down the Rabbit Hole by Holly Madison
#37 - The Kitchen House by Kathleen
#38 - It's What I Do by Lynsey Addario
#39 - The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
#40 - The Girl from the Garden by Parnaz Foroutan
#41 - Finders Keepers by Stephen King
#42 - The Martian by Andy Weir
#43 - Dead Mountain: The Untold Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar
#44 - Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
#45 - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
#46 - Gorge: My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds by Kara Richardson Whitely
#47 - The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
#48 - Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
#49 - It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell
1 comment:
Hi. I have been reading your blog for about 3 years now and may have commented once or twice, normally on book posts : ) just wanted to "introduce" myself. My name is Melissa I am South African born and bred but am a huge fan of travelling and have been lucky enough to live and work in lots of countries. I love that you in north east maine, I worked at maine teen camp ( seriously suggest sending the girls there as teenagers) in 2007 which is near porter/Cornish, Maine. I just turned 30 and got married in 2015 and moved to France with my husband (also south African) in august for his job. neither of us speak French and even though I am a qualified teacher I cannot seem to find work so I have lots of spare time.
Thank goodness I have my kindle! I recently finished the storyteller (I teach history) and have bought leaving time,I plan to buy all the light we cannot see and the goldfinch. I was not sure about the goldfinch but after seeing your review I will buy it. we seem to have similar taste, I remember you read The invention of wings at the same time as me.
thanks for a great blog. melissa
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