I promise that we’ll get back to the food very soon! I have quite a few great new recipes to share. But first, let’s talk about books! As many of you know I enjoy reading. I often talk about my favorite recent reads in my Things I’m Loving posts. I have really enjoyed hearing feedback from all of you about those recommendations you have taken, as well as hearing your recommendations of books you think I might enjoy.
Though I typically don’t get into new year’s resolutions, last year I set a reading challenge for myself on Goodreads to finish 30 books in the year. Considering that the prior year, I maybe read a quarter or third of that amount, this seemed…exceedingly optimistic. However, I ended up surpassing my goal (32 books!) and had such fun with it, I thought I would quickly share the books I read. Since I have already discussed a good number of these books in other posts, I won’t re-review them here. Instead, I will simply list them and put each into one of three general categories: must read, worth a read, or don’t bother. You can explore the titles further on Goodreads for additional reviews to see whether or not each title may or may not be your cup of tea. At the bottom, I summarize those books that stand out to me as the top five I read this year and those you simply cannot miss. Lastly, for the most recent few that I have not discussed on the blog, I will be talking about them in more detail in the next Things I’m Loving post.
*Note for those astute readers who recognize that only 30 titles are pictured here: One book was a graphic novel and I felt it didn’t quite count enough to include here, not to mention I didn’t love it anyway. The other I overlooked time and again until after I had made the composite images below. Such is life. That book was This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper and I would categorize it as worth a read.
- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – worth a read
- I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson – worth a read
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – worth a read
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio – must read
- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield – worth a read
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls – must read
- The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer – worth a read
- Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs – worth a read
- Saturday by Ian McEwan – worth a read
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins – worth a read
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – must read
- Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng – worth a read
- Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed – must read
- Runaway by Alice Munro – worth a read
- Looking for Alaska by John Green – worth a read
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – must read
- The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson – worth a read
- Yes Please by Amy Poehler – worth a read (or a listen – I used the audiobook)
- Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris – must read/must listen (I really prefer audiobooks for David Sedaris – his delivery is perfection)
- Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari – worth a read
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – must read
- Dark Places by Gillian Flynn – worth a read
- Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt – must read
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt – worth a read
- Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick – must read (if you haven’t seen the movie – I read the book first and adored it, and consequently hated the movie)
- Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan – don’t bother
- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel – must read
- Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling – worth a read/listen (I used the audiobook)
- Missoula by Jon Krakauer – must read
- Listening is an Act of Love from StoryCorps and Dave Isay – must read
Of all of the books I have read this year, the top five which I think absolutely everyone should read are:
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Listening is an Act of Love from StoryCorps and Dave Isay
I know so many people who often say, “I wish I read more!” If you fall into that category, I hope this post provides some inspiration and and maybe you decide set a goal on Goodreads for yourself! The main way I have made time for reading is to read during my lunch break at work rather than aimlessly surf the internet or look at my phone. Anytime I get an urge to check Facebook, I try to pick up my book instead. I also try to read every night before I fall asleep, even if only just a page or two. Reading is certainly one of the most rewarding and enjoyable pastimes available. Now is the time to go for it!