Looking back at 2015, I'm really proud of my reading this year. The reading challenge and its categories helped me reach beyond my normal or go-to genres and authors, encouraging me to read new and different things. It also encouraged me to talk to my friends and family about what they were reading and seek recommendations.
I'm particularly pleased with my adventures in reading non-fiction this year: I didn't read as much factual stuff as I would have liked to, but way more than in some of the years since I finished grad school. And since I could read them for me, I got to enjoy them more than I enjoyed many of the non-fiction books I read in school.
I have also read more new books than I have in a long time. My stash of Advanced Reader copies and books from ALA midwinter and annual conferences was one inspiration, but I also made use of the good ol' public library to seek out specific books that would be good for a few categories.
At the end of the year, I managed to finish a total of 56 books (Note: even though my Goodreads account--the way I was keeping track of my books this year--shows 56 in the list, it only counts 53. That's weird, but I'm not sure why.) Since my unofficial number goal was to average a book a week, I'm really happy with this number. And the total page count was almost 19,000 pages, which I think is great!
To recap my personal challenge rules:
- Each book could only count in one category...even if it fit into more than one
- Once I put a book in a category, I couldn't move it...even if that would make it easier to complete categories
- Only books read entirely could count for my year-end totals for books and pages.
- Novellas and full books of short stories or non-fiction articles counted, but single short stories and articles, and professional journals didn't.
- Every book didn't have to fit the challenge...I didn't want to feel repressed or forced to read anything.
I finished 31 of the 52 categories and I'm in the middle of 3 books right now.
I will put the unfinished ones on the challenge list below, with the status noted. And I'm planning on finishing the rest of this challenge in the New Year. I definitely think I can do it before summer if I try, and then I can start a new one!
[Categories highlighted in yellow are in process of being finished. Categories highlighted in lavender haven't been started yet.]
Here's the end-of-year list:
1. A book with more than 500 pages
Kushiel's Dart (Phèdre's Trilogy #1)by Jacqueline Carey (1015 pages, published 2003, read in hard copy from my collection, finished March 21)
This was a reread, but I'm thinking of reading the whole trilogy and the world is just *so* complicated (places, religion, politics, ethnic groups, etc.). Had to read it again, just to remember what all was going on and who the characters were.
2. A classic romance
My Pleasure by Connie Brockway (384 pages, published in 2004, read in hard cover, finished in April)
This spring I decided that it made sense to start at the top of the list and work down. I got #1 and #2 read in order before I was distracted and read something else. oops. This book I picked up as the "get one" in a buy two, get one free offer at an airport used book store when I was on my way home from my UNC job interview.
3. A book that became a movie
The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner #1) by James Dashner (384 pages, published in 2009, read on my phone, finished 13 September 2015)
I had a hard time with this one, picking it up and putting it down several times over the months. I liked the movie, which is what made me want to read the book. The movie had a variety of differences, many of which make sense in the book vs. movie. The best thing I can say is that the idea was kind of unique and definitely had an ending that was not expected. The set up for the rest of the series is actually pretty cool.
4. A book published this year
Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard (383 pages, published February 2015, read in hard copy, finished 22 July 2015)
I picked up this book at the ALA midwinter conference in Chicago this year. It is a young adult novel, and it reminds me of a lot of the other kinds of things that have been published in the world of young adult books: sort of a future-post-apocalyptic-but-also-a-throwback kinda thing. It was pretty entertaining. When I found out that the woman who wrote it was a script writer as well, it made lots of sense.
5. A book with a number in the title
I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies #1) by Pittacus Lore (440 pages, published 2010, read on my phone, finished 23 October 2015)
I saw the movie of this one first, and figured it might be worth it to read the book so that I could see how the rest of the series goes. The movie and book are very similar, actually, though the character development is almost better in the movie.
6. A book written by someone under 30
Tangled Webs by Lee Bross (304 pages, published 2015, read in hard copy, advanced reader copy, finished 15 April 2015)
The plot follows Arista--aka Lady A--who is taken out of a horrible orphanage by a horrible man named Bones. He makes her into a thief (though not much of that is shown, to be honest) and by the time she's a teenager, she is the lynchpin in his blackmail operation. Wearing fancy dress and a feathered mask she attends masked parties and balls across London, collecting "secrets" and money from clients and victims. When not doing this, she lives in utter squalor and dresses like a boy to travel safely around the city. Eventually things go bad and she ends up indebted to a different terrible crime-lord, who places her in the home of a lovely shipping-merchant family. Of course, she falls in love with their dreamy son and decides that she not only *wants* to be, but that she *will be* good...and then she'll run away to India. A YA novel with a Dickensian setting. I really have no idea if the author is under 30, but this is her first book and she looks fairly young in a photo I saw....so I'm just going to go with it. If she is over 30, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I said she is younger! :)
7. A book with nonhuman characters
Charming (Pax Arcana #1) by Elliott James (366 pages, published 2013, read in hard copy, finished 19 Jan 2015)
8. A funny book
Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living by Nick Offerman (340 pages, published in 2013, read in hard copy, NOT YET FINISHED as of 1 Jan. 2015)
I was inspired to read this book after I saw Nick Offerman speak at ALA this past summer. I got this book and had it signed at a signing, but I'm not reading that copy; I'm reading a library copy. I had to return it once, but have it again and will be finishing it soon!
9. A book by a female author
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling (222 pages, published 2011, read on my phone, finished 11 July 2015)
I've wanted to read this pretty much since it came out in 2011, but never got around to it. Now that it is readily available to check out from the library (in both regular and ebook formats), I finally did it. I always suspected that I would have a lot in common with Mindy Kaling, and I was right. She is officially on my "celebrities I wish I could actually be friends with" list. And on my "would they make a good next door neighbor" scale for judging celebrities, I think she scores extremely high. People tell me I'm funny and sometimes I actually think I am, and this kind of book is basically what I wish I could write and have people want to read. And--who knows--maybe I could. But she already has!
10. A mystery or thriller
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (322 pages, published in 1934, read on my phone, checked out from 3M ebooks, finished 17 July 2015)
Read this for my book-club's book-movie-pie event. We ate pie, discussed the book, and then watched the movie. I really think that the story holds up well for being over 80 years old. This is at least partially because of the setting: snowed in on a train with no communication from the outside. The mystery has to be solved while they are isolated and nobody can use any fancy technology, so it seems plausible to figure it out through interviewing the people on the train and using psychology.
11. A book with a one-word title
Vicious by V.E. Schwab (364 pages, published 2013, read in hard copy checked out from library, finished 3 January 2015)
An interesting take on the idea of super-powers: what constitutes a "power," who has them, how they get them, and what powers people end up with. This was the Dec/Jan book for the Amazing Book Club of Doom.
12. A book of short stories
Three-Ten to Yuma and Other Stories (193 pages, published 1953, read in hard copy, finished 5 October 2015)
I have read some of Leonard's books, but not any of his westerns. However, I
loved the movie of 3:10 to Yuma and many of the movies and shows based on his works. These short stories were really interesting, with a grey tone to the characters. My favorite was The Captive, the longest story...almost a novella. It had a protagonist and antagonist that were fairly close in sensibility, circumstances made them go to opposite sides of the law (something that is in 3:10, too).
13. A book set in a different country
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
(308 pages, published 2001, read in hard copy, finished Jan. 2015)
14. A nonfiction book
You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day (262 pages, published 2015, read in hard copy, finished early December 2015)
A really interesting memoir/autobiography by actress, producer, writer, and all-around nerd Felicia Day. A truly weird life and a very, very smart woman. The story also resonated with me on several levels: as a smart person, as someone who was weird as a kid, as a woman who is tech savvy, as a feminist, etc.
15. A popular author’s first book
16. A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Philbrick, Nathaniel (461 pages, published in 2006, read in hard copy, finished 30 September 2015)
I read this one because I really, really liked
In the Heart of the Sea:The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. (I recommend it to all kinds of people!) This one was a really, really good book. Well researched and well told. It is not really the story of the Mayflower alone, though that is how it starts. It is actually the story of the landing and then the next 60 years, all the way to King Phillip's War. Basically a story of the interactions between all the groups (Pilgrims, various Indian groups, other settlers, etc.). A complicated story, and one that blows all the stereotypes of the Mayflower and Thanksgiving right out of the water.
17. A book a friend recommended
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (published in 1990, 430 pages, read in hard cover, finished 27 December 2015)
I read this one for the December Book Club o' Doom meeting and it was suggested my my co-worker Sondra Reierson. (I finished it after the book club meeting, but still went to talk about the first 2/3 that I did finish on time!) Very funny! I love the asides, the quirkiness, and the switching of perspective. Plus, the relationship between the angel and the demon is really amazingly awesome. My favorite part is when they talk about helping each other out with their "work" on earth, just for efficiency's sake.
18. A Pulitzer Prize-winning book
19. A book based on a true story
The Unwritten Law: A True Crime of Passion by Danny Cantrell (144 pages, published in 2013, read on my phone, finished on 27 December 2015)
A novelization of a true crime story, but one that is supposed to hew pretty close to the truth. The author's idea was to tell the story, complete with dialogue, based on a depression area case. A Kentucky wife shoots her husband's mistress on a train in front of tons of witnesses and is acquitted based on the "unwritten law" of protecting her family. An interesting story and a crazy set of circumstances.
20. A book at the bottom of your to-read list
21. A book your mom loves
22. A book that scares you
23. A book more than 100 years old
24. A book based entirely on its cover
The Clockwork Scarab (Stoker & Holmes #1) by Colleen Gleason (356 pages, published in 2013, read in hard copy, finished 1 November 2015)
A steampunk YA novel featuring the much-younger sister of Bram Stoker (a vampire hunter) and niece of Sherlock Holmes (a detective in her own right). A clever idea, though I HATED the time-travel element that was thrown in. And the cover *is* awesome:
25. A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t
26. A memoir
The Rose Hotel: A Memoir of Secrets, Loss, and Love From Iran to America (336 pages, published 2015 in trade paperback, read in hard-copy, finished October 2015
27. A book you can finish in one day
Countdown (The Sixties Trilogy #1) by Deborah Wiles (394 pages, published 2010, read in hard cover, started/finished 18 September 2015)
A middle-grade book (though a long one) for Book Club o' Doom.
28. A book with antonyms in the title
Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder (320 pages, published in 2010, read on my phone, finished 8 Jan. 2015)
I was a fan of Snyder's Study series (starting with Poison Study) and thought the idea of Inside Out was very cool. It is her first book written for a young adult audience and the main character is a young woman living in a dystopian reality where there is a literal hierarchy. She is one of the "lowers"--the workers--but she works cleaning the air vent system, which gives her the opportunity to explore higher levels. I described it on my Goodreads account as "
Sort of Cube meets Snowpiercer meets Hunger Games/Divergent."
29. A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit
Night Broken (Mercy Thompson #8) by Patricia Briggs (341 pages, published in 2014, read on my phone, finished 28 January 2015)
Set in the Tri-Cities in Washington state. I've never been to the Pacific Northwest at all, but it seems like a beautiful place with some cool people, stuff, and general outlooks.
30. A book that came out the year you were born
31. A book with bad reviews
32, 33, 34. A trilogy
32. Trilogy Book 1
Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth (487 pages, published 2011, read in hard copy, finished 8 Feb. 2015)
33.Trilogy Book 2
Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth (525 pages, published 2012, read on my phone, finished 5 October 2015)
34. Trilogy Book 3
Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth (526 pages, published 2013, read in hard copy, NOT YET FINISHED as of 1 Jan. 2015)
35. A book from your childhood
36. A book with a love triangle
Heart of Brass (Clockwork Agents #1) by Kate Cross (371 pages, published 2012, read in hard copy, finished 28 November 2015)
A steampunk, romance-y novel with a sort-of love triangle between the main character, her husband (returned after being missing for several years), and his best friend. The friendship between the protagonist and the husband's friend grew on his part to love, but not really on hers. It is sort of a they-might-have-ended-up-together-except story: except the husband returned, except the protagonist is really independent, except she never gave up that the husband might return, except they were better friends than a couple in her eyes, etc.
37. A book set in the future
Jaran (Jaran #1) by Kate Elliott (496 pages, published 2002, read on my phone, NOT YET FINISHED as of 1 Jan. 2015)
38. A book set in high school
39. A book with a color in the title
Written in Red (The Others #1) by Anne Bishop (433 pages, published 2013, read in hard copy, finished 24 Jan. 2015)
40. A book that made you cry
41. A book with magic
Dream London (The Dream World #1) by Tony Ballantyne (404 pages, published in 2013, read in hard copy, finished 12 March 2015)
A very creative, very cool, very weird book. With science, magic, confusion, and craziness. The world essentially changes constantly and leaving London isn't really possible once you are there. Elements of noir and a rugged, rough hero.
42. A graphic novel
Ms. Marvel #1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson (author) and Adrian Alphona (Artist) (120 pages, published 2014, finished 21 March 2015)
Read this one for Book Club o' Doom and I've decided: I want to like graphic novels, there are elements of graphic novels that I like, and there are movies/shows based on comics/graphic novels that I love. But I still haven't found a graphic novel that I actually enjoyed reading. sigh.
43. A book by an author you’ve never read before
Kindred by Octavia Butler (264 pages, published 1979, tried to read in ebook on my phone and ended up reading in hard copy from the library, finished 19 June 2015)
OK, I've read at least one Butler short story, I'm pretty sure. But I'm really not sure which one. And I know I've never read one of her books, so I think it is fair to count this hear. Kindred is a book I've been meaning to read for years, and I'm glad I finally did. Thanks goes to the Book Club o' Doom for pushing me to read this one now! Really good, really interesting. The racial aspects are most often talked about, but I thought the gender aspects were really where she shines. She writes a great main character in Dana, but the men are nuanced as well. They have fears, weaknesses, control issues, emotions. Something that you don't often see: a sci-fi writer who can actually write male and female characters. That this was published in the 1970s makes this story even more amazing.
44. A book you own but have never read
Throne of the Crescent Moon (The Crescent Moon Kingdoms #1) by Saladin Ahmed (367 pages, published 2012, read in hard copy, finished 13 August 2015)
I picked this one up at the Barnes and Noble shortly after it was published--an impulse purchase from the new sci-fi/fantasy paperbacks display. It won several awards and is a fascinating take on epic fantasy in a non-Euro-centric way. Worth buying and worth reading.
45. A book that takes place in your hometown
Undead and Unwed (Undead #1) by MaryJanice Davidson (255 pages, published in 2004, read in hard copy, finished 24 September 2015)
I read this one a long time ago, maybe the first year of grad school. But I didn't remember it at all, and I definitely didn't remember it being set in the Twin Cities. It was a funny book about a woman who basically just wants to live her life and have some nice shoes, but she gets turned into a vampire....and is actually queen-vampire material. Sort of like a paranormal Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum novel in tone.
46. A book that was originally written in a different language
47. A book set during Christmas
48. A book written by an author with your same initials
49. A play
50. A banned book
51. A book based on or turned into a TV show
52. A book you started but never finished
The Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastard #3) by Scott Lynch (650 pages, published in 2013, read in hard copy, finished 11 September 2015)
I love Scott Lynch's books, so I bought this one when it first came out. It literally arrived on my doorstep in an Amazon.com book the day it was released. I started it, but didn't want to read it too fast. I wanted to SAVOR it. So I put it aside....and eventually I had put it aside for long enough that I forgot what was going on. So I waited....and waited....and 2 years later I started it again. I tried to read it at a slow pace and I rationed the book, only reading a chapter or two at a time and reading something else simultaneously so I wouldn't finish too quickly. Worth it!!!!
