My reading goal this past year was 100 books, and I beat it! I read either 108 or 105 books, depending on how you want to count The Spiderwick Chronicles
since they are technically four separate, but very short, books. I'll admit I got irritated by a few books, and so quit reading them before I got all the way through, but I finished almost all of them.So here's an overview of my reading adventures this year, plus some recommendations - both books to read and books to avoid.
I had a thing for books about World War II this year, and I didn't get stuck with any dogs. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir
, The Baker's Secret
, Dear Mrs. Bird
, The True Story of Hansel and Gretel
, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
are all books I'd recommend. All. Of. Them. I think Dear Mrs. Bird was the best, though, closely followed by The Baker's Secret.Memoirs were a big part of my reading this past year - seventeen books! Hiding in the Light
, As You Wish
, Belles on Their Toes
, I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had
, and Reasons to Stay Alive
are at the top of my recommendations. Hiding in the Light (Rivqa Bary) is about a Muslim girl who converted to Christianity and her escape from her family - in the United States. As You Wish (Cary Elwes) is about filming The Princess Bride - inconceivable!!! I'd Like to Apologize (Tony Danza - yes, THAT Tony Danza) is about the year he spent as a history teacher in an inner-city high school - excellent! Reasons to Stay Alive (Matt Haig) chronicles his struggles with mental illness and how he has been able to deal with it.Religion included Hiding in the Light (TWO categories!), Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus
, Answering Jihad
, and three more. The Cost of Discipleship
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer) is not only long, but dense and repetitive. I just couldn't get through it. I admit I gave up. Probably something to do with the translation from German. And German theologians. Whew!Lots of cozy mysteries. I found a new author to follow - Sophie Kelly
's Magical Cats series is just plain fun. And I found a couple of authors to avoid - Miranda James and Maddie Day. Miranda James's main character is boring. That's the only way I can describe him. Ugh. And I thought I'd enjoy Maddie Day's books because they're set in southern Indiana. The plots aren't bad, but the reader is beaten to death by the heavy-handed way she gives clues. Again, ugh.Several self-help type things. Top of the list is The ONE Thing
(Gary Keller) - WOW. The Art of Thinking Clearly (Rolf Dobelli), not so much. In fact, the bottom. He can't get past his own biases, saying that anyone who believes in God or practices a religion can't think clearly. The Art of X-Ray Reading
(Roy Peter Clark) is an excellent look at how to read great books in order to improve your own writing.A few books for kids. I enjoyed Nim's Island
(Wendy Orr), and I re-read Henry Huggins
(Beverly Cleary) - WOW. I'd forgotten just how great this book is. I plan to work my way through her books this year. I can hardly wait!Another book I re-read is Christy
(Catherine Marshall) - another great book I'd kind of forgotten about. It's the story of the author's mother, who went into Appalachia as a young, single, female missionary (unheard of!) in the early 1900s.
