It’s the last day of 2017! As usual, this year I’ve enjoyed an eclectic mix of fiction and non-fiction.
I had a lot less time to read this year because of my full-time job, but I surprised myself with how many I was able to get through.
I’d like to take a moment to say thank you to all of my friends here on WordPress and Goodreads. Reading and reviewing wouldn’t be nearly as fun without all of you.
And without further ado, here’s my end-of-the-year book recommendations:
Total books read: 165
Overall favorite: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Non-Fiction: Inspired!: True Stories Behind Famous Art, Literature, Music, and Film by Maria Bukhonina or When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner.
Favorite Book Club Pick: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (Good work, Kathy!)
Best Fantasy: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (I did not like the sequel, but this book was excellent.)
Funniest Self Help: How to Be Ultra Spiritual: 12 1/2 Steps to Spiritual Superiority by J.P. Sears or How to Be Happy, Dammit: A Cynic’s Guide to Spiritual Happiness by Karen Salmansohn.
Book I Thought I Wouldn’t Like but Did: Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Book I Thought I Would Like but Didn’t: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Most Overrated: Paper Princess by Erin Watt
Most Disturbing: Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed (fiction) or The Only Girl in the World: A Memoir by Maude Julien (non-fiction).
Most Inspirational: The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Miguel Ruiz or Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes (memoir).
Most Far-Out: Surviving Death: Evidence of the Afterlife by Leslie Kean or A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Mastering the Art of Oneironautics by Dylan Tuccillo.
Nerdiest Read: Level Up Your Life: How to Unlock Adventure and Happiness by Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story by Steve Kamb.
Most Depressing but Worth It: Night by Elie Wiesel (non-fiction) or Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (fiction).
Book about books: Bizarre Books by Russell Ash, Brian Lake.
Classic I Should Have Read Before but Hadn’t: Animal Farm by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (read a bunch of classics this year, these were my top two).
Best Graphic Novel: Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson (This whole series is a lot of fun.)
Strong Female Role Model: #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso (non-fiction) or Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (fiction).
Best Book about Music: Vivaldi’s Virgins by Barbara Quick (fiction) or Instrumental: A Memoir of Madness, Medication and Music by James Rhodes (non-fiction, very dark).
Best Book about Trivia: Fox Tossing, Octopus Wrestling and Other Forgotten Sports by Edward Brooke-Hitching.
Best Memoir: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami.
Best Book about a Foodie: Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-time Eater by Frank Bruni
Best Historical Fiction: The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George or Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.
Best political: Gnarr: How I Became the Mayor of a Large City in Iceland and Changed the World by Jón Gnarr
Work-related: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin.
Family-related: How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn.
Happy New Year, my friends. And, happy reading, to all of you.
What a year! Thank you to everyone on Goodreads (and WordPress!) for sharing their reads and giving me a safe space to write my thoughts. I look forward to seeing what everyone gets up in 2017!
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