I didn't finish a book every week: some books took longer, others were quicker. I had a few weeks (vacation weeks) where I was able to do quite a bit of reading during the day, which helped a lot with my count. And I read every night before bed for half an hour or so, which is much more sleep-inducing than going on the computer. I tried to remember to bring my book along when I would be waiting for an appointment or during someone's lesson. I got a ton of reading done recently during back-to-back dental appointments for the kids. I also found that reading in my room for just 15 minutes works wonders for the late afternoon fatigue and irritability I am prone to. So, although I thought I didn't have much time for reading, it turns out that it fits into my life pretty well.
Grace was also successful at reading 52 books, and even went a book or two over. She was adamant that she wouldn't count anything she read for school, otherwise her count would have been even higher. As for me, I counted a few of the books I read aloud (A Christmas Carol, Swiss Family Robinson, Watership Down), but the vast majority were ones that I read to myself, by myself.
I am posting my 2015 list here for posterity - I have kept it in the tab up above all year to track my progress, but I will be clearing out that tab to start my new challenge for 2016. I want to do this again! I enjoyed most of the books I read and was happy with the variety. I didn't read any "difficult" books. I am at a time in my life where page-turners and relatively easy reads are a better fit - otherwise I fall asleep! I may challenge myself a bit more this year, though.
My top 5 books this year (in no particular order):
This House is Haunted - Because I love a good ghost story.
The Silent Wife - I finished this book very quickly; I couldn't put it down!
A Christmas Carol - I read this every year; this year I read it aloud to the kids for the first time.
Challenger Deep ...Because Grace & Christopher read it too, so we could all discuss it.
Cutting for Stone - I think this was the longest book I read, and certainly one of the most beautifully written.
My 2015 52 Books in 52 Weeks List
Book #1.... Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Book #2.....Barnheart: The Incurable Longing for a Farm of One's Own by Jenna Woganrich
Book #3....This House is Haunted by John Boyne
Book #4....The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Book #5.....Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting by Ann Hood
Book #6......Magical Journey: An Apprenticeship in Contentment by Katrina Kenison
Book #7..... Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman
Book #9..... Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
Book #10.... Broadchurch by Erin Kelly
Book #11.... Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Book #12....We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Book #13.....The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Book #14..... The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
Book #15.....Watership Down by Richard Adams
Book #16..... Lessons at Blackberry Inn: Adventures with the Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola
Book #17.....The Absolutist by John Boyne
Book #18.... Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
Book #19....The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Book #20.....The Amazing Thing About the Way It Goes: Stories of Tidiness, Self-Esteem and Other Things I gave Up On by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Book #21....The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
Book #22....The Dinner by Herman Koch
Book #23....A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyma
Book #24....Ashenden by Elizabeth Wilhide
Book #25.....The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney
Book #26....The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
Book #27.... A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
Book #28.... Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton
Book #29.... The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
Book #30....Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Book #31....Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Book #32...By the Pricking of My Thumbs: A Tommy and Tuppence Mystery by Agatha Christie
Book #33....The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
Book #34...Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman
Book #35....The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
Book #36...The Quick by Lauren Owen
Book #37..... A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin
Book #38...Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
Book #39...Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Book #40...This Is the Water by Yannick Murphy
Book #41.... Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind
Book #42...The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai
Book #43...Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer
Book #44...The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon
Book #45...Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life by Karen Miller
Book #46...Legend by Marie Lu
Book #47... At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie
Book #48... The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Book #49...A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Book #50...The 6:41 to Paris by Jean-Philippe Blondel
Book #51...The Fall by Albert Camus
Book #52...Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian
That was fun! Right now I am working on my first book for 2016 and will post a picture of my current bookpile soon.
Till next time!
Thank you so much for listing the books you read last year! I had fun going through them and adding many to my library "to read" list. You brightened an otherwise long winter afternoon! :-)
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome! Making lists of books to read is one of my favorite activities too.
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