After another successful year of making reading a priority without a reading challenge, I decided not to create a reading challenge for myself again this year. I read 97 books in 2015. I’ve reestablished the importance of reading in my life and confirmed the ability to read actively, even with my busy schedule.
Once again, 2016 will be all about reading for me, not for a challenge. And, with my Ph.D. earned, I think this year will allow for more reading than ever before.
I will continue tracking my monthly reading and posting my list and reviews for you. I know you like reading recommendations, so this list should assist you with those. Visit my bookstore to view and purchase books I’ve given perfect grades within the past several years, as well as some of my all-time favorites.
As always, happy reading!
DECEMBER ( 12 books read)
1. All the Missing Girls – B
2. The Misbegotten Son – C
3. Everybody Writes (rereading with a class) – A
4. Secret Lessons – B
5. Sisters One, Two, Three – D
6. Through the Window – B
7. I Feel Bad About My Neck – D
8. The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo – D
9. Wrecked – B
10. The Girl in the Red Coat – B
11. Faultlines – B
12. Last Seen Leaving – A
13. The Night Stalker – B
NOVEMBER (13 books read)
1. Columbine (rereading with a class) – A
2. Evelyn, After – A
3. Repressed – C
4. The Silent Girls – B
5. Leave Me – A
6. Remembering Satan – C
7. Hold Still – B
8. Love Your Life, Not Theirs – A
9. The Hunting Ground – B
10. We Believe You – B
11. Smart Money, Smart Kids – A
12. Missoula (rereading with a class) – A
13. Only Daughter – C
OCTOBER (6 books read)
1. The Corpse Had a Familiar Face – A
2. Girl in Pieces – A
3. Forgotten Secrets – B
4. Present Over Perfect – A
5. Unstuffed – B
6. Never Eat Alone – B
SEPTEMBER (10 books read)
1. Hour of Need – A
2. Freedom: My Book of Firsts – F
3. Behind Closed Doors – A
4. How to Win Friends and Influence People (rereading with a class)
5. On Writing Well (rereading with a class)
6. Falling – A
7. Seconds to Live – A
8. The Couple Next Door – A
9. Deep Work – B
10. The Four Agreements – B
AUGUST (9 books read)
1. A Man Called Ove – A
2. Where We Fall – D
3. When I’m Gone – B
4. Kill Me Again – B
5. An Absent Mind – B
6. Minutes to Kill – B
7. Good as Gone – B
8. Cause to Kill – B
9. Saving Abby – C
JULY (16 books read)
1. I Let You Go – A
2. Missing Pieces – A
3. Don’t You Cry – A
4. Intrusion – B
5. Mother, Mother – C
6. In the Clearing – A
7. Don’t Say a Word – A
8. The Butterfly Garden – A
9. All is Not Forgotten – A
10. Her Final Breath – A
11. Failure of Justice – D
12. The Woman in Cabin 10 – A
13. The Sister – C
14. The Quiet Ones – B
15. Gitchie Girl – A
16. The Broken Ones – B
JUNE (6 books read)
1. All the Light We Cannot See
2. Accused – C
3. The Ex – A
4. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? – C
5. Why Not Me? – B
6. Every Fifteen Minutes – C
MAY (7 books read)
1. What She Knew – B
2. Nowhere Girl – A
3. You Are a Badass – C
4. The Barefoot Executive – A
5. The First Time She Drowned – A
6. What Was Mine – A
7. The Spiral Notebook– A
APRIL (10 books read)
1. Hidden Bodies – C
2. Bitter Remains – C
3. Stumbling on Happiness – F
4. Gone Again – A
5. It’s. Nice. Outside. – A
6. Broken Grace – C
7. The Good Neighbor – B
8. She’s Not There – B
9. The Way I Used to Be – A
10. The Productivity Project – A
MARCH (8 books read)
2. Find Her – A
3. Breaking Busy – B
4. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear – B
5. The Happiness Equation – C
6. The Killing Lessons – B
7. Predator – B
8. 3 Truths and a Lie – B
FEBRUARY (4 books read)
1. Fates and Furies
2. Leave Your Mark – B
3. A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy – A
4. The Widow – A
JANUARY (6 books read)
1. Before I Go to Sleep – A
2. Trust No One – A
3. The End of Alice – D
4. Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget – A
5. How to Grow an Addict – B
6. #GIRLBOSS – B
profkrg I’m about half into “So you’ve been publicly shamed.” Interesting read about the power of social media. A little scary, too.
CareerCoachTina I bought it, but I haven’t started it yet. I’m looking forward to it.
profkrg Thank you! #EditorTherapy
That sure is a lot of pop fiction, and true crime, which seem like to me the book equivalent of commercial television. That’s not entirely a criticism. Almost all reading is a good thing. And, knocking off eight to ten mostly light books a month seems like an achievement closer to successfully binge-watching a full season of “Friends.” What’s the value? That’s a serious question. Clearly those books have a lot of value to readers. They’re all over the best-seller lists. I’m truly curious.
What sort of books are you challenging your students with? I think I’d trade every book on this list for one “Anna Karenina.”
I actually don’t think it matters what you read, as long as you read. This list is mostly what I read for pleasure. It’s not necessarily academic reading. I don’t watch television much, so this is my entertainment.