Ann A's 2016 Reading Challenge

[Ann A]

I'll try for 100 books again. Other goals are to read at least 15 books from the '1001' list and 15 Newbery winners.

Wishing everyone lots of happy reading hours in 2016!

[Tiffany, Administrator]

Those sound like great plans! Happy reading :)

[Ann A]

1 - Lost Light
Another solid entry in the Harry Bosch series. 4*

2 - Why Not Me?
Fluff, but fun. 4*

3 - Death of a Hussy
More fluff, but I enjoy listening to this series on audio. 3*

[Ann A]

4 - Migraine
Much of this was over my head due to the medical terminology, but still had fascinating sections. 3*

5 - In the Woods
A little dark for me and I didn't much like the main character. However, the writing was solid, so I'll probably give the next one in the series a try. 3*

6 - Suite Française (1001 Books)
Impressive novel set in 1940's occupied France (sadly, the writer died in Auschwitz). 5*

[Ann A]

7 - Death of a Snob
This series is one of my guilty pleasures. 3*

8 - 12 Years a Slave
I feel compelled to see the movie now. 4*

9 - Modern Romance
Interesting take on the evolution of relationships/dating. 4*

[Ann A]

10 - The Blood Sugar Solution: The UltraHealthy Program for Losing Weight, Preventing Disease, and Feeling Great Now!
Lots of good info, although the "quizzes" did get annoying. 4*

11 - Ella Minnow Pea
Great fun. 5*

12 - Corduroy Mansions
I'm starting to get a bit bored with Smith's serial novels - it takes too long for not much to happen. 3* (barely)

[Ann A]

13 - The Higher Power of Lucky (Newbery winner)
Story of a young girl trying to find her way through tough times. 3*

14 - Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
What an interesting, complicated man Jefferson was. Good, solid biography although I'm afraid I was spoiled by the excellent John Adams . 4*

[Ann A]

Yikes! I'm so far behind! In the interest of catching up, I won't comment on every book.

15 - Onion John (Newbery winner) 4*

16 - A Beautiful Mind 4*

17 - A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32 (Newbery winner) 4*

18 - A Confederacy of Dunces (1001 Books)
Brilliantly bizarre. I wish I had the vocabulary of Ignatius! Excellent audiobook - made it much funnier. 4*

19 - Cinder 3 1/2*

[Ann A]

20 - The Art of Happiness 4*

21 - The Well of Lost Plots 4*

22 - Watchmen (1001 Books) 3*

23 - Purity 2 1/2*

24 - The House of the Seven Gables (1001 Books) 4*

[Ann A]

25 - At Bertram's Hotel 3*

26 - The Year of Magical Thinking 4*

27 - The Secret Adversary 2*

28 - Thérèse Raquin (1001 Books) 3*

29 - Moon Over Manifest (Newbery winner) 4*

[Ann A]

30 - The Girl Who Fell from the Sky 4*

31 - The Metamorphosis and Other Stories 3*

32 - The King's English: Adventures of an Independent Bookseller 5*

33 - The Pilgrim's Progress (1001 Books) 3*

34 - Switcheroo 4*

[Ann A]

35 - The Handsome Man's Deluxe Café 2*

36 - Hickory Dickory Dock 4*

37 - Displacement: A Travelogue 4*

38 - Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys 5*

39 - The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1001 Books) 2*

[Ann A]

40 - A Man Called Ove 4*

41 - Main Street (1001 Books) 4*

42 - The Quiche of Death 3*

43 - American Gods 2*

44 - The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century 4*

[Ann A]

45 - Tiny Buddha: Simple Wisdom for Life's Hard Questions 3*

46 - Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout 4*

47 - Whistling Past the Graveyard 3 1/2*

48 - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian 5*

49 - I, Robot (1001 Books) 4*

[Ann A]

50 - H is for Hawk 3 1/2*

51 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (1001 Books) 5*

52 - Katie Up and Down the Hall: The True Story of How One Dog Turned Five Neighbors into a Family 2*

53 - Julius Caesar 5*

54 - When You Reach Me (Newbery winner) 3*

[Ann A]

55 - Miller's Valley 4*

56 - Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices (Newbery winner) 3*

57 - A Good Indian Wife 3*

58 - Miracles on Maple Hill (Newbery winner) 3*

59 - The One and Only Ivan (Newbery winner) 3*

[Ann A]

60 - Shadow Of A Bull (Newbery winner) 3*

61 - The Summer of the Swans (Newbery winner) 3*

62 - Titus Andronicus 2*

63 - Kira-Kira (Newbery winner) 4*

64 - Homecoming 3*

[Ann A]

65 - Foreign Bodies 2 1/2*

66 - Bill Bryson's African Diary 5*

67 - Aesop's Fables (1001 Books) 3 1/2*

68 - The Five People You Meet in Heaven 3*

69 - The Poet 4*

70 - David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants 4*

[Ann A]

71 - Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction 5*

72 - Absurdistan 3*

73 - Lingo: Around Europe in Sixty Languages 4*

74 - The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend 2*

75 - Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Ben was a fascinating guy. Another well-written book by Walter Isaacson. I also enjoyed The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, but I think Steve Jobs is his crowning achievement. 4*

[Ann A]

76 - X
I didn't think this one was as good as her last few, but I like Grafton's writing so much I still found it absorbing. 4*

77 - Gratitude
I will miss the kindness, brilliance, and fascinating writing of Oliver Sacks. 5*

78 - 84, Charing Cross Road
Lovely little book about books and friendship. 4*

79 - The Clue in the Diary 3*

80 - The Pier Falls: And Other Stories
I liked some of these stories more than others, and the writing is unquestionably good. A bit too dark for me, however. 2 1/2*

[Ann A]

81 - French Milk 3*
This met my expectations of just being a light, fun read about her month in Paris.

82 - The Graveyard Book (Newbery winner) 4*

83 - Breakfast of Champions (1001 Books)
While I didn't LOVE the book, I respect Vonnegut's unique take on humanity and how silly we often are. I'm also happy to finally know who Kilgore Trout is! 3*

84 - How to Meditate with Pema Chodron: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind 4*
Good, solid advice about calming the mind and learning to be "present". 4*

85 - Hallowe'en Party 3*

[Ann A]

86 - Left Neglected 4*

87 - Dicey's Song (Newbery winner) 3*

88 - The ABC Murders 4*

89 - Shiloh (Newbery winner) 4*

90 - Never Let Me Go (1001 Books)
I love Ishiguro's writing and the way he builds a story. 4 1/2*

[Ann A]

91 - The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain 4*
Bill may have been a little more grumpy in this one, but he's still a darn good read.

92 - Maniac Magee (Newbery winner) 3*

93 - The Whipping Boy (Newbery winner) 4*
EXCELLENT audiobook. Number 81 in my quest to read all the Newberys. I started in May of 2011, and will try to finish up by May, 2017. I'll continue reading the new winner each year.

94 - The Name of the Rose (1001 Books)
I admire the talent and knowledge of Umberto Eco, although the Latin and Biblical stuff was over my head. 3 1/2*

[Ann A]

Whew. Caught up! It doesn't like I'll reach my goal of 100 books, but I'll come pretty darn close...

[Ann A]

95 - Lincoln: A Photobiography (Newbery winner) 4*

96 - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Great book. I will never shop for food in the same way. 5*

97 - Last Seen Wearing
An extra 1/2* for being different from the average detective novel. 4*

98 - The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
Just what I needed to keep me grounded after what happened on November 8. 5*

As I'm SO close, I'm going to go for my goal of 100! I picked up a couple of Newbery winners from the library and am hoping to finish them by 12:00 a.m. December 31...

[Ann A]

99 - M.C. Higgins, the Great (Newbery winner) 3*

100 - Missing May (Newbery winner) 4*

And.... I did it - reached 100 books!!!

Other goals: 15 from '1001' list - read 14
15 Newbery winners - read 19

Wishing a Very Happy New Year to all. May 2017 bring many, many joy-filled reading hours!

[Olympia]

I did terrible this year. Need to get more reading done in 2017. Less electronics and social media. Perhaps it's due to work and a difficult class, but this seems like an excuse. No new year new me , more reading need to set up a list, anyone have a good one to follow? Happy new year everyone

[Tiffany, Administrator]

Ann A wrote: "And.... I did it - reached 100 books!!! ..."

Congratulations, you super-reader!