Reading Roundup: 2017
I read 109 books in 2017, which is a bit higher than my number for recent years (here is 2016's post, which includes links to previous years). I did finish school at the end of 2016, giving me more free time, plus I read most of the Whitney finalists, and I read several shorter books.
90 books were fiction (including 2 poetry books), and 19 were nonfiction, which is pretty sad compared to previous years. I have a lot of nonfiction on my list of books I'd like to read, but don't seem to get around to reading it as often as I should. I think this year I will focus on reading more nonfiction (and less on staying up late reading mediocre books I downloaded free from the library).
82 books were by female authors, and 27 by male, which reflects trends I've noticed for the last few years. For some reason I tend to gravitate to female authors, especially when it comes to fiction. This year I also had several instances where I read multiple books by the same author, and in most of those cases the authors were female.
This year I set some specific reading goals in January, but then put them on the back burner a bit. I never did read anything in Spanish, but I did read two poetry books, at least five books in translation (Elena Ferrante!), most of the Whitney finalists for adult books (everything but sci-fi/fantasy), and an average of one nonfiction book a month. I had set a goal to read more Mormon nonfiction, and sort of did that, but would like to do more this year.
And, as usual, some of my favorite books in no particular order:
Fiction
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Neopolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante
Love at First Note by Jenny Proctor
From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The Signal Flame by Andrew Krivak
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
Mother's Milk by Rachel Hunt Steenblik
Nonfiction
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
Conversions by Craig Harline
One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly by Ashley Mae Hoiland
Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
Word by Word by Kory Stamper
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
A Disappearance in Damascus by Deborah Campbell
Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown
Movies
I watched 47 movies this year, which is a much higher number than previous years, but does count both movies I watched by myself and those I watched with the kids. Some of my favorites were:
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
The Big Sick
Dunkirk
Lion
Arrival
Moana
Kubo and the Two Strings
Wadjda
Wonder Woman
Gone Girl
Big Little Lies (miniseries, not a movie, but still good)
90 books were fiction (including 2 poetry books), and 19 were nonfiction, which is pretty sad compared to previous years. I have a lot of nonfiction on my list of books I'd like to read, but don't seem to get around to reading it as often as I should. I think this year I will focus on reading more nonfiction (and less on staying up late reading mediocre books I downloaded free from the library).
82 books were by female authors, and 27 by male, which reflects trends I've noticed for the last few years. For some reason I tend to gravitate to female authors, especially when it comes to fiction. This year I also had several instances where I read multiple books by the same author, and in most of those cases the authors were female.
This year I set some specific reading goals in January, but then put them on the back burner a bit. I never did read anything in Spanish, but I did read two poetry books, at least five books in translation (Elena Ferrante!), most of the Whitney finalists for adult books (everything but sci-fi/fantasy), and an average of one nonfiction book a month. I had set a goal to read more Mormon nonfiction, and sort of did that, but would like to do more this year.
And, as usual, some of my favorite books in no particular order:
Fiction
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Neopolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante
Love at First Note by Jenny Proctor
From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The Signal Flame by Andrew Krivak
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
Mother's Milk by Rachel Hunt Steenblik
Nonfiction
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
Conversions by Craig Harline
One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly by Ashley Mae Hoiland
Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
Word by Word by Kory Stamper
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
A Disappearance in Damascus by Deborah Campbell
Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown
Movies
I watched 47 movies this year, which is a much higher number than previous years, but does count both movies I watched by myself and those I watched with the kids. Some of my favorites were:
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
The Big Sick
Dunkirk
Lion
Arrival
Moana
Kubo and the Two Strings
Wadjda
Wonder Woman
Gone Girl
Big Little Lies (miniseries, not a movie, but still good)
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