PaperbackPirate goes for 40 for 40 in 2016!

I read 35 books in 2015, and I've been stuck in the 30-zone for the last couple years. Since I'm 40 years old, this year I'm shooting for 40 books.

Previous threads in case you're interested:

2015 (35 books)
2014 (33 books)
2013 (50 books)
2012 (43 books)
2011 (43 books)
2010 (42 books)

Good luck this year. I'll look forward to following along.

Happy reading on 2016,PP.

Thank you rocketjk and Ameise1!! Happy New Year!

January-March
1. Ashley Bell: A Novel by Dean Koontz - finished 1/22
2. Fates and Furies: A Novel by Lauren Groff - finished 2/3
3. Mr. Darwin's Shooter: A Novel by Roger McDonald - finished 2/21
4. Maya Angelou: Her Phenomenal Life & Poetic Journey by Editors of Essence Magazine - finished 2/22
5. Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton - finished 2/29
6. Go Set a Watchman: A Novel by Harper Lee - finished 3/8
7. Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three by Mara Leveritt - finished 3/20
8. Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie - finished 3/31

April-June
9. The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller - finished 4/8
10. Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - finished 4/27
11. Running with Rhinos: Stories from a Radical Conservationist by Ed Warner - finished 5/12
12. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie - finished 5/22
13. Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover's Soul by Jack Canfield - finished 5/30
14. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt - finished 6/12
15. Wonder by R. J. Palacio - finished 6/16
16. The Foretelling by Alice Hoffman - finished 6/19
17. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan - finished 6/25
18. Tales of the City: A Novel by Armistead Maupin - finished 6/30

July-September
19. Frida Kahlo by Claudia Bauer - finished 7/3
20. Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch - finished 7/7
21. Cinder by Marissa Meyer - finished 7/14
22. Frida's Bed by Slavenka Drakulic - finished 7/16
23. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - finished 7/25
24. Eight Hundred Grapes: A Novel by Laura Dave - finished 8/6
25. In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner - finished 8/14
26. "Guns Don't Kill People, People Kill People": And Other Myths About Guns and Gun Control by Dennis A. Henigan - finished 8/26
27. A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope, and a Restaurant in Rwanda by Josh Ruxin - finished 9/3
28. Dark Matter: A Novel by Blake Crouch - finished 9/21

October-December
29. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - finished 10/6
30. Library of Luminaries: Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Biography by Zena Alkayat - finished 10/7
31. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition by J. K. Rowling - finished 10/15
32. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - finished 10/20
33. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski - finished 10/23
34. Killing for Company: The Story of a Man Addicted to Murder by Brian Masters - finished 11/6
35. Purple Hibiscus: A Novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - finished 11/13
36. Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer - finished 11/15
37. The BFG by Roald Dahl - finished 11/21
38. Flight Behavior: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver - finished 11/28
39. Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood - finished 12/11
40. The Tempest by William Shakespeare - finished 12/15
41. The Door to December by Dean Koontz - finished 12/25
42. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall - finished 12/31
43. The Walking Dead, Vol. 5: The Best Defense by Robert Kirkman - finished 12/31

Inspired by rocketjk, I'm going to keep track of where my reading takes me in 2016 here:

USA
Alabama: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
Arizona: Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer
Arkansas: Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three by Mara Leveritt
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
California: Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Door to December by Dean Koontz
Florida: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
Illinois: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Louisiana: The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
Michigan: Frida Kahlo by Claudia Bauer
New York: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Pennsylvania: In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
Tennessee: Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
Utah: The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
Virginia: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Washington: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Countries
Afghanistan: Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer
Argentina: Mr. Darwin's Shooter by Roger McDonald
Australia: Mr. Darwin's Shooter by Roger McDonald
Canada: Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
Ecuador (Galapagos Islands): Mr. Darwin's Shooter by Roger McDonald
England: Mr. Darwin's Shooter by Roger McDonald
(Grantchester) Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie
Killing for Company: The Story of a Man Addicted to Murder by Brian Masters
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Ireland: Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Jamaica: Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
Mexico: Frida Kahlo by Claudia Bauer
Frida's Bed by Slavenka Drakulic
Library of Luminaries: Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Biography by Zena Alkayat
Nigeria: We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Rwanda: A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope, and a Restaurant in Rwanda by Josh Ruxin
Scottland: Killing for Company: The Story of a Man Addicted to Murder by Brian Masters
Zimbabwe: Running with Rhinos by Ed Warner

1. Bibi Blair is too young to be told she only has a year to live. She's in the hospital after being told she has a very rare form of brain cancer when a mysterious man and Golden Retriever visit her in the middle of the night. After the dog licks her hand, she wakes up believing she is cured, and she is. It isn't long before she discovers getting her life back comes at a price. She, in turn, has to save Ashley Bell, a girl she's never heard of.

Leave it to Mr. Kootnz to take us along on Bibi's journey in a suspenseful and exciting way. Don't be put off by the length. If you like Dean Koontz, you will like Ashley Bell.

>7 PaperbackPirate: Sounds great, PP. Unfortunately, my local library hasn't got a copy of it. I've read several Koontz books and I like his writing.

8 Ameise1
It was just recently released so maybe with a little more time they'll get it. Until then, I recommend The City by Dean Koontz. It's my new favorite by him.

11. When I requested Running with Rhinos: Stories from a Radical Conservationist by Ed Warner through the Early Reviewers program I imagined I would be reading stories about rhinos: rescues, births, and poachers. When I started reading, I learned right away that the most important rule of rhino tracking is that you must always have a tree nearby. Oh boy. Foreshadowing! Instead, the stories were written by someone working behind the scenes. Although Mr. Warner's role in Sand County Foundation was equally important as that of a vet tech, it just wasn't as interesting. He goes to fundraisers and orders supplies. One of the stories was about how he accidentally overpaid $8 at the grocery store. A more appropriate title would be, "Running through Customs."

I bet the author is a good campfire story teller. I really wanted to like this book just based on the fact that the black rhino rescue in Zimbabwe is named after Aldo Leopold's land ethic. I just don't feel confident recommending this book to people based on the cover and title, and the lack of scrambling-for-a-nearby-tree moments.

My only 5 start favorite for the first quarter was Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff.

My other favorites only got 4-4.5 stars. In the order I read them:

Ashley Bell: A Novel by Dean Koontz
Mr. Darwin's Shooter: A Novel by Roger McDonald
Go Set a Watchman: A Novel by Harper Lee

Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three by Mara Leveritt

I have 4 favorites from the 2nd quarter. In the order I read them:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Angela's Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan

I don't read many Young Adult novels, so it's unusual for me to have 2 on my favorites list.

What were your 2nd quarter favorites?

I also loved Absolutely True. It's the only Alexie I've read but I have a couple others on the shelf to get to. I remember loving Angela's Ashes, too.

My favorites for the second quarter are probably:
The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao
Immortal Irishman
Mothering Sunday
Eleanor & Park
English Creek

>12 PaperbackPirate: I loved Wonder too.

My favourite fictions of the last quarter have been Sita's Ramayana When The Wind Blows and The Long Earth. Pretty unusual for me to have two graphic novels in there but the display by the entrance to the library keeps catching my attention.

>13 Copperskye: I liked The Brief Wonderous Life but did not love. I think it was a little too hyped up to me beforehand. Have you read anything else by him?

>14 eclecticdodo: Sounds like a unique quarter of reading for both of us!

26. Have you ever thought to yourself, wow, the NRA is overreaching? It's only the tip of the clip.

In "Guns Don't Kill People, People Kill People": And Other Myths About Guns and Gun Control by Dennis A. Henigan, the author tears apart each bit of NRA "bumper-sticker logic" with statistics and actual logic. He then sights how gun control in our nation has already helped us, and other ways that gun control can help us all live with our guns in a safer way. (Spoiler alert: none of the ideas are to take away everyone's precious guns!)

Although the author ends with an empowering message, I still feel defeated. Regardless, I would recommend this book as excellent, vomit-in-your-mouth new knowledge, reference-filled nonfiction.

30.Library of Luminaries: Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Biography by Zena Alkayat & Nina Cosford is a cute little picture book biography about Frida Kahlo. Even though I feel like I know the basics about "one of history's most celebrated artists and feminist icons," I still read a few new Frida facts. I was surprised that it did not contain any of Frida Kahlo's artwork, but it was fun to see Nina Cosford's interpretations instead.

I have always thought of Frida's life through her autobiographical artwork and from her perspective. It was interesting to look at her through another artist's eyes. The illustrations of Frida's tragic life story seem whimsical in this book. I liked thinking about Frida in a joyous way. One of my favorites was "Frida's Wardrobe," which I'm pretty sure made me giggle. I've never imagined Frida packing before. Thank you.

>18 PaperbackPirate: I love her work. I've learned about her life in another book where she was an important side character.

>19 Ameise1: Was that book The Lacuna?

>20 PaperbackPirate: Yep.

>21 Ameise1: The Lacuna is what sparked my interest in Frida!

I made my 40 goal and I think I'm going to pass it!

>23 PaperbackPirate: Congratulations!

Thank you eclecticdodo!

I just realized I never posted my 3rd quarter favorites!

Here are my five favorites in the order I read them:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
"Guns Don't Kill People, People Kill People": And Other Myths About Guns and Gun Control by Dennis A. Henigan
A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope, and a Restaurant in Rwanda by Josh Ruxin

And I have an honorable mention with 4.5 stars:
Dark Matter: A Novel by Blake Crouch

What were your favorites from July-September?

Congrats on passing 40. Well done, lady.

My five favourite books were:
Black Dahlia & White Rose: Stories by Joyce Carol Oates
House At The Edge Of The World by Julia Rochester
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
London Obserced by Doris Lessing
Atonement by Ian McEwan

>27 Ameise1: Thank you!

I've had Atonement on my tbr pile for awhile. A friend recommended it, but I haven't gotten to it because I'm worried it will be too sad. Maybe 2017 is the year to give it a shot!

39. I received Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood as an Early Reviewer. It is a retelling of The Tempest by William Shakespeare. I tried reading The Tempest first because I thought it would help me understand Hag-Seed. I hadn't read any Shakespeare since high school, and it wasn't as easy as I remembered. So I abandoned The Tempest and started Hag-Seed.

Hag-Seed is the story of a man who has been usurped as artistic director of a theatre festival. He goes into a self-imposed exile and begins planning his vengeance on the men responsible for his downfall. After several years he gets a new job teaching prisoners Shakespeare, where he finally realizes how he can give retribution with a production of The Tempest.

On its own it is an enjoyable story. I loved how it kept me guessing about how you could really exact revenge on some people with a play.

After reading the book I went back to The Tempest and the play made more sense. Although the book helped me understand the play, reading the play after helped me appreciate a few of the details that I at first felt were a little tidy at the end. I had way too much fun figuring out which character in the book was which character in the play.

I am thankful for The Hogarth Shakespeare project for keeping Shakespeare alive and loved.

What were your 4th quarter favorites (Oct-Dec)? In the order I read them, mine are:

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition by J. K. Rowling
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall

My favourite readings were

Boko Haram by Mike J. Smith
The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
Memory Wall by Anthony Doerr
In One Person by John Irving
The Map Of Time by Félix J. Palma

PP I wish you a Happy New Year. Looking forward to following your readings in 2017.

>31 Ameise1: Thank you! Happy New Year!

I read 43 books this year. I laughed. I cried. I have 10 fiction and 4 nonfiction favorites.

My favorite fiction books in the order I read them:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition by J. K. Rowling
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall

My favorite nonfiction books in the order I read them:
Angela's Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt
"Guns Don't Kill People, People Kill People": And Other Myths About Guns and Gun Control by Dennis A. Henigan - finished 8/26
A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope, and a Restaurant in Rwanda by Josh Ruxin
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

What were your favorites this year?

I tried 2 challenges this year, and completed one. I like using challenges to help me attack my tbr piles.

What's In A Name Challenge completed on 12/25
(Read a book with these things in the title)
A country: A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope, and a Restaurant in Rwanda by Josh Ruxin finished 9/3
An item of clothing: In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner finished 8/14
An item of furniture: Frida's Bed by Slavenka Drakulic finished 7/16
A profession: Mr. Darwin's Shooter by Roger McDonald finished 2/21
A month of the year: The Door to December by Dean Koontz finished 12/25
A title with the word ‘tree’ in it: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith finished 7/25

Did not complete Eclectic Reader Challenge read 8/12 genres
A book about books: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan finished 6/25
A novel set on an island: Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton finished 2/29
Investigative journalism: Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer finished 11/15
Disaster Fiction: Cinder by Marissa Meyer finished 7//14
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize: Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch finished 7/7
Psychology: Killing for Company: The Story of a Man Addicted to Murder by Brian Masters finished 11/6
YA historical fiction: The Foretelling by Alice Hoffman finished 6/19
A debut author in 2016: Running with Rhinos by Ed Warner finished 5/12
Serial killer thriller:
Paranormal romance:
Steampunk sci fi:
Immigrant Experience fiction:

Next year I'm going to do the What's In A Name Challenge again, and I'll also try the Monthly Keyword Challenge for the first time.

What reading challenges will you be joining this year?

If you want to follow me again in 2017 go to this 50 Book Challenge thread.