brewergirl's 75 book list for 2016

Also see my thread in the 2016 ROOT Challenge group

January ... 6 books ... see message 2
February ... 8 books (1 re-read) ... see message 4
March ... 3 books ... see message 5
April ... 2 books (1 re-read) ... see message 6
May ... 5 books (2 re-read) ... see message 7
June ... 3 books (1 re-read) ... see message 8
July ... 6 books (1 re-read) ... see message 9
August ... 3 books (1 re-read) ... see message 10
September ... 5 books (1 re-read) ... see message 11
October ... 9 books (1 re-read) ... see message 13
November ... 7 books (2 re-reads) ... see message 14
December ... 7 books (2 re-reads) ... see message 15

January progress

#1: The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin ... Got this for SantaThing in 2014 but I never finished it. Very fun.

#2: Still Alice by Lisa Genova ... Got this for SantaThing last month. I wish I had read it before seeing the movie, but it is a good read.

#3: The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck ... This was slower going than I thought but good. (I admit to skimming over some details of the wagon and equipment.) I enjoyed the side-history of Mormons on the trail. Shortly after reading this I was listening to Sherlock Holmes on audiobook. I was very surprised when Mormons and their crossing into Utah came up in A Study in Scarlet. How weird is that?!

#4: Anchor & Flares: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hope, and Service by Kate Braestrup ... Another wonderful memoir by Kate Braestrup. She is the chaplain to the Maine Warden Service (as in game wardens, not prison wardens). I highly recommend any of her books.

#5: The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton ... I listened to this on audiobook. I remember seeing the movie ages ago and enjoyed the book.

#6: The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle ... Not sure why I got on a Sherlock Holmes streak but I went with it. This one was totally new to me. Good as always.

Welcome back! I *loved* Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalyse...

February progress

#7: A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle ... Continuing my Sherlock Holmes streak. Listened to this on audiobook. I was pleased to find a storyline of Mormons crossing into Utah shortly after I read more about them in The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey in January.

RE-READ: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle ... I had read this before but had forgotten many of the details.

#8: Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose ... I have seen the movie and found this audio production that was really good.

#9: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain ... Technically I should list this as a "re-read" since (according to my LT tags) I read this in 2012. But I didn't remember any of it, so I've decided to include it as a "new" read. I listened on audiobook, and I found myself having to go back and re-listen at times. But this was a fun read!

#10: Dogland: A Journey to the Heart of America's Dog Problem by Jacki Skole ... This was an early reviewer book that I just finished. It took me a while but it was an enjoyable and informative read about why there are so many dogs in shelters and facing euthanasia.

#11: Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney ... I've seen the movies, of course, but it was a good read. I listened on audioboook.

#12: A Second Daniel (In the Den of the English Lion) by Neal Roberts ... This was an Early Reviewer book. A good read about a lawyer in the time of Queen Elizabeth I who gets caught up in murder and intrigue.

#13: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield ... Had this on my shelf for a long time. A very good read with a mysterious tale being told bit by bit in flashback.

#14: Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes ... Got this through SantaThing.

March progress

#15: The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber ... A surprisingly quick read for such a thick book. Interesting story of a missionary to a distant planet. I suppose it is science fiction but with little "science" in it.

#16: Boon Island by Kenneth Roberts ... This copy has been on the family bookshelf for years, but I've never read it nor anything else by Kenneth Roberts. This is a fictionalized version of a true shipwreck off the coast of Maine in 1710.

#17: An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser ... Still not sure what I think about this one.

April progress

#18: My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout ... A woman is in the hospital and is visited by her mother, whom she hasn't seen for many years. It is told from a point in the future, looking back at the visit as well as her childhood and previous experiences. Sparse but thoughtful.

#19: Micro by Michael Crichton ... A good read but I like some of his other books better. This one was completed by Richard Preston when Crichton died.

RE-READ: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr ... Read this the first time for one book group and the second for another.

May progress

RE-READ: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman ... I love listening to Gaiman read so I listened to this one again.

#20: Call of the Wild by Jack London ... Hard to believe I had never read this one. I actually listened to it on audio.

#21: The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty ... Read this for book group. Interesting story about family relationships ... plus a mystery as well.

#22: The Cantor Wore Crinolines by Mark Schweizer ... I am addicted to this liturgical mystery series. They are light-hearted, silly, and just plain fun.

#23: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe ... This was good but not as good as I had expected. Part of it may have been that I listened to it on audio and had trouble keeping some of the names straight.

#24: A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson ... Great read about a World War II bomber pilot Teddy Todd. It is a companion piece to Life After Life which was about Teddy's sister Ursula.

RE-READ: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman ... Another re-read on audio.

June progress

RE-READ: The Twelve by Justin Cronin ... I listened to this one in preparation for reading the latest in the trilogy The City of Mirrors.

#25: The Good Man: The Civil War's Christian General and His Fight for Racial Equality by Gordon Weil ... A short biography of General Oliver Otis Howard, a distant cousin of my grandfather.

#26: Transatlantic by Colum McCann ... This one was okay. It touched upon the first transatlantic flight (from Canada to Ireland) about 1919, Frederick Douglass' visit to Ireland in about 1845, and Sen. George Mitchell during the Irish peace process. Then it moved on to a multi-generational story of Irish women.

#27: The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin ... This is the final book in the trilogy, and it was a great read.

July progress

#28: Two Old Women by Velma Wallis ... This is a folktale that we read for book group.

#29: The Murder Pit by Jeff Shelby ... Light mystery. Just okay.

#30: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante ... Read for book group. I was not impressed and don't quite understand why it got such rave reviews.

RE-READ: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood ... Listened to Clare Danes read this. Very good!

#31: Wayward Pines by Blake Crouch ... Book one in the series. I found it entertaining.

#32: Wayward by Blake Crouch ... Book two in the series.

#33: The Last Town by Blake Crouch ... Book three in the series. Time to watch the TV show.

August progress

#34: Terms of Use by Scott Allan Morrison ... Nice thriller / murder mystery.

RE-READ: Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson ... Re-read for book group. Not nearly as good as Gilead and the others in that series.

#35: A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny ... Another awesome entry in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series.

#36: The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen L. Carter ... Nice alternative history novel. What if Abraham Lincoln survived the assassination attempt?

September progress

#37: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson ... Read for book group. An interesting read. I had to keep re-reading to make sure I hadn't missed some explanatory details. I hadn't! Just had to keep reading.

#38: The Folly Under the Lake by Salema Nazzal ... An Early Reviewers book. It took me a while to get into, but it was an enjoyable murder mystery along the lines of Agatha Christie. Very British!

#39: Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn ... What would happen if Queen Elizabeth took a public train to Scotland? Very reminiscent of The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.

RE-READ: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson ... My book group is reading works by Shirley Jackson, so I re-read this one.

#40: Being There by Jerzy Kozinski ... Not as good as the movie.

#41: Bad Feminist: Essays by Roxane Gay ... Thought-provoking set of essays on gender, race, politics, and popular culture.

Hello brewergirl! I'm glad I found your page. You have quite a diverse history this year. Mine is similar in that I jump genres and pretty much go where my interest leads me. This is my first year in the 75ers.

Have a great day.

October progress

#42: The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney ... Picked this up as a part of my birthday present to myself. Interesting family drama about siblings and money ... always lots of drama there.

#43: Revolution Time by Paul G. Varnas ... This was an Early Reviewers book. It wasn't one of my favorites. It is about a brother and sister who travel (accidentally) back in time to the Revolutionary War.

#44: Death by a HoneyBee by Abigail Keam ... An entertaining light mystery.

#45: Twelve Drummers Drumming by C.C. Benison ... Enjoyable mystery set in an English village. First in a series.

#46: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead ... Excellent. Heard him speak at the Boston Book Festival this month.

RE-READ: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie ... An excellent mystery. Listened to this one read by Dan Stevens.

#47: Sphere by Michael Crichton ... Not as good as some of his others. I listened to this one on audio.

#48: Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris ... You've got to love books about grammar and punctuation! Very enoyable.

#49: Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande ... This was good but not as good as his Being Mortal.

#50: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne ... I had seen the movie but read a recommendation for the book online. I hadn't realized the book was "young adult." Very quick read, but good.

November progress

#51: Second Life by S. J. Watson ... Decent thriller but not as good as Before I Go To Sleep.

#52: The Path of the Crooked by Ellery Adams ... I didn't care for this mystery.

#53: The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden ... I've had this on the shelf for years but hadn't read it. I found an audiobook version read by Tony Shaloub so listened to it while walking the dogs. A nice way to unwind after election day!!

RE-READ: Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King ... I had read this before but listened to this version.

RE-READ: Straight Man by Richard Russo ... Re-read this for book group. Very enjoyable read ... even the second time!

#54: Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler ... This is only my second of her books. She is very good at portraying flawed families (are there any other kind?!).

#55: Infinity Lost by S. Harrison ... I listened to this on audio. It was just okay. Kind of YA science fiction.

#56: The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America by Ann Neumann ... This was an early reviewer book. Very good overview of death and dying that got into areas like euthanasia/right to die, dying in prison, hospice, etc.

#57: Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch ... Another early reviewer book. Good and suspenseful about a writer, his kinda creepy neighbor, and an old mystery.

December progress

RE-READ: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman ... Re-read for book group. Still as good as I remember. Waiting to see the movie.

#58: The Barrowfields by Philip Lewis ... This was another early reviewer book. Pretty good read about a son and his complicated relationship with his father and the house he grew up in.

#59: Commonwealth by Ann Patchett ... Very good read about a blended family and their relationship over time.

RE-READ: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens ... I read or listen to this every year. A true classic!

#60: The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens ... My first time reading any of Dickens' other Christmas works. Not bad!

#61: The Chimes by Charles Dickens ... Another of Dicken's Christmas works. Again, not bad.

#62: Everybody's Fool by Richard Russo ... Another wonderful book by Richard Russo, following up on Nobody's Fool.

#63: The One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood ... Very good read about a young boy and what happens after his unexpected death.

#64: We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ... A very quick read but thought-provoking. I plan to look up the TED talk on which it was based.

Wouldn't it be nice if 2017 was a year of peace and goodwill.
A year where people set aside their religious and racial differences.
A year where intolerance is given short shrift.
A year where hatred is replaced by, at the very least, respect.
A year where those in need are not looked upon as a burden but as a blessing.
A year where the commonality of man and woman rises up against those who would seek to subvert and divide.
A year without bombs, or shootings, or beheadings, or rape, or abuse, or spite.

2017.

Festive Greetings and a few wishes from Malaysia!