jfetting's 100 books in 2016

I'm excited for another year in this group. My reading goals are a bit more organized this year than they have been the last couple years.

1) 100 books
2) 20 nonfiction
3) 22 1001 books (which will bring me to 400 total)
4) I currently have 171 books tagged "tbr". I'd like to get that down to 150.

Good luck, Jennifer.
I always enjoy reading your accounts of the books you read, and you have flagged up several that I enjoyed which I wouldn't otherwise have come across.

you always seem to read "the good stuff" (stuff I like too ;-) ) ... except when you don't and then you have no hesitation about saying so. Happy New Year!

Best of luck, Jennifer! :) And Happy New Year!

>3 clif_hiker: I do my best to help others avoid really bad books. Life is too short.

Looking forward to seeing your reviews again!

Good luck!

The Givenness of Things by Marilynne Robinson *****

Off to a slow but spectacular start. I loved this collection of essays. Admittedly I am the choir to whom she is preaching, but her thoughts on the church today really resonated with me. I am a little put out by her obvious contempt for biologists (we are as good as physicists!), especially neurobiologists (I study kidneys so surely that is ok?). However, she makes several good points against our reductionism.

#2 The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith ****

Lots of fun. Starting the next one today.

>9 jfetting: Yay! I'm really liking this series too.

oh yay! Am so glad you're enjoying that series!

#3 Retire Inspired by Chris Hogan ****

A new release by a member of the Dave Ramsey team. It is more of an inspirational book that encourages people to save for retirement now, darn it, and less of a technical how-to book. 401(k)s and IRAs aren't mentioned until the second half, and he ignores all the subcategories (like a SEP-IRA). As motivational tool it works, but he basically orders you to go talk to a professional before you do any actual investing. Isn't bad advice, necessarily, but you can always just use Fidelity or Vanguard.

#4 The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith ****

Quite an imagination on her, isn't there? I mean him. This second volume of the Cormoran Strike books was gross in many ways (this murder is way gory-er and more graphic than the previous book's fall off a balcony - not a spoiler since it happens in the first chapter) but also a lot of fun. I'm enjoying seeing Robin stepping up and going after what she wants. I reiterate that I do not want to see Robin and Strike get together. Oh, I guess I haven't said that here. I do not want Robin and Strike to get together. No.

I'm with you. I also don't like the Strike and Robin together. I like all the Strike books, but don't like the direction I think the author is going in for Strike and Robin.

oh come on guys ... you KNOW Robin and Strike are going to get together ... it may just take 7 or 8 books to get there. The longer she can put it off, the more the sexual tension keeps us coming back for more ...

If it has to happen, she better put it off until the very last book. Unresolved sexual tension keeps us coming back for more. Trying to make a relationship between work partners interesting? Not so much. See: every single tv show ever with a male and female lead who are cops/fbi agents/paranormal investigators/detectives/journalists/doctors/etc.

I think you're right about that Jennifer ... trying to think of exceptions to the rule and can only come up with Amelia Peabody and Emerson Radcliffe ...

#5 Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith **** (audiobook)

Matthew is THE WORST. I am now fully in the "Robin + Strike = love" camp, but I would still prefer lots more awkward feelings and unresolved tension (always in the background since what I really enjoy about these books are the plots). However, based on that ending I may not get what I want. Also, Matthew is the worst.

I really liked the POV chapters from the murderer, and I didn't figure out who it was until he gave himself away after the attack. The story was disturbing but these are just so fun. I don't want to wait a year or so until the next one.

I listened to the audiobook version while doing tedious lab tasks and data analysis. The reader is fantastic, which always helps. However, I don't necessarily condone listening to this in a work environment, as part of my job involves helping other people and hearing them, not scowling at them to "leave me alone! This is a really good part!". Especially if the person is the one who pays me.

Finally, to conclude, Matthew is the worst.

lol yes Matthew is the worst ... and he doesn't get better in later books ...

and speaking of sexual tension in TV shows with cops/FBI agents/etc; I just started with episode 1 of the X-Files ... and yes there is tension from the very beginning! I watched parts of that series but now I plan to watch it all the way through ... Yay Netflix!

Whoops! I used the wrong title. It was Career of Evil, not the first book.

I loved the X-files so much when it was on the air. Friday nights in college, before heading out to the bars... Good times. Yay netflix indeed.

ah ... I haven't read that one yet so nice to know that he doesn't improve ;-)

#6 The Radiant Way by Margaret Drabble **

I've had a beat up paperback copy of this on my shelves forever, and as I prepare to pack up and move I want to get rid of as many of these as possible. This 1001 book is definitely not a keeper. I really, really enjoyed her writing style - it was the only thing that kept me going and let me finish the book. The story itself was dated. It is about 3 friends from Cambridge 25 years after their college years and starts on New Years Eve 1979 in London. Lots and lots and lots of the problems of intellectual and artsy and (mostly) rich people in London as the Thatcher years begin.

Hi! It's been a long time, but what can I say? Motherhood takes up a LOT of time. Now that my kid's almost 4, maybe I'll have a little more LT time. We'll see.

Anyway, I just now have gotten around to Cormoran Strike, and I am also enthusiastic. You guys are making me want to pick up #2 post-haste. I've read a gajillion mysteries & it's great to find one so original. Ahhh, Jo can do not wrong in my book. Pun seriously unintended.

>22 jfetting:. Very interested to read what you say about The Radiant Way as I also have a copy that has been on my shelf for years, without ever having been picked up. I can't remember where or when I acquired it.
Anyway, I think I will give it a go, now that you have reminded me of it.

>23 citygirl: hello stranger! I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of the Strike books but since #3 just came out I suspect I have a while to wait. I just read an article that says she has about 6 more planned. I hope she kills off Matthew in one of them.

>24 Eyejaybee: It isn't the kind of book that leaps off the shelf. It'll be interesting to see what other people think of it.

#7 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou **** (audiobook)

Many thanks to @mabith for her review and recommendation of the audiobook. I can't imagine approaching this book any other way. Angelou herself reads it and even sings the song bits. She's wonderful. The book is obviously challenging in places, as her childhood wasn't easy, and the description of her rape by her mother's boyfriend at age 8 is particularly horrific. If you can make it past that, you are in for a treat.

#8 The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf **

I could barely finish this, Woolf's first novel. Long and boring. I didn't become invested in any of the characters (even the Dalloways!). I thought Helen had some potential, especially after that beginning scene, but not exciting mystery came out of it.

Good thing she improved!

#9 Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff ***

So I've had a lot of trouble sleeping lately, and one thing I do in the middle of the night when I can't get back to sleep is to read book reviews on my phone. The reviews for this book suggest that many people either love it or despise it. The people who love it all seem to be inspired to write really long, flowery reviews full of SAT words (like the book itself). Honestly, I feel that like Elizabeth Bennett, this book deserves neither such censure nor such praise. It's fine. The language is nice. I learned a new word for big toe (hallux). This is the kind of book in which people do not cut their big toe, they slice their hallux.

The book tells the story of a marriage from the POV of the husband and then the POV of the wife. If it wasn't for the wife's POV section, I too would have given this book two stars. The husband's section is both longer and duller. I could find more Lauren Groff-esque words to describe the book but that would make me one of Those People. In future years, when people look back on book award longlists, they will see this title and think "What? I've never heard of that." An utterly forgettable book that was pleasant to read but will have no staying power.

PSA: do not Google "hallux" and DEFINITELY do not Google Image search "hallux".

***Slightly off-topic rant***

EVERYONE NEEDS TO STOP COMPARING BOOKS TO GONE GIRL. Gone Girl wasn't really that good. I'm not sure if I'm more annoyed at the fact that this book was compared to Gone Girl (completely inaccurate) or that people get so worked up that it ISN'T like Gone Girl.

>28 jfetting: I have to agree with things being compared to Gone Girl. I see that everywhere. And I know it's supposed to attract all the Gone Girl fans to the book, but it has the opposite effect on me. I didn't like Gone Girl so by comparing the books to that it puts me off, even though really I know they could be perfectly good books. We just need to wait for the Next Big Thing, and then every other book will be compared to that instead.

#10 Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm by Thich Nhat Hanh *****

Fantastic book about facing fear mindfully.

#11 The Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku *****

I thoroughly enjoyed his The Future of the Mind last year when I read it, and this is just as good. Its interesting that even written as recently as 2011, his chapter on gene manipulation is already dated. Mutating multiple genes simultaneously is totally possible with CRISPR. I wonder if the other chapters are equally dated.

#12 Neuromancer by William Gibson ***

Reading this in combination with the Michio Kaku book was fascinating - basically everything in this sci-fi novel is something that Kaku predicts will occur before 2100. I liked it but didn't love it.

#13 Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo ****

Another entertaining novella about a drug dealer/hitman in Norway. I'm enjoying these a lot, but Nesbo will never take the place of Mankell.

>31 jfetting: It had a lot more impact if you read it 30 years ago when it first came out. Definitely dated now.

I'm sure. I appreciate how visionary it must have been when it first came out. I just didn't really enjoy reading it all that much.

#14 The English Spy by Daniel Silva (audiobook) *****

Very enjoyable. I bet that spy thriller writers are delighted that Russia is acting up again.

#15 When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi ****

Heartbreaking account of a neurosurgeon's fight with lung cancer. He wrote a lot about his training and his dreams of a career, and the last paragraph (addressed to his infant daughter) made me cry. A thoughtful look at mortality and disease from the point of view of both doctor and patient.

Moving halfway across the country and starting a new job makes for a really slow start to the year, book-wise.

#16 The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler **

Two grudging stars. This is the sort of book that is much better as a movie. Philip Marlowe is a private investigator who speaks in very short sentences, gets in a lot of arguments, is basically a jerk to everyone, and drinks a lot. He solves a crime. The movie is better.

#17 Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain ****

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Its a memoir of his life as a chef, with some helpful cooking tips thrown in.

#18 Red Rising by Pierce Brown **** (reread)

Just refreshing my memory before starting Golden Son.

#19 Golden Son by Pierce Brown ***

Not as good as the first one. Too many battles. I always prefer politics to war, and this is all war. The thing I liked about the first book was the worldbuilding and the beginning when Darrow is underground on Mars. I'm going to finish the trilogy, but I hope #3 is better than this. It would've had 2 stars except that the ending took me by surprise.

I can't believe that it is already the second week of May and I've only read 19 books. It looks like this will be more of a 50 book year than an 100 book year for me, but giant life changes will do that to you.

I know what you mean - I changed jobs last year and my reading suffered as a result. It was hard to focus on books when my mind was taken up with new job stuff. But it gets better once you get into a groove again!

I sure hope so! I'm going through withdrawal.

#20 Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin *****

If Kurt Wallander and Cormoran Strike got together and made a baby, that baby would be Inspector John Rebus. Five very enthusiastic stars. And there are like 18 of these!!!!!

#21 The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah *.5 (audiobook, abandoned)

I just couldn't get through this one. I was bored from start to today, when my audiobook checkout was due and I couldn't be bothered to renew it. I googled which sister ended up being the old woman who narrates a few of the chapters (I guessed right), and that's enough for me. No interested in how the story got there.

>42 jfetting: I am glad you enjoyed Knots and Crosses. I thought that the Rebus series started well with this book, and then just got even better as it progressed.

#22 The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin *****

That was fantastic; I can't wait to read it again. I loved Shevek and his ideas and his world. It's so nice to read science fiction that is also Literature with a capital L (but still a good read).

#23 The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg **.2

It wasn't great and it wasn't terrible. It was free, once upon a time, through the Kindle First program, and I only just now got around to reading it. I would never pay money for this, but it was a quick fun read of a magician's assistant.

jfetting I read The Dispossessed about 20 years ago and loved it, must reread it soon, thanks for the reminder !

>45 jfetting:. I have been intending to read The Dispossessed for a long time, and having read your review I am determined actually to do it now.

The Dispossessed was so good that it has made it difficult to start and finish other books. I am in a full-on reading slump, but I managed something simple:

#24 Eleanor and Park *****

YA novel about two teenage misfits who fall in love. There are other issues at play, the sort of issues that made me think "huh, I wonder if that's..." at the beginning and then go "yep. oh God" at the end. A surprising amount packed into this little book, and I loved it.

Read this with my students this year and they loved it.

#25 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card *****

Fantastic book, although I felt really sorry for poor Ender. I bet if I had read it when younger, like so many people did, I would have thought it was more exciting. Twist ending completely got me.

#26 The Lost Garden by Ang Li ***

Meh. Forgettable. I'd like to visit the garden, though.

#27 War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy ****

I did it! I read War and Peace! It took me six months, what with all the life changes and all, but I did it! I really enjoyed the peace sections, and didn't mind the war sections too much (although I did want to get back to Natasha and her very interesting life). It would have been a 5-star book except for that long, rambling, completely unrelated epilogue.

wow!

Congratulations!

Many congrats on finishing such a tome! Also I'm glad to know that the epilogue can be avoided.

#28 The Secret River by Kate Grenville ***

I had forgotten that I read this one a couple weeks ago. It's pretty forgettable. I didn't like the bit at the end at all - we're not supposed to, but it really turned me off the book as a whole.

#29 The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh ****

Another one I had forgotten to post here, but this book was great. I loved the story, and the connections between the families, and how slowly Ghosh gets us to the tragic event at the end.

Yay for finishing War and Peace! Yeah, I pretty much tried to pretend the second epilogue didn't happen.

I liked The Secret River more than you but I can't remember why anymore. Probably means it wasn't so great.

I haven't read any Ghosh yet but have heard good things. Is this part of the Sea of Poppies series?

It isn't, it's one of his other books that is also a 1001 book. I've read Sea of Poppies and thought it was great, but haven't gotten around to reading the other two. They're sitting on my shelves, or will be once I find the box that they are in.

#30 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (re-re-re-re-re-re-re-read) *****

Having a tough time with this reading slump. To me, P&P is the literary equivalent of comfort food. I needed to spend a little time with the Bennets before the next re-read on my list (The Passage, which loved but which gave me nightmares for years).

#31 The Passage by Justin Cronin (re-read) (still 4 stars)

The first time I read this book, 5 or 6 years ago now, it terrified me. I still have nightmares set in the train scene at the beginning. Even though I do not like being scared, I loved the book and still do the second time around. I'm rereading it because City of Mirrors, the third book in the trilogy, just came out recently and I wanted to refresh my memory. The Twelve is up next.

#32 Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles **

I started this because it was short and couldn't possibly take that long to read, but I was wrong. It took me about a month because I just couldn't get into it. I'm not really sure why I finished it.

#33 The Twelve by Justin Cronin (re-read), still *****

God, I love this book. It's so, so good. I don't think it is as scary as the first book, but it's still great. We learn more about Year Zero, and the ancestors of some of the main characters. On to City of Mirrors!

#34 City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin ****

That did not end the way I expected, not at all. I ended up having a lot of sympathy for Zero, aka Tim Fanning, and was glad that he ended up not being all-that-terribly-evil, more misunderstood, and actually got to have his happily ever after with Liz. I was really rooting for Amy and Peter to live happily ever after, and I do not call 200 years of Peter being a viral while Amy was human-ish as happily ever after. I kept waiting for them to get to the farmhouse! But that was just imaginary?.

In general, I had a hard time telling what was real and what was imaginary/in the characters heads/spiritually true but not factual. I loved the last couple of chapters. I think Amy's fate was tragic.

Usually when a book ends this differently than I expect, I am unhappy, but I think this one will grow on me. Well done, Mr. Cronin.

DO NOT CLICK ON THE SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK. IT WILL RUIN EVERYTHING. DON'T MAKE ME SHOUT AT YOU MORE.

#35 A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé *****

I LOVED this book and I wish that The Good Novel was a real bookstore.

#36 The Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon and somebody else who didn't pop up on the touchstone ****

I am a giant fan of this particular Supreme Court justice and also of the Notorious RBG tumblr. I wasn't sure what to expect of this book, but it's basically an adoring, totally biased biography. As someone who agrees with the authors 100%, I loved it. I can see how others will not.

#37 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by Jack Thorne and JK Rowling, a bit, and a third person ****

Not the same as the novels in the series, obviously, but it did a good job moving the story to the new generation, and presenting the touching and not-perfect relationship between Harry and his son, Albus. We catch up with some old favorites (and get the brief yet thoroughly satisfying return of My Favorite Character). I'd love to see this on stage.

#38 The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller *****

Yay! I'm out of my book slump and on a roll of fantastic books. I love all modern retellings of Greek mythology and hero stories, and this is no exception. It is pretty fantastic - the story of Achilles, told from the POV of Patroclus. It's an exciting adventure story, and a sweet love story, and very well written. Highly recommended; go read it.

Glad you enjoyed The Song of Achilles! I really liked it too. Have you read Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin?

Not yet - I loved The Dispossessed earlier this year and loved it, and am looking forward to reading more of her books. Lavinia sounds great.

>66 jfetting: Yes! I loved The Song of Achilles! I read it right when it came out and it got me back in to reading new fiction (I was really stuck on classics). I also really need to try Ursula K. Le Guin.

>69 japaul22: I LOVED The Dispossessed. It is kind of science fiction-y, a bit, but so much more.

Yeah, I'm not usually into science fiction, but I'm going to give it a try anyway. A good book is a good book, right?

Yeah, so on Planet Citygirl, it takes six months to reply to a note (#25); probably shoulda mentioned it...

Anyhoo. As usual we've been doing a bit of cross-reading. Points to make:

1. Yes, Galbraith should definitely kill off Matthew.

2. I quite enjoyed Fates & Furies. I thought Groff had an unusual way of showing the characters of the characters.

3. I really liked The Passage, but I put The Twelve down about 18 months ago because it was so unrelentingly bleak. I tell myself I'll pick it up again one day, maybe when there's cure for depression.

4. I also have The Notorious RBG and I also think she's fabulous.

5. I quite enjoyed HP & the CC. There were a few WTF moments, but all-in-all a worthy addition. It felt so nice to have a new HP to read!

6. And, oh yes, Rebus is quite good, isn't he. Did I ever tell you how ~5 years ago I spent one summer reading EVERY SINGLE ONE of PD James' mysteries? To the exclusion of other books. I have never done that before. It was so weird, it was like the series took over my mind or something. I'm still not sure how it happened. So I'm thinking, if you like Rebus, you'll enjoy Dalgliesh, unless you already have.

:)

>66 jfetting: I really enjoyed Song of Achilles when I read it last year too. I think I put it on my list of favourite reads of the year in fact. I'm also planning on reading both The Dispossessed and Lavinia, but I haven't read any Le Guin novels yet.

#39 Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine ***

This is the second volume in a trilogy about magical teenagers go to magical school, except that these magical teenagers aren't really magical, they are librarians in a world where the Library of Alexandria was never destroyed, and The Library is evil and controls access to information. I am kind of vaguely curious how it will all play out, so I keep reading them, but they are mediocre at best. This one did not have enough of Christopher Wolfe, who was really the only interesting character in the previous book (and he was GREAT in the first book). Hopefully the third book will not make the same mistake.

>74 jfetting: Ah, disappointing to hear. I'll still request it from the library, in the hopes that the third book, as you say, will get back on track.

>75 ronincats: I so wish she hadn't picked Jess as her main character. ANYONE else would be a better choice. But especially Wolfe.

>76 jfetting: I think I liked it better than you did, overall. More Wolfe would have been nice, but he's definitely a broken man here. Interesting twist at the end, yes?

>77 ronincats: Yes, that was a great ending. I didn't see that coming at all.

#40 Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens ***

Not much to say - not as good as Bleak House or Pickwick Papers, not as bad as David Copperfield. I adore Tom Pinch and really think he got the shaft. Poor guy. He deserved so much better! I kind of wish Martin jr. had died in the US so that
Tom could end up with the girl.

And boy, Dickens did not think much of we Americans, and it's a little horrifying how familiar some of his U.S. caricatures seem, still. Especially this year...

I'm not sure I'll ever go back to Dickens. I've read 6 of his books and I feel like I've covered what I need to. And now that I've discovered Trollope, he just annoys me even more.

Trollope>>>>>Dickens, very true.

#41 The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene ****

A powerful little novel about a priest living (and hiding) in a Mexican state under the control of a government who murdered all priests who wouldn't stop being priests. He hides, and tries to escape, but keeps getting pulled back to help people. He is torn between what he sees as his fundamental unfitness to minister to these people, and his desire for self-preservation, and his desire to serve God. I've read that many consider this Greene's masterpiece, and while it wasn't necessarily my favorite to read, I can see why.

#42 The Gemini Effect by Chuck Grossart *

OH MY GOD what a terrible book to follow The Power and the Glory. It's truly, truly terrible. I got it free as one of those Kindle Prime First novels, and I think they owe me money for the hour and a half I spent reading it.

Short recap: super, super terrible virus-mutates-creatures-who-kill-humanity books, but it is THE WORST.

#43 The Special Power of Restoring Lost Things by Courtney Elizabeth Mauk **

Another Kindle Prime First whatever novels. This one wasn't as bad, but I in no way recommend anyone read it.

#44 A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr *****

I loved this little book about a man reflecting back on a very happy month he spent restoring a church mural in the English countryside, just after WWI. It was bittersweet, and nostalgic, and made me want to go there. Perfect late summer read.

#45 A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre *****

Extremely entertaining and highly recommended look at the British spy who was a double agent for the USSR for decades, and the class system that made it possible.

>84 jfetting: I enjoyed that book, too. I found it especially intriguing as I had just finished reading John le Carre's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy which had so many references (both blatant and oblique) to the Philby affair.

>85 Eyejaybee: Le Carre's afterword was pretty entertaining, too - especially his interview with Nicholas Elliott.

#46 A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara * Also this review should probably come with a trigger warning and a spoiler alert.

Oh goodness. Where to begin with this book. With a digression, I think. So one of my top 5 favorite books ever is Lolita, and I've never understood people who were like "yeah, whatever, it glorifies child rape", because its Nabokov and its art, and its really (alarmingly) easy to ignore/forget about the rape part because its Nabokov and he is a genius.

I now understand those people, and I feel exactly the same way about this book. It was nominated for tons of awards, and lots of people give it lots of stars, but oh my word. Once the author starts describing the past of one character, it is like 100 pages of explicit child rape. On and on and on. It made me sick, and I could barely finish it. I ended up skimming most of the flashback parts (and there are LOTS OF THEM) because it was too much for me. As an adult, that same character's cutting and self-harm and further sexual abuse are ALSO described in excruciating detail. Just misery heaped upon misery upon more misery. And all his alleged friends just enabling his behavior, not getting him help - the ending of this book was inevitable and did not come quickly enough for me.

#47 Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips ***** (re-read)

A little palate cleanser between the unrelenting misery of #46 and the unrelenting disgusting mess that will be #48 (stay tuned!).

#48 The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell **

I don't understand the praise of this book. It alternates between disgusting and incredibly boring. The premise is good - WWII, told from the point of view of a Nazi SS officer - and his rationalization of war crimes is disturbing but well done. That's about 10 pages of the book. Otherwise, it is slaughter, diarrhea, incest, murder, feces, bugs, ick. Ick. And it goes on forever. Avoid.

Wow, you've not been having much luck. At least I know what to avoid.

It has not been my year for reading excellent books. A couple of gems, but mostly a lot of horrifying nightmare books.

too bad about your books- this year I am reading a lot of non-fiction for some reason.

I just got a medal b/c it is my 10 year Thingaversary! Seems like just yesterday. I bet there aren't many websites from 2006 that have people stick around and be active for 10 years. Well, non-political ones, anyway.

>93 jfetting: yay! So glad you found this place and introduced me to it! It's been so fun to follow your reading!

Happy Thingaversary!

Congratulations! 🎉

It'll have to be my reading-related "yay Jen!" of 2016 because I'll be shocked if I manage to read 50 books this year, much less 100.

Yay, happy Thingaversary! I just had my 9th late last month.

A Thingaversary is always worth celebrating! Some years just aren't our reading years. It happens to everyone.

Maybe I will reach 50...

#49 The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff ****

Delightful, but not as delightful as 84, Charing Cross Rd.

#50 The Gift by Vladimir Nabokov ****

I wish this was annotated. I don't know my Nabokov-approved Russian literature well enough to get the jokes. Still, this was pretty great. It's about a young Russian emigre poet/novelist (Fyodor) living in Berlin in the 20s, I think. Each section of the book is told in the style of a different Russian poet or novelist (too bad I've never read them though!), and the 3rd section is the satirical biography that Fyodor wrote. It's a pretty strange book.

#51 The Bat by Jo Nesbo ****

Extremely entertaining crime fiction starring Harry Hole, the alcoholic Norwegian cop. He is miserable and good at solving murders, and will have to fill the void left by the death of Kurt Wallander (and Nesbo is my new Henning Mankell).

Read it. It's so good.

Noted.

#52 My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier ****

Not as good as Rebecca, but still quite good. This is the sort of book where a really pretty decent person is clearly being taken advantage of for his money, and usually those books make me a little bit stressed out because I don't like when bad characters take advantage of good characters. Here, the good character is so stupid that I didn't mind - anyone that dumb deserves whatever comes.

I love that even at the end, I don't really know if Rachel tried to poison Philip or not. I'm leaning towards no, but can't be sure.

Hmmm. Like why does Mr. Jarndyce let Mr. Skimpole get away with his moochiocity in Bleak House? But Mr. Jarndyce isn't dumb, but I really wanted to smack Skimpole.

Yes exactly! Except that one did stress me out bc I liked Mr. Jarndyce.

#53 Hide & Seek by Ian Rankin ****

There must be over 100 books called "Hide and Seek". It took me forever to find the right touchstone. Anyway. I very much enjoyed this installment of Inspector Rebus and his much-put-upon underling Holmes as they track down the killer of a bizarre drug-overdose-and-maybe-occult killing in Edinburgh. Like almost all police procedurals, its pretty dark, but Rebus has his moments of humor, and the story is compulsively readable.

#54 A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle ****

This kind of reminded me of one of those will-you-look-at-these-crazy-locals travel book, except that Mayle stays put. It was funny and entertaining and made me wish that I had the kind of life that allowed me to buy and renovate a farmhouse in Provence and eat a lot of delicious things.

#55 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling *****

Still one of my favorites of the series.

#56 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick ***

I didn't love Blade Runner - the book is better. And the idea that humans can be distinguished from AI androids by empathy is pretty optimistic, I think.

Hard to believe in empathy at all given the elections of 2016...

I'm trying to have empathy for "misguided" voters. Well, I'm trying to try to have empathy for them. Wait! Does that make me an android?

If you are one, then so am I. I'm afraid of what 2017 will bring.

And the last book of the year is
#57 The Long, Dark Teatime of the Soul by Douglas Adams ****

I needed this. Hilarious and witty and containing Norse gods and, if not quite up to Hitchhiker's Guide levels of hilarity, still one of the better books I've read all year.

ETA: I lied! Forgot this one:

#58 Getting Things Done by David Allen ****

At my new job, I have a completely undeserved reputation for being organized and on top of things. Because this is likely to influence my career path in a way that I'm not sure I am thrilled about, I'd like to actually become organized and on top of things. This book may help. Plus it gives me permission to make like 5 different lists at anytime, and I love lists.

And now time for my year-end roundup! Nominees in regular font, winners in bold.

Best book of the year (fiction): a tossup between The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin and A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse, but I'm giving it to Le Guin. Honorable mentions for The Song of Achilles and Knots and Crosses
Best book of the year (nonfiction): The Givenness of Things by Marilynne Robinson, A Friend Among Spies, The Notorious RBG
Worst book of the year: The Nightingale, A Little Life, The Gemini Effect, but this has been a TERRIBLE year for reading so there are several on my list that I'd suggest you avoid
The New Kurt Wallander: Inspector Rebus, Cormoran Strike, Harry Hole (legit the only difficult decision this year)
She Is A Wonderful Brilliant Genius: Marilynne Robinson, Jo Rowling I love the Cormoran Strike books so much, and the Harry Potter books so much
Best New Discovery: Ian Rankin and the Inspector Rebus books
Longest Tome That Ended Up Being Worth It: War and Peace
Longest Tome to Run Screaming From: The Kindly Ones, A Little Life}

Thank you all for following my increasingly poorly thought out ramblings. Happy New Year, and I look forward to following your reading in 2017!

My 2017 reading list and disorganized thoughts can be found here

Hope to see you there!

I'm excited to get to Dispossessed in 2017 - I probably wouldn't be picking it up if it weren't for your glowing review!