Paperback Pirate is reading 43 again!

I read 43 books in 2016, and looking back at previous years I see that is the third time I've read exactly 43. Weird. So I guess 43 is my goal for 2017.

Previous threads in case you're interested:

2016 (43 books)
2015 (35 books)
2014 (33 books)
2013 (50 books)
2012 (43 books)
2011 (43 books)
2010 (42 books)

I hope you join me!

January-March
1. Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher - finished 1/5
2. The Horses of Proud Spirit by Melanie Sue Bowles - finished 1/13
3. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly - finished 1/28
4. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed - finished 2/21
5. I'll Take You There: A Novel by Wally Lamb - finished 2/26
6. The Tea Rose: A Novel by Jennifer Donnelly - finished 3/10
7. Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly - finished 3/14
8. Strange Magic: An Essex Witches Mystery by Sydney Moore - finished 3/24

April-June
9. My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem - finished 4/9
10. By Bread Alone by Sarah-Kate Lynch - finished 4/16
11. The Walking Dead, Vol. 6: This Sorrowful Life by Robert Kirkman - finished 4/16
12. Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West - finished 4/23
13. New Boy (Hogarth Shakespeare) by Tracy Chevalier - finished 4/29
14. A Year at the Races: Reflections on Horses, Humans, Love, Money, and Luck by Jane Smiley - finished 5/19
15. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - finished 6/4
16. One Good Dog by Susan Wilson - finished 6/9
17. Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne - finished 6/15
18. Angels by Marian Keyes - finished 6/28

July-September
19. The Vanishing Velázquez: A 19th Century Bookseller's Obsession with a Lost Masterpiece by Laura Cumming - finished 7/4
20. Diego Velázquez: Life and Work by Dieter Beaujean - finished 7/7
21. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: From the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection by Nicholas Chambers - finished 7/7
22. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - finished 7/10
23. Summer of Night: A Novel by Dan Simmons - finished 7/23
24. Still Life with Bread Crumbs: A Novel by Anna Quindlen - finished 7/29
25. The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin - finished 8/5
26. Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King - finished 8/12
27. The Improbability of Love: A Novel by Hannah Rothschild - finished 9/2
28. Miracles in Marble: A Story of MODERN METHODS Applied to One of America's Oldest Industries by Vermont Marble Company - finished 9/4
29. Losing Battles by Eudora Welty - finished 9/17
30. The Color Purple by Alice Walker - finished 9/28

October-December
31. Revival by Stephen King - finished 10/12
32. The Spy: A Novel of Mata Hari by Paulo Coelho - finished 10/26
33. Creepshow by Stephen King - finished 10/31
34. The Color of Pixar by Tia Kratter
35. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Illustrated Edition by J. K. Rowling - finished 11/17
36. Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic by Connie H. Choi - finished 11/26
37. Salem's Lot by Stephen King - finished 12/1
38. A Long Way Home: A Memoir by Saroo Brierley - finished 12/8
39. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - finished 12/15
40. The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West by Lesley Poling-Kempes - finished 12/25
41. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean - finished 12/29

Inspired by rocketjk, I'm going to keep track of where my reading takes me in 2017 here:

USA
Arizona: The Harvey Girls by Lesley Poling-Kempes
California: Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
A Year at the Races: Reflections on Horses, Humans, Love, Money, and Luck by Jane Smiley
Angels by Marian Keyes
The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin
Florida: The Horses of Proud Spirit by Melanie Sue Bowles
Georgia: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Illinois: Summer of Night by Dan Simmons
Kansas: The Harvey Girls by Lesley Poling-Kempes
Maine: Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
Revival by Stephen King
Salem's Lot by Stephen King
Massachusetts: One Good Dog by Susan Wilson
Mississippi: Losing Battles by Eudora Welty
New Mexico: The Harvey Girls by Lesley Poling-Kempes
New York: I'll Take You There: A Novel by Wally Lamb
The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
The Vanishing Velázquez by Laura Cumming
Still Life with Bread Crumbs: A Novel by Anna Quindlen
Oregon: Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Tennessee: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Vermont: Miracles in Marble: A Story of MODERN METHODS Applied to One of America's Oldest Industries by Vermont Marble Company
Virginia: Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
Washington, D.C.: New Boy (Hogarth Shakespeare) by Tracy Chevalier

Countries
Australia: A Long Way Home: A Memoir by Saroo Brierley
Canada: Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
England: The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
Strange Magic by Sydney Moore
By Bread Alone by Sarah-Kate Lynch
The Vanishing Velázquez by Laura Cumming
The Improbability of Love: A Novel by Hannah Rothschild
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
France: By Bread Alone by Sarah-Kate Lynch
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Germany: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
India: A Long Way Home: A Memoir by Saroo Brierley
Ireland: Angels by Marian Keyes
Liberia: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I would be thrilled to get to 43 books this year! Hope you have a great time with your 2017 Challenge!

>4 jlshall: Thank you!

Happy reading 2017. Dropped a star.

Sounds like a good goal, and who knows? You might surprise yourself!

Hi Pirate, Happy New Year of reading! 43 books, huh? One more than the answer of 42... :)

I like the idea of keeping track of where your reading takes you. I always try to tag my books with their location, but I've never thought to list the locations. Interesting!

>6 Ameise1: Happy reading in 2017 to you! Thanks for following me again. I always enjoy your lists.

>7 lamplight: I love surprising myself, I guess we'll see...
What's your goal for 2017?

>8 Copperskye: I tried finding a map journal to color in, but I think I'll have to make one myself.
This was my first year making a list, and I was surprised at the diversity of the settings. You should give it a try.

Does anyone know how to edit a topic title? I used to know how but now I can't remember.

1. I've had Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher for 4 years according to LT. It's a shame I used death as a catalyst to read it at last, but I read it.
This is a semi-autobiographical story of a Hollywood star named Suzanne Vale. We meet her when she's hit her rock bottom, and follow along to find out if she can make her way up again. I enjoyed her story, and felt the description of addiction was very real and very scary.

When I posted that I was reading this on Instagram, 2 of my friends commented how much they loved this book, one of them how it changed her reading life. I love how books connect us in these interesting ways.

>12 PaperbackPirate: PP, you can't change the topic headline. You can only do it for the first few minutes. You could ask Lorainne from the LT staff if she could help you in that.

Congrats on finishing the first book.

>14 Ameise1: Thank you for letting me know! You're right, I think it was in the first few minutes when I did it before. I'll just leave it then since it's only a space bothering me!

8. Strange Magic is a fictional mystery centered around the true story of Ursula Kemp, who was hanged for "witchcraft" in 1582. Rosie Strange inherits a witch museum from her grandfather and immediately embarks on a witch-hunt (har, har) for Ursula's bones.
This was a fun story that kept me turning pages until the end. I enjoyed the feminist theory sprinkled throughout and the magical moments. I look forward to the next in the series.

What were your first quarter favorite books? Mine, in the order I read them, are:

The Horses of Proud Spirit by Melanie Sue Bowles
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
I'll Take You There: A Novel by Wally Lamb
The Tea Rose: A Novel by Jennifer Donnelly

The year is halfway over? Time to share my second quarter favorites! My five favorite books, in the order I read them, are:

Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West
New Boy (Hogarth Shakespeare) by Tracy Chevalier
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
One Good Dog by Susan Wilson
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

What were yours?

13. I received New Boy as an Early Reviewer. It's the retelling of Othello, but I've never read Othello (hopefully this month!). Not having a basis for comparison, I thought this was an important and shocking story.

Osei is the new boy at an all white elementary school in the 1970s. He quickly befriends the most popular girl in the school, causing tension among some classmates and teachers because he is black.

For a story that spans the length of one day, I felt very familiar with each main character and became engrossed in their seemingly simple childhood drama. This is not a typical coming-of-age story though, and the conclusion left me analyzing racism and bullying for days.

If you're a fan of Tracy Chevalier, you won't be disappointed.

Hi Pirate, Just stopping by to say hello and see what you've been reading. You've reminded me that I have New Boy to get to!

My favorite second quarter reads in the order read:
The Blue Hour by Laura Pritchett
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
11/22/63 by Stephen King
The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly
Last Friends by Jane Gardam

I loved All the Light We Cannot See, too.

>20 Copperskye: My mother-in-law loves Wallace Stegner. Some day! Thank you for sharing your list!

New Boy (Hogarth Shakespeare) should be a quick read for you. Have you read Othello?

34. The Color of Pixar by Tia Kratter is a collection of still frames from Pixar movies organized by color theme. Each page includes one frame from a movie, the title, and the year it came out. I think it was just the right amount of information.
After spending a summer practicing mindfulness I enjoyed challenging myself to take some time with each page instead of flipping through. This book is a beautiful way to revisit some favorite movies and favorite movie moments.

I forgot to post my third quarter (July-September) favorites!

In the order I read them:
The Vanishing Velázquez: A 19th Century Bookseller's Obsession with a Lost Masterpiece by Laura Cumming
Summer of Night: A Novel by Dan Simmons
The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin
The Improbability of Love: A Novel by Hannah Rothschild
The Color Purple by Alice Walker - favorite from this list!

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones.

Thank you! Happy Holidays Ameise1!

My third quarter

The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo
The Legacy of the Bones by Dolores Redondo
Offering to the Storm by Dolores Redondo
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Siegen heißt, den Tag überleben: Nahaufnahmen aus Syrien by Petra Ramsauer

>26 Ameise1: Thank you for sharing your list!

In the order I read them, my fourth quarter favorites are:

Creepshow by Stephen King
Salem's Lot by Stephen King
A Long Way Home: A Memoir by Saroo Brierley
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West by Lesley Poling-Kempes

What were your favorites from October-December?

Happy New Year!

I finished the year with 41 books.

My 10 favorite books of 2017 in the order I read them are:

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
The Tea Rose: A Novel by Jennifer Donnelly
Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West
New Boy (Hogarth Shakespeare) by Tracy Chevalier
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
One Good Dog by Susan Wilson
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Salem's Lot by Stephen King
A Long Way Home: A Memoir by Saroo Brierley
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Also I want to shout-out my rereads:
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Illustrated Edition by J. K. Rowling

What were your favorites?

Participating in these challenges helped me read 11 books from my shelf in 2017:

What's In A Name Challenge - COMPLETED!
(read a book with these things in the title)
A number: Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne, finished 6/15
A building: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, finished 11/17
A title which has an ‘X’ somewhere in it: The Color of Pixar by Tia Kratter, finished 11/1
A compass direction: The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West by Lesley Poling-Kempes, finished 12/25
An item of cutlery: The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean, finished 12/29
A title with alliteration: The Vanishing Velázquez by Laura Cumming, finished 7/4

Monthly Keyword Reading Challenge - 10/12
(read a book with one of these words in the title)
JAN- Court, Fall, Of, Way, Deep, Thousand: The Horses of Proud Spirit by Melanie Sue Bowles
FEB- And, Rose, Promise, Every, Deception, Blazing: The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
MAR- Shall, Go, By, Silence, Her, Saga: By Bread Alone by Sarah-Kate Lynch
APR- From, Trigger, Tale, His, Crown, Mist: Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West
MAY- Four, Wind, All, Fury, Days, Shade: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
JUN- Without, Know, Good, Watch, One, Have: One Good Dog by Susan Wilson
JUL- Before, Final, All, Freedom, Life, Dream: Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen
AUG- Sun, Infinite, Big, My, Wherever, Most: The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin
SEP- Sand, From, Between, Ever, Reasons, Clash: The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean
OCT- Darker, You, Ashes, Out, House, Sea
NOV- Place, War, Heart, Why, Give, Meet
DEC- Forget, Twilight, Only, Crystal, On, Will: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Some of these books turned out to be my favorites for the year.
I'm going to participate in these challenges again in 2018 and attack my tbr pile once more!

Where did you found these challenges?

>31 Ameise1: You read a lot of books with interesting titles, so I would love to see what you come up with!

What's In A Name 2018

Monthly Key Word Challenge 2018

The blog makes you get to the challenge in a weird way so here's the image. Sorry I don't know how to make it smaller!

>32 frahealee:
Thank you so much! You should join this group even if your goal is 25. People in this group have goals above and below 50; we all just like posting here.

Also the goal of 50 doesn't reflect the size of the books read, or how hard they are to get through, as you mentioned Don Quixote is. Or if you are a single mom of 4! Wow!

Thank you for saying hi and reading my lists. I hope you join us this year!

Happy New Year!

Thanks so m6ch. I'll take a closer look.

I found this book quiz on carlym's thread a few years ago. On this one you're supposed to answer the questions with titles of books read in 2017. Think of it as Cards Against Humanity with book titles.

Describe yourself: The Girl on the Train
How do you feel? Wild
Describe where you currently live: Postcards from the Edge
If you could go anywhere...? Around the World in 80 Days
Favorite form of transportation: The Horses of Proud Spirit
Your best friend is: Shrill
You and your friends are: Angels
What's the weather like? The Color Purple
Your favorite time of day is: Summer of Night
What is life for you? Lost in a Book
You fear: Losing Battles
Best advice: One Good Dog
Thought for the day: A New Republic
How you would like to die: Strange Magic

Anyone else want to play along?