But first some fun statistics from Goodreads. (I really do love that site.) And a couple of my own.
Books: 58
Pages: 19,414
Shortest Book: Interference - 178 pages
Longest Book: Echo - 587 pages
Average Length: 335 pages
Most Popular: The Hobbit
Highest Rating on Goodreads: Cress
Most Read Month: February - 9 books
Least Read Month: November and December - 2 books (Darn those holidays)
Two Stars: The Royal We, The Sisters Brothers, The Neverending Story, Crimson Bound (I don't recommend any of these books.)
Fun huh? It is kind of cool to look back and realize how much time I have ignored my children and lived in another world. (I jest, but only slightly.)
Now for my top
Seriously, this is hard.
I can't put these in order of liking, so I will just list them all, with pictures to follow.
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown - If I had a favorite, it would probably be this one. I love historical narrative. This story was so amazing and well told that even though I knew how it ended, I was still biting my nails as they came to the finish line!
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - This was a story of the Lithuania people and the tragedies they suffered during WWII. I knew little of their story and was appalled at the cruelty while being awed by the endurance of people.
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult - This is simply one of those books that makes you consider at the end. Would you have done the same? Set in modern times with flash backs to war times. Surprise ending which I sort of guessed.
Left to Tell by Ilibagiza Immaculee - I guess many of my picks are books that show the indomitable spirit of man (or woman in this case). This is the true story of a woman who lived in a closet for months as her people were killed around her. Inspiring and hard to read.
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer - This is another thinking book. A boy grows up only to find he is a clone. Is he his own person? Does he have his own soul? I loved the character development in this one.
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins - Before she wrote Hunger Games, she wrote this series. The whole thing was fantastic. I loved every book, although some more than others of course. The characters were great. I loved the world underneath ours. I especially loved the bats. Not the rats, although one rat was my favorite character. Highly recommend for kids as well.
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan - This book was beautiful. Three war stories brought together with a single Harmonica. It was hard to leave one character's story to enter another, but I loved each narrative. Possibly my second favorite of the year.
Still Alice by Lisa Genova - This book was eye opening and frightening. It really gave you a clear picture of what Alzheimer's patients endure. It was frightening because when you start reading, you feel like you exhibit all the symptoms. At least I did with my swiss cheese memory.
Interference by Amelie Antoine - Shortest read, but so intriguing. It was like a mini soap opera with twists in it. Strange, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. (Maybe I shouldn't have.) This was a free book off my Kindle.
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski - This was a series June got me hooked on. I had to read all three to feel complete. They were highly dramatic in places, but the overall story was enticing and I totally called the ending. Loved them.
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt - Had to make room for this last one. This is such a feel good book, with lovable characters and allusions to Shakespeare that keep you laughing and sighing all at once. I want to read this one again.
Phew. And now for the complete list. It was a great year of reading and I am already looking forward to lots of new books in my 3 groups. (We did lose Tim and Ivory in our family group, but both are rejoining in 2017. Woot!)
| Go Set a Watchman | Harper Lee |
| The Adventures of a South Pole Pig | Chris Kurtz |
| Cress | Marissa Meyer |
| Master | Toni Sorenson |
| Spell for Chameleon | Piers Anthony |
| The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox | Maggie O'Farrell |
| Scarlet | Marissa Meyer |
| A Gift of Magic | Lois Duncan |
| The Boys in the Boat | Daniel James Brown |
| Daring Greatly | Brene Brown |
| Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories | Roald Dahl |
| The Tale of Emily Windsnap | Liz Kessler |
| The Time Travelers (Gideon the Cutpurse) | Linda Buckley-Archer |
| The Winner's Kiss | Marie Rutkoski |
| Auggie & Me | R. J. Palacio |
| The Winner's Crime | Marie Rutkoski |
| Cinder | Marissa Meyer |
| The Winner's Curse | Marie Rutkoski |
| Interference | Amelie Antoine |
| A Desperate Fortune | Susanna Kearsley |
| The Bronze Bow | Elizabeth George Speare |
| The Magician's Nephew | C.S. Lewis |
| Help! I'm a Classroom Gambler | Pete Johnson |
| Mrs. Mike | Benedict Freedman |
| El Deafo | Cece Bell |
| The Royal We | Heather Cocks, Jessica Morgan |
| A World Without Heroes (Beyonders) | Brandon Mull |
| Gregor and the Code of Claw | Suzanne Collins |
| Noggin | John Corey Whaley |
| Numbers Ignite | Rebecca Rode |
| Gregor and the Marks of Secret | Suzanne Collins |
| Masterminds: Criminal Destiny | Gordon Korman |
| Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods | Suzanne Collins |
| Still Alice | Lisa Genova |
| The Wednesday Wars | Gary Schmidt |
| Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane | Suzanne Collins |
| Echo | Pam Munoz Ryan |
| The Girl on the Train | Paula Hawkins |
| Gregor the Overlander | Suzanne Collins |
| The Neverending Story | Michael Ende |
| The House of the Scorpion | Nancy Farmer |
| Renegade Magic | Stephanie Burgis |
| The Sisters Brothers | Patrick deWitt |
| Alienated | Melissa Landers |
| Left to Tell | Immaculee Ilibagiza |
| Be a Genie in Six Easy Steps | Linda Chapman and Steve Cole |
| The BFG | Roald Dahl |
| Jackpot | Gordon Korman |
| The Storyteller | Jodi Picoult |
| Crimson Bound | Rosamund Hodge |
| Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? | Mindy Kaling |
| The Hobbit | J.R.R.Tolkien |
| Hideout | Gordon Korman |
| Between Shades of Gray | Ruta Sepetys |
| Confessions of a Molly Mormon | Elona K. Shelley |
| My Very Own Fairy | Megan Dargan |
| A Single Shard | Linda Sue Park |
| Counting by 7s | Holly Goldberg Sloan |
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