Reading List for 2019!

Hey there! I usually write a teensy bit about the books I read each year, but since it's August and I've had everything except the descriptions ready since January, I'm just going to accept that this is the best I'm going to do for 2019's list and publish it anyway! You can find my lists for previous years here: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012.

These are all listed in no particular order, but I did highlight a few of my favorites. Happy reading!

Top Nine Recommendations

• Inheritance, by Dani Shapiro
• Stiff, by Mary Roach
• Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens
• The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe, by Ally Condie
• The Warden's Daughter, by Jerry Spinelli
• Because of Winn Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
• Joey Pigza series
• The Terrible Two series
• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series

 

Nonfiction

• Inheritance, by Dani Shapiro (Loved this! Author finds out her father isn't her biological father and she grapples with that)
• Packing for Mars, by Mary Roach (Crazy interesting! Read if you're at all interested in life in space!)
• Stiff, by Mary Roach (Topic sounds morbid--cadavers--but this book is seriously amazing; I think about it all the time)
• Girl, Wash Your Face, by Rachel Hollis (Pulled out so many gems; really motivational but also author bugged me sometimes)
• Have a Little Faith, by Mitch Albom (Nice read)
• The Survivor's Club, by Michael Bornstein (Story of a very young survivor of Auschwitz; nicely written)
• Someone Named Eva, by Joan M. Wolf
• The Girl Who Survived: A True Story of the Holocaust, by Carol Bierman
• The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo
• Don Lind: Mormon Astronaut, by Kathleen Lind
• Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White, by Melissa Sweet (Nicely done author bio!)
• Small Fry, by Lisa Brennan Jobs (Written by Steve Jobs' daughter; what a wild life)
• American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race, by Douglas Brinkley (Really well done!)
• The Man Who Knew the Way to the Moon, by Todd Zwillich
• Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors, by Piers Paul Read (This one's an incredible story)
• Writer Rader, by Jack Gantos (Crazy good if you're interested in writing! Great for youth too; M loved it.)
• The Sound of Gravel: A Memoir, by Ruth Wariner (Fascinating story of a girl who grew up in a polygamous family in Mexico)

Fiction

• Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens (Excellent read!)
• The Orphan's Tale, by Pam Jenoff (Liked this one; WWII book)
• The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton (This one was pretty wild. I liked it but it does get a little dark by the end.)
• The Chemist, by Stephenie Meyer (Man, she can spin a great story! SO MANY problems with this one, let's be honest, but it was SUCH a fun read.)
• The Undaunted, by Gerald Lund (Loved this!)
• Muddy, by Dean Hughes
• In This Grave Hour, by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs)
• The American Agent, by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs)
• The Color of all the Cattle, by Alexander McCall Smith (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency)

YA

• The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe, by Ally Condie (Absolutely LOVED this one!)
• My Lady Jane, by Cynthia Hand (Kind of a light, funny book; it follows history pretty closely for a bit and then takes a sharp turn to re-write history)
• Terror at Bottle Creek, by Watt Key (Really enjoyed the books I read by this author)
• Alabama Moon, by Watt Key
• Dirt Road Home, by Watt Key
• The Goats, by Brock Cole (Careful with this one)
• The Trouble in Me, by Jack Gantos (A lot more raw than his other books. I was glad I read it, but wouldn't read it without any context for his work.)
• Poison Diaries, by Maryrose Wood (Cannot express how much I hated this one! Didn't finish; it's seriously SO BAD)

Middle Grade

• The Warden's Daughter, by Jerry Spinelli (repeat) (Love, love!)
• Ashes, by Laurie Halse Anderson (Final in a trilogy; great series)
• The Battle of Junk Mountain, by Lauren Greenberg
• Front Desk, by Kelly Yang (Loved this!)
• Louisiana's Way Home, by Kate DiCamillo (You can't go wrong with Kate DiCamillo!!)
• Beverly, Right Here, by Kate DiCamillo
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo
• The Tiger Rising, by Kate DiCamillo
• Because of Winn Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo (repeat)
• Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate (Excellent!)
• My Diary from the Edge of the World, by Jodi Lynn Anderson (Surprisingly thought-provoking; as a parent I think it made me feel very differently than a kid would feel)
• Wrath of the Dragon King (Dragonwatch #2), by Brandon Mull (Completely love this series)
• No Fixed Address, by Susin Nielsen
• Merci Suarez Changes Gears, by Meg Medina (Awesome book!)
• The Book of Boy, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Really great)
• Shouting at the Rain, by Linda Mullaly Hunt (Fabulous!)
• Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper (This one's absolutely incredible; about a girl who can't speak)
• Stella by Starlight, by Sharon Draper (Great book; historical)
• Blended, by Sharon Draper (Good but not stunning)
• The Beast, by Ally Condie & Brendan Reichs
• Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm
• Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume

Series

This was a really amazing year for middle grade series! So many of my favorites.

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READ THIS SERIES STAT! I laughed so hard but was also moved to tears. It's incredibly good.

• Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, by Jack Gantos 
• Joey Pigza Loses Control, by Jack Gantos
• What Would Joey Do?, by Jack Gantos
• I Am Not Joey Pigza, by Jack Gantos
• The Key that Swallowed Joey Pigza, by Jack Gantos

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Just go ahead and read this series too if you want to laugh!! There are a few others too.

• Jack on the Tracks, by Jack Gantos  
• Jack Adrift, by Jack Gantos

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Put this one at the very top of your list! I read the first one last year. Seriously one of my FAVORITE series in the entire world.

• The Terrible Two Get Worse, by Mac Barnett & Jory John
• The Terrible Two Go Wild, by Mac Barnett & Jory John
• The Terrible Two's Last Laugh, by Mac Barnett & Jory John

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Really wonderful series. My kids all loved it, ranging from kindergarten up to fifth grade. Pleasure to read as an adult as well. So many funny things.

• Mac Undercover (Mac B., Kid Spy #1), by Mac Barnett
• The Impossible Crime (Mac B., Kid Spy #2), by Mac Barnett
• Top Secret Smackdown (Mac B., Kid Spy #3), by Mac Barnett
• Mac Cracks the Code (Mac B., Kid Spy #4), by Mac Barnett

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This series totally sucked me in. I loved it. I'm not going to say it's a literary masterpiece, but something about it made these characters more real to me than anything I've read in a long time. I binged it twice in just a couple of weeks.

• Keeper of the Lost Cities (#1), by Shannon Messenger
• Exile (KOTLC #2), by Shannon Messenger
• Everblaze (KOTLC #3), by Shannon Messenger
• Neverseen (KOTLC #4), by Shannon Messenger
• Lodestar (KOTLC #5), by Shannon Messenger
• Nightfall (KOTLC #6), by Shannon Messenger
• Flashback (KOTLC #7), by Shannon Messenger
• Legacy (KOTLC #8), by Shannon Messenger

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You will especially appreciate this series if you ever read Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. So ridiculous but funny. I truly think this is the perfect spoof of that genre.

• The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity (Brixton Brothers #1), by Mac Barnett
• The Ghostwriter Secret (Brixton Brothers #2), by Mac Barnett
• It Happened on a Train (Brixton Brothers #3), by Mac Barnett
• Danger Goes Berserk (Brixton Brothers #4), by Mac Barnett

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This series is last but absolutely not least. It is hands down one of my favorites of the year! So smart, such a great premise, funny, and beautifully written! Read it! I'd say third grade up would love it.

• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (#1): The Mysterious Howling, by Maryrose Wood
• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (#2): The Hidden Gallery, by Maryrose Wood
• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (#3): The Unseen Guest, by Maryrose Wood
• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (#4): The Interrupted Tale, by Maryrose Wood
• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (#5): The Unmapped Sea, by Maryrose Wood
• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (#6): The Long-Lost Home, by Maryrose Wood

2016 Reading

Hi! It's the beginning of a new year--well, it's actually halfway through January now, but to me that still counts--so it's time to dust off my blog to publish a list of everything I read in 2016. Find my lists for previous years here: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012. Let's get to it.

First, Dave suggested I post a "lazy man's list" at the beginning for anyone who doesn't want to dive into the full list. These are my can't-miss, so-glad-I-read-them-and-would-definitely-read-them-again picks. Lots of the others are super, super good as well . . . but I can't make them all top picks.

Top Nine Recommendations

• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet, by Jamie Ford
• All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
• The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah
• A Story Like the Wind, by Laurens van der Post
• Salt to the Sea, by Ruta Sepetys
• The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown
• Better than Before, by Gretchen Rubin
• Summerlost, by Ally Condie
• Second Chance Summer, by Morgan Matson

Fiction

• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet, by Jamie Ford (WWII but not the Holocaust. Run and read this book right now! No really, I loved it.)
• All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr (WWII; I can't tell you how much I loved this! So, so good.)
• Rebecca, by Daphne DuMaurier (Really a great read.)
• The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah (WWII; oh my goodness, this was excellent.)
• A Story Like the Wind, by Laurens van der Post (This book is so beautiful and amazing! I loved it. The characters in it are totally real to me and I think about this book all the time. I feel sort of protective about it, because I know it's not going to be everyone's thing and I don't want to know that you started it and couldn't get into it. But if you like beautifully written books and you're at all interested in Africa, oh my goodness, you should read it.)
• A Far-off Place, by Laurens van der Post (Sequel to previous book. Not quite as stunning as the first but still amazing! I loved it and I was so, so sad I had to leave this world when it was over!)
• Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger (A little slow getting into it but I liked it!)
• Salt to the Sea, by Ruta Sepetys (WWII; excellent book!)
• Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline (This was so good! Trigger warning that sad things happen to children in this book.)
• Sarah's Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay (WWII; I liked this one and I learned about an event I didn't know about, but it was also really hard to read because something really bad happens to a four year old and I had one at the time. Trigger warning.)
• Shepherd of the Hills, by Harold Bell Wright (Shout out to my mom's fave! I finally read it; looks like I'm back in her will. As my mom says, "It's a beautiful tale of forgiveness and redemption." Set in the Ozarks.)
• The Marriage of Opposites, by Alice Hoffman (Fascinating! Historical fiction about the early life of Camille Pissarro. 
• A Generation Rising, by Gerald Lund (Fire & Steel, vol. 1) (I really like where this series was headed; the first book was very well done.
• If I Should Die, by Jennie Hansen (Exactly the light, entertaining read I expected.)
• Lemon Tart, by Josi Kilpack (Exactly the light, entertaining read I expected.)
• Ford County, by John Grisham (Interesting and funny but I can't in good conscience recommend it with the heavy language and other content.)
• Sycamore Row, by John Grisham (I really, really liked this one. It was really fresh for a Grisham novel and has so many interesting social issues to think about.)
• Calico Joe, by John Grisham (Enjoyed this one a lot. And it's not about the law!)
• Rogue Lawyer, by John Grisham (Skip it.)
• By Its Cover, by Deon Leon (Skip it.)

Non-Fiction

• The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown (This was riveting for me.)
• Better than Before, by Gretchen Rubin (She does it again! Oh, you have to read this book if you're at all interesting in forming habits or improving yourself. So great.)
• The Gratitude Diaries, by Janice Kaplan (I loved this! Fascinating research about gratitude and a really interesting look at how it impacted her life in different ways. Absolutely changed my perspective; would definitely recommend this book.)
• When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi (Fascinating, sad but uplifting, well written!)
• Knots in My Yo-Yo String, by Jerry Spinelli (Great autobiography! Very funny and entertaining.)
• Parenting: A House United, by Nicholeen Peck (Amazing content! It has been a complete game changer for my family and I want to fully implement her ideas. Major points off for the presentation of the book--it was self-published and is full of errors and not organized as well as it should be--but the content is gold.)
• The Girl with Seven Names, by Hyeonseo Lee (Written by a girl who defected from North Korea--I love reading this kind of thing and it was very well done.)
• The Other Side of Heaven, by John Groberg (Just felt like re-reading this one. It's good.)
• The Collapse of Parenting, by Leonard Sax (I loved this one!)
• Behind Every Good Man, by John Bytheway (Enjoyed this one.)
• The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman, by Margot Mifflin (This is about a girl whose family was killed by Indians in the early 1850s; she was taken captive and really became one of them for years and years. She was Mormon but it doesn't seem like her family was fully practicing. It's a fascinating story and I enjoyed the book--thought it got a little long maybe but interesting to learn about.)
• A House in the Sky, by Amanda Lindhout (About a girl who was abducted in Somalia and held for 15 months. Really interesting; I remember liking it.)
• Kisses from Katie, by Katie Davis (About an American girl who lives in Uganda and has adopted lots of children there. I enjoyed learning more about her story but after a while the book bugged me a little bit.)

YA/Children's Lit

• Summerlost, by Ally Condie (I absolutely adored this one.)
• Second Chance Summer, by Morgan Matson (And this one was so, so good.)
• Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, by Morgan Matson (Also really great. Feeling like a broken record here.)
• Pax, by Sara Pennypack (Excellent book!)
• Wonder, by R. J. Palacio (Really, really well done. Worth reading for sure.)
• The Gallery, by Laura Marx Fitzgerald (Also super worth reading.)
• Every Single Second, by Tricia Springstubb (Also a really good one.)
• Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, by J. K. Rowling (You know what you're planning to do here.)
• Kaline Klattermaster's Treehouse, by Haven Kimmel (Read this one for sure!! Very funny and sad at the same time--all pulls together really well.)
• The Willoughbys, by Lois Lowry (This book was such a great surprise! So ridiculous and great. I loved it. Madeline thought it was hilarious too.)
• Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu (Super interesting premise; give it a read.)
• Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics, by Chris Grabenstein (This one's a sequel; it was pretty well done. I'm not blown away by Lemoncello books but I enjoy them.)
• The Siren, by Kiera Cass (This one was intriguing and the writing was pretty good, although I'm still a little disturbed by the premise. Lots to think about here.)
• The Green Bicycle, by Haifaa al Monsour (About a feisty young girl in Saudi Arabia; the writing wasn't as great as I had hoped. Could do without.)
• Worst Class Trip Ever, by Dave Barry (Some pretty funny parts but could do without.)
• Julie, by Jean Craighead George (Sequel to Julie of the Wolves; beautiful book.)
• Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson (Newbery winner for a reason.)
• Stung, by Bethany Wiggins (Dystopic; the premise is interesting but I'd say the character development isn't so great or believable. As an editor I'd send it back to the author to try again because it has great potential.)
• Cured, by Bethany Wiggins (Sequel to Stung; same assessment.)
• A Blind Guide to Stinkville, by Beth Vrabel (Excellent read!)
• Pack of Dorks, by Beth Vrabel (The title turned me off but this was great!)
• Camp Dork, by Beth Vrabel (I liked her other two books better but worth a read.)
• The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden (Somehow I hadn't ever read these books by Selden, but they were great! Madeline and I both really liked them.)
• Chester Cricket's New Home, by George Selden (Same)
• Tucker's Countryside, by George Selden (Same)
• Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell (Newbery winner for a reason.)
• Zia, by Scott O'Dell (Sequel to Island of the Blue Dolphins; if you liked the first you should read this one too.)

2015 Reading

Miss Hazel taking a snooze

It's that time again! Since I've got a new little baby, I've been reading up a storm the past few weeks. As I jotted down some of the titles, I suddenly realized that I still needed to compile a list of all the books I read in 2015. (Here is a list of what I read in 2014; that post also contains links to the other years that I've posted this list.) So, without further ado, let's go ahead and talk books, books, books.


Fiction

• Whistling Past the Graveyard, by Susan Crandall (Excellent, excellent book. Read it! Definitely one of my favorite books from the entire year.)
• My Name Is Resolute, by Nancy E. Turner (I didn't like this as much as These Is My Words and its sequels; it was a little slow getting into it but by the end I quite liked it. I'm glad I read it.)
• Invention of Wings, by Sue Monk Kidd (Really good.)
• Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell (I read this as a teenager but just got in the mood to give it another whirl since I didn't even remember how it ended. What can I say? It's a classic for a reason.)
• The Bishop's Wife, by Mette Ivie Harrison (Hmm. Interesting read for sure. This is a murder mystery set in Utah; seems like she got a lot of inspiration from a famous real-life case. I don't necessarily agree entirely with her portrayal of Mormonism or Church culture, but she clearly tried to do a fair job of presenting it for a mainstream audience.)
• Light on Snow, by Anita Shreve (This was very engaging; I enjoyed reading it a lot. It brings up interesting ethical issues and there's no perfect solution, but it's super real and hopeful even though it's sad.)
• The Pilot's Wife, by Anita Shreve (Since this begins with a plane crash, it was maybe not the best choice to start on a flight, haha. I liked this one but not as much as the other Anita Shreve book I read. I started a third one but found it fairly unreadable and did not finish.)
• Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee (I'm glad I read this but I didn't actually like it at all.)
• Heart and Soul, by Maeve Binchy (Oh goodness. I read this for a book club and I just really don't like Maeve Binchy. Never again.)
• Emily of New Moon, by L. M. Montgomery (Montgomery is always good. I just felt like reading these books again because it had been so long.)
• Emily Climbs, by L. M. Montgomery
• Emily's Quest, by L. M. Montgomery
• A Tangled Web, by L. M. Montgomery

Madeline reading a book to Hazel

Non-fiction

• Call the Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse (vol. 2),  by Jennifer Worth (These books are really well written. This one has some really HARD stuff that might make you sad though. This volume isn't really about babies/deliveries at all.)
• Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End (vol. 3), by Jennifer Worth (Very good read.)
• The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin (This was my second time reading it; I just love it.)
• Cleaning House, by Kay Wyma (Honestly, the writing is not swell. I like the approach she took to teaching her kids to work though; that part was inspiring and it helped me be a little more intentional about teaching my kids skills.)
• When Did I Get Like This? . . . Mothers I Swore I'd Never Be, by Amy Wilson (I'm having a hard time remembering this, but I'm pretty sure it was just a light, funny and enjoyable read.)
• Free-Range Kids, by Lenore Skenazy (I love the concept and theories here. It makes so much sense and there's a lot of good research presented here. The book itself loses steam; I think I read enough to have a firm grasp of things and maybe skimmed the rest.)
• The Family Romanov, by Candace Fleming (Super super interesting history! For the first time I finally got what happened to the czar's family and why.)
• Into the Wilderness, by Jon Krakauer (I really enjoyed this book. About 3/4 of the way through it got a little boring though.)
• The Lady and the Panda, by Vicki Croke (This was really interesting; it's about the first panda that was successfully made captive and brought to the United States. Once again it got a little boring about 3/4 of the way through.)

YA Fiction

• Nuts to You, by Lynne Rae Perkins (This is a really fun book. Madeline and I both loved it.)
• Navigating Early, by Clare Vanderpool (This book is so, so good! Read it! One of my favorites that I read all year, honestly.)
• The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E. Pearson (Super interesting premise; I enjoyed this one.)
• Rose Under Fire, by Elizabeth Wein (This is a companion book to Code Name Verity, which I read last year. I actually liked it much, much better than the other one; it's very moving. It's about a British pilot who ends up in a Nazi concentration camp.)
• Fish in a Tree, by Linda Mullaly Hunt (Awesome book!)
• One for the Murphys, by Linda Mullaly Hunt (This is also a super good book!)

We are ragged looking but happy! Reading together is a top activity right now.

Sarah Dessen (YA Fiction)
I've heard about Sarah Dessen for years and finally decided to read her stuff. The first book I read, I was totally blown away. It was awesome. So then I read everything that she has published, and most of it was awesome and some of it was just okay. In general, I think her later stuff is better than her earlier stuff. And whatever you do, don't binge-read her books because you might get a little depressed at all of the teenage angst and the bad choices and the drinking and whatever else. Dessen does a really excellent job at tackling different issues that teens face though.

• Lock and Key
• Along for the Ride
• Someone Like You
• That Summer
• The Moon and More
• Meet Me at the Moon
• Saint Anything
• This Lullaby
• Dreamland
• Keeping the Moon
• The Truth about Forever
• Just Listen
• What Happened to Goodbye

Newbery Winners
Once again I made some good progress with the Newbery books. The first three were re-reads; I decided I wanted to read them again as an adult to see what I think of them now.

• Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
• The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare
• It's Like This, Cat, by Emily Neville
• Shen of the Sea, by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
• Call It Courage, by Armstrong Sperry
• Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis

Unveiled! 2014 Reading

Hi. I love to read. Maybe you do too. This is a list of all the books I read in 2014 (you can also see the books I read in 2013 and 2012). I was surprised to see that I didn't read quite as many as usual in 2014. Maybe I'm finally learning that I have to just say no to picking up a book sometimes, because once I'm in the middle of it, all I want to do is read!

Anyway, this year my reading was very heavy on adolescent literature. That's my specialty and I completely love it. For this list I included all of the books that I picked up just to read by myself, but not the many children's chapter books that I just read with my kids. Also, when I was a freshman in college, I decided that I was going to read all of the books that have won a Newbery award. Although over the years I've sporadically made progress with that goal, I finally decided to put a higher priority on Newbery books so this year I broke them out into their own separate category.

Without further ado . . .

Oh wait. You wanted the list, not another slightly fuzzy picture of an incredibly adorable baby who loves to sit down and leaf through a book like he's a big kid. This is a fairly new thing for him, but it's definitely a thing. Anyway, the list . . .


Fiction

• The Story of Beautiful Girl, by Rachel Simon (This might be the best book I read all year!)
• The Silver Star, by Jeannette Walls (Fabulous book! I love her writing.)
• And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini (This book is beautifully written and incredibly moving . . . and you should only read it if you're okay with getting sad.)
• The Cellist of Sarajevo, by Steven Galloway (Excellent read! I loved it.)
• Atlantia, by Ally Condie (YA lit; this is a stand-alone novel, not part of a series, which is refreshing. I really like Ally Condie a lot and this book has such a fascinating premise.)
• Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See (I was glad I read this one but it wasn't a favorite. It's not for everyone. Thinking back, I'm not sure if it's for me.)
• Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein (YA lit; it took a while for me to get into this one, but once I did I found it very compelling. It was actually very cool to learn more about British intelligence during WWII and women serving as pilots!)
• Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell (YA lit; this book has a lot going for it. I liked a lot about it. But I don't think I can recommend it because of language and sexuality.)
• Under the Egg, by Laura Marx Fitzgerald (YA lit; I completely loved this one!)
• Fly Away, by Patricia MacLachlan (Children's lit; very nice and well written but not a stand out for me---maybe just because I read so many other great ones.)
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, by Chris Grabenstein (YA lit; this one was fun!)
• From Norvelt to Nowhere, by Jack Gantos (YA lit; this is a sequel to another book I read in the Newbery section. It's not as amazing as the first one, but if you like the first one you will really enjoy this one!)
• Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Farm, by Betty MacDonald (Children's lit; a classic---you can't go wrong with Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.)
• The Only Ones, by Aaron Starmer (YA lit; hmm. I think this book has a TON of potential. The plot is really unique and fascinating. But in many parts I didn't think the writing was very great, and I actually ended up really sad by some of the main plot points, in a way that didn't feel worth it.)
• When Did You See Her Last?, by Lemony Snicket (YA lit; so quirky and fun to read. Lemony Snicket doesn't disappoint. This is the second of a four-part YA series; billed as a prequel to A Series of Unfortunate Events.)
• 13 Suspicious Incidents, by Lemony Snicket (YA lit; this book isn't exactly part of the series, but it's about the same kid and is related to the other books. Lemony Snicket is crazy but I can't get enough.)

Nonfiction

• Riding the Bus With My Sister, by Rachel Simon (After I read The Story of Beautiful Girl, mentioned above, I couldn't resist this one. It's totally different since it's nonfiction about the author's life, but I enjoyed it.)
• Coming Clean, by Kimberly Rae Miller (Oh my goodness. This book about hoarding was absolutely disgusting and interesting. I loved it! And as soon as I finished, I stood up and cleared away several random piles that had accumulated around the house.)
• The Nazi Hunters, by Neal Bascomb (Liked this one a lot.)
• Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific 90 Days, by Judith Viorst (This was a random pick, and parts of it got slow, but it was enjoyable. I never knew that her famous book was actually based on her real life! And I discovered that she has recently published some awesome children's books about a girl named Lulu. Look them up and enjoy.)
• Stolen Innocence, by Elissa Wall (Liked this one a lot.)
• Waiting to Be Heard, by Amanda Knox (Oh man. What an awful experience. I was fascinated by it. I started out extremely skeptical about this girl and by the end, I totally believed her. I don't necessarily think I would like her, but I believe her. Dave couldn't get through this one though, even though I thought he would be interested by the Italian legal system.)
• The Guinea Pig Diaries, by AJ Jacobs (A very enjoyable read. It won't change your life, but he's funny and it gave me some interesting things to think about.)
• The Power of Everyday Missionaries, by Clayton M. Christensen (Really fabulous book! If you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I can't recommend it enough. If you aren't, go check out that link and we'll talk.)
• A Soul So Rebellious, by Mary Frances Sturlaugson (A random book that I picked up for free in the church foyer one day, mostly because the cover was amusing; the writing isn't amazing but I was really impressed by this woman's conversion story.)

Newbery Winners
I listed these roughly in the order of how much I liked them. Some of the older ones are harder for me to love. All of them were worth reading though.

• Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos (Hilarious! And yet deep.)
• Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool (I really loved this one.)
• The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate (Excellent!)
• The Wheel on the School, by Meindert DeJong (Definitely my favorite of the "older" Newbery books! It's a great story and I love the writing.)
• The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (Hmm. The writing here is incredible. I'm not sure if you should read it though. Parts of it are very dark.)
• Miracles on Maple Hill, by Virginia Sorenson (Really a wonderful story.)
• Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold (I liked this one. It's sad to me though.)
• Invincible Louisa, by Cornelia Meigs (Interesting to learn more about Louisa May Alcott.)
• Roller Skates, by Ruth Sawyer (I liked it but wouldn't read it again.) 
• Rabbit Hill, by Robert Lawson (I liked it but wouldn't read it again. But it did make me want to be kind to animals.) 
• Strawberry Girl, by Lois Lenski (I wasn't super into this one.)

Series

I love Elizabeth Enright! She wrote Thimble Summer and Gone-Away Lake (and its sequel). I used to read Gone-Away Lake every single summer because I love it just that much. Enright is just brilliant. I've never read another author who can capture the magic of childhood and of summertime as well as she does. Imagine my AMAZEMENT when I realized that my favorite author has a series that I've never read! I truly can't believe that I never thought to look for more. There are actually four books in this series but I haven't been able to read the fourth one yet. I just highly recommend them.

• The Saturdays, by Elizabeth Enright
• The Four-Story Mistake, by Elizabeth Enright
• Then There Were Five, by Elizabeth Enright

I started this series about Maisie Dobbs in 2013 and finished it up in 2014. I really enjoyed it! The first one was a little slow to get into, but after I got in the groove I thought it was great. I will say that I was disappointed the series was done, though. If you like detective novels, give these a shot. I've been especially interested in everything I've learned about World War I and its psychological aftermath.

• An Incomplete Revenge, by Jacqueline Winspear
• The Mapping of Love and Death, by Jacqueline Winspear
• A Lesson in Secrets, by Jacqueline Winspear
• Leaving Those Most Loved, by Jacqueline Winspear

Books I Read in 2013 and a Cute Little Guy

 I can't access the picture of my girls reading that I want, so you get this cute little guy instead. It was taken several pounds and one smile ago, but he's always delightful! (And I dare you not to kiss those cheeks!)

It's no secret that I love to read. For me, having a new baby spikes my reading count even higher than usual because I spend so much time feeding the baby. Sure, a lot of feedings are also a chance to read to the girls, attempt to direct kid traffic from my chair, or--even better--walk around and fix lunch/help someone go to the bathroom/answer the phone/pick up a sobbing child. But there are still plenty of times when I can admire my sweet baby's cheeks while I enjoy a good book. (Oh! Those cheeks!)

Last year I posted a list of the books I read in 2012, and it was fun to hear all of your book recommendations in response. I read many of them; others I still have on my list. So let's play again. I'll tell you what I read last year (this list is pretty much it aside from scriptures and a few books about childbirth), and then you can give me your own top picks. (Pretty please.)

Fiction

• The Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt (YA lit; just go read this one right now! Such a wonderful book.)
• Okay for Now, by Gary Schmidt (Follow it up with this one.)
• Lizzie Bright & the Buckminster Boy, by Gary Schmidt (And then this one.)
• First Boy, by Gary Schmidt (Really, just read all of Gary Schmidt! He's a wonderful author.)
• Gossamer, by Lois Lowry (Enjoyed this one; interesting premise.)
• A Light Between Oceans, by M. L. Stedmen (Oh, this book was impossibly sad. I'm glad I read it, but some of the writing was over-the-top and the central issue was just so so difficult.)
• The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, by Anne Bronte (Really really liked this!)
• All the Wrong Questions, by Lemony Snicket (So quirky and fun to read. Lemony Snicket doesn't disappoint. This is the first of a four-part YA series; billed as a prequel to A Series of Unfortunate Events.)
• Room, by Emma Donoghue (Very very good. I read it all in one night because once it got moving, things happened very quickly and I had to know how it would all shake out.)
• The Beekeeper's Apprentice, by Laurie King (This was a fun book! I really enjoyed it.)
• Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss (Somehow I hadn't read this one before, but it was fun to read and I'm glad I finally picked it up. Gross how quick they were to kill the animals, though. This book was written in such a different world.)
• Danny, Champion of the World, by Roald Dahl (Somehow I had never read this one before either, but Madeline was into Roald Dahl last year so I read it and it was great, as you might expect.)
• The Devil's Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen (Second time I've read it; excellent YA lit about the Holocaust!)
• Those Who Save Us, by Jenna Blum (I liked this one. Hard issues, and probably too graphic for some people, but very moving and it definitely made me think.)
• Evening Class, by Maeve Binchy (Read this for book club; absolutely did not like. Don't bother.)
• The Street Lawyer, by John Grisham (Read this again for book club; it's Grisham, which is exactly what you expect.)
• The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain (This is a novel based on Ernest Hemingway's first wife; I actually really enjoyed this one and learned a ton but it's certainly not for everyone. It's hard to watch people make bad choices when they could have been so much happier choosing a different path. That said, it was interesting to get some insight into what made Hemingway tick, since that is obviously a huge part of what makes his books the way they are.)
• The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club, by Wanda Brunstetter (This is a really light read; fun story but not written or developed well so I'd skip it.)

Nonfiction

• Happier at Home, by Gretchen Rubin (This was a great book! Rubin's books are so helpful and uplifting and fun to read.)
• Half-Broke Horses, by Jeannette Walls (My goodness. Walls nails it again with this book. Please read it.)
• Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand (So incredibly good! If you like horses at all, read this one. This author also wrote Unbroken, which is stunning in its own right.)
• Call the Midwife, by Jennifer Worth (Yes, the PBS series is actually based on this book. You'll only like it if you like reading birth stories, but that's certainly not all there is to it. It's funny and sad and I learned a ton about London's East End.)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (This book was awesome! Such interesting science to learn about combined with some gut-wrenching moral issues. I loved it!)
• Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948, by Madeleine Albright (I loved this book! I can't say it enough. You have to really care about this era because it's big, but it's so so good. Albright is from the Czech Republic and didn't even know she was Jewish until later in life, and then she learned that many of her relatives had actually died in the Holocaust. This book tells about history from the Czech perspective, which was fascinating, and combines it with the history of Albright's own family. So so good.)
• Madam Secretary, by Madeleine Albright (I was so obsessed with Albright's other book that I wanted to learn more about her. This definitely schooled me in a lot of foreign policy issues and it was a good read. It definitely took me a long time to plow through this one, though; it's not for the faint of heart and the subject isn't nearly as fascinating for me.)
• Lady Almina & the Real Downton Abbey, by the Countess of Carnarvon (I really enjoyed reading about Lady Almina and the history of Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey was filmed. Such an interesting era to learn about.)
• Are We Special? The Truth and the Lie about God's Chosen People, by Jeffrey S. Reber and Steven P. Moody (I proofread this one so my focus was a bit different, but it was thought-provoking.)
• Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's, by John Robison (Really interesting look at how the mind of a person with Asperger's works; enjoyed this one.)
• The Bronte Sisters: The Brief Lives of Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Bronte, by Catherine Reef (Very accessible and well written; it led me to seek out a book by Anne Bronte.)
• The Chronicles of Downton Abbey: A New Era, by Jessica Fellowes (This one was written after the second series; I really enjoyed it. It's always surprising how much interesting history I learn from these books.)
• The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch (A good read, but didn't leave a lasting impression.)
• My Story, by Elizabeth Smart (I thought this was very well done and uplifting, which surprised me.)
• Killing Lincoln, by Bill O'Reilly (I love history. This was a fascinating book!)
• The Color of Water, by James McBride (I certainly remember what this was about, but somehow I can't remember whether I really liked it.)
• Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt (Don't recommend it.)

Fiction Series
I first read A Wrinkle in Time forever and ever ago, when I was ten or twelve, so it was an entirely fresh read this time around and I loved it. The others in the series were great too. Has anyone read other books by Madeleine L'Engle? My library doesn't carry anything else, but if it's good I'll order it in from another library.

• A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle
• A Wind in the Door, by Madeleine L'Engle
• A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeleine L'Engle
• Many Waters, by Madeleine L'Engle

I've read the Great Brain books all many times before . . . they're so wonderful and funny I can't even explain. I was happy to discover some of them as cast-offs at the library book sale last summer so I could add them to my collection. If you haven't read them, go for it!

• The Great Brain, by John D. Fitzgerald
• The Return of the Great Brain, by John D. Fitzgerald

Ugh . . . I like The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books so much that I had high hopes for another series by Alexander McCall Smith. I read two of them just to see if they would get less ponderous and easier to care about. Nope.

• The Sunday Philosophy Club, by Alexander McCall Smith
• Friends, Lovers, Chocolate, by Alexander McCall Smith

But this series about Maisie Dobbs! It has been so much fun and I still have several more to go. Thanks for the great recommendation. If you like detective novels, give these a shot. I've been especially interested in everything I've learned about World War I and its psychological aftermath.

• Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear
• Birds of a Feather, by Jacqueline Winspear
• Pardonable Lies, by Jacqueline Winspear
• Messenger of Truth, by Jacqueline Winspear

And what would the year be without another YA dystopic series? Ha. I really enjoyed these and recommend them if you like this type of literature, although I wouldn't class them as my favorite ever. I'm just always impressed at how many different ways it's possible to screw up society--and most of them come down to taking away agency at some level. So interesting.

• Divergent, by Veronica Roth
• Insurgent, by Veronica Roth
• Allegiant, by Veronica Roth

I also ended up on a Little House binge, which was absolutely delightful as always (although apparently I left out Farmer Boy). It had been a while since I read these books, but we read the first two with Madeline over the summer and I got hooked again. We also found Madeline up late at night with Little House in the Big Woods on several different occasions. Although I did not love catching my four year old reading at midnight, I love that these books can speak to people of so many different ages. Also, reading them made me want to meet my family at Laura's place down in Missouri. One of these days!

• Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• On the Banks of Plum Creek, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• By the Shores of Silver Lake, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• These Happy Golden Years, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Little Town on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The First Four Years, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I like him.

Sixth Grade and Books I Read in 2012

My sixth grade yearbook is full of profound sentiments, such as "You're cool!" and "Have a great summer!" By far my favorite inscription, however, is this:

It's true; I do love to read. And I love that this kid felt a need to bring it to my attention. I'm sure it's no coincidence that the very same year, my friend Zac and I were chosen as the class bookworms. Goodness. While other kids were being chosen for best hair, most friendly, and most likely to succeed, they marched us down to the school library and made us take a super cheesy picture with the resident set of encyclopedias to demonstrate just how much we loved to read. Want to see it? I thought so.

Yeah. Me too. But, I have to admit that I would much rather be immortalized this way than by wearing really awful mid-90s fashion and chosen as best dressed.

About this same time, a friendly neighborhood dad, who also loved to read, started asking me if I kept track of the books that I read. I didn't, and I didn't want to. He did, and he thought I should. Well. Fast forward fifteen years and I suddenly realized how awesome it is to track what I read. I've been doing it for six years now, and I love it. I just keep a list in the back of my journal and I jot down the titles as I finish them. Super super easy and Excel is nowhere to be found.

At the end of the year, it's always interesting to look back and see how many books I ended up reading---it's always about the same, give or take a little, which surprises me since there is no rhyme or reason to what I do in the reading department and some years are much busier than others. There have been times when I used my list to respond to essay prompts for job and scholarship applications. Sometimes my list helps me give people better recommendations for good books to read. What I really love, though, is that it's a little glimpse into what was going on inside my head each year: what I learned, what I was interested in, and what I was thinking about. Just a little snippet of history to add to my journals and jog my own memory.

So, this time around I thought I'd share my final reading list for 2012, just in case you're looking for ideas. I read a few that were not even worth listing here, but this is pretty much it. No comprehensive reviews or ratings or explanations because hello, that's why I never do Goodreads. But I'll tell you which ones I liked the best and since I have impeccable taste, that counts for something. Bonus pic at the end.

Fiction

• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith (Amazing! Why did I wait so long?)
• Day after Night, by Anita Diamant (Loved this one! If you like Jewish history, you must read this.)
• Criss-Cross, by Lynne Rae Perkins (YA lit; really liked this one)
• The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar & Other Stories, by Roald Dahl (Loved these!)
• Loser, by Jerry Spinelli (children's lit; very good)
• Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel (super interesting but wouldn't recommend it)
• Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine (children's lit; much better than the movie)

Nonfiction

• Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (Really really wonderful! Loved this!)
• The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin (Wonderful! Highly recommend this.)
• Beyond Timeout: From Chaos to Calm, by Beth A. Grosshans (Fabulous! Changed my life as a mom.)
• Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois (Awesome ideas; need to try.)
• Teaching Kids to Work (Should have written down author's name; got it at Provo library and author is LDS--very helpful ideas but a little beyond what I need right now.)
• The Barber's Song, by K. Douglas Bassett (About a boy with CF--good but heavy; I skimmed some.)
• Belinda Carlisle: Lips Unsealed, by Belinda Carlisle (This was an incredibly interesting look at the music industry in the early 1980s--very well written and surprisingly compelling.)
• American Idol: The Untold Story, by Richard Rushfield (Goodness. This spontaneous pick from the shelf was really interesting too. I learned a ton about the television and music industry.)
• Below Stairs, by Margaret Powell (About the life of a cook in the Downton Abbey era--really interesting stuff, although the writing style drove me a little crazy at times.)
• The World of Downton Abbey, by Jessica Fellowes (If you like Downton Abbey, this book is actually really good! It's less behind-the-scenes than I was expecting, which was actually cool because I learned SO much about the history of that era that was both interesting and helped me understand the show better.)
• The Jamestown Project, by Karen Kupperman (Inspired by my trip to Virginia; very interesting if you want to learn more about how America was colonized.)

Fiction Series

Why did I wait so long to read everything under the sun by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?? I loved it all and really couldn't get enough. Sherlock is just so fabulous and brilliant. Really, if you haven't read them and you like detective stories at all, you simply must go to your library now and get them all. Dave and I actually read these around the same time, and it was fun to discuss it all together. Apparently we have 1890s taste in names because there are many Violets in these stories.

• The Adventures & Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
• A Study in Scarlet, by Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Sign of the Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Valley of Fear, by Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Final Bow/Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle

If you like YA literature and dystopic novels, I can't recommend this series by Ally Condie enough. She is a brilliant writer and has such an amazing ability to write from different points of view. I had read the first two books before, but read them again when the third one came out this year so I could have the full experience with it. I couldn't stop feeling for the characters and thinking about the books for days. I also highly recommend the fiction she has published for the LDS market through Deseret Book. Did I mention that you should REALLY read these books if you like YA literature?

• Matched, by Ally Condie
• Crossed, by Ally Condie
• Reached, by Ally Condie

Did you read The Giver long ago? Did you like it? If so, PLEASE read it again and then read these three books! They are all companion books and they are simply fabulous. So thought provoking. And I really do think it's best if you read them all at once, so you can catch all of the overlapping details.

• Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry
• The Messenger, by Lois Lowry
• Son, by Lois Lowry

Maybe it was the year of the detective for us? Not sure. All I know is that I read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency several years ago and really liked it, but for some reason didn't feel compelled to read more in the series. Well, I read it again and I fell in love with the characters this time. I'm not sure what was different, but I read the whole series and simply loved the books. They are engaging, sometimes very funny, and actually so wise about life. Plus it was so interesting to learn about the culture of Botswana. Dave also read most of them recently, and we find a surprising number of occasions to refer to Mma Ramotswe and life in Botswana.

• The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith
• Tears of a Giraffe, by Alexander McCall Smith
• Morality for Beautiful Girls, by Alexander McCall Smith
• Kalahari Typing School for Men, by Alexander McCall Smith
• Full Cupboard of Life, by Alexander McCall Smith
• In the Company of Good Women, by Alexander McCall Smith
• Blue Shoes and Happiness, by Alexander McCall Smith
• The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, by Alexander McCall Smith
• Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, by Alexander McCall Smith
• The Double Comfort Safari Club, by Alexander McCall Smith
• The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party, by Alexander McCall Smith
• The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection, by Alexander McCall Smith

Madeline as Ladybug Girl, one of her favorite literary characters from 2012.

P.S. Would love to hear about any stand-out books that you read last year!