Sunday, December 31, 2017

2017: Year in Review

Well, I read less this year than last, but I wrote more, so perhaps all together I'll call it a tie. I had my second daughter at the end of July, and being home with her has (ironically?) given me some additional free time. Nonetheless, I really owe any increase in reading/writing to having a student teacher this past spring. I blogged because I was sitting around a classroom all day doing nothing. :) I also joined a new book club, which has given me an excuse (and reason) to read, and it's been fun to discuss books with other people.

Books read in 2017:
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (Jan)
Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson --a reread (Jan)
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (Jan)
Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick (Feb)
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Feb)
Slade House by David Mitchell (Feb)
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Isiguro (Mar)
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (Mar)
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (Mar)
Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood (Apr)
A Separation by Katie Kitamura (Apr)
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn (May)
Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt (Jun)
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman (Jun)
The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch (Apr)
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Sept)
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (Sept)
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance (Oct)
White Teeth by Zadie Smith (Nov)
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Dec)

So twenty all together. Fortunately this year a number were excellent, with White Teeth and The Sympathizer being at the top of the list. White Teeth especially had not only compelling characters but such a strong voice. On the nonfiction side, Just Mercy was also captivating as it brought to light the injustices of our criminal system, and H is for Hawk was surprisingly interesting for a subject I don't have much inclination towards.

No book resolutions this year--read a little when I can. I pulled out A Wrinkle in Time from my bookshelf and am hoping it lives up to my childhood nostalgia.