I think that three conclusions can be drawn from my last three posts:

1. I abandon New Years Resolutions very quickly.
2. I am clearly not a blogger. I just pay to have a blog.
3. It is possible I will have more to say this year… but let’s not get carried away.

Now that I have addressed the elephant in the room, I would like to share my year in books! This time last year I set a lofty goal to read 40 books in 2017. Here’s how I did:

January
All The Kings Men Robert Penn Warren
As always, I started the year out with a Christmas present from Mom. Listed on Time Magazine’s list of 100 best books since 1923, it is filled with sharp imagery, political intrigue, corruption and scandal. It ended up being a perfect tone setter for the actual year in politics.
The Magician King Lev Grossman
A Monster Calls Patrick Ness/Siobhan Dowd
A long form book for young adults. One of the most moving and creative stories I have read in a long time. When you’re done reading, watch the fantastic movie adaptation from J.A. Bayona.
Moby Dick Herman Melville
A few years ago I made a list of books to finish in my life that I categorize as “Feats of Strength.” This is one of them. Now it’s crossed off the list.

February
I don’t think I need to explain why I was stuck in a dystopian state of mind in February 2017.
1984 George Orwell
The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood
Farenheit 451 Ray Bradbury
Brave New World Aldous Huxley
Animal Farm George Orwell

March
The Great Hunt Robert Jordan
2/15 Wheel of Time books down.
Lonesome Dove Larry McMurty
My favorite western. It’s been a while since I first read this one. Luckily I forgot a lot of details so it felt fresh.

April
Xenocide Orson Scott Card
Blood Meridian Cormac McCarthy
Looking to follow up Lonesome Dove with another western. Set in the same time period, McCarthy’s brutal western is a sharp contrast to McMurtry’s version of the old west.
Norse Mythology Neil Gaiman
Modern Romance Aziz Ansari

May
One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories
B.J. Novak
A Very Expensive Poison Luke Harding
I think I exclaimed “I can’t believe this is true!” in ten page increments throughout this entire reading. Seems like it’s ripped from a spy movie.
The Dragon Reborn Robert Jordan
3/15 Wheel of Time books down.
Children of the Mind Orson Scott Card

June
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy John Le Carré
The Honourable Schoolboy John Le Carré
Smiley’s People John Le Carré
Protagonist, George Smiley, is The Anti James Bond. These books are written by a former member of the British Secret Service, full of slow burn intrigue and psychological warfare. Looking forward to reading his latest installment this year.

Halfway Count: 22. Right on pace.

July
The Mandibles Lionel Shriver
Recommended by my brother, this is another dystopian novel on the year. It’s basis in actual economic theory makes it a little too real. It led to plenty of sleepless nights.
Mystic River Dennis Lehane
Love the movie. Now I love the book.
Crime & Punishment Fyodor Dostoyevsky

August
The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss
The most enjoyable experience I have had reading a fantasy novel since Lord of The Rings or Harry Potter. Rothfuss weaves such a rich and musical tale. More than once while reading I lost myself in the book and forgot that I was in a noisy room or on a crowded train. I was feeling like that kid from The Neverending Story.
The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger
I’ve lived too long without having read this one and the next one:
A Confederacy of Dunces John Kennedy Toole
Nicholas and Alexandra Robert K. Massie
Documenting the last royal family of the Romanov Dynasty. I am entering a rabbit hole on Russian history… more to come.

September
Lincoln in the Bardo George Saunders
One of the darlings of 2017. Melancholy and whimsical at the same time. Saunders is wholly unique in his writing style.
The Last Tsar Edward Radzinksy
Gorky Park Martin Cruz Smith

October
The Amityville Horror Jay Anson
My Halloween Pick. It was ok.
A Wise Man’s Fear Patrick Rothfuss
The follow up to The Name of the Wind. Eagerly awaiting the conclusion of The Kingkiller Chronicle trilogy.

November
Broken Monsters Lauren Beukes
The Shining Girls Lauren Beukes
I wasn’t satisfied with my Halloween pick, so I researched scary novels and came up with Lauren Beukes. I was not disappointed. Both of these books were unsettling.
The End of Tsarist Russia Dominic Lieven
It’s becoming a bit of an obsession. I currently have 7 books on my shelf about the Romanov Dynasty waiting for me in 2018.

December
The Shadow Rising Robert Jordan
4/15 Wheel of Time books down. This took me most of December to get through. It was #38, so I had to hustle.
A Separate Peace John Knowles
This is my favorite book of all time. I read it every couple of years.
A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens
All the Light We Can Not See Anthony Doerr
Another all time favorite. I thought I would finish 2017 with my greatest hits list.

That’s 41!!

I did it! 41 books. It required a bit of a sprint at the end but I made it to my goal! Thanks to my family for all the books they gift me through the year. My local used book stores for letting me basically live amongst the shelves. The CTA conductors, airline pilots, Uber drivers for taking me places in your vehicles so that I can sit and read while I travel. Normally at this point I would make a wild goal to read 50 books in 2018, but I’m going to scale it back a bit. I have some writing goals that I would like to fulfill this year (They don’t include writing regular blog posts… but I guess I could try that.) I am going to shoot for 28-30 books, starting with this years Christmas Gift from Mom: Grant by Ron Chernow.

Happy Reading in 2018!