The Books of 2017!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! 

2017 was a great year for reading! I consumed a total of 35 books, six of which were audio books. That's a record for me since I started keeping track in 2010. I'm pretty pleased about it.

I still participate in a monthly book group, which I love because my friends introduce me to books I might never read without the group. This year I started using the Goodreads app to log my reading, which has been fun, but I still write down my books in a journal. Goodreads also allows me to see what other people are reading, so I have discovered many new books on that app, too.

Here they are, my books of 2017!!!!

The Selection 
The Elite
The One
Happily Ever After
The Heir
The Crown  -all by Kiera Cass  (If you want quick reads with only moderately frustrating characters, these books are fun.)
This Is Not the Life I Ordered - Stephens, Speire, Risley, Yanehiro (I don't love self-help books)
The Sound of Gravel -Ruth Wariner (Wow. The experience of a girl raised in a polygamous Mormon group in Mexico. Heartbreaking.)
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn -Betty Smith (Loved)
The Orphan Keeper -Camron Wright (Really good)
The Girls -Lori Lansens (A good read)
Heartless -Marissa Meyer (SO VERY GOOD)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets -JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban -JK Rowling (I'm still reading the Harry Potter series, one chapter a week, along with the podcast "Harry Potter and the Sacred Text" and loving it.)
Salt to the Sea -Ruta Sepetys *audio book* (I loved it.)
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World -Vicky Myron (Super Cute true story!)
The Martian -Andy Weir (LOVED it.)
The Secret Life of Bees -Sue Monk Kidd (A wonderful book. I want to read more by this author.)
Legion #2: Skin Deep -Brandon Sanderson (Such a fun book. I need to read more by Sanderson!)
The Handmaid's Tale -Margaret Atwood (Wow and yuck. A powerful read.)
Animal Farm -George Orwell (My first time reading it. I found it to be disturbing and interesting.)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them -JK Rowling as Newt Scamander  (Adorable!)
The Color of Fire -Ann Rinaldi (I remember reading other historical fiction novels by her as a kid, and I will definitely seek out more. I like her storytelling, and I like quickly-read young-adult books.)
1984 -George Orwell *audio book* (I tried reading this before but couldn't get going. It was easier in audio format. A good book.)
Wool -Hugh Howey (Yes, please. I'm going to have to read everything by this author.)
Shift -Hugh Howey (Ditto)
Dear John -Nicholas Sparks (This author has a format to his books and he's a best-seller, but he's not my favorite.)
After The Storm, Kate Burkholder #7 -Linda Castillo (A fun action/mystery novel. Though I liked it, I probably won't read any others in the series.)
The Girl On The Train -Paula Hawkind *audio book* (I really liked it.)
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo -Stieglarsson *audio book* (I REALLY liked this. I plan to read the others in the series written by the original author.)
Murder on the Orient Express -Agatha Christie *audio book* (My first Agatha Christie book. It was fun, but full of SO MUCH racial profiling, it was a bit distracting.)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child -Rowling, Tiffany, and Thorne (A fun read.)
Selected Poetry by Lewis Carol -Carol *audio book* (Very enjoyable! There were some good ones I'd never heard before.)
Celebrations: Rituals of Peace & Prayer -Maya Angelou (Powerful, inspiring poetry.)
Gift from the Sea -Anne Morrow Lindbergh (It took me a little bit to get into it, but then I was hooked. So many good reminders of how to bring peace into my life.)

A couple discoveries I've made about audio books: I love listening to British novels read by British actors. Also, books with multiple narrators that have different actors reading for each voice in the book (Salt to the Sea, The Girl on the Train) are SO ENJOYABLE.

2018 is off to a good start! I am partway through Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and just started Dust by Hugh Howey

365 fresh days ahead! (Well, more accurately, it's about 364.29 fresh days ahead, but who's counting?)
What books are on your "To Read" list for 2018???