1) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith π
2) Adam Bede by George Eliot π
3) Ethan Frome by Edith Whartonπ
4) Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell π
5) Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen π
6) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen π
7) Mansfield Park by Jane Austen π
8) Emma by Jane Austen π
9) Persuasion by Jane Austen π
10) Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen π
11) Jane Austen by Peter Leithart π
12) Jane Austen's First Love by Syrie James -- I honestly don't remember anything about this book at all.
13) Stonewall by John Dwyer π
14) Life in Motion by Misty Copeland π
15) Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole π
16) Uncle Fred in Springtime by P.G. Wodehouse π
17) Cocktail Time by P.G. Wodehouse π
18) Service with a Smile by P.G. Wodehouse π
19) After You by Jojo Moyes - I don't remember if I liked this one or not.
20) The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay π
21) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling - π€
22) Smith of Wootten Major by J.R.R. Tolkien π
23) Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross π
24) Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro π
25) The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough - π€
26) Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe π
27) Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry π π
28) The Nesting Place by Miquillyn Smith π€
29) The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins π
30) The Matchmaker by Elin Hildebrand π
31) Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty π
32) A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman π€
33) Belgravia by Julian Fellowes π
34) Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling π€
35) Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan ππ
36) Born Standing Up by Steve Martin π
37) This is a Book by Demetri Martin π
38) In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett π
39) Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo π
40) The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate π€
41) The Green Ember by S.D. Smith π
42) The Black Star of Kingston by S.D. Smith ππ
43) Outlaws of Time: The Legend of Sam Miracle by N.D. Wilson π€
44) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle ππ
45) Winter Street by Elin Hildebrand π
46) Winter Stroll by Elin Hildebrand π
47) Winter Storms by Elin Hildebrand ππ
48) The Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber π
49) On Christmas Eve by Ann Martin π
Here are four more - #50-53- that put me just over one book per week for the year. I have read much more in years past, but I picked some really hard titles this year -- a few that I will have to finish now in the next year!
50) A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay - I may be done with Katherine Reay. I really loved Dear Mr. Knightley, her first novel, but none of her subsequent offerings have been nearly as good. One thing that even Dear Mr. Knightley had in common with her others is a female lead that I could in no way relate to. I wonder if this is another Elin Hildebrand situation- sounds promising, people I know may love, but just a little too different for me to make a connection- ooh, I also feel this way about Emily Giffin.
52) Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center - In some ways, this is neither here nor there, but people have got to quit putting cupcakes on the front cover of books that have nothing to do with cupcakes. This is really weird to me. I don't understand why it keeps happening. I liked this book. It was hard for me to read because I felt the tension and went on the emotional journey with the characters to some extent. For me, if the ending works, it is all worthwhile, so this really could've gone either way- I could've either thrown it across the room or let out the breath I was holding for the last fifty pages or so and felt okay about it. In the end, I felt okay about it. But it was definitely a journey.
53) The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen- This book is definitely one that falls into the magical realism category. It wasn't quite as strong for me as Tell Me Three Things or Everyone is Beautiful- by which I mean that I wasn't as drawn into the story and feeling the characters were real people-- I was always aware that I was reading a story and never quite as able to visualize the people and places. I will say that that is not uncommon for me- I just noticed it a lot more coming right after Everyone is Beautiful where I was so drawn in. And maybe because there was so much "magic," it was harder to be drawn in. Still, all of the people in this book, without exception, behaved unlike any people I've ever known. That doesn't mean they weren't likable or the story wasn't interesting, it just means the reader really has to suspend the "yeah right" voice in her brain- so anyone's enjoyment of this book is probably going to depend on how loud that voice is inside her head.
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