33 Books Challenge - Check!

I've successfully read 33 books this year. Well, 40 if you count my listening to the Harry Potter series. And 41 if you count my listening to "The Book Thief," but I don't like to count books in a challenge I've read before this year.

It came down to the last minute in some ways - the final book was completed at about 5:30pm on December 31, 2016. I also realized that I haven't published anything on this blog since 2015. Both of these notes are evidence that 2016 was a busy year. Thankfully, it was still full of great books.

I saw this on a Facebook post and I'm stealing it:

• Best Use of Imagination: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
• Why: Quantum physics, string theory and the multiverse - it was like a great book about time travel & its implications without actually traveling time. It also kept me on my toes; I had a hard time actually predicting what was coming, which kept me reading.
• Book I'd Read Again Right Now: The Mothers by Brit Bennett
• Why: I listened to the audiobook and it was incredible. I want to read the book - to hold it in my hands - because I want to really savor it. 
• Book That Will Stay With Me for Years: The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
• Why: It was the right story at the right time. Immigration is such an issue currently, and this book did a beautiful job of putting stories about immigration into a broader narrative about family, love and the sacrifices people make in the hopes of attaining something greater for themselves and their loved ones. It also was a far-from-happy-ending kind of story, which always stands out to me.  
• Best Book With a Weak Ending: The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgewick
• Why: This book was generally really interesting and imaginative. I like storylines that toggle between time and perspectives, which this does well. I didn't like one of the romance stories in the book as a matter of personal preference, but also it felt purposeless in the broader narrative. This likely also made the ending seem resolution-less and less sticky. I can't actually remember the ending fully, and I only read it a few weeks ago.
• Book I am So Glad I Read Because of Current Events: Tie -  Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
• Why: Just Mercy hits on all of the issues of systemic racism present in our justice system. It is a powerful read that illuminates, for me, why #BlackLivesMatter, or rather, why Black Lives haven't mattered, and what that means not only for the justice system, but our broader society. Stevenson is also actively combating this tide and his story is inspiring. Born a Crime is similar in its insightfulness and importance as it comes to race relations. In the least, Noah's memoir illuminates that everyone has a unique story, background, and set of circumstances that shape who they are; at most, Noah illuminates the many lines of difference present in everyone's story - with insightful commentary on race, culture, religion, skin-color, language, and nationality.
• Book That Opened My Eyes the Most: The Spy by Paulo Coelho
• Why: I had no idea who Mata Hari was before reading this book. Although Coelho imagines some of the events in the book, the premise of the story, and much of the context is right out of history books (that I was clearly never given). It's debatable whether Hari was a criminal, but it is not debatable that her course of events very much had to do with her being a woman in a society dominated by men. I also think that it was this aspect of her identity that most clearly set her up to be positioned as a criminal - which makes her conviction and execution questionable in many ways. Don't worry, I didn't spoil anything.
• When People Ask Me What to Recommend from my 2016 list: The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez & Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Some others might be recommended based on the person and their interests.
• See above!
• Book I Wouldn't Recommend to Anyone: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
• Why: It wasn't a bad book by any means. I also wasn't moved by it. The "Girl" books seem to be overwrought in some ways, and maybe this book's only fault is that I read "Gone Girl" first and this feels like a thriller in the same vein. I won't tell anyone not to read it (probably) but I also wouldn't say to anyone that it is a must-read. I also have nearly zero interest in the movie even after reading the book. The "nearly" is only because I wouldn't mind a little more time with Justin Therioux.

I set out to read books by more women and more people of color than I did last year - generally to diversify my reading list. Here's how the stats shook out:

• 60% of the books were written by women
• 33% were written by people of color (this is same proportion from last year)
• I read more books by men of color (6) than women of color (5). 
• 8 hardcovers
• 2 e-books
• 7 audiobooks
• 16 paperbacks
• 10 reflected stories of cultures and people very different from mine
• 2 actively promoted narratives that deviate from dominant culture
• 9 were non-fiction; 1 was a narrative based on true events
• 4 young adult/children's
• 10,406 pages read
• 27 were posted to Instagram in 2016 (#mjreadingchallenge2016).

Overall, it was a good year for reading. It was unclear whether I'd reach the goal so I'm glad I did. The majority of the books were tackled in the fall and winter, as my spring and summer were slow reading times between work and transitioning from Oklahoma to Colorado. I still read every day, but the slower times were just that - I was distracted and needed to re-read, or too tired to read many pages.

My rule that audiobooks are allowed made a difference. Admittedly, when I hit book #26,  I did think - well, technically I've read 33 with Harry Potter! But I wouldn't let myself bend that rule. For that, I am grateful.

I also made more friends who are avid readers and between old and new ones, have had great discussions about books and traded recommendations. Even though I didn't get around to posting every book on Instagram (at least in 2016), I did get affirmation from many of  my friends about the postings themselves. I want to continue that in 2017 to, in the very least, celebrate the books I read, but also to spread the love of reading.

I also learned a couple of lessons:

• First, diversifying my reading list is an intentional act that I must continue in 2017.
• Second, 33 books, while a nice ring, was a little much (if I want to enjoy the lovely re-reads of great books like Harry Potter and The Book Thief). Therefore, I will likely keep 2017's goal at 30 books - and hey, I'm turning 30 so that works.
• Third, and finally, I still spend way too much money on books. I have books at my house I haven't read. I have a library card. Therefore, I want to only spend Book of the Month money this year, and if I buy any others, I must use gift cards or get sizable discounts. Otherwise, I have plenty to work through at my house and at the library.  I also already locked my Audible Membership and pre-loaded 7 audiobooks for next year, so no need to purchase more. I did this in 2014 and it curbed my spending demonstrably (or at least, it felt that way), so I don't see the harm in doing this again.

Briefly, I thought that I should also challenge myself to read more nonfiction. My habit with nonfiction is to read some, skim some, and ultimately enjoy looking at the books on my shelf. The exceptions are usually narrative nonfiction (like A Voyage Long and Strange this year), select audiobook memoirs, or highly readable, relevant work (like Hamilton: a Revolution). Ultimately, I have decided not to push myself here for a couple of reasons. First, my reading challenges are supposed to be pleasurable and to stoke my passions for reading. The least pleasurable thing to do, and the thing that would quell my passions, is to force myself to read more of the things I don't like reading. Second, I read a lot of "non-fiction" at work. I also do a lot of skimming, reviewing passages, etc. for fun - but I won't count any of that as completing a book. I just know it happens and it works for me. So there.

Cheers to a great year of reading, and another year to come!

~MJ

The complete list:

1. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
2. A Map of Everything by Elizabeth Early
3. The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
4. Americanah by Chimanda Ngozi Adiche
5. Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo
6. H is For Hawk by Helen MacDonald
7. The Julian Chapter by R.J. Palacio
8. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
9. For One More Day by Mitch Albom
10. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
11. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
12. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
13. Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrique
14. Racial Equality in America by John Hope Franklin
15. The BFG by Roald Dahl
16. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
17. After You by Jojo Moyes 
18. Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2 by John Tiffany
19. Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda
20. A Voyage Long and Strange: On the Trail of Vikings, Conquistadors, Lost Colonists, and Other Adventures in Early America by Tony Horowitz
21. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
22. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
23. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
24. The Mothers by Brit Bennett
25. The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgewick
26. Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple
27. The Trespasser by Tana French
28. The Spy by Paulo Coelho
29. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
30. Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham
31. Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie
32. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
33. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch