I read 74 books this year. That’s 6 more than last year.

42 Fiction and 32 Non-Fiction.  My non-fiction numbers are up this year because I made an effort to read memoirs in September.

Of those 42 fiction 23 were authors new to me.

30 male authors, 40 female authors and 4 that were both.

27 were audiobooks.

I continued with 2 series (Blue Heron 3&4, Kinsey Millhone 5) and started 2 new series (The Ravenels 1&2, Penn Cage 1).

I read 8 classics for the Classics Club (The Color Purple, 1984, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Three Men in a Boat, Winesburg Ohio, Cat’s Cradle, Frankenstein, Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman).

Oldest book read-Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, 1818

Shortest novel-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 155 pages

Longest novel-The Quiet Game by Greg Iles, 559 pages

Most read authors with 2 books a piece – Kristan Higgins, Lisa Kleypas, DM Pulley, Nora Roberts

Most visited locales – England, New York City, Massachusetts, Los Angeles, Chicago

My 5 favorite books

I fell in love with Ove and his collection of merry wo(men).  For every trouble he caused those surrounding him, at least one blessing was given out.  Ove was a man with a heart, who didn’t always play well with others.  His pregnant neighbor picked him up and kept him moving until, finally, he embraced the loving circle that surrounded him.

 There is history, romance, and a perfect sense of place in all Kearsley books. Julia was sure she’d found her house and she packed up and moved from London to a small English village without a second thought.  She was a children’s book illustrator and was able to make a few friends right away just as she was being transported back in time.  It’s tricky when you are going back and forth between time periods and characters.  Inevitably, you are drawn more to one story than the other.  This one did a great job of tying the two together so I was invested in both.

 Abused by her father and then her husband, Celie relied on the love of her sister to get her through. When Nellie goes away and Celie doesn’t hear from her she begins writing letters to God. When her husband brings home his mistress to live with them, Celie finally starts to see herself in a new light.  This is not an easy read.  It’s emotional, sexually explicit and might wake you up in ways that you don’t like. Celie’s perseverance gives a voice to all the women who experience abuse and still manage to stay on their feet.  It exceeded expectations and now I’m anxious to get my hands on the movie.  Set in 1930’s Georgia it’s still relevant and addictingly readable.

 Jane was a true survivor.  This fictional book, spanning her 110 year life really comes full circle in the end and I would have been happy to spend another 110 with Jane.  Jane was a little girl of 10 or 11 when Lincoln freed the slaves and she left her plantation with a small group hoping to walk their way north from Louisiana.  When something bad happens Jane is left in charge of 3 year old Ned and she must rely on her wits to keep them safe and free.  She eventually comes to raise him like her own son and find both happiness and heartache, never leaving her beloved Louisiana.  Jane is a warrior, a realist, and a trailblazer.

Shaker Heights is a real place and I love it.  Ng chose to show the Shaker that she grew up in and I think it’s fair, and even though it has changed over the years it does still remain a progressive hotspot with old mansions lining picturesque streets. The Richardson family embodies this perfectly.  I understood and felt for every one of the characters and even when I didn’t like them I understood them.  The story centers around not only the fight over a baby left at a fire station by a distraught mother but also the mysterious Mia.  So many layers to this story and they were all connected by mothers.  I loved this book because it is overflowing with gray area.

Did you do a list?  Leave a link in the comments so I can check it out.