Total Books Read: 129
Fiction- 66
Nonfiction- 61
Fiction breakdown:
Fantasy/Sci-Fi- 16
Juvenile Fiction- 34
Young Adult- 8
Animals Fiction- 15
Classics- 1
Poetry- 1
Historical Fiction- 6
General Fiction- 9
Nonfiction breakdown:
Memoirs- 19
Gardening/Food- 10
Juvenile NonFic- 1
Nature- 9
Animals Nonfic- 29
Medical/Health- 9
Other- 6
Formats:
Short Stories- 6
Graphic Novels- 24
E-Books- 0
Sources:
Owned- 76
Borrowed from the Public Library- 52
Borrowed from a Friend- 1
Received from Publisher or Author- 2
Re-Reads- 10
Abandoned- 2
This felt like a better reading year. At least, I gave more books five stars! So many good books. They keep me sane and give me something to smile about (or even laugh) in this glum strain of living in an ongoing pandemic. Just glancing from one year to the next, my overall numbers are about the same. I read a few more books, because my ten-year-old kept putting her graphic novel choices into my hands. Enjoyed them a lot. I did use the public library more than last year, but also made some good headway into reading books off my own TBR shelves, without adding too much more to their numbers (I supported a local indie bookstore with purchases, and splurged on my birthday, but there was no friends-of-the-library sale this year, and I once again skipped my annual trip to The Book Thing).
Some places I traveled to in the pages: Japan, Europe, Mexico, Canada, Australia, the island of Malta, Singapore, Bosnia, Guinea, South Africa, Greece, Scotland and the skies of Pern! That last is a fictional planet, from a sci-fi series I really enjoyed re-reading. In fact, I did a lot more re-reading this year, which was fun and also very comforting.
Favorites:
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer- beautifully written book about caring for the land and living in harmony with nature. From a Native American perspective.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell- so glad I finally read this classic. Even though I didn’t like the main character very much!
Stitches by David Small- amazing graphic memoir, but full of heartache. One that’s hard to look away from.
Animal Liberation by Peter Singer- powerful arguments about why humans should stop exploiting animals and using them for our own ends. Very thought-provoking and a surprisingly easy read.
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver- wow, what a powerful novel. Frida Kahlo’s household from the inside, but also so much more. You have to read it!
Do No Harm by Henry Marsh- brain surgery. Terrifying and fascinating at the same time.
A Cat Story by Ursula Murray Husted- just so lovely and fun. Two young cats searching for a home across an island, and visually romping through artworks. Delightful!
Spinning by Tillie Walden- another graphic novel memoir, by a woman who was into competitive figure skating. I won’t forget this one easily.
Quiet by Susan Cain- the power of introverts. There’s so much more to us than most people see.
Snapdragon by Kat Leyh- what a weird and awesome graphic novel, and so inclusive!
More titles to mention- on quirky women: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. The Cat I Never Named by Amra Sabic El-Rayess, on living through a siege in Bosnia. The Dark Swallows by Helen Griffiths- historical fiction set during the Spanish civil war. Heart and Blood: Living with Deer in America by Richard Nelson. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn- a middle-aged couple lost everything- home and health- and took a very long hike. Laughing Boy by Oliver LaFarge- even though this book about a young Navajo man had some problems, it was a really good story. And there’s more great reads here!
I hope you all had a good reading year. Here’s looking forward to another.