My Favorite Reads of 2017In Alphabetical Order

Of the 98 books I read in 2017,
these 16 were my favorites!

By the NumbersNovember/December 2016

Number of books read: 20.

Fiction: 15.
Non-fiction: 5.

Audiobooks: 5.

On the Kindle: 10.
(One of these I borrowed from the public library, and I own the other nine. I read four of these while traveling in Japan for Christmas.)

Male authors: 8.
Female authors: 15.

5-star rating: 6.
4-star rating: 7.
3-star rating: 6.
2-star rating: 1.

Cumulative number of books read this year: 100.
(My goal was to read a total of 104 books in 2016, but I'm not terribly disappointed that I didn't make it.)


How did your 2016 reading add up?

By the NumbersSeptember/October 2016

Number of books read: 18.

Fiction: 11.
Non-fiction: 7.

Audiobooks: 10.

On the Kindle: 2.
(One of these I own, and I borrowed the other from the public library.)

Number of books read with "Natalie's Book Club": 1.
(Ruta Sepetys' Salt to the Sea ‐ which we loved ‐ was our September read. In October, the pick was Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In, which I'd previously read.)

Books by male authors: 5.
Books by female authors: 13.

5-star rating: 2.
4-star rating: 7.
3-star rating: 8.
2-star rating: 1.

Cumulative number of books read year-to-date: 80.
(My goal is to read a total of 104 books in 2016, so I've to got to read 24 more books before year-end. That's a lot ‐ but I remain hopeful!)


How is your 2016 reading adding up?

By the NumbersJuly/August 2016

Number of books read: 13.

Fiction: 12.
Non-fiction: 1.

Audiobooks: 5.
(Four of these I "read" during my commute, and the other one I "read" on my iPod as incentive to exercise.)

On the Kindle: 8.
(Two of these I had purchased, and the other six I borrowed from the public library.)

Number of books read with "Natalie's Book Club": 2.
(Both Fahrenheit 451 and Just Mercy gave us lots to discuss!)

Books by male authors: 4.
Books by female authors: 9.

New-to-me authors: 6.

5-star rating: 1.
4-star rating: 8.
3-star rating: 3.
2-star rating: 1.

Cumulative number of books read year-to-date: 62.
(My goal is to read a total of 104 books in 2016, so I'm currently seven books behind schedule.)


How is your 2016 reading adding up?

Utah Book WeekAugust 22 - 28, 2016

For posts about all things bookish in Utah, visit Utah Books and @UtahBooks on Twitter - and join in the fun with the Instagram Challenge.

#UtahBooks #Stack
Just a few of the books currently on my to-read list!

By the NumbersMay/June 2016

Number of books read: 14.

Fiction: 12.
Non-fiction: 2.

Audiobooks: 7.
(Four of these I "read" via CD during my commuting time. The other three were e-audiobooks, two of which I borrowed from the county library and "read" on my iPod as incentive to exercise and the other of which I "read" via Audible.)

On the Kindle: 4.

Number of books read with "Natalie's Book Club": 2.

Books by male authors: 0.
Books by female authors: 14.

5-star rating: 3.
4-star rating: 5.
3-star rating: 4.
2-star rating: 2.

Cumulative number of books read year-to-date: 49.
(My goal is to read a total of 104 books in 2016, so I'm currently three books behind schedule.)


How is your 2016 reading adding up?

By the NumbersMarch/April 2016

Number of books read: 23.

Fiction: 16.
Non-fiction: 7.

Picture books: 4.

Audiobooks: 7.
(Four of these I "read" via CD during my commuting time. The other three were e-audiobooks: I borrowed Identical from the county library and "read" on my iPod as incentive to exercise; I borrowed Off the Page from the library via One Click Digital and listened to much of it in the mornings while getting ready for the day; and The Master Magician was my first "read" via Audible, purchased to complement the Kindle book.)

On the Kindle: 10.
(I purchased seven of these, including Off the Page and The Master Magician, to which I also listened to e-audiobook versions. I borrowed the other three from the county library.)

Number of books read during Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon: 9.

Number of books read as part of a book launch team: 1.
(I hadn't heard of Alexandra Kuykendall when her new release Loving My Actual Life came onto my radar screen - but it was perfect for this year when my One Little Word is YES and I am so glad I was able to be part of the launch team.)

Books by male authors: 8.
Books by female authors: 15.

5-star rating: 1.
4-star rating: 15.
3-star rating: 5.
2-star rating: 2.

Cumulative number of books read year-to-date: 35.
(My goal is to read a total of 104 books in 2016, so — thanks to the read-a-thon — I'm actually one book ahead of schedule. At least for the moment.)


How is your 2016 reading adding up?

Elapsed Time 18:00

Progress Report
Time Reading: 10:30

Pages Read: 592. (That's about 56 pages an hour.)

Books Finished: 3. (Helen of Pasadena by Lian Dolan, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future by Michael J. Fox, and Summerlost by Ally Condie.)

Time on Social Media: 3:00 (I'm @utahalison on both Instagram and Twitter.)

Time Napping or Otherwise On Break: 4:30

Frame of Mind: It's definitely past my normal bedtime, but I'm hoping for more of a feeling of success before I call it quits. I've changed into pajamas, but I still have my contact lenses in. I'm feeling a bit melancholy about the whole day.

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 4 1/2.

Food Consumed: Pretzel Crisps. Oatmeal with walnuts and brown sugar. Leftover steak and baked potato from Texas Roadhouse. Crab cakes. Red Vines. Steak enchilada with rice and beans from Cafe Rio.

Elapsed Time 13:00

Progress Report
Time Read: 6:30

Pages Read: 290. (That's about 45 pages per hour.)

Books Finished: 1. (Helen of Pasadena by Lian Dolan.)

Time on Social Media: 2:00 (I'm @utahalison on both Twitter and Instagram.)

Time Napping or Otherwise On Break: 4:30

Frame of Mind: I've been much more tired than I hoped to be - but I guess the long workdays over the past two weeks have taken a toll. I'm hoping to pick up the reading pace in the second half of the read-a-thon!

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 4.

Food Consumed: Pretzel Crisps. Oatmeal with walnuts and brown sugar. Leftover steak and baked potato from Texas Roadhouse. Crab cakes.

Elapsed Time 6:00

Progress Report
Time Reading: 3:30

Pages Read: 157. (I am a little more than half done with Helen of Pasadena by Lian Dolan.)

Books Finished: None yet.

Time on Social Media: 1:00 (I'm @utahalison on both Twitter and Instagram.)

Time Napping or Otherwise On Break: 1:30

Frame of Mind: I was feeling quite sleepy a while ago, so I didn't fight it and just went ahead and had a nap - likely the first of several.

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 2.

Food Consumed: Pretzel Crisps. Oatmeal with walnuts and brown sugar.

Intro Meme

What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
The suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I've got so many options, but let's go with Summerlost by Ally Condie.

Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Crab cakes. Red Vines. Pretzel Crisps.

Tell us a little something about yourself!
Although I work with numbers, I love words! I learned to read with Dick and Jane when I was six years old, and I've not stopped since. I participated in the very first Dewey's Read-a-Thon in 2007, and this is my twelfth - although it's been a couple of years since I've been able to join the fun. I am @utahalison on Instagram and on Twitter, and I'm alisonwonderland on goodreads.

If you participated in a previous read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?
My strategy today is to keep changing things up - book choices, reading locations, snacks, and reading mediums - to help me keep the read-a-thon momentum going!

My Read-a-Thon Pile

For me, half the fun of any upcoming event is the planning! Planning my to-read pile for Dewey's Read-a-Thon is no exception. Here are the forty-two books I collected for today's festivities - twenty-one on my Kindle, eighteen from my county library, and three (just three!) traditional books from my personal collection.

I won't get through all of these, of course. (My lofty goal is one-third - including the five picture books.) But like I said, half the fun is in the planning!

Elapsed Time 0:00

Here We Go!
It's still dark, early on a Saturday morning, and yet I'm awake. It must be Dewey's Read-a-Thon!

I participated in the first Dewey's Read-a-Thon in October 2007 and in many of those since. In fact, this is my twelfth read-a-thon - and I'm looking forward to a great day of books. Good luck to the other read-a-thon participants, and a big thanks to the hosts, the cheerleaders, and all the other helpers! Happy reading!

If you're just stopping by and want to know more about what's happening, check out the read-a-thon blog or Twitter.

The Read-a-Thon is Tomorrow!

For the first time since October 2013, I'm going to read-a-thon! This is my twelfth Dewey's Read-a-Thon - and I was among the small group of participants in the very first one in October 2007.

Follow my progress here and on Instagram (@utahalison) and on Twitter (@utahalison) and on goodreads (alisonwonderland)!

Happy reading!

By the NumbersJanuary/February 2016

Number of books read: 12.
(My goal is to read a total of 104 books in 2016, so I'm about five books behind schedule.)

Fiction: 8.
Non-fiction: 4.

Audiobooks: 6.
(Four of these I "read" via CD during my commuting time. The other two were e-audiobooks, which I borrowed from the county library and "read" on my iPod, mostly as incentive to exercise.)

On the Kindle: 5.
(I purchased three of these. I borrowed the other two from the county library.)

Books by male authors: 4.
Books by female authors: 8.

4-star rating: 8.
3-star rating: 4.


How is your 2016 reading adding up?

February Read-Along: Little Women

For several reasons, I'm saying "YES" to a February read-along of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women!

Hosted by Suey, Jenni, and Kami, the schedule is as follows:

Chapters 1-17 - February 1-10
Chapters 18-33 - February 11-19
Chapters 34-49 - February 20-29

The hashtag for discussion will be #LittleWomenRAL.

I'm eager to re-read this book from my childhood — and maybe, just maybe — my participation will jump-start a return to book blogging!

Utah Book Month 2015

I'm going to attempt to resume some book blogging
while participating in Utah Book Month 2015!

#ChangingReadingHabits

Of the last 15 books I read, five were audiobooks on CD, two were e-audiobooks downloaded to a mobile device, two were Kindle books I purchased (for $1.99 each), five were from the Kindle Lending Library, and only one - just one! - was a traditional book on paper.

By the NumbersFor the Year 2013

Total books read: 82.
(I read 80 books in 2012, but I read 93 in 2011 - and my goal remains to read 104 books in one year. Maybe in 2014!)

Fiction: 69.
Non-fiction: 13.

Audiobooks: 36.
(Twenty-seven of these I "read" via CD during my commuting time. The other nine were e-audiobooks, which I borrowed from the county library and "read" on my Kindle or on my iPod, mostly as incentive to exercise.)

On the Kindle: 23.
(I purchased 12 of these. I borrowed the other 11 from the Kindle Lending Library.)

Published in 2013: 19.
Published prior to 2000: 2.

Books by male authors: 15.
Books by female authors: 68.
(One book I read - Half the Sky - was co-written by a husband and wife.)

Books that are the first of a series: 6.
Books that are part of a series I started prior to 2013: 9.

Historical fiction: 16.

Biography, autobiography, or memoir: 4.

Young adult: 27.
Middle grade: 9.
Picture books: 2.

Review copies: 2.

Re-reads: 2.

Read for my Teaching Through Literature class: 4.
Read with the "book lunch girls" (aka Natalie's Book Club): 6.
Read with the Book Buddies: 3.
Read with the 52 weeks, 52 books group on goodreads: 6.
(Obviously I didn't keep up - although I had previously read another nine of the titles chosen for this group.)
Read for my annual women's retreat: 1.
(I really enjoyed the discussion we had of Home by Marilynne Robinson.)

5-star rating: 8.
4-star rating: 57.
3-star rating: 16.
2-star rating: 1.

How did your 2013 reading add up?

Three Audiobooks - A Mixed Bag

Daddy's Gone A Hunting
by Mary Higgins Clark
Published in 2013.
Audiobook narrated by Jan Maxwell.

I read my first MHC mystery on recommendation of my sister 30 years ago while visiting my family during Christmas break from college. I was so scared that I ended up sleeping at the foot of her bed because I didn't want to be alone on the ground floor of the house. Over the years I've read almost every other MHC mystery, usually eagerly anticipating the new releases.

Unfortunately - or maybe not - I think my tastes in reading material have changed in recent years. While Daddy's Gone A Hunting was a satisfactory accompaniment to my commute over the past week or two, I found the story and the characters to be only so-so. I didn't see much that I hadn't seen before.

2013.77


Al Capone Shines My Shoes
by Gennifer Choldenko
Published in 2009.
Audiobook read by Kirby Heyborne.

When my son was in fifth grade, I was the leader of one of the several book groups organized in his classroom by the teacher. One of the books we read together was Al Capone Does My Shirts. The fifth graders and I all liked it a lot.

This sequel finally made its way to the top of my to-read list - partially because of my high expectations of narrator Kirby Heyborne - and I think I liked it even better than the original. The book has great characters and exciting adventure, as well as emotional insight. Well done!

2013.68


Bellwether by Connie Willis
Originally published in 1996.
Audiobook read by Kate Reading.

One of my all-time favorite books is Connie Willis's Doomsday Book. Perhaps apprehensive that I'll be disappointed, to date I haven't read a lot of her other work. I'm glad I took a chance on Bellwether.

The blurb on the back of the CD case explains that "pop culture, chaos theory, and matters of the heart collide in this unique novella." I found it delightful!

2013.69