The 42 Books of 2017

In 2017, I had a goal of reading 40 books over the year. I'm excited that I met the goal - reading 42 books! Most were great, a few were duds, but all brought some value over the course of the year. Here they are! 

1. A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman (an audio book) - My first book of 2017! My friend and I listened to it on audio book for our drive back from Colorado today, and then I finished on Kindle when I got home. It reminded me of a cross between the movie "Up" and the book "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry," and is about a curmudgeonly man in Sweden struggling after the death of his wife. I enjoyed this book the more that it progressed - there are many depressing elements but it is ultimately warm, heartearming, and uplifting. Definitely recommended!

2. Love Warrior, by Glennon Doyle Melton (author whose blog I follow) - This is the second book by blogger Glennon Doyle Melton that I have read. I follow and absolutely love her blog, Momastery. This book focuses on her marriage and is very well written. I've read some reviews that think that it shares too many personal details, but that didn't bother me - probably because I am also an over-sharer! Recommended if you enjoyed her other book or blog.

3. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matt Desmond (a book that can change your life) - Oh my gosh. This book! If you are at all interested in understanding urban poverty, you must read this book. It's by a Harvard sociologist and focuses on the lives of tenants who are evicted and landlords in Milwaukee, WI over the course of the year. It's a page-turner and so eye-opening.

4. Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream, by Sara Goldrick-Rab (a book I read in one day) - I read this book during our "ice day." It focuses on the lives of first-generation college students who are Pell-grant eligible, intersected with all kinds of data from a representative survey study. I felt like I previously had a good pulse on the struggles and limitations of college costs/affordability, but the book was very well done and eye-opening in many accounts. Recommended if you are interested in understanding higher education.

5. Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi (a book about slavery and Africa) - A simply amazing book!! This is a novel that follows a family from the 1700s to the present day. The story begins with two half-sisters in Ghana, one of whom is sold into slavery and who is sent to America, and the other whom remains in Ghana. Each chapter is a different generation from either the Ghana/U.S. side of the family. So many themes on race, family, colonialism, slavery, segregation, and so much more. Absolutely, positively recommended!!

6. Uninvited, by Lysa TerKeurst (a Christian women's book) - I really wanted to like this book more, but thought it was a little - watered-down? Unfocused? It made some good points (ultimate one - you can't count on other people to fill you up), but I almost feel like the whole book could have been a one-page bulleted list? I feel bad being critical because the author does come off as super sweet.

7. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, by David Sedaris (a humorous book) - This is a series of humorous essays with the common theme of - who knows? I don't think I would get along with the author at all in real life. But parts of it were really, really funny (some in a twisted or black sort of humor way!) and I enjoyed reading it.

8. Hillbilly Elegy, by J. D. Vance (a book on cultural issues) - I saw this book recommended in the wake of the election last year and I expected to be a sociological explanation of Rust Belt America. Instead, it's a very personal memoir about growing up (and ultimately escaping) Appalachia. There aren't as many cited research studies as very personal and powerful stories. I really enjoyed it!

9. We Should All Be Feminists, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (an extremely short book) - I previously read "Americanah" by the author and loved it. This was a "Kindle short" and I was excited to give it a try. It is an essay on the meaning and importance of feminism. It is a great essay - but is incredibly short!! It took me less than 20 minutes, and maybe even less to read it. But I'm still tracking it in my books for the year since I paid $2.99. :) 

10. Year of Yes, by Shonda Rhimes (a book by a celebrity) - This is a book that a friend recommended. I had never heard of Shonda Rhimes before - or watched any of her TV shows. And I really enjoyed the book! I could totally identify with being an introvert who found it easier to hide from everything -- and how transformative it was to have a year of saying "yes" to everything that had preciously been scary.

11. White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide, by Carol Anderson (a book on the black community) - This is a short book on the history of institutional racism against blacks in the U.S., starting from after the Civil War and continuing to the present day. The details on some of the laws and practices from a while back were horrifying, but I found it even harder to read as it approached the present day. I'm glad I read it but now I'm depressed . . .

12. The Secrets of Happy Families, by Bruce Feiler (a parenting book) - A friend of mine recommended this book and I am so glad I read it - it focuses on offering all kinds of suggestions for how to create strong families. Some of the main takeaways are to be flexible/agile, create a family narrative, talk about your family history, create routines, etc. Nothing earth-shattering but I loved the focus on the family as a unit and what you could do to improve that bond! 

13. What She Knew, by Gilly Macmillan (a book I read on an airplane) - A novel about missing-person case of a child, alternating between the viewpoints of the mom and the detective on the case. It started off slowly and is more character-driven than plot-driven, but picked up as the book went on, and there are several interesting twists.

14. I Want My Epidural Back, by Karen Alpert (a book with a lot of profanity) - I read this on the flight from Chicago to Manhattan, which was about 1.5 hours? So pretty short. It reminded me of short blog posts on partnering, with lots of profanity mixed in. I think it would be better as a blog than a book?

15. Wonder, by R. J. Palacio (a book that Annika wanted me to read) - I've been really busy with work and life recently, and haven't had much time to read recently. We are taking a road trip to Colorado today and I read this in the car. It is a children's/young adult book that my daughter read and loved. I just wished I hadn't waited so long! Incredible story about a boy with a facial deformity who goes to middle school for the first time. So many great themes of diversity, kindness, inclusion, friendship, loyalty, etc. It would be a great book to read with your kids!!

16. Present Over Perfect, by Shauna Niequist (a book on simplicity) - This is a book by a Christian author about simplifying and re-centering her life - from going to feeling super busy/productive to slowing down and finding joy in the present moments. The author is definitely writing from a privileged position, but I could relate to many of her feelings and points. As someone who currently feels so overwhelmed at times that it is hard to breathe, I needed this reminder!

17. Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood, by Lisa Damour (an adolescent development book) - You guys! This book is so helpful - it is is all about the emotional stages of development of teenage girls. Each chapter is organized around a developmental stage (beginning with early middle school and ending with late high school), and each chapter concludes with a "when to worry" section. 

18. My Not-So-Perfect Life, by Sophie Kinsella (a palate-cleansing book) - This is a "palate-cleanser" book - nice to read something light and fun after some heavier material. Very light book about a girl trying to make it at a design firm in London.

19. Small Great Things, by Jodi Picoult (a novel about racism) - I was so busy in April and didn't finish my library book when I had it. I broke down and bought the Kindle version so I could finish. Really powerful novel about active and passive racism in the U.S.

20. The American Spirit, by David McCullough (a book of speeches) - This is a short, excellent book that is a collection of speeches that the historian David McCullough has given. Most are commencement addresses and involve fascinating narratives about the history of a particular time or place. I love history but have had a hard time finishing his 800+ page books, so this packaging was perfect!

21. The Sun is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon (a YA book by an author I've enjoyed) - This is a YA novel by the author of "Everything, Everything." It focuses on a fateful day and a chance encounter between a Korean-American boy and a girl in the verge of being deported to Jamaica. I think the storyline is predicated on whether you believe in love at first sight. But I totally bought it and enjoyed reading!

22. Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape, by Peggy Orenstein (a book about sex) - This is a book about teenage girls (seems to focus on ages 15 to 19) and the sexual activity, attitudes, environment, etc. they are facing. There is a lot of discussion of different research studies but the bulk of the book is focusing on interviews with 70 young woman. Not going to lie - a lot of this made me really uncomfortable. I have pretty strong personal opinions in this area and a lot of what was presented really challenged that. But I'd say the top takeaway is that parent/daughter communication is critical, even in this awkward area.

23. The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispecror (a book by a South American author) - My book club is discussing this book - we selected it so we could read something by a South American author. I personally found this book bizarre. It takes place in Rio de Janerio and there is almost no plot. The narrator telling the story is also bizarre. The primary plus is that it is short. I am sure I am missing some kind of literary brilliance here, though!

24. The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas (a book I really want Annika to read) - I loved this book! It is a young-adult novel, but I think that people of any age would get something from it. It is told from the perspective of a girl who is black, who witnesses the police shooting and killing one of her friends after a traffic stop. It was in a voice I haven't read a lot of before and it was very eye-opening. My daughter is reading this, too, and I think it will be great for discussions with her.

25. Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson (a book of poems) - This is an autobiographical novel of the author's experiences growing up as a black child living in South Carolina and New York in the 1960s and 1970s. It is written as a series of (non-rhyming) poems and is just beautiful. The book itself is a children/young adult novel, but it was a beautiful, quick read.

26. 13 Reasons Why, by Jay Asher (a book my daughter wanted me to read) - My daughter read this book (got it as a prize for library summer reading). She read it and wanted me to read it - neither of us have seen the TV series. The story is an interesting premise and packaged in a compelling way (series of 13 tapes left behind by a teenage girl before her suicide). However, this is ultimately a "suicide revenge" novel and I truly worry that it glamorizes suicide. My daughter rolled her eyes at my discussion, but if you have a teenager who reads it, I would really recommend exploring it with them.

27. Option B, by Sheryl Sandburg and Adam Grant (a book where I was on the hold list a long time) - I previously read "Lean In," by Sheryl Sandberg, and despite some of its negative reviews, thought I got some decent points out of it. This book addresses the author, who is the COO of Facebook, after her husband suddenly passes away, leaving her a widow with two young children. The book is co-written by a psychology professor. I found it well-written and a quick read - with lots of good insights on grief.

28. The Bright Hour, by Nina Riggs (a book about terminal cancer) - This is a memoir written by a woman who develops metastatic breast cancer and dies from the disease. She is in her 30s with two young boys and could easily be any one of us. The book was finished in January 2017; she died in February; and it was released in June. The writing is beautiful, witty, hilarious, haunting. It reminded me so much of "When Breath Becomes Air." Highly recommended!!

29. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, by Mark Haddon (a book for book club) - This is the first-person story of a 15-year-old boy living in England who has autism. It is the "common book" this year for all new KSU students and my book club is reading it - and, most importantly, my daughter had read this first and really wanted me to read it, too. It is a fast read and I thought gave great insights into how the mind of someone with autism works.

30. Of Mess and Moxie, by Jen Hatmaker (a book by an author I follow on Facebook) - I adore following Jen Hatmaker on Facebook and reading her blog. This was an at times funny, and at times contemplative, book about loving God and loving people. I think. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I at times wasn't clear about the point of the book? It seemed to lack cohesion and read like a collection of blog posts. Recommended more for short snippets here and there.

31. Braving the Wilderness, by Brene Brown (a book by an author I've read before) - This is a short book by a social work researcher. The core component of her work is that vulnerability is the root of human connection and belonging. I loved her comments about being true to ourselves while loving people with different beliefs and that it is key to see people not as "categories" but as real, whole people. I do wish the book had had more new material, though, and hadn't ended so abruptly.

32. Love Does, by Bob Goff (a book that took me forever to finish) - I have a number of books that I started over the summer and have failed to finish - so I am trying to finish those before moving on to anything else. This was my first book. It consists of 30 short chapters that tell stories in the life of the author, and then connect to a lesson about Jesus/Christianity. The problem was -I wasn’t a huge fan of the author, and events that he thought were funny (sneaking a $400 room service bill onto a friend’s account) I thought were unkind. It was a bit of a slog to get through.

33. The Spellman Files, by Lisa Lutz (a book about private investigators) - A friend loaned me this book this summer and I am just finishing it. It’s about a family of eccentric detectives/investigators who all spy on each other. A lot of it is pretty ridiculous, but it is a nice quirky read.

34. The Sun and Her Flowers, by Rupi Kaur (a book of poetry) - This is an absolutely beautiful book of poetry with accompanying illustrations by the author. The poems are first-person reflections on topics such as heartache, grief, community, family, love, and legacy. Some of the reviews are mixed but I really connected with the poems and thought they were beautiful.

35. Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur (another book of poetry) - The first book of poetry by the author. My family read some of these and thought they were absolutely terrible - comparing them to a teenage girl’s diary that should never see the light of day. I think I must have a soft spot for teenage girls’ diaries, though, because I still connected to the work.

36. Eleanor Olpihant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman (a debut novel) - I checked this out on a lark and I’m so happy I read it!! It’s about a very socially awkward woman who has suffered a lot of childhood abuse. She is incredibly lonely and isolated, but her world starts to open when she crosses paths with the IT worker in her office. Both depressing and entertaining at the same time. It’s like a more serious version of “The Rosie Project” crossed with “A Man Called Ove.” Highly recommended!!    

37. Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng (a book about family relationships) - A simply amazing book!! A beautiful portrayal of family and what it means to be a family. Hauntingly real characters. I didn’t want it to end!

38. Beartown, by Fredrik Backman (a novel about hockey) - A novel about hockey in a small town — but so much more than that!! Same author as “A Man Called Ove,” but darker - and I think even better. The first half introduces you to the vast cast of characters, then a violent act occurs, and the second half is about the characters’ reactions. One of the best books I have read this year.

39. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou (an autobiography) - How have I never read this book before?! Maya Angelou even came and spoke at my high school in the 1990s. I so wish I had read this before her visit!! It’s an autobiography of growing up as a Black child in the 1930s and 1940s. Beautiful and powerful.

40. Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate (a book about adoption) - Alternating chapters take place in 1939 and present day. The story line from 1939 involves a group of siblings who are taken from their family, sent to a horrible children’s home, and adopted. The present-day story involves a woman trying to untangle the stories about the past. Depressing because it was based on a real-life event but hard to put down. It reminded me of “Orphan Train.”

41. Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah (a book about South Africa) - I’d never heard of Trevor Noah before but absolutely loved this one. Really engaging, entertaining, and enlightening look at life in South Africa before and after apartheid.

42. Quaker Queries for All Seasons, by Charity Kemper Sandstrom (a book by a friend) - This is a self-published book by a dear friend of mine. It is a series of questions (spiritual questions) to reflect on over the course of the year. Each query begins with scripture and has an accompanying question. Very thoughtful and well-written, and is great for spiritual reflection.

What good or bad books did you read this year?? Happy New Year's Eve!!