august: 29, 30, 31 & 32

same as ever, by morgan housel (this was a suggestion from my boss and it turned out to be a good one - enduring aspects of humanity that have been the same for generations even as the world has changed - things like the power of stories or about expectations vs. reality and how to avoid falsely high expectations.  i found this book really interesting and it's set up as a bunch of stand alone chapters (i think it started as blog posts), so it was easy to pop in and out of.  i'd recommend this to almost anyone!)

a psalm for the wild built, by becky chambers (this novel imagines a future world and the interactions between people and robots...it was a recommendation from a book-loving advisee of mine and i did enjoy it but won't be reading more books by the author or rushing out to recommend it to people.)

these happy golden years, by laura ingalls wilder (book 8!  i am pretty sure i didn't read this one as a child; laura teaches school and falls in love with almanzo.  the book ends with them getting married and moving in together!)

the marriage portrait, by maggie o'farrell (i loved this book and i love this author.  i've already squirrelled this book away to bring to a "favorite things" book exchange with friends later this year.  beautifully written, seems exquisitely researched, and it brought to life another place and time with a lovable main character whom you know will meet a tragic end.  this inspired me to pick a different maggie o'farrell book as arron and my winter read this year.  highly recommend this!)

july: 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28

buckeye, by patrick ryan (this book got a lot of press and when i finally read it i could see why - compelling and intertwining stories of two families in small town ohio over the course of a couple generations of people.  there wasn't anything cookie cutter about the plot line and there was some real emotional depth of the characters.  i'd definitely recommend this!)

the dungeon anarchist's cookbook, by matt dinniman (back on my bullshit with loving this series - this is book 3 and i again listened to the audiobook.  i liked this book better than the second one in the series - the characters and plot arc is really taking shape at this point!)

unlikely animals, by annie hartnett (i really enjoyed another book by this author but didn't love this one.  less funny, more convoluted story line.)

orbital, by samantha harvey (a student bought this for me at the end of the year and i really enjoyed it, more so obviously because it came recommended from that demographic (teens) who so rarely make good book recommendations.  this story follows one day aboard the international space station, following six fictional crew members and sixteen orbits of the earth.  it's beautifully written and the book feels like you're just peeking into the lives of these people on this day - that they are much larger than what you're able to grasp of them in just 200 pages.  i liked that.  it felt like there could have been so much more to say.)

the land and its people, by david sedaris (he never disappoints.  i listened to this one (of course) and it might be my favorite of his books so far.  highly recommend!)

june: 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23

big month of reading here!  though one is a book of poetry and two are audiobooks...

the very secret society of irregular witches, by sangu mandanna (this was another battle of the books pick - not something i would have chosen for myself but i liked it!  a witch comes to a house to mentor three little witches and hijinks ensure.)

heart the lover, by lily king (i loved this book about relationships past and present and things said and unsaid.  it made me cry but only for a few pages and it also made me want to keep reading.  this could be a best book of the year for me!)

water, water, by billy collins (love his poetry and this collection is no exception!)

a marriage at sea, by sophie elmhirst (this was a new york times best book of the year, about a couple who are shipwrecked.  it's about the time lost at sea but it's also about the marriage and i loved that angle.  this is not a long book and it's beautifully written - i would recommend!)

the correspondent, by virginia evans (this is a book that everyone has been talking about so i decided i need to see what the deal was - i liked it but didn't love it.)

carl's doomsday scenario, by matt dinniman (book two.  still obsessed.  listened to this one with arron in the car to and from the upper penninsula of michigan.  will be continuing the series!)

circle of days, by ken follett (i really liked this book - the story of part of the building of stonehenge, 2500 bce.  ken follett isn't the most eloquent of writers and you really have to be in this for the characters and the plot, not the dialogue or writing.  but a ken follett book every now and then scratches an itch, and i enjoyed this one!)

may: 13, 14, 15 & 16

water moon, by samantha sotto yambao (i read this for my adult battle of the books competition and it's not one i would have picked up otherwise.  the world was magical and the author really asked you to accept that paper cranes were time or that a market could exist in the clouds.  i grew to understand the world, but this isn't a book i was super comfortable with or fell in love with.)

paper girl, by beth macy (i listened to this audiobook over several months.  i've heard this book described as a liberal version of hillbilly elegy, as the author goes back to her homework in ohio and see how it has changed since industry left and the local newspaper shut down.  she does an effective job of combining statistics and current events with the lived experiences of people in this small town, and by extension many small towns.  she also reflects on trump's election and modern day politics and the impact of those on driving people apart.  it was a depressing read at times with twinges of hope, and i'm glad i read it.)

how to solve your own murder, by kristen perrin (another battle of the books pick.  a charming little cozy murder mystery - not my typical genre, but i was happy to dabble it for the competition.)

murderland, by caroline fraser (i loved this nonfiction book, though the subject matter is dark - the author's premise is that iron smelting and leaded gasoline and other environmental factors played a role in the pacific northwest having a disproportionate number of serial killers in the 1970s and 80s.  the author grew up in the area and takes us through her own personal history alongside the history of ted bundy and others.  it was fascinating and she's an incredible writer.  i loved her previous book, a biography of laura ingalls wilder, and now i think i would read anything she's written.  highly recommend this, if you can handle some horrible murder details.)

april: 9, 10, 11 & 12

war and peace, by leo tolstoy (arron and i loved this book, which we read from late november to early april, about 75 pages a week.  we had weekly book club talks over dinner.  i read a short companion guide along the way.  this book is both pretentious (did we read it because we felt like educated people have read this book?  yes we did) and an actually great book (the character development was brilliant and the observations about humanity were spot on).  if you have a 1,400 page book in you, i would like to recommend this one.)

portrait of a thief, by grace d. li (i read this for the adult battle of the books competition i've joined, and it was fine and relatively enjoyable but not worth recommending to others.)

when women were dragons, by kelly barnhill (veronica recommended this book to me and i really enjoyed it - a world in which women in the 1950s spontaneously turn into dragons instead of accede to patriarchal demands, and then the implications for those they leave behind.  really intriguing premise and had enough plot to keep it going.  i'd recommend this!)

dungeon crawler carl, by matt dinniman (well, now i'm obsessed.  i alternated between listening (in the car and on walks) and reading (in bed) and then as soon as i finished i forced arron to listen to it and i listened to it all the way through again.  i love carl and princess donut.  i loved the audiobook narrator.  i didn't think i would enjoy a litrpg book but it turns out i really did.  read this book!)

march: 5, 6, 7 & 8

not my father's son, by alan cumming (i listened to the audiobook and it turns out i read it before!  thanks, blog for reminding me of that when i got halfway through and was like I HAVE DEFINITELY READ THIS BEFORE HOW ELSE COULD I KNOW WHERE THIS WAS GOING.  loved it - great memoir - would highly recommend if you have any interest in alan cumming.  he reads the audiobook, which is excellent!)

imbeciles: the supreme court, american eugenics, and the sterilization of carrie buck, by adam cohen (this was not a light read but was an important one and i was glad to dive into this (really problematic) era of american history.  i definitely recommend this to people who like reading nonfiction.)

isola, by allegra goodman (i read this because we were considering it for a summer reading book for students; we ultimately decided not to pick it but i am glad i read it - historical fiction that was pretty interesting and compelling.  well written.  i'd recommend!)

the road to tender hearts, by annie hartnett (i looooooved this book and have added the other books by this author to my list.  funny, touching, compelling - i really wanted to know how the storyline was going to play out.  my version of an excellent beach read that you could read in a weekend!)

february: 3 & 4

atmosphere, by taylor jenkins reid (i listened to this audiobook and really enjoyed it.  love story around a NASA mission...with enough of a twist to keep it interesting.  taylor jenkins reid can tell a compelling story!  would recommend.)

the wilderness, by angela flournoy (the author is coming to pittsburgh next week and i'm going to see her speak - that was the impetus for reading this book.  it follows four friends through chapters narrated by all four women - relationships (that you see from multiple perspectives), life changes, reflections on society.  i liked this book, though four narrators and a non-linear storyline did make it a bit hard to follow.  i'll be interested to hear more from this author!)