Well, I read a lot this year, even if some of it wasn’t particularly earth-shattering. Bold indicates books I really loved, leaving aside those I’ve read before. Here’s what I read this year:
1. Bossypants (Tina Fey)
2. Dear Committee Members (Julie Schumacher)
3. My Year of Meats (Ruth Ozeki)
4. Deceptions (Judith Michael)
5. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (Gabrielle Zevin)
6. House Made of Dawn (N. Scott Momaday)
7. How to Build a Girl (Caitlin Moran)
8. The Vacationers (Emma Straub)
9. The Little Foxes (Lillian Hellman)
10. The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Mohsin Hamid)
11. This is How You Lose Her (Junot Diaz)
12. Wild: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (Cheryl Strayed)
13. Give it to Me (Ana Castillo)
14. Men We Reaped (Jesmyn Ward)
15. Kilmeny of the Orchard (LM Montgomery)
16. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym (Edgar Allan Poe)
17. No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women (Estelle Freedman)
18. Colonize This! (ed. Daisy Hernandez and Bushra Rehman)
19. Have You Seen Marie? (Sandra Cisneros)
20. The Ordinary Princess (MM Kaye)
21. I am Having So Much Fun Here Without You (Courtney Maum)
22. PSST…: I Have Something to Tell You, Mi Amor (Ana Castillo)
23. The Mixquiahuala Letters (Ana Castillo)
24. Hate that Cat (Sharon Creech)
25. Massacre of the Dreamers (Ana Castillo)
26. Loverboys (Ana Castillo)
27. Just as Long as We’re Together (Judy Blume)
28. Here’s to You, Rachel Robinson (Judy Blume)
29. Big Little Lies (Liane Moriarty)
30. Forever (Judy Blume)
31. Sex and the City (Candace Bushnell)
32. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Alire Saenz)
33. Going Solo (Roald Dahl)
34. What Alice Forgot (Liane Moriarty)
35. Labor Day (Eleanor Henderson and Anna Solomon)
36. The Art of Fielding (Chad Harbach)
37. Astonish Me (Maggie Shipstead)
38. Holes (Louis Sachar)
39. In the Unlikely Event (Judy Blume)
40. The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins)
41. Mixed (ed. Chandra Prasad)
42. The Husband’s Secret (Liane Moriarty)
43. Go Set a Watchman (Harper Lee)
44. A Map of Home (Randa Jarrar)
45. Something Like Love (Beverly Jenkins)
46. Fun Home (Alison Bechdel)
47. The Indian Lawyer (James Welch)
48. PS I Still Love You (Jenny Han)
49. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (Jenny Han)
50. The New Neighbor (Leah Stewart)
51. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (JK Rowling)
52. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (JK Rowling)
53. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (JK Rowling)
54. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (JK Rowling)
55. Zia Summer (Rudolfo Anaya)
56. The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta (John Rollin Ridge/Yellow Bird)
57. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (JK Rowling)
58. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (JK Rowling)
I have thoughts on Harry Potter after rereading the series. Mostly that the boys need to be older before tackling it. They’re asking, but I think it’s just curiosity. I think 11 or so would be be better. Thoughts, especially those of you with older kids?
Academic Leigh Speaking 