Reading Goal: 55 books
Books Read: 58
Bookstore Goal: 22
Bookstores Visited: 22
The following lists are rated in order of date read. Not many books jockeyed for favorites this year, so it was a challenge deciding which books went on which lists.
Favorites:
1. The Nighttime Chauffeur - Carly Simon
“You know the wonderful thing about ‘someday’ is that ‘someday’ can be any day at all, or ‘some night’ can be any night, and you never know when ‘some night’ will be.”
There’s another book by this author and illustrator that my dad and I read every year at Christmas. This one is just as beautiful in illustration and story to gain a special spot in my collection.
2. Sylvie - Sylvie Kantorovitz
“I had outgrown so many things. Some were easy to let go. Some not at all.”
I originally picked this one up for my goddaughter and later decided I wanted it too since it was likened to one of my favorites, Persepolis. We ended up reading it together and had an impromptu FaceTime book club to discuss it.
3. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse - Charlie Mackesy
“Always remember you matter, you’re important and you are loved, and you bring to this world things no one else can.”
This little gem took me about 20 minutes to read but much longer to process. It’s full of wisdom about love and friendship.
4. This Tender Land - William Kent Krueger
“Our former selves are never dead. We speak to them, arguing against decisions we know will bring only unhappiness, offering consolation and hope, even though they cannot hear.”
The journey this story took me on was eventful and memorable.
5. Still Life - Louise Penny
“Life is choice. All day, everyday. Who we talk to, where we sit, what we say, how we say it. And our lives become defined by our choices. It's as simple and as complex as that. And as powerful. So when I'm observing that's what I'm watching for. The choices people make.”
After multiple people recommended this book, and a friend gifted me a copy, I decided to start this series of almost 20 books. I’m hooked and can’t wait to see all that unfolds in Three Pines.
6. The Guncle - Steven Rowley
“Grief orbits the heart. Some days the circle is greater. Those are the good days. You have room to move and dance and breathe. Some days the circle is tighter. Those are the hard ones.”
This was a fun and sentimental read and became of my few new favorites for the year.
7. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
“Even death has a heart.”
This memorable historical fiction book was narrated by Death and was a Family Book Club read.
8. The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot - Marianne Cronin
“We can’t know why you are dying in the same way that we can’t know why you are living. Living and dying are both complete mysteries, and you can’t know either until you have done both.”
It’s unusual for me to read a book in just a couple of days, especially if I’m reading on my phone, but I got through this one in record time. The story was compelling and the concept of the friendship in the story was fun, even in the face of death.
9. Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard - Tom Felton
“It's easy to bask in the sun, not so easy to enjoy the rain. But one can't exist without the other. The weather always changes. Feelings of sadness and happiness deserve equal mental screen time.”
This was a much anticipated read and it did not disappoint.
10. Belittled Women - Amanda Sellet
“It doesn’t matter how fast you run, or how far. There are things in this life you can’t escape.”
I took a trip to Lawrence, KS to meet the author and get an autographed copy of this witty take on my favorite book, Little Women.
Least Favorites:
1. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
“You have as many lives as you have possibilities.”
This may have been a better read if my expectations for it weren’t so high.
2. The Paris Apartment - Lucy Foley
“It’s not about where you came from. What kind of shit might have happened to you in the past. It’s about who you are. What you do with the opportunities life presents to you.”
Again, this may have been a better read if my expectations for it weren’t so high.
3. Darling Girl - Liz Michalski
“Grief doesn’t begin the day a person dies. The loss can start when the person is still alive, when the time is taken up with doctors’ appointments and tests and treatments and plans. The busyness helps hide the fact that you’ve already begun grieving.”
I liked this story, but it quickly got uncomfortable and weird.
4. We Were Never Here - Andrea Bartz
“Which was worse, being invisible or being seen?”
The ending was lackluster and just kind of ruined it for me.
5. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin
“Senseless, you say? Death is senseless yet makes way for the living. Life, too, is senseless unless you know who you are, what you want, and which way the wind blows.”
I just didn’t get into this one and this was a second attempt.
Honorable Mentions:
1. Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance - Ruth Emmie Lang
“Don't cry over the same thing twice. Get it all out the first time, even if it's loud and messy. Then it's over.”
This one was so whimsical and fun. I’m ready to dive into the author’s newest in 2023.
2. The Beatryce Prophecy - Kate DiCamillo
“Noting is more terrifying to evil than joy.”
Good story. Important messages. This author is always a win.
3. The Sun Down Motel - Simone St. James
“The person who could be truly alone, in the company of no one but oneself and one’s own thoughts—that person was stronger than anyone else.”
This was my first read by this author and I enjoyed it so much I bought all her other books available through my Book of the Month subscription.
4. The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All - Josh Ritter
“No man is happy who does not know his own mind.”
This was a venture from the norm for me which I liked, and damn was it a quotable book.
5. A Man Called Ove - Fredrick Backman
“But sorrow is unreliable in that way. When people don’t share it there’s a good chance that it will drive them apart instead.”
This one had been on my list for awhile and since Tom Hanks stars in the moving coming out in January, I had to make sure I read it before I go see it. So far, this author is always a win.
1. Blue and Grey Book Shoppe - Independence, MO
2. Steel’s Used Books - Gladstone, MO
3. Flagship Books - Kansas City, KS
5. The Green Door Bookstore - Overland Park, KS
7. Wise Blood - Kansas City, MO
8. KD’s Books - Lee’s Summit, MO
9. Next Page - Frisco, CO
10. Tattered Cover - Denver, CO
11. Full Circle Bookstore - Oklahoma City, OK (this one was my favorite)
12. Book People - Austin, TX
13. Brookside Toy and Science - Kansas City, MO
14. Prospero’s - Kansas City, MO
16. Amused - Eureka Springs, AR
18. Blue Bison Bookshops - Overland Park, KS
19. The Dusty Bookshelf - Lawrence, KS
20. Raven Book Store - Lawrence, KS
21. Barnes and Noble - Kansas City, MO
22. Rainy Day Books - Fairway, KS
