Friday, December 30, 2016

Year-End Wrap-Up

November

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer
Completed 11/14/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #34: A book from the library
Rating: 4 out 5

It took me awhile to get through, but I really enjoyed this book.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Completed 11/29/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #37: A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

I enjoyed this book as much as I do any short story collection, which is to say, I didn't. Don't get me wrong, it was well written, but I just don't form attachments to characters in short stories and I didn't glean anything particularly profound from it. I have no idea why this book won the Pulitzer Prize.

December

The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel (The Book of Ivy #2)
Completed 12/2/16
Rating: 4 out of 5

The conclusion to the Book of Ivy duology. I enjoyed it but not quite as much as the first book. I do appreciate that the author didn't try to stretch it into a trilogy.

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
Completed 12/23/16 (audiobook)
Rating: 4 out of 5

I listened to this audiobook on a complete whim because I spent a lot of time housecleaning for the holiday and needed something to entertain me.  I loved the movie, but the book was equally good, perhaps better in its own way, as books usually are.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter #1)
Completed 12/23/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #40: A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy
Rating: 5 out of 5 (obviously)

I really had forgotten just how charming J.K. Rowling's writing is.

Anticipated:
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Hopefully completed 12/31/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #32: The first book you see in a bookstore

Cheating a little...I got this book from Target, but since I almost never buy physical books anywhere but online, I'm counting it.