My Top 10 Challenge Reads

I read some awesome books in the challenge and have even added a few to my ALL TIME favorite list. Below are my top 10 and a little bit about why I loved them:

(These are not ordered from least to greatest or whichever, but rather in the order that I read them within the challenge) 

The Rosie Project 

A love story about a man with asperger's trying to find his ideal mate. Instead, he befriends the wild and daring Rosie, who does not at all fit his profile of an ideal mate. This book was a feel good book and I love those. I love a good love story and this one delivers. 

Me Before You

I ALWAYS recommend this book to people. And I've never had anyone come back and say they hated it. Just be warned.... you will need tissues and a whole lot of them. This is NOT a feel good story. This is a gut wrenching tear jerker that will leave you wishing you were still reading it, as odd as that sounds. You will LOVE it. It's controversial but still a love story at its core. Just... read it. 

Still Alice

Many people watched this movie and liked it. Well, as usual, the book is SO much better. I didn't even like the movie because I didn't think it did the emotions in the book justice. This book portrays Alice, who is diagnosed with early onset alzheimer's disease. Her and her family's emotions are raw and tangible in the story. As you can imagine, it's another tear jerker. I like to FEEL things when I read. I have another Lisa Genova book on hold for me at library and I can't wait to check that out soon! 

The Sea of Tranquility

Oh this book. I LOVED this book so very much. I think it's the only teen fiction on my top 10 list, which makes me feel a little bit better. Honestly, I think I've hyped this book up in my mind too much to really talk about it fairly. I fear people will read this book after hearing me talk about it and think, "why does she love this book so much?" But, I did love it. It's another love story, but it just had a weird impact on me. I loved the characters and was rooting for them and on the edge of my seat the whole time. 

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Okay, this one is NOT a love story or a feel good story in any way, shape or form. But, this book spoke to me in so many ways. It's the story of a woman writing letters to her husband trying to make sense of her life and the events leading up to her son killing several students and a teacher at his high school. With all of the school violence in today's world, this book is a bit like a punch to the gut and hits very close to home. I wanted to begin homeschooling immediately after reading this, but that's not a new idea of mine (I won't, because I recognize that fear is a terrible reason to homeschool). Anyway, this book is devastating but still important and VERY well done. 

Everything I Never Told You

This was the first book I had ever really listened to and enjoyed. It's a slow story, but so REAL and I felt like it quietly snuck up on me. It's the story of a family whose daughter goes missing and they both go back in time and reevaluate their parenting and life prior to her disappearance and try to put themselves back together afterwards. It's just a beautiful story of what you make of your life and how to pick up the pieces after tragedy strikes. This book made my all time favorite list. 

This is Where I Leave You

Lest you think I only read tear jerkers or love stories, this book is neither. It was hilarious though and a bit misogynistic, which for some reason, didn't bother me one bit. A man is called to sit shiva with his family that he rarely sees in his childhood home which he never visits immediately after he discovers his wife is having an affair with his boss. And, it does get worse. Or better if you enjoy reading about a train wreck as much as I do. I just love a sarcastic book that says things I think but don't think I'm allowed to actually say. This book was that. Plus, the scene where he actually FINDS his wife sleeping with his boss is truly worth reading the whole book. I laughed so hard, I cried. Damn! I guess this book did make me cry. 

Tattoos on the Heart

A non fiction on my list! I also listened to this one and would highly recommend listening to it over reading it. The author is also the narrator and, in this case, I think that makes all of the difference. It's the author, Gregory Boyle's, experience working with gang members in LA. He's the pioneer of "Homeboy Industries" which is a company that hires ex gang members and helps keep them off of the streets and employed. His heart and love for this community is admirable and I left this book wanting to be a better person. It made me both laugh and cry. A winner. 

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?

This is a graphic novel, which basically means it's a comic book. But, it's a comic book about the author's experience with her parents aging, being put into a home, and eventually passing away. You wouldn't think it would be so funny, but it really is. It's also REAL. Another example of saying the things you don't think you should say, but everyone is thinking it. It also made me have a conversation about aging and health care and our household belongings and my own parents' aging and so many other important topics that just aren't that fun to talk about. Roz Chast does talk about all of these issues in a relatable and even comical way. Very well done and easily one of my top 5 reads of this year. 

The Light Between Oceans

Grab the tissues for this one, too! Never mind, tissues won't help. Maybe just be prepared to change your clothes and might as well hop in the shower because you're going to need to just let the tears flow down the drain while you wash your sorrow away. And then you'll want to make sure to talk about this book with someone who's read it. Because it's SO freaking good. You'll want to talk to random strangers about how good this book was. You won't, for fear that you'll start uncontrollably sobbing in front of a STRANGER, but you'll want to. The story of a couple who is unable to have children when a baby washes up on the shore of their tiny island. The story plays out the consequences of their decision of what to do about this little girl and also tell the story of a marriage at odds and the pain and longing for children in the life of a couple who cannot bear them. If you struggle with infertility or reading about pregnancy loss (both early in pregnancy AND later) is a trigger for you, you might want to avoid this story. Overall, though, it's haunting and beautiful and tragic all at once. One of my top books of all time. 

That's it!! Happy reading :) I'll be back soon to talk about my goals for the next 52 weeks. I also promise to blog about other stuff at some point. I have big thoughts about foster care/adoption and my kids deserve an update as well - they're growing and changing SO much! Thanks for reading and following my challenge. I felt cheered on the whole year! 

Challenge Completed!

I finished my challenge!! I'm SO freaking excited. Especially because I felt like it was quite the undertaking and I'm not known for finishing challenges. But, I really did it. I read a book a week for an entire year. And, in that year, we've bought a house, moved, painted every room in that house, and completed all of the requirements for a foster care license. Yes, I'm patting my own back.  I wish I had a cookie I could give myself.

My goal was really just to READ again. I used to read, a little bit. Maybe a book a month or so... sometimes less, never more. But I wanted to fall in love with reading and really become a READER. I've realized what type of book really grabs me, which types challenge me and when to give up and just put a book down never to pick it up again. But mostly, I just love reading now. I love talking about books and planning my next library trips and getting lost in a great story. I definitely watch less TV now (although TV watching is still a very large part of my life, not going to lie...) and I find I feel more relaxed because I take the time to SIT or be in the bathtub and just be present with a book and not have my phone nearby or anyone else around to talk to. It's peaceful.

I'm still thinking about my goals for this upcoming year. I think rather than a number, I'll make a specific list that I make sure I complete because my one complaint with this challenge was that I often didn't push myself to read something out of my comfort zone because the goal was to just READ and completing one book a week didn't lend to many slower paced books. I still haven't read the Harry Potter series (I can't get through book one - what is my problem? What am I missing? I'm stuck on page 100 or so...) and I've never read "Anne of Green Gables" or "Little Women" and I'd like to reread "To Kill A Mockingbird" (I think maybe I read it in high school?). Anyway, I'll have to come up with something to keep the momentum going!

Here is the list of all 52 books I read during this challenge in order:

1. Where’d You Go Bernadette?
2. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
3. The Rosie Project
4. We Were Liars
5. Me Before You 
6. Wonder
7. Eleanor & Park
8. Insurgent
9. Room
10. Attachments
11. Still Alice
12. Delancey 
13. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion 
14. The Farm 
15. The Husband’s Secret 
16. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime 
17. Sea of Tranquility 
18. Station Eleven 
19. Bossypants 
20. The Fever 
21. We Need to Talk About Kevin 
22. Christmas Jars
23. Christmas Jars: A Reunion 
24. The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells 
25. Everything I Never Told You 
26. Outlander
27. The Children Act 
28. The Book of Unknown Americans 
29. Not That Kind of Girl 
30. Big Little Lies 
31. I’ll Give You the Sun 
32. All the Light We Cannot See 
33. Defending Jacob 
34. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
35. This is Where I Leave You 
36. Tattoos on the Heart 
37. Reconstructing Amelia 
38. Leaving Time 
39. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry 
40. A Little Life 
41. Brain on Fire
42. A Child Called It
43. Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? 
44. The Lost Boy 
45. The Light Between Oceans 
46. The Silent Wife 
47. Dark Places 
48. The Selection 
49. The Elite 
50. The One 
51. Our Souls at Night 
52. Food 

Tomorrow I'll come back and tell you my top 10 favorite books from the challenge!

What I Read: June

The Selection

The Elite 

The One

Holy cow, I was talking to my friend Sharlie who is an avid reader and trying to get ideas for books I could read QUICKLY because I had 4 weeks to read 5 books to finish my challenge. She mentioned the Selection series and so I began.... 5 days and 3 books later I came up for air. I swear, I didn't look up from these books for a solid 5 days. Ridiculous. It's the Bachelor meets The Hunger Games. Fabulous. Teen fiction, so don't expect something extraordinarily well written and you're golden. Also, don't expect to be productive for one full week. 

Our Souls at Night 

I listened to this book while cleaning for a preschool party I threw. It's SUPER short. 3.5 hours, I think? Perfect when you're reading in a rush. In all seriousness, this book was lovely. It's a bit slow paced but well written and full of life. An elderly woman asks her neighbor to come and sleep with her at night. Not sex, but talking and hand holding and companionship. They're both widowed and living in a small town and the story is both the result of this proposition as well as the intertwining of their pasts. I thought it was really well done. 

Food

As of about 10 minutes ago, I finished this book and therefore completed my year long challenge of reading 52 books in 52 weeks. This was book number 52. We're seeing Jim Gaffigan live in a few weeks and I've been wanting to read this book. It was great. I laughed out loud a lot and my kids always would find me laughing and join in because I was reading "the book about the man who married a hot dog".  Definitely worth a read! 

AND I'M DONE!! I have so much more to say about this challenge, including my top 10 books that I read in the past year as well as what I gained from reading so much. 

What I Read: May

Brain on Fire

This is a memoir written by a girl who began having extreme symptoms that led people to believe she was losing her mind. She writes about her experience going through this and how she found her way out of it by reviewing her father's journals, notes from the doctors, discussions with others and her own chicken scratch writing during this time. It was a quick read and sort of interesting... I didn't appreciate the writing style and ultimately I got tired of the same things being repeated (not that that's the writer's fault - it was just that her symptoms kept repeating themselves). Anyway, not my favorite. 

A Child Called It

This was a re-read for me (I read it probably 10 years ago) and an important one as we enter the foster care world. Heartbreaking and maddening and overwhelming. This book has always stuck with me, and will continue to do so. A must read for everyone. 

The Lost Boy

The sequel to "A Child Called It" about Dave Pelzer's experience in foster care. This gave me some wonderful insight into a child's perspective within the system. There are some really amazing homes and people out there doing some wonderful work with kids like Dave. It's inspiring. 

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?

This was the book club selection for May and I have to say I didn't know it was a comic book. Apparently that's what a graphic novel is? I had no idea. You learn something new every day, I tell you! Anyway, I LOVED this book. I would say it's one of my favorites from this year so far for sure. It's Roz Chast's experience with her parents growing old and ultimately passing, but told in such a relatable and funny way. In a way that makes it OK to talk about this very hard topic. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone! 

The Light Between Oceans

I picked up this book months ago and couldn't get past page 18 or so... but my BFF kept telling me that I HAD to fight through the first 50 pages so I did. And HOLY MOLY I loved this book. It's one of my all time favorites now. The story of a woman and her husband who have suffered many miscarriages and are unable to have a baby and what they do when a baby washes up on their tiny island with nobody to claim her. Such a huge moral debate with this story and I can't wait to discuss it with my book club in a few months! 

The Silent Wife

A woman who is in a long term relationship (20 plus years - so common law marriage) who's husband is a chronic cheater and ultimately leaves the marriage and how she copes and gets revenge. I sort of hated this book. It just fell short for me, but I know that many people like it so I think it might just be me! 

Dark Places

I sort of hated this book. It was just too dark. I don't know what I was expecting with Gillian Flynn being the author and DARK being in the title. I knew it wouldn't be bunnies and unicorns. But did it have to be so twisted, Gillian?? Anyway, if you like super dark and twisted, then go right ahead with this one! 

I'm down to 3 weeks left in the challenge and 5 books left!! UGH! Be prepared for many fluff books in June so I can get through this! 

What I Read: April

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Ritchie and I listened to this on the way to CA in the car. Such a cute story! Not one of my favorite books of all time, but definitely a cute read (or listen! We loved the narrator). 

A Little Life 

The rest of the month of April was spent on this beast. This 700 some odd page book didn't feel as long as it was. It's not a quick read, but the story definitely pulls you through. This book is FULL of possible triggers. If sexual abuse, trauma, cutting, suicide or just general fucked up ness bothers you, then DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. It's heavy on ALL of these topics. That's all I'm going to say because too much more would give it all away. It's moving and thought provoking and is a true testament to love and strength under the most impossible of circumstances. 

What I Read: March

Tattoos on the Heart

I listened to this through Audible and the author was the narrator. It was an AMAZING listen. I highly recommend listening to it. The author is a minister and it's very religious, but even if that's not your thing, don't let it put you off. His work with gang members in Los Angeles is important and makes anyone want to move forward in life with a more compassionate heart. 

Reconstructing Amelia

This was a YA book about a girl who dies and her mother seeks out why/how because she doesn't believe the results of the initial investigation on her daughter's death. I liked how the story wove itself together and it was a quick, easy mystery read if you're ever in the mood for that sort of thing! 

Leaving Time

This was my book club book for the month. I've read a lot of Jodi Picoult and have always really loved the way she tells stories and this book was no exception! Such a great read and with a surprising element of elephant grief that I didn't expect to like, but really did. 

Yikes, I think I'm officially behind with my reading again! March was redo the kitchen month so reading got pushed a bit. Time to pick up speed! 

What I Read: February

I'll Give You the Sun

This is a YA book about twins who experience a tragedy and learn to come into their own through art, loss and finding their way back to each other. It's quirky and I struggled with the writing style in the beginning, but quickly began to adore it. The story is one that reminded me how painful and messy and beautiful life really is. By the time I was done, I didn't want it to end. 

All the Light We Cannot See

Ok... so, I'll start by saying that this book has over 7,000 reviews on Amazon with 4.5 stars and I've heard RAVE reviews from everyone I've ever heard has read it (nobody I know personally, but book bloggers, podcasters etc..). I expected to LOVE this book. I was intimidated by it because it's over 500 pages (my typical book length is around 400) and the synopsis sounded boring. Plus, it's a WWII novel. I'm not a big history buff and typically shy away from period or war pieces. BUT, this was my book club book so now I finally had a great reason to just get over myself and read the damn thing. 

I didn't HATE it. But, I certainly did not love it. I don't know that I can even say I liked it. It moved along okay... and was sort of interesting sometimes? That's it, guys. That's the best I can give you. Why this book gets rave reviews is beyond me. I'm glad I'm done reading it. 

Defending Jacob

How much can I say about a book without giving too much away? This was the PERFECT book for me to read after the aforementioned snooze-fest above. I needed something compulsive and in present times. If you loved the Serial podcast, I think you'd LOVE this book. Let's just say my jaw dropped more than once and I'll leave it at that! It's only a $3 kindle purchase right now, so if you read that way then go for it! It's worth $3 for sure! 

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

I listened to this one and I have to say... it felt a little like torture. I made myself get through it because I'm stubborn like that, but MAN - it was rough. It's a murder mystery and I just didn't care about any of the characters at all. I know quite a few people who have loved this book, but I just couldn't get on board. 

This is Where I Leave You

I've heard mixed reviews on this book, but I liked it a lot! I haven't actually laughed out loud from a book in a long time and I was laughing so much that Ritchie asked me what was so funny on several occasions. If you're sensitive to women being objectified and just general "female bashing" I guess (spoiler alert - his wife cheats on him which leads him to sort of generally feel negatively about women.) then you might not like this. If you're able to understand the context and read deeper into the reasoning behind the language, then you might find it hilarious, as I did. 

What I Read: January

I would like to start this post by saying that this month felt like I was inundated with goodness. Just pure amazingness ALL THE TIME. Some fantastic books this month, plus I listened to the Serial podcast (devoured it in 2 days - I couldn't stop listening) AND we watched season one of Transparent on Amazon. I am loving that show! So, now that you all know I have no life other than reading, listening to and watching things, let's get started with the books of the month, shall we? 

The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells

This was my book club's selection for the month. I thought it was a cute story until the very end when it completely lost me. I actually feel like I should re-read the ending because wha-the-wha? I have no idea what just happened there and it was sort of abruptly trying to cram all of these little golden nuggets in at the end... it didn't need that. The nuggets were implied. I felt like it had some potential to wrap up beautifully and it didn't. 

Everything I Never Told You

One of my favorite books of all time now. This is a story of a young girl who dies and her family's journey up to that point and beyond. So beautifully written and haunting and thought provoking. I would highly recommend reading this book. Or, listening to it! I think I got SO much more out of listening to it. I have a tendency to skim and when someone else is reading, you cannot skim so you have the benefit of hearing EVERY single word. It was a perfect experience for me. 

Not That Kind of Girl

Oh, Lena Dunham. This was exactly what I thought it would be. It's really just one woman's experience with coming into her womanhood in this world we live in. I realized that she's not my favorite person to read about (or watch on TV - I really tried to like "Girls" but just don't) so it was a little long and tedious reading this. By the end I was fighting through it just to check it off my list. Darn! I wanted to like it, but I didn't. 

Outlander

Sometime after Christmas I realized that I hadn't read much over the break and I had received a lot of non-fiction for Christmas. I started the Lena Dunham book but put it down because I wanted a good story and everything I had received wasn't cutting it. So, I put on my big girl panties and started "Outlander". This is a long book, like 700 pages long. But I had heard rave reviews and I figured there's no time like the present. It did take me about 3 weeks to finish (I read in on my phone while I nursed Crosby and finished 2 other books during that time as well) but I really loved it. I was pretty riveted the whole time. It's a fabulous story AND it fits into a category of a reading challenge I took on for the year! 

That might be hard to read... but "Outlander" completes the category of "A book in a genre I don't typically read". Bonus - I liked it! 

The Children Act

Ritchie read this and wanted me to read it so we could talk about it. He loved it. I LOVED the first half and the second half I was like..... "What the hell? Wait, what?" A lot. And the ending sort of brought it all back around, but I still felt like it was really botched together weirdly. And I'm not sure if it's Ian McEwan's writing style because this is my first time reading him, but this book went ON and ON about things that I didn't see the relevance in. Ritchie didn't feel that way at all though and he was able to read into every part and tie it together poetically. He's smarter than me, though. Duh. 

The Book of Unknown Americans

Another audiobook! I also loved the listening experience of this book. At first it was a little hard to follow because it has many different narrators but soon you get the rhythm and it all makes sense. This book has so many important themes and sub-morals but at its core, it's a story about love and community. Amongst that there are immigrants in Delaware in current times and their experience with everything from not knowing the language to just being outright ignored or bullied. It made me think about my own perceptions and judgements. I recommend this book with a warning that it's not a quick story line. It's a lot of rich character development and more than it's a story, it's just following 7 months in time. It does climax and get intense towards the very very end, so hang in there. The message is worth the slow pace. 

Big Little Lies

This was the 3rd book I've read by Liane Moriarty and boy do I love her more and more! Great characters and plot and I'm usually riveted (The Husband's Secret wasn't as riveting for me, but I still really enjoyed it!) I was up past midnight last night just to finish this book and the ending was SO fantastic! I won't say much about it because it's a murder mystery (a comical one) but it's really great! 

Phew! I'm going to post this a few days before Feb even starts because after 7 books I'm just done reading for a few days. I need a little time to clear my head before starting my Feb book club book. But this month caught me up on my goal! I'm 30 weeks in and 30 books down. Yay! 

What I Read: December

The Fever

A young girl falls over in convulsions and it begins a string of weird similar instances with other girls in the high school. I read it in a day. Easy, quick read. The plot was just ok for me and the ending was lacking. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I wouldn't even say I liked it all that much. 

Christmas Jars

A FAVORITE Christmas story of mine. A must read! This was my 3rd or 4th time reading it and I loved it just as much as the first time. 

Christmas Jars Reunion

Really sweet story! Much like the first, a little sappier, but still enjoyable and worth a read. 

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Absolutely riveting. It took me a while to get into the writing style and Shriver's overly (in my opinion) descriptive writing style but once I got into it I couldn't put it down. So disturbing and so sadly relevant. I never want to send my children to school now. I think this book is completely worth the read. 

I'm officially 1/2 way through with 26.5 weeks down in my 52 weeks and I've read 23 books. So, I'm a little behind but STILL! 23 books since June 30. The goal for me was to simply rekindle my love of reading and I've certainly done that. My days don't feel complete without a book to read now and I love that.