Last year was the first time I’d set a reading goal. I’ve never tracked the number of books I’ve read before, although I had a rough idea, but I was still surprised by how easily I surpassed my target of 50 books, instead reaching 68.
For 2015, I felt like I had to aim higher, so I set a target of 70.
I started the year fairly slowly, with some longer books and a period of several months where I didn’t feel at all inspired to read.
But things improved and I have just about managed to drag myself to my target.
I won’t list every book I’ve read over the last 12 months – you can find that info in my monthly round ups, if you’re so inclined.
Instead, here are a few highlights from another year’s worth of reading.
Books I’d recommend
- Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found, by Cheryl Strayed
- White Crocodile, by K.T. Medina
- Last Night in Montreal, by Emily St John Mandel
- Career of Evil, by Robert Galbraith
- The Enchanted, by Rene Denfeld
Books I didn’t finish
- The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak (I always meant to finish this one, but never got round to it. Maybe next year).
Books I re-read
- I won’t list them individually, but again I re-read several of the Southern Vampire Mysteries.
- I also re-read several old Point Horror novels that I enjoyed as a kid.
- The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Eugenides
- Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, by Helen Fielding
- A chunk of my favourite childhood Agatha Christie mysteries.
- The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova
- The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Galbraith
- The Silkworm, by Robert Galbraith (read my review)
I won’t lie; all this re-reading did help me reach my target for the year, as it’s much easier to get through a book quickly if you’ve read it before. Plus there were times when I just wanted to read something that I knew would engage me and I wouldn’t have to think too hard about.
Classics
- Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen
- To Have & Have Not, by Ernest Hemingway
- Death In Venice, by Thomas Mann
- The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe
Translated books
Okay, so these are all crime novels…what can I say, I love a good Scandinavian murder mystery!
- The Silence of the Sea, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir – from Icelandic (read my review)
- My Soul to Take, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir – from Icelandic
- The Day is Dark, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir – from Icelandic
- Snowblind, by Ragnar Jonasson – from Icelandic
- The Preacher, by Camilla Lackberg – from Swedish
- Exposed, by Liza Marklund – from Swedish
What were the bookish highlights of your year?
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Sara Strauss says
I still haven’t read any Robert Galbraith books, but I want to! Any you’d recommend I start with? I made my book goal 60 this year since I read 82 books this year, but I like going way over! 🙂
~Sara
Amy Lord says
It’s so satisfying beating your goal by miles, rather than scraping it, which is what I’ve done, so I like your approach! Definitely read them in order, starting with Cuckoo’s Calling. The books get better as the series goes on, but one of the great things is it has a lot of personal sub-plots and backstory that develop throughout, so you get the full picture reading them in the order they came out (Cuckoo, Silkworm, Career of Evil). Will look forward to hearing what you think of them, Sara!