Books I read in 2017

Here are the books I read in 2017. They are listed chronologically, January-December.

Read in 2017
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking Our Kids - And How to Break the Trance by Nicholas Kardaras, PhD.
Tomboy by Liz Prince
Heart and Brain by Seluk
Girl Trouble by Kerry Cohen
The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
I'll Take You There by Wally Lamb
What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan
A Cure for Suicide by Jesse Ball
All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The Heart of Henry Quantum by Pepper Harding
Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst
The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth J. Church
The Human Superorganism: How the Microbiome is Revolutionalizing the Pursuit of a Healthy Life by Rodney Dietert
Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
Eleanor by Jason Gurley
Boy Erased by Garrard Conley
The Humans by Matt Haig
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes, and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin
The Red Car by Marcy Dermansky
The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge
The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness by Paula Poundstone
Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane
Here and Gone by Haylen Beck
The Blondes by Emily Schultz
Not A Sound by Heather Gudenkauf
The People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Just Life by Neil Abramson
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
Drinking in America by Susan Cheever
The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Stories from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
The Tresspasser by Tana French
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan
Shrill by Lindy West
The Feed by Nick Clark Windo
Hap and Hazard and the End of the World by Diane DeSanders
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Gann
Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin
Invisible Beasts and Where to Find Them by Sharona Muir
Your Perfect Right by Robert Alberti and Michael Emmons
Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland by Dave Barry

What did you read?

The Totally Unscientific Study of The Search for Human Happiness by Paula Poundstone

I love Paula Poundstone. I have seen her in person (at the Aladding theater in Portland, Oregon), I love listening to her on NPR's Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me show, and I really enjoyed reading this book!

In it, she describes various things she does to try to find happiness. She tries to get fit. She tries backpacking with her daughter. She tries getting connected on the computer. She tries driving a fancy car. She tries volunteering. I really appreciate how honest she was. Many of things did not provide much happiness at all, and other things provide a lot of happiness. Some of the things provided momentary happiness, and other things gave her longer lasting happiness.

One of my favorite things is how she uses her cats to describe the amounts of happiness she finds or doesn't find - heps and balous. I'm going to pay attention to how many heps and balous of happiness I find in my own life.

Woman No. 17 and The Stolen Child

WOMAN No. 17 by Edan Lepucki

I was lucky enough to win this book through librarything.com's Early Reviewer program. Thank you, librarything!

I'd read and enjoyed Lepucki's first book, California, a post-apocalyptic novel about Frida and Cal, a young married couple.

I was intrigued by the title of her new novel, Woman No. 17, and wasn't sure what to expect.

Lady is recently separated from her husband, and is searching for someone to take her of her young son, Devon. She finds "S", a young woman who bonds quickly with Devon, Lady's older son, Seth, and Lady herself. Lady is trying to figure out if she wants to get back with Karl, and is beginning to write a book about her journey with Seth, who does not speak. "S" dropped out of a college art program, and is experimenting with who she is - the "S" is a shortened version of Esther, her given name.

Told from both women's point of view, Woman No. 17 explores friendship, relationships with children and partners, and art. Both Lady and "S" have a lot to figure out, and they sometimes encourage and help each other and sometimes hinder and hurt each other.

I enjoyed not knowing what "Woman No. 17" was until well into the book, as well as these two characters. A good read!



THE STOLEN CHILD by Lisa Carey

In 1959, sisters Emer and Rose live with their families and communities on St. Brigid's Island, an isolated island in Ireland. It is a rough life, everyone's well-being depends on the land and the sea, both of which can be harsh and undependable. Rose is sunny and fertile, producing sets of twins every few years. Emer is dark and brooding, cherishing and protecting her only child, a son.

Brigid, an American, comes to the island. Her uncle, who lived on the island all his life, has died, and left his house to her. However, Brigid comes for more than just a new home. She is hoping for a miracle. St. Brigid's Island is steeped in mystery about St. Brigid, who is said to have lived on the island centuries before. Brigid, the American, is hoping that St. Brigid can give her what she wants most of all.

Brigid has a hard time breaking into the community on the island. The islanders, including Emer, with whom she develops an intense relationship, are reluctant to share the island's secrets with her.

Irish myth and lore is intricately woven into the lives of these women and their families, bringing depth and beauty to the story. Well done!

Thanks for stopping by! Clicking on the book covers will take you to Powell's, where you can find out more about these books. Happy reading!

Books Read in 2016

On my page on bookcrossing.com (you can look me up by my bookcrossing member name, 2of3Rs), I keep track of the books I read! Here is my list...note that it's in reverse chronological order. So the first book I read in 2016 was 7 Kinds of Smart, and the last book I read in 2016 was When to Rob a Bank.

Read in 2016
7 Kinds of Smart by Thomas Armstrong
Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving
The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
Why We Buy by Paco Underhill
Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut
God Help the Child by Tony Morrison
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante
The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante
Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris
Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen
Concussion by Jeanne Marie Laskas
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
The Affinities by Robert Charles Wilson
Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes
The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses, and Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History by Thor Hanson
But Enough About You: Essays by Christopher Buckley (audio)
I See You Made an Effort by Annabelle Gurwitch (audio)
But What If We're Wrong? by Chuck Klosterman
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
Atlantic by Simon Winchester (audio, read by Simon Winchester)
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Born Standing Up by Steve Martin (audio, read by Steve Martin!)
The Invoice by Jonas Karlsson
Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (audio)
Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman (audio, read by Neil Gaiman!)
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
The Devil's Teeth by Susan Casey
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
Frog Music by Emma Donoghue
Working Stiff by Judy Melineck
The Stolen Child by Lisa Carey
Woman No. 17 by Eden Lepucki
When to Rob a Bank by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

A few of my favorites were Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, listening to Simon Winchester read Atlantic, The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman, Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, Devil's Teeth by Susan Casey...some good ones!

What did you read and love in 2016?

Thanks for stopping by! You can leave a comment here on the blog, or send email to: 2of3Rs(AT)gmail(DOT)com. Happy reading!