2017 Book Challenge: 100 Books

For 2017, I set an audacious goal: to read 100 books over the course of the year. This was a pretty significant increase over previous years, but I did it! I've been tracking all my reading on Goodreads for several years, so you can see my stats from the last six years here:My 100 books equaled 36,723 pages. With some many books from different genres, there is no way I can choose a favorite. What I can do is tell you which ones I liked better than the others.

Here is a list of the 100 books I read in 2017:

(I've linked to the books that I really liked and the link goes to the format in which I consumed it -- audio, digital or physical)

1. The Black Echo (Bosch #1) by Michael Connelly (audio)
2. Palace of Treason (Red Sparrow #2) by Jason Matthews (Kindle)
3. The Black Ice (Bosch #2) by Michael Connelly (audio)
4. The Concert Blonde (Bosch #3) by Michael Connelly (audio)
5. Missing, Presumed (DS Manon #1) by Susie Steiner (audio)
6. The Last Coyote (Bosch #4) by Michael Connelly (audio)
7. Nutshell by Ian McEwan (Kindle)
8. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett (Kindle)
9. Trunk Music (Bosch #5) by Michael Connelly (audio)
10. Soulmates by Jessica Grose (Kindle)
11. Angels Flight (Bosch #6) by Michael Connelly (audio)
12. Moonglow by Michael Chabon (Kindle)
13. Never Never (Harriet Blue #1) by James Patterson (audio)
14. Mind Prey (Davenport #7) by John Sanford (audio)
15. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (Kindle)
16. A Darkness More Than Night (Bosh #7) by Michael Connelly (audio)
17. City of Bones (Bosch #8) by Michael Connelly (audio)
18. Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (Kindle)
19. Lost Light (Bosch #9) by Michael Connelly (audio)
20. Swing Time by Zadie Smith (Kindle)
21. The Narrows (Bosch #10) by Michael Connelly (audio)
22. Private Rio by James Patterson (Kindle)
23. The Closers (Bosch #11) by Michael Connelly (audio)
24. Echo Park (Bosch #12) by Michael Connelly (audio)
25. The Nix by Nathan Hill (Kindle)
26. The Overlook (Bosch #13) by Michael Connelly (audio)
27. The Murder House by James Patterson (physical)
28. The Black Book by James Patterson (Kindle)
29. Nine Dragons (Bosch #14) by Michael Connelly (audio)
30. The Girls by Emma Cline (Kindle)
31. The Drop (Bosch #15) by Michael Connelly (audio)
32. The Black Box (Bosch #16) by Michael Connelly (audio)
33. The Burning Room (Bosch #17) by Michael Connelly (audio)
34. The Crossing (Bosch #18) by Michael Connelly (audio)
35. 16th Seduction (Women’s Murder Club) by James Patterson (Kindle)
36. The Bat (Harry Hole #1) by Jo Nesbo (Kindle)
37. Camino Island by John Grisham (audio)
38. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (audio)
39. Dangerous Minds (Knight & Moon #2) by Janet Evanovich (audio)
40. The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand (Kindle)
41. Cyber Storm by Matthew Mather (audio)
42. The Switch by Joseph Finder (audio)
43. Murder Games by James Patterson (Kindle)
44. Use of Force (Scot Harvath #16) by Brad Thor (audio)
45. Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan (Kindle)
46. Titl-a-Whirl (Ceepak #1) by Chris Grabenstein (audio)
47. Mad Mouse (Ceepak #2) by Chris Grabenstein (audio)
48. Whack a Mole (Ceepak #3) by Chris Grabenstein (audio)
49. Hell Hole (Ceepak #4) by Chris Grabenstein (audio)
50. Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero (Kindle)
51. Mind Scrambler (Ceepak #5) by Chris Grabenstein (audio)
52. Rolling Thunders (Ceepak #6) by Chris Grabenstein (audio)
53. A Perfect Spy by John le Carre (Kindle)
54. Fun House (Ceepak #8) by Chris Grabenstein (audio)
55. Free Fall (Ceepak #9) by Chris Grabenstein (audio)
56. Final Girls by Riley Sager (physical, Book of the Month)
57. The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh (physical, Book of the Month)
58. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (audio)
59. The Lying Game by Ruth Ware (Kindle)
60. The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter (Kindle)
61. The Late Show (Ballard #1) by Michael Connelly (audio)
62. South and West: From a Notebook by Joan Didion (Kindle)
63. Food Whore by Jessica Tom (Kindle)
64. Into the Water by Paula Hawkins (audio)
65. Last Breath by Karin Slaughter (audio)
66. Touch by Courtney Maum (Kindle)
67. Startup by Doree Shafrir (audio)
68. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson (audio)
69. Sourdough by Robin Sloan (physical, Book of the Month)
70. Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker (physical, Book of the Month)
71. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein (physical, kid's book)
72. National Security (Jericho Quinn #1) by Marc Cameron (audio)
73. What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton (audio)
74. Don’t Let Go by Harlan Coben (audio)
75. The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz (Kindle)
76. The Odds of Getting Even by Sheila Turnage (physical, kid's book)
77. Cockroaches (Harry Hole #2) by Jo Nesbo (audio)
78. Haunted (Michael Bennett #10) by James Patterson (audio)
79. Lies She Told by Cate Holahan (physical, Book of the Month)
80. Flora Ulysses by Kate DiCamilo (physical, kid's book)
81. The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman (audio)
82. The Power by Naomi Alderman (physical, Book of the Month)
83. Dark of the Moon (Virgil Flowers #1) by John Sanford (audio)
84. Heat Lightning (Virgil Flowers #2) by John Sanford (audio)
85. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan (Kindle)
86. The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey (physical, Book of the Month)
87. The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer (audio)
88. The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine (Kindle)
89. Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein (physical, kid's book)
90. Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen (audio)
91. Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emma Lang (physical, Book of the Month)
92. Hardcore Twenty-Four (Stephanie Plum #24) by Janet Evanovich (audio)
93. The Midnight Line (Jack Reacher #22) by Lee Child (audio)
94. Bonfire by Krysten Ritter (physical, Book of the Month)
95. IQ (IQ #1) by Joe Ide (audio)
96. Artemis by Andy Weir (physical, Book of the Month)
97. Righteous (IQ #2) by Joe Ide (audio)
98. Mr. Lemoncello’s Great Library Race by Chris Grabenstein (physical, kid's book)
99. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (audio)
100. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (audio)
101. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (physical, Book of the Month)

What did I learn by reading 100 books this year?

• I need to take notes during reading and right after I finish the book. Looking back at the list, it was hard to remember what each book was about. Over on Instagram, I have saved stories on my profile where I do mini-reviews of each book. Check it out if you would like to hear me stumble through remembering all 100 books! I have several articles recently about how to remember what you read, and this is one of the best.
• I need a library card. What am I going to do with all those audio books confined to an app on my phone?
• I would rather focus on quality over quantity going forward. I found myself reaching for the mindless, easy-to-consume books too frequently just to get my numbers on track for the year. Looking back at what I liked and didn't like, it was clearly the quality books that I enjoyed more.
• I still love reading as much as I always have. And I love sharing what I read. And I love giving recommendations to those who ask.

2018 Reading Goal

I am not setting a goal this year. I want to pick books that I want to read when I want to read them and not worry about meeting a certain number. I will continue to track what I read on Goodreads (follow along!). I am going to commit to taking notes and writing a summary of my thoughts for each and every book -- as I complete them -- I read this coming year.

"Readers are leaders." -- Dad