I’m so excited to be sharing my 2017 reading list with you today. The past couple of years now, I’ve set reading goals on Goodreads and kept track of all of the books I’ve read through the site. After crushing my 2016 goal of 24 books, reading 42 books total, I was confident I could read even more books in 2017. I set my 2017 goal for 30 books because I wasn’t trying to top my 2016 total and didn’t want to cram in lots of short books just to meet my goal. Nonetheless, I ended up reading 77 books in 2017.
I decided to share my 2017 reading list in a document file. First, no one wants to read a blog post where I list out all 77 book titles I read in 2017. Second, I know a lot of people reading this post are looking for book recommendations. I’m always looking for book recommendations and appreciate convenient recommendation resources. So here’s my convenient resource! You can save or print it as you like. 2017 reading list
Out of those 77 titles, here are just a few that stood out the most.
Favorite non-fiction
- Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
- When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner
- 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris
- The Actor’s Life: A Survival Guide by Jenna Fischer
- Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
- Last Dance: Behind the Scenes at the Final Four by John Feinstein
- What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
Favorite biography/autobiography/memoir
Standouts:
- I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend by Martin Short
- The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
- This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett
- Life on the Line: A Chef’s Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat by Grant Achatz
- Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris
The Only Pirate at the Party by Lindsey Stirling and Love Life by Rob Lowe are great, too. I also have to give a shout out to The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines. If you are a fan of Fixer Upper and/or of Chip and Joanna in general (seriously, who doesn’t love them?), please give it a read.
Favorite fiction
So, I did not read a lot of fiction in 2017. Most of the fiction I did read was young adult. The only two general fiction titles I have to recommend are Artemis by Andy Weir and Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (which isn’t even traditional fiction), both of which are fantastic.
Favorite young adult fiction
Hands down, Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell and What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum. I know I’m way late to the game reading Eleanor & Park and am so glad I finally did. I love Rainbow Rowell and completely get why Eleanor & Park is by far her most successful book to date.
Favorite audiobook
My all-time two favorite audiobooks to date are actually 2016 reads: Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari and Ready, Player One by Ernest Cline (read by Wil Wheaton). From 2017, all of the biographies/autobiographies/memoirs I mentioned above are great as listens or reads.
To skip
Please do not bother reading:
- I Hate Everyone, Except You by Clinton Kelly
- The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
- Data, A Love Story: How I Gamed Online Dating to Meet My Match by Amy Webb
- Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes
- Hungry Heart by Jennifer Weiner
- Blood Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton
The past two years, I’ve set ambitious reading goals for myself and knocked them out of the park. I’m not going to lie: I am more than a little proud of this accomplishment. There are a few key tips that have helped me maintain a steady reading pace while still enjoying what I read.
- Watch less TV. I know that watching less TV is such an obvious tip, but it’s also one of the easiest ways to find a little more time in your day. And no, I have not cut out TV entirely. But it’s rare that I watch more than an hour of TV per day.
- Keep an ongoing reading list. I always have book recommendation ideas saved, so I can request new books from the library or as gifts for Christmas, my birthday, etc. Keeping an ongoing reading list doesn’t mean you have to read every single book on the list. It just makes it easier to keep finding that next book. I like subscribing to daily/weekly newsletters from reading sites such as Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and OverDrive with sales, giveaways, new releases, etc. to get new suggestions.
- Mix it up. My reading interests are varied, and I do best when I’m not reading too many of the same type of book in a row. For example, if I just finished a memoir, most likely I’ll read non-fiction or a mystery before picking up another memoir.
- Read the books you want to read. Getting hung up on a book you don’t love or a book you think you should read even though you don’t want to is a sure way to slow down your reading. If you’ve been following my reading posts for any length of time, you know that I don’t read a lot of terribly deep books. I do not apologize for this choice. You shouldn’t either.
- Listen to audiobooks. It’s not a secret that one big game changer for upping my reading totals has been getting into audio books. Generally, I prefer memoirs and non-fiction books read by the author, which is what most people recommend for starting out with audio books. This list is an awesome resource for diving into audiobooks.
- Place holds for popular books through the library. I always have a hold queue going at the library, especially for audiobooks. I try to time my queue, so I keep getting books every couple of weeks or so but don’t get hit with too many titles at once. Since you’re not paying for library books (especially digital content, which returns automatically when it’s due instead of fining you), it isn’t a big deal if you don’t get to a book you’ve checked out or end up checking out a book several times to finish it.
I’ll share my 2018 reading goal and talk more about my plans for reading in 2018 in my new goals post tomorrow! Stay tuned!
Do you have a reading goal for 2018?
What tips do you have for reading more books?
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