Tag Archives: book list

2023 book list

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2023 book list:

the porcupine year

we all want impossible things

these precious days, essays

edie richter is not alone

witch of blackbird pond

the color purple

magic hour (kristen hannah)

mixed up files of mrs basil frank

healer & witch

main street

tomorrow and tomorrow… (half)

ben and me

this time tomorrow

temple alley summer

cloud cuckoo land

circe (part)

really good actually, a novel (part)

little fires everywhere (part)

tuesday (-> sat) with the castle

the vanderbeekers of 141st st &
vanderbeekers and the hidden garden

eleanor oliphant is fine

the seven year slip

talking at night

trumpet of the swan

makoons

Looking at this list I can see that I began and ended with a book from the Birchbark series by Louise Erdrich. Emma and I have really treasured every one.

Also I noticed that I was starting books that did not resonate with me at the time and did not finish. I had heard so many good things about Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow and yet only read half of it. I am certain I will pick up that and Circe again in the future.

I actually read a couple books with time travel and really enjoyed them. So happy to have read both This Time Tomorrow and The Seven Year Slip. They were filled with so much tenderness and love.

book list 2022

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read with Emma:
Little Princess
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Blue Willow
Treasure in the Stream
By The Great Horn Spoon
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Totto Chan, the Little Girl at the Window
The Birchbark House
The Game of Silence

read alone:
Crying in H Mart
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
1/2 Great Expectations
Collective Wisdom
The Hours
The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Nora Roberts (double book)
The Little Book of Hygge
Braiding Sweetgrass
Kitchen Witch
Raising Good Humans
Little Beach Street Bakery
We All Want Impossible Things

This year I was sick for half of it but couldn’t really read. I kept up reading to Emma of course but alone I could give in to sleep. Also this was the year I discovered the magic of vacation reads. I would grab a book off the shelf of the many bookcases at my Dad’s senior apartment. Then I would retreat to the bedroom and read for a spell. In September I had use of the air conditioner, in December soft blankets. Emma is old enough for me to check out and would watch movies with Grandpa and not interrupt me. That was the best.

Book list 2021

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Oh William!
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
Raising a Rare Girl
The Four Winds
The Midnight Library
Come as You Are
Life Among the Savages
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
How to Do Nothing
In Five Years: A Novel

I read fewer novels this year than ever but I instantly forgave myself when I thought about the year I had. Never ending pandemic feels and the loss of my Mother made for a very distracted brain. The books I did read I really liked and wanted to pick up and finish.

Emma read aloud many books this year, including The Secret Garden which I loved. maiki read the works of P.G. Wodehouse to me since we adore watching Jeeves & Wooster. I recently tried the audiobook version of William Trevor’s short story collection A Bit on the Side and I did find many of them fascinating. I don’t find I enjoy audiobooks as much as Emma but it was neat to try.

Book list 2020

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In the last year I chose all different kinds of books to read. I found that the material needed to be lighter and each book had to be worth the emotional energy to be finished. This time I also included chapter books Emma and I read together. Every night ended with maiki reading aloud to us and it was the most memorable part of 2020. He read all of the Moomin books, both Children of Noisy Village, three from Betsy Tacy collection and now working through the books of Mary Poppins. Listening to him read aloud is like attending a theatrical production of our favorite stories.

Book List :

Howards End

The Empty House

I Capture the Castle

The Hazel Wood

The Saturdays

Miss Happiness and Miss Flower

The Summer Book

Secret of the Old Clock

Hungry Planet

The Van Gogh Cafe

Your 9-year-old

Crazy Rich Asians trilogy

Olive, Again

On Beauty

Grand Union: Stories

Plainsong

The Night Circus

The Notebook

My Antonia

When We Were Young and Brave

The Family Under the Bridge

The Starless Sea

How to Do Nothing

My favorites by far were written by Erin Morgenstern. I guess I should be choosing more fantasy novels!

Book list 2019

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The Clock Maker’s Daughter
The Forgotten Garden
Almost Everything
The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter
Crazy Rich Asians
The Buried Giant
Normal People
Where the Crawdads Sing
Educated: a Memoir
At the Water’s Edge
How to Be a Good Creature
Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables

set to read next:
To Say Nothing of the Dog

Last year my list had 14 novels and the year before had 13. I guess I am pretty consistently reading a fictional book a month myself. This year Emma was always reading or I was reading to her. We have read Laura Ingalls Wilder books following her life from “Little House in the Big Woods” to “By the Shores of Silver Lake.” I am ready for some new stories for both of us!