nrmay reads merrily along in 2016

I hope to exceed 110 this year. I finished 126 books in 2015.
Half the books read should be off my TBR shelves. Completed 60 TBR books in 2015.
Having reached a critical number of 2500 books in my house I vow that it cannot go above that.
I have to limit the books that come home with me. When one comes in - another must go out!

We'll see how it goes . . .

Slow start. I think I spend too much time chatting on LT. And now I've found postcrossing.com thanks to an LT member. Another thing to infringe on my reading time!

1. Above the East China Sea by Sarah Bird. I have this fascination for other cultures. The novel ties together two stories - one about a contemporary girl, an army brat. She and her military mom are based on Okinawa. The second story is historical, about an Okinawan teen during the WWII Battle of Okinawa. Wrenching, heartbreaking, but ultimately rewarding. :)

2. Demelza by Winston Graham. 2nd Poldark novel. I can't wait for the new season on PBS! Historical Cornwall, England in the early 1800s. :)

*3. April Lady by Georgette Heyer. I'm very selective about romance but these amusing, historical Regency novels by Heyer are my weakness. Love the authentic details and droll dialogue. :)

*4. A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea by Eunsun Kim. Another cultural discovery; the compelling true account of a family's long and harrowing flight from one of the worst places in the world. Didn't know very much about North Korea except that the people are poor and oppressed. It's worse than I imagined. :)

* 2TBR

*5. How Animals Behave,J non-fic, fairly interesting but out of date. :|

6. Under the Jolly Roger L.A. Meyer. 3rd installment of Bloody Jack YA series. Irrisistible; I already have the 4th one home from the library to read very soon! :)

7. Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend Katarina Bivald. Swedish author; appealing themes - books, reading, bookstore, small town, community - but a little slow. :|

8. Under a Painted Sky Stacey Lee. Terrific YA adventure! Chinese-American girl and a fugitive slave, disguised as boys, head west during the Gold Rush era. :)

* 1 TBR

9. Uprooted by Naomi Navik. Adult fantasy. Good but violent. :)

*10. Joe and Azat by Lonergan. graphic novel, read for central Asia challlenge. Very good quick read. :)

*11 The Navajo by Cunningham. J non-fiction. :)

*TBR

I've had Uprooted highly recommended to me by another reading buddy, I shall have to track down a copy.

Welcome back!

Uprooted was very good, indeed! Getting rid of books, I don't think i could do that again, I did that once long ago in my younger days, there are still books I have not replaced. My friends joke that one day I'm going to end up on the first floor (I live on the 2nd floor of a house that was divided into an apartment) when the bookcases end up too much for the floor to handle :)

*12. Freedom Songs by Yvette Moore. YA novel, African American historical fiction. Fairly good. :|

13. In the Belly of the Bloodhound L.A. Meyer. My current favorite series - swashbuckling adventure on the high seas. :)

*14. Pavilion of Women Pearl S Buck. Historical fiction set in China, WWII era. I have an interesting 1st edition from 1946. I should give it away now that I've read it BUT I think I'll keep it awhile! :)

*TBR

*15. Troll Mill Katherine Langrish. 2nd in the Troll Trillogy, YA fantasy. :)

16. Jeremy Poldark Winston Graham. 3rd in the Poldark historical fiction saga. I'm also hooked on the BBC TV series. :)

*17. Goodnight, Irene Jan Burke. 1st in a promising new (to me) mystery series. :)

*18. Night Fall Joan Aiken. YA gothic mystery by notable British author. :)

*19. Don't Look Back Amanda Quick. 2nd in the Lake and March series. I like Seattle author Quick. I don't read much romance but I like historical mysteries. :)

*20. Hattie Big Sky Kirby Larson. Historical fiction set in Montana, WW I era. Another author from the Seattle area. :)

21. Friendship Doll Kirby Larson. I loved this historical novel for younger readers about a project for friendship and understanding between school children in the U.S. and Japan in 1927. I'm now committed to this author! :)

22. Jackaby William Ritter. 1st in great new YA fantasy series. Wonderful quirky characters! :)

*TBR - 5 out of 8 is good but I must admit to bringing 7 books home already this month.
Hey, It's not hoarding if your stuff is cool, right?

5 J/YA books
3 adult books. I'm a kid at heart.

Plenty of great reading happening here nrmay, must get to Uprooted soon...

Read several kid's books so I could give them away. Only 1 adult book...

23. *Kirsten on the Trail Janet Shaw. J hist fic; Am Girl series. :)
24. *Felicity's New Sister Valerie Tripp. same as above. :)
25. *Reward for Josefina Tripp. same. :|
26. *Molly Takes flight Tripp. same :|

donated these to my sister's school library. she lost her bk budget this year.

27. Murder on Lexington Avenue Victoria Thompson. One of the Gaslight hist mystery series. :)
28. Six of Crows Leigh Bardugo. YA fantasy. Compelling! I'm still in that world. Loved it. :)
29. *The Incredible Detectives. Don Caufield. Needed a dog story for a challenge. Fair. :|
30. *Awake and Dreaming. Kit Pearson. Noted Canadian author, nice reading theme, fantasy. :)

*6 TBR bks

Shame we live on opposite sides of the globe, would be happy to donate some books...school technology budgets here mean books are becoming expendable, a most regrettable situation...

I'm behind on listing!

31. The Girl with All the Gifts M.R. Carey. Creepy but good sci fi. :)
32. Mississippi Jack by Meyer. I continue to love this amusing adventure series! Reading yet another of them right now. :)
33. *Patty Jane's House of Curl Lorna Landvik. A family of women and their relationship with each other and the men in or out of their lives. ok. :|
34. Another Man's Moccasins Craig Johnson. One from the Montana mystery series I really like. :)
35. Library Wars: Love and War, Vol.1 Kiro Yumi. Manga read for a challenge. :|
36. Shadow and Bone Lleigh Bardugo. More fantasy by author of a recent favorite Six of Crows. :)
37. Yotsuba!. Volume 1 Kiyahiko Azuma. More manga for another challenge; not convinced this genre is for me. :|
38. Clutter Free Kithi Lipp. For motivation; I really hope to be organized someday . . . :|
39. *Treve Albert Payson. Really good old-fashion dog story. Rule is, I give TBRs away once I've read them BUT this is a nice old rare copy (still on my shelf; can't part with it yet). :)
40. Addy's Summer Place Connie Porter. J fic read while preparing for a program I did for junior doll collectors. :|
41. High Hopes for Addy Porter. Same as above but I liked this one better. :)
42. Prayers for the Stolen by Clement. Harrowing novel of life of women in a dangerous drug region in Mexico. One of the more memorable books I've read lately. Good but not happy. :)
43. The Quiet Game Greg Iles. Good suspense thriller set in Natchez, Miississippi. One in a series. Will read more and now I want to visit Natchez. Mississippi is one of 5 states I haven't seen. :)

Only 2 TBR :\

Some great reading happening here nrmay, many tempting titles but I must resist !
Remember reading Lorna Landvik's Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons and enjoying it...will get onto Six of Crows soonish...

Horrified to look back at #1 above and realize I'm not sticking to my plan - I'm a mere 5 books away from 2700 in the house. Well, my sister cleared out boxes of books in her storage unit and I admit, some came home to me. Must read faster but I get sidetracked by postcrossing.com and wikitree.com these days . . .

44. My Bonny Light Horseman by L.A. Meyer. I never tire of the winsome, engaging Jacky Faber and her swashbuckling daring and bravado. :)
45. *Imani All Mine by Connie Porter. Wrenching but wonderful, heartfelt portrayal of a teenage girl's desperate life of poverty and neglect; good but sad. :)
46. *Hearts and Bones by Margaret Lawrence. Historical mystery set in early America, post-revolution. :)
47. Whose Body? Dorothy Sayers. Classic mystery; 1st in the Lord Peter Wimsey series.
48. Minnie Saves the Day Melodye Rosalel. Forgettable story but the historic notes on African-American life in 1930s Chicago were interesting. :|
49. *Anna Dressed in Blood Kendare Blake. Horror is not my genre. How did this get on my shelves? Must have picked up a copy at a library conference.
:(
50. The Blue Hill Meadows Cynthia Rylant. Wonderful, evocative stories of family in a beautiful setting; reminded me of the southwest mountains of Virginia where I had spent a few days recently. :)
51. *Vanity Dies Hard Ruth Rendell. British mystery by one of my favorite mystery writers. :)
52. The Arrival Shaun Tan. Very sophisticated and imaginative graphic novel about the immigrant experience. :)
53. The Summer Book Tove Jansson. Vignettes of a grandmother and her granddaughter on a Finnish island. :)
54. Emily of Blue Moon L.M. Montgomery. Lovely nostalgic tale of another sensitive orphan by the author of Anne of Green Gables. Set on beautiful Prince Edward Island, Canada. :)

*4 TBR

Thanks for stopping by my thread in the 75 Challenge group, Nancy. It doesn't look like you have a thread over there, so I'll reciprocate here. Did you know that there are two sequels to Emily of New Moon? How close are you now to 100 books?

>15 ronincats:
You've reminded me that I'm way behind in posting!

Here goes - through Aug '16

55. Emmy & Oliver Robin Benway. YA contemporary novel about the aftermath of a kidnapping and an enduring romance. :)
56. Elephant Company Vicki Croke. Terrific non-fiction WWII story, gripping and exciting, reads like fiction! :)
*57. The Garden of Letters Alyson Richman. WWII era historical novel, 2 parallel stories and a wonderful music theme. :)
58. The Dark Horse Craig Johnson. Love the Longmire mystery series set in Wyoming. Now I'm longing to see Wyoming again. :)
*59. Adam & Eve & Pinch Me Ruth Rendell. One of my favorite British mystery writers. :)
60. Before the Fall Noah Hawley. Great adventure and suspense. :)
61. Passage Justin Cronin. Post-apocalyptic SciFi thriller. Creepy, scary, but intriguing. 1st of trilogy. :)
*62. Call Me Joe Poul Anderson. Science fiction novella. Fair. :|


* 3 TBR

Read in Sept -

63. Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave. WWII historical novel set in London and Malta. :)
64. Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben. Suspense thriller. :)
65. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. One of my favorites of the year. YA but with equal appeal for adults. Young German refugees escaping ahead of the Russians at the end of WWII. :)
66. The Last Policeman Ben Winters. A unique SciFi mystery, an asteroid rushes toward impact with earth. :)
67. Warleggan Winston Graham. I love the Poldark series; set in Cornwall, England, c. 1800. :)
*68. Conagher Louis L'Amour. Classic western. :)
69. In a Dark, Dark Wood Ruth Wood. British mystery. OK. :|
70. Poison Study Maria Snyder. 1st in a YA fantasy series. Not sure I'll read another. :|

* TBR

Read in Oct -

71. I Let You Go Clare Mackintosh. Great British suspense with wonderful twists! :)
*72. Casey Joyce Stranger. British animal story with a wonderful and memorable cat! :)
*73. Sackett's Land Louis L'Amour. 1st in the classic historical saga. :)
74. Chasing the North Star Robert Morgan. Endurance and perseverance on the long road to freedom. :)
*75. Into the Wild Erin Hunter. 1st in the Warriors series; YA fantasy. :)
*76. Journey to America Sonia Levitin. YA historical fiction; Jewish family fleeing Nazi Germany, WWII era. :)
*77. The Rag and Bone Shop Robert Cormier. YA contemporary fiction; good but unsettling as many of Cormier's books are. :)

* 5 from TBR

November books completed.

*78. Strays Like Us Richard Peck. YA contemporary fiction. :)
*79. Mr. Tucket. Gary Paulsen. 1st in a YA adventure series, set in the old west. :)
80. The Fences Between Us Kirby Larson. YA historical fiction by one my new favorite authors; internment of Japanese Americans on the west coast during WWII. :)
81. Countdown City Ben Winters. 2nd in the trilogy. Earth awaits arrival of cataclysmic asteroid. :)
82. The Silver Star Jeannette Walls. Loved this novel about sisters in a small town is Virginia. :)
83. Follow the River James Thom. Historical fiction, abduction and escape from Indians in early American frontier.
:)
84. The Last Star Rick Yancey. Final book in YA SciFi series. I think I forgot some details since the last one. OK. :)
85. White Nights Ann Cleeves. 2nd in the mystery series, set in the rugged Shetland Islands. :)

* 2 TBR

Hope I make it to 100 books for the year.
December will be busy with holiday events and a houseful of family . . .

Good luck with the 100 Nancy (not that it really matters !?), think you will enjoy the sequels The Twelve and The City of Mirrors, cheers !

I'm enjoying the Ann Cleeves mysteries I see you reading. I'm on book 4. I just bought the DVD's of the first three seasons but want to finish the books first.

86. Night School Lee Child. Suspense/action best seller. OK but forgettable. : /
87. A Big Sky Christmas William Johnstone. Classic-style western. : )

And that's it for 2016.
I didn't get to 100. : (
37 books were off TBR shelves. I was aiming for half which would have been 43.
I had hoped to limit book collection to 2500, but somehow managed to add almost 200 more over the year.
I seriously have to get rid of some books next year.

Where are you keeping a thread this year?