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televinita · 7 years

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Books Read in 2016: The Why

Why did you read this book?

That’s a question I stumbled across in a book meme about your last / current book. And I immediately thought, what if I answered that question for every book I read this year?

Yes, a lot of these do boil down to "because the summary talked about things that interest me," but hey, now you know me a little better. And perhaps this will be of interest to others who have read some of these same books for different reasons. Listed in order of when they were read because it was enough work to split them by category.

(now with photos!)

FICTION

Where the Heart Is - Billie Letts. 1995. Why I read it: Last year I read The Shelf: From LEQ to LES, so I decided to try the author's experiment at my own local library, and this one looked best out of my options. Without recognizing the title, I was immediately drawn to the concepts of a small midwestern town, a found-family community, and a pregnant teenager having to figure out how to make a life for herself from scratch.

The Honk and Holler Opening Soon - Billie Letts. 1998. Why I read it: Since I liked the previous book so much, I went for one that looked similarly intriging due to the elements of a failing country diner, a woman with a 3-legged dog and another found-family community.

These Girls - Sarah Pekkanen. 2012. Why I read it: I struggle to find adult (a.k.a. not YA) fiction that will appeal to me, being deeply bored by most specialty genres as well as most acclaimed literary novels, so I'm always on the lookout for options. After the cover intrigued me enough at a book sale to read the back, these characters seemed like they had pretty interesting careers, plus they were fairly young for adults.

Catching Air - Sarah Pekkanen. 2014. Why I read it: I loved These Girls, so out of the many other options from this author, I gravitated towards the one with characters living out one version of my dream life, a/k/a two couples starting a B&B.

600 Hours of Edward - Craig Lancaster. 2012. Why I read it: I was having a renaissance of affectionate feelings for Spencer Reid of Criminal Minds and wanted to read a book where I could imagine him as the main character. Decided the best way to do that would be to pick a book about someone with Asperger's. Much research later, this one had the best reviews that didn't mention foul language.

Edward Adrift - Craig Lancaster. 2013. Why I read it: See above: my mental casting + book research was a success and I wanted more of him.

House of Glass - Sophie Littlefield. 304 pg/2014. Why I read it: I went back to the "L's" in hopes of repeating my success with Billie Letts. This one offered me a home invasion and a family being held hostage. That's a good 18 varieties of hurt/comfort in one.

Breed of Giants - Joyce Stranger. 1966. Why I read it: I I stumbled upon this author when Goodreads recommended The January Queen to me. She apparently was once very popular in England but seems nigh-unknown in the U.S., which is too bad because she wrote dozens of books featuring animals aimed at an adult audience, and I wanted to read them all immediately because vintage + animals = my jam. I decided on this one first since the state libraries did not have The January Queen, and one doesn't often find Shires starring in books.

And Then She Was Gone - Rosalind Noonan. 2013. Why I read it: I watch a lot of crime shows, but what they don't show you is the aftermath: when the rescued abductee comes home and has to readjust to life with her family. That interests me, too.

The Running Foxes - Joyce Stranger. 1966. Why I read it: It was taking too long to call in Joyce Stranger novels via Interlibrary Loan, so I turned to the one I realized I had owned for a while, and had in fact picked up solely because it was cheap and old and ostensibly about foxes and (incorrectly) in the juvenile section. It also turned out to be a semi-sequel to Breed of Giants.

Mandrake Root - Janet Diebold. 1946. Why I read it: I found this old book at an estate sale, thought its plain green cover with indented lettering was attractive, and was so enchanted by the first page talking about a woman riding her bike through the forest at night in a foreign European country that I plunged into it without even knowing what it was going to be about.

My One Square Inch of Alaska - Sharon Short. 2013. Why I read it: Picked up cheap at a library sale. I honestly thought it was going to be the story of a young woman staking claim to a homestead in Alaska with her dog. (it wasn't. but it was still great)

A House By the Side of the Road - Jan Gleiter. 1998. Why I read it: Also picked up a cheap at the library sale. Single woman inherits a huge old house? That’s the dream.

Watermelon - Marian Keyes. 1995. Why I read it: I was still feeling burned by NCIS's cheating-husband reveal, and this had the same plot but with a baby, so I thought it might help me work through my grumpiness to see how a fictional character did it. It also seemed like breezy and appealing chick lit, and the fancy green-and-pink cover with an attractively shot photo of a pregnant woman in a white sundress tipped the scales.

Rizzoli & Isles #5: Vanish - Tess Gerritsen. 2006. Why I read it: Long story short, I knew that Billy Burke played Agent Dean briefly on the TV series that I've never seen but always wanted to, and when I learned he was Rizzoli's husband in the book series I'd never read, I was like "hot damn" and set about researching which one would give me the highest quality ship content. According to the reviews, this one had chapters from Dean's POV while Jane was being held hostage in the hospital while pregnant. What is "everything I want ALWAYS."

Rizzoli & Isles #2: The Apprentice - Tess Gerritsen. 2002. [8/6] Why I read it: I enjoyed the writing style of #5 so much -- it was as much fun as the Nikki Heat books that let me picture Castle & Beckett, but better quality writing -- that I decided to go see how this relationship started, and from there I enjoyed everything so much that I continued on with the series in order.

Also read: Rizzoli & Isles #3, 4, and 6-11 in chronological order until I ran out of books. Each one was an equally enjoyable treat.

Under the Knife - Tess Gerritsen. 1990. Why I read it: I figured a medical mystery would be just as exciting as her other work, since I wasn't ready to finish the R&I series at the time.

The X-Files tie-in: Ruins - Kevin J. Anderson. 1995. Why I read it: This used to be an annual reread -- it's just been far too long since I picked up my favorite of all the X-Files tie-in novels. Yucatan jungle + Mayan ruins + feathered serpent aliens?? Yeah, baby.

Winner - Maureen O’donoghue Why I read it: Recommended to me years ago as a good book featuring horses aimed at adults. I subsequently found it at a garage sale, but never had the patience to start it because it's so long, until I took it off the shelf to write down the author's name / look it up, started browsing the first chapter, and found myself so fascinated that I read it overnight.

YOUNG ADULT

I'll Meet You There - Heather Demetrios. 2015. Why I read it: This was recommended to me on Goodreads. I loved the idea of a teenager working in a quirky motel in order to support herself / get to college, plus I haven't seen much YA that deals with disabled veterans under 22.

What Happened to Lani Garver - Carol Plum-Ucci. 2002. Why I read it: Reread this high school favorite after Goodreads reminded me of its existence, eager to reabsorb its powerful content.

Young Widows Club - Alexandra Coutts. 2015. Why I read it: It was a concept I'd never seen: someone who not only got married to a peer in high school, but had her husband die before she turned 18 (suddenly, of natural causes). And I love a good novel about grief and recovery.

The Fall - Bethany Griffin. 2014. Why I read it: I love haunted-house stories in the movies, but I'm more interested in the spooky house than the ghosts, so it's hard to find books that do the trick. The literary tie-in to the House of Usher tipped the scales in this one's favor.

The Spell Book of Listen Taylor - Jaclyn Moriarty. 2007. Why I read it: Quirky title, an attractive design, breezy writing and a neat-looking blend of reality with hints of magic.

You Have Seven Messages - Stewart Lewis. 2011. Why I read it: Looked like a quick and easy read, standard YA fare with elements of grief and mystery. I wanted to know what the seven messages said!

The Truth About You and Me - Amanda Grace. 2013. Why I read it: I am a sucker for student/teacher stories with a minimal age difference where the attraction is genuine and intellectual, not a hookup. Plus the girl on the cover reminded me of Lux from Life Unexpected, and I am always two seconds away from plunging into nostalgic despair for that beautiful ship.

Keeping the Castle - Patrice Kindl. 2012. Why I read it: So, I love Jane Austen. And the plot summary basically described a Jane Austen novel, but in YA, and where the main character rather than her mother is the one scheming to get a husband...in order to add sufficient money to her title to keep her family's MODERN-DAY (1700s) CASTLE. Jane Austen + fancy historic house??

Subway Love - Nora Leigh Baskin. 2014. Why I read it: The cover was pretty, I was interested in the hippie girl, and it was a cutely compact book.

Goodnight, Cinderella - Richard Posner. 1989. Why I read it: Picked up cheap at a library sale, I was mostly just enchanted by its super-80s illustrated cover, and decided I wanted to read a super-80s YA novel about Prom.

Out of the Shadows - Sarah Singleton. 2006. Why I read it: Elizabethan England is one of my favorite periods in European history -- but you don't hear much about the English Catholics during this time. And while I'm not much for fairy stories, the cover made her look like a tree fairy. Nature fairies, I'm fine with.

Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon. 2015. Why I read it: This has been promoted enough that I wanted to join the conversation. I was intrigued by the concept of a girl who's so allergic to things that she can't go outside.

One Thing Stolen - Beth Kephart. 2015. Why I read it: I was hoping for lyrical writing about Italy.

Dead Girls Don't Lie - Jennifer Shaw Wolf. 2013. Why I read it: I usually enjoy standalone YA murder mystery thrillers.

Out of the Easy - Ruta Sepetys. 2013. Why I read it: I really enjoyed her first historical novel (Between Shades of Grey) and I was excited to read one set in New Orleans.

The Art of Secrets - James Klise. 2014. Why I read it: Because what's more exciting than someone donating artwork to a high school charity fundraiser that turns out to be of priceless historic value? Unless there's also a mystery about who set a fire that destroyed the home of a minority family and why.

Time Between Us - Tamara Ireland Stone. 2012 Why I read it: I don't like time travel stories, especially love stories, but my resistance was overcome 50% because of how pretty the cover model is and 50% because I wanted to read a YA novel set in the 90s.

Time After Time - Tamara Ireland Stone. 2013. Why I read it: And the sequel, because I fell in love with the characters and their love story and needed more.

The Chapel Wars - Lindsay Leavitt. 2014. Why I read it: I enjoyed her first novel (Going Vintage) and thought it'd be fun to read about a teenager who's just inherited the family business: a wedding chapel in Las Vegas. How will she manage the responsibilities?

My Life as a Rhombus - Varian Johnson. 2007. Why I read it: Every so often I get an urge to read teen pregnancy stories. But I've never seen one where the pregnancy is given to a secondary character and the narrator once had an abortion.

All We Have Is Now - Lisa Schroeder. 2015. Why I read it: Sometimes I'm just in the mood for "it's the last night on earth" stories in YA. I always wonder what I'd do in that situation, so I like to see different scenearios.

Thunderwith - Libby Hawthorne. 1989. Why I read it: Reread of one of my favorite books in high school, to relive the magic of being transported to the Australian outback and a stray dog who may or may not be a phantom as he randomly comes and goes.

A School For Brides - Patrice Kindl. 2015. Why I read it: Sequel to Keeping the Castle. I definitely wanted to spend more time in Lesser Hoo.

After The Woods - Kim Savage. 2016. Why I read it: This one was recommended to me by Goodreads -- again, I usually enjoy YA thrillers.

Emily's Dress, And Other Missing Things - Kathryn Burak. 2012. Why I read it: Keywords: Emily Dickinson, grief recovery, road-trip, quasi-student/teacher romance but with all possible legal objections stripped out.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs. 2011. Why I read it: I saw the movie in the theater and immediately wanted to relive the experience. Since that wasn't possible, I figured rereading the book would do the trick. Plus I wanted to confirm how much the movie had changed.

Hollow City AND Library of Souls - Ransom Riggs. 2014/2015. Why I read it: The Miss Peregrine sequels didn't exist when I read the first book. I had been waiting to do a reread so the story would be fresh in my mind before continuing, so once I had, it was time to go full speed ahead to finish this awesome trilogy.

Tales of the Peculiar - Ransom Riggs. 2016. Why I read it: Having finished the trilogy, I had to round off the collection.

Leap of Faith - Jamie Blair. 2013. Why I read it: I was hunting around for solid love stories in YA, and I am a sucker for stories that involve a teenage girl moving somewhere random and having to build a life for herself.

Don't Fail Me Now - Una LaMarche. 2015. Why I read it: I am also a sucker for girls whose parents abandon them or quit working so that they have to get a job and scramble to keep their family afloat. This one was set in the inner city, a world that fascinates me because it seems so difficult and I can't imagine how people do it, AND it featured a road trip, another favorite staple in YA. Further intriguing was that it was about a black girl for whom drug use / gangs / teen pregnancy did not appear to be staples of the story.

A Handful of Dust - Mindy McGinnis. 2014. Why I read it: Sequel to the awesome Not a Drop to Drink -- I love the post-apocalytpic survivalist world she's created.

37 Things I Love - Kekla Magoon. 2012. Why I read it: I was in the mood for a light, fluffy high school beach read and the cover tricked me into thinking this was one.

Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse - Lucas Klauss. 2012. Why I read it: I was searching the library shelves for a good contemporary YA novel with a male protagonist. This featured a guy feeling lost after his mother's death, and falling for a nice girl.

The Way Back From Broken - Amber J. Keyser. 2015. Why I read it: Part of my "looking for a good male teenage protagonist" quest. Grief recovery is usually a good element for that.

This Raging Light - Estelle Laure. 2015. Why I read it: Seriously, I love when teens' parents abandon them or quit working so they have to find a way to keep their households afloat, especially if they have a little sibling.

Zac and Mia - A.J. Betts. 2013. Why I read it: I was in the mood for a teen love story, and if it’s also a cancer novel, then jackpot.

The Indigo Notebook - Laura Resau. 2009. Why I read it: Though I'm a homebody, once in a while I will feel the urge to read a travelogue-type of novel set in a foreign country I would never actually want to personally visit, such as "anywhere south of Texas." Armchair vacations are magical, retaining the beauty of the locale while eliminating the humidity, bugs and poor internet connectivity that would drive me mad.

The Ruby Notebook & The Jade Notebook - Laura Resau. 2010/2011. Why I read it: Well, I definitely wanted to follow the continuing story of her relationship and quest for her father, plus the writing style is beautiful.

Take Me There - Carolee Dean. 2010. Why I read it: I have been looking for a long time for something in which I could imagine Miles & Rachel of Revolution, even if I had to teenage-AU it. The trope was bad boy with a heart of gold + good girl, and I wanted to find one that didn't involve racial tension or an active gang member. This fit the bill.

Some Boys - Patty Blount. 2014. Why I read it: It was set up with hurt/comfort elements (rape victim being labeled a slut and shunned by all except This One Boy), so I was hoping for a White Knight love story.

Girl on a Plane - Miriam Moss. 2016. Why I read it: I was intrigued by both the hostage aspect and rarely-featured setting of the 1970s Iranian conflicts.

The Islands at the End of the World - Austin Aslan. 2014. Why I read it: Post-apocalyptic-event survivalist story + Hawaii!

The Girl At the Center of the World - Austin Aslan. 2015.

Why I read it: The above was amazing, so I needed the sequel!

Someone I Wanted to Be - Aurelia Wills. 2016. Why I read it: Good question. It seemed like a stock quality YA novel about a girl whose focus was not on dating dilemmas? I had rejected so many YA novels at the library by that point that I was willing to take a chance on anything featuring a girl that didn't hit a rage trigger.

Emmy & Oliver - Robin Benway. 2015. Why I read it: Basically, I wanted to cast Deeks & Kensi in a YA novel, so I had that in the back of my mind while browsing at the library. After extensive scrutiny, I deemed this one a good contender. Because what's better than best friends who (hopefully) fall in love?

Welcome to the Ark - Stephanie S. Tolan. 1996. Why I read it: I bought it to read, but I don't really remember why! Maybe the idea of a post-apocalyptic setting? I finally read it specifically to see if I could get rid of it, and I can.

Every Last Word - Tamara Ireland Stone. 2015. Why I read it: I loved the author's earlier books, and this seemed like a generally solid high school story. With a poetry club.

Openly Straight - Bill Konigsberg. 2013. Why I read it:Wanted a book with a gay character that featured either a good romance or a close friendship with another guy.

Tumbling - Caela Carter. 2016. Why I read it: I loved watching the women's gymnastics team at the Olympics this year, not only during the routines but also during the interviews or even just when the camera would linger on them during downtime. This seemed like a fictional version of that.

MIDDLE GRADE / CHILDREN’S

The Secret Ingredient - Laura Schaefer. 2011. Why I read it: The sequel to the book that made determined enough to fall in love with tea that I finally did it. I couldn't wait to savor the experience of drinking tea while reading a new story -- I stocked up on special flavors and everything.

Dreamsleeves - Coleen Murtagh Paratore. 2012. Why I read it: Pretty cover/title, and it looked like a cute middle grade novel about a plucky child succeeding in spite of having to take on too much responsibility for her age.

Abandoned - Angela Dorsey. 2004. Why I read it: I will never outgrow pony books, and this featured a girl who finds an abandoned farm with animal skeletons in the barn while exploring the countryside on horseback. What a great trope.

Jenny, Sam and the Invisible Hildegarde - Mary Kennedy. 1954. Why I read it: Picked up cheap at a garage sale. Cute vintage Scholastic children's book: a world of simpler times. Plus, dog on cover.

Whinny of the Wild Horses - Amy C. Laundrie. 1990. Why I read it: One of my favorite books in elementary school that I haven't seen since, I finally decided to request it from Interlibrary Loan to relive the magic and so I could write a proper Goodreads review for it.

Maybe a Fox - Kathi Appelt. 2016. Why I read it: Pretty cover, intriguing title, tingled my brain with the possibility of a magic fox.

NONFICTION

Kym - Joyce Stranger. 1976. Why I read it: Cat memoirs lag behind their canine and equine counterparts, so I was happy to find one among the vast sea of Joyce Stranger books I wanted to read ASAP.

How Do You Spank a Porcupine? - Ronald Rood. 1969. Why I read it: Found it an estate sale. I adore memoirs about rescuing and raising baby wild animals, especially if they are old books.

A Skunk in the House - Constance Taber Colby. 1973. Why I read it: Bought with the above, read for identical reasons -- plus she's the daughter of one of my favorite memoirists, Gladys Taber.

Scoop: Notes from a Small Ice Cream Shop - Jeff Miller. 2014. Why I read it: This is from a local-ish author and published by a local small press. It's been heavily promoted in independent bookstores, and the allure of a memoir about taking ownership of a small, awesome business in a small Midwestern town was high.

A Snowflake In My Hand - Samantha Mooney. 1983. Why I read it: I bought it for next to nothing at a book sale because it was a memoir about pet cats. Figured I should finally read it so I could decide if it was okay to get rid of it (it was).

The Body Book - Cameron Diaz. 2013. Why I read it: It looked really fancy and intriguing at Target, and I was hoping for interesting diet / exercise ideas like Lea Michele's book.

Liquidating an Estate - Martin Codina. 2013. Why I read it: I LOVE estate sales, but there are hardly any books about them. This one had stories about amazing treasures the author found while prepping them.

Dogtripping - David Rosenfelt. 2013. Why I read it: I don't know what part of "the author had to move his 25 personally-owned large rescue dogs cross-country" WOULDN'T appeal to you.

What Do You Do With a Kinkajou? - Alice Gilborn. 1976. Why I read it: Nothing gets me to open a book faster than telling me it's a memoir about the huge menagerie of random animals your parent kept on their hobby farm, especially if it was back in the day.

A Gift From Bob: How A Street Cat Helped One Man Learn the Meaning of Christmas - James Bowen. 2014. Why I read it: I read and enjoyed both of the previous Bob books last year, because cat memoirs. (Plus the author seems very likeable and still humbled by his success.)

Chosen Forever - Susan Richards. 2008. Why I read it: The long-sought sequel to the previous book of hers I really liked, Chosen By a Horse, which I wanted to read in order before getting to Saddled.

The Dog Who Rescues Cats - Philip Gonzalez. 1995. Why I read it: Goodreads reminded me it existed one night, so I reread for funsies. It's one of the greatest modern true legends and I'm surprised Tumblr hasn't hyped it more.

Fifty Acres and a Poodle - Jeanne Marie Laskas. 2000. Why I read it: I saw the sequel (The Exact Same Moon) at an estate sale, loved the dog on the cover and the idea of a memoir about living on a hobby farm, and took myself to the library ASAP to make sure I read the books in order.

Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow - Dr. Jan Pol. 2014. Why I read it: It's been a while since the library had any new veterinarian memoirs; I always enjoy them.

An Affair With a House - Bunny Williams. 2005. Why I read it: This book is porn to a person like me, who loves both huge/historic mansions and the details of interior decorating, especially with antiques.

The Big Tiny: A Built It Myself Memoir - Dee Williams. 2014. Why I read it: Even though I love big houses, I'm equally fascinated by the idea of super-organized living in a tiny space. Because I am thrifty.

Dreaming in the Dust: Restoring an Old House - Katherine Chrisman. 1986. Why I read it: A journal covering a family's restoration of a historic mansion, in my local-ish backyard of Minneapolis a.k.a. a house I could actually go look at? Sign me UP.

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