2016 Books

• 44. Christmas Wonders
• 43. The Christmas Shoes
• 42. Little House in the Big Woods
• 41. The Story of the Other Wise Man
• 40. The Mansion *
• 39. Star of the East
• 38. The Crossover *
• 37. Saint Anything
• 36. The Rough-Face Girl
• 35. The Last Time We Say Goodbye
• 34. Secrets of a Charmed Life
• 33. Golden
• 32. P.S. I Like You
• 31. When You Reach Me *
• 30. Inside Out & Back Again
• 29. Heart of a Shepherd
• 28. The One and Only Ivan *
• 27. We Were Liars
• 26. Devil's Cub
• 25. Longitude *
• 24. Where She Went
• 23. The Island at the Center of the World
• 22. Six of Crows
• 21. The Enchanted April
• 20. The Gifts of Imperfection
• 19. Out of the Storm
• 18. Beautiful Affliction
• 17. The Grand Sophy *
• 16. Tell Me Three Things
• 15. Peculiar Treasures
• 14. The Landing of the Pilgrims
• 13. William Bradford: Pilgrim Boy
• 12. Heidi *
• 11. When Breath Becomes Air *
• 10. We Should All Be Feminists
• 9. Love's Fortune
• 8. The Midwife's Confession
• 7. As You Like It
• 6. A Crimson Frost
• 5. Just Ella *
• 4. Heir of Fire
• 3. Bad Feminist
• 2. El Deafo
• 1. Illuminae

Christmas Wonders

Christmas Wonders by Robyn Buttars
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Strong start, but the ending was flat for me.

The Christmas Shoes

The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I knew this was going to be a tear-jerker, but I didn't think it would be a sobbing-in-public-40-pages-before-the-end-of-the-book-tear-jerker.

Little House in the Big Woods

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyed studying this with my Littles. Somehow I think I missed reading these as a child!

The Story of the Other Wise Man

The Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweet story of the journey of a life well-lived.

The Mansion

The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A perfect cozy Christmas tale, one I'm glad to have finally read.

Star of the East

Star of the East by Tasha Alexander
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Short, sweet, and fun to see these characters in a different setting.

The Crossover

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yes, this WILL get tween/teen boys to read poetry, but it has mass appeal. I loved it.

Saint Anything

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not a standout Dessen book, but I liked it.

The Rough-Face Girl

The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A beautifully-illustrated Native American version of Cinderella. My kids enjoyed this with me.

The Last Time We Say Goodbye

The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So sad, but so good.

Secrets of a Charmed Life

Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The storyline and themes are super engaging, and I read it in just over a day. But, the writing left something to be desired--it was too Americanized and sometimes pedestrian. It really needed a better (and British) editor.

Golden

Golden by Jessi Kirby
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Quick summer read. But too many clichés, forced themes, and elements that were somewhat far fetched.

P.S. I Like You

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really cute.

When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-read this out loud to my family. Still 5 stars from me!

My prior review can be found here.

Inside Out & Back Again

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Semi-autobiographical free verse novel about a refugee from the Vietnam War. Very timely and very good.

Heart of a Shepherd

Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweet, touching story.

The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My 12 year old has been begging me to read this all year. I loved it as much as he did.

We Were Liars

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Perfect summer read for those that enjoy the mystery associated with unreliable narrators and plot twists.

Devil's Cub

Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Completely over-the-top, even for Heyer. But this had me laughing out loud and happily entertained.

Longitude

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I knew a basic sketch about John Harrison from studying him with my kids, but this wowed me from start to finish.

Where She Went

Where She Went by Gayle Forman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Perfect beach read. Read it in one day, the same as If I Stay.

The Island at the Center of the World

The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America by Russell Shorto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was recommended to me by a fantastic NYC walking tour guide and for good reason. It's a time and place in history that Americans often skip over, but it actually influences our lives everyday. It's fascinating that so much of it has only come to light in the last few decades.

Six of Crows

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Really slow-going at the beginning, but action packed at the end. Hated that more wasn't resolved, but I don't think I will pick up future installments of this series.

The Enchanted April

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lovely, gentle, humorous character-driven novel. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this one. (I'm off to watch the movie on Netflix.)

The Gifts of Imperfection

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I rarely read this type of book, but this came at a good time for me. She has some great suggestions for ways to tweak day-to-day life to live more wholeheartedly and authentically.

Out of the Storm

Out of the Storm by Jody Hedlund
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet historical romance novella.

Beautiful Affliction

Beautiful Affliction by Lene Fogelberg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved the poetic and lyrical style of this memoir written by a woman born with a congenital heart defect that went undiagnosed for 30 years. Incredible story.

The Grand Sophy

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-read this one by accident. Still thought it was darling!

Tell Me Three Things

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cute little YA romance you can read in one sitting.

Peculiar Treasures

Peculiar Treasures by Robin Jones Gunn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Squeaky clean Christian romance I would happily recommend to a teenager, but way too drawn out and cheesy for me.

The Landing of the Pilgrims

The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A decent primer about the Pilgrims, spanning 1607-1623. Good for grades 4-8.

William Bradford: Pilgrim Boy

William Bradford: Pilgrim Boy by Bradford Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great introduction to William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth Colony. Perfect for upper elementary-aged students.

Heidi

Heidi by Johanna Spyri
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So, it turns out, there are really good reasons why certain books become classics. This was a delightful book to study with my littles.

When Breath Becomes Air

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow. One of the most worthwhile things I've read.

We Should All Be Feminists

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Loved it and made highlights all over it. Will definitely look at it from time to time. Just wished it was longer.

Love's Fortune

Love's Fortune by Laura Frantz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars. I continue to adore this series. The audiobook narrator was fantastic.

The Midwife's Confession

The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An engaging story of friendship and deception told in alternating viewpoints and timeframes.

As You Like It

As You Like It by William Shakespeare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A new-to-me Shakespeare comedy that I studied with my kids for homeschool. Not my favorite, but lots of silliness and good times.

A Crimson Frost

A Crimson Frost by Marcia Lynn McClure
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Not the best writing style in the world (too many dashes and repeated words) but I enjoyed it for what it was.

Just Ella

Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Perfect book at the perfect time. Clean, romantic, fast-paced fairytale.

Heir of Fire

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I know I'm in the minority, but after giving this series a fair shot for three books, I'm done with it.

Bad Feminist

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I both emphatically agreed and vehemently disagreed with things in this book. It was affirming, maddening, and eye-opening. Certainly, worth my time.

El Deafo

El Deafo by Cece Bell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Deserving of its Newbery Honor, for sure.

Illuminae

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is really clever and super fun!