Finally! It took me an entire month, but at long last, I’ve settled on and summed up the top ten books of the 79 I read last year.

I’ll be honest. I was stuck on nine for a long time, not because I didn’t read enough good books to merit including ten, but because I read so many solid 4-star books last year that I had a really hard time figuring out which one to elevate. But in the end, convention dictated that a best-of list has ten or maybe twelve books and not nine, so I picked one that I wouldn’t mind owning and that I’d certainly re-read.

The top three books were the best books I read in the first half of the year. If I’d remembered at the time that I finished The Girl Who Drank the Moon in January, rather than in the previous calendar year, I would have included it in the list as well.

Without further ado, my favorite ten books read last year: (more…)

My Posey sock heel continues to be problematic, but this time because I picked up wraps on one side incorrectly, so they’re sitting on the wrong side of my knitting. I have put the project into timeout. First, so it can think about what it’s done (Posey would just look at me and purr an “Aren’t I cute? Doesn’t that make up for what I did?” She was. It didn’t … usually.) Second, so I can look at it in the clear light of day and see if it’s really that big of a deal or if I was just overreacting to one of several things that didn’t go as smoothly as I’d have liked.

On the reading front, to tackle two of my resolutions, I pulled out The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moer (translated from German by Translated by John Brownjohn) off my shelf. So far it’s very cute and whimsical.

I’m also reading Jill Orr’s The Good Byline, but the main character keeps pissing me off. However, since I nearly quit the book within the first 10 pages because of the two grammatical errors I found, I guess it’s all good.

I abandoned Lincoln in the Bardo on audio and have requested it on paper. I kept falling asleep while listening to it. I’ve started Tom Hanks’ collection of short stories, Uncommon Type, instead. So far, so good, but I’m only in the first story.

Stop by Kat’s blog if you want to learn what other people are reading or knitting.

I did a lot of reading and cleaning last weekend, which meant that I did not do a lot of knitting. However, I have been thinking about knitting, which meant I went hunting for the yarn I pulled out LAST February intending to make a Valentine’s Day-themed colorwork hat. I even bought a fancy pom pom for it, so I really do have to make it this year.

I finished John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down in print and Tricia Levenseller’s Pirate King’s Daughter on audio this past week, which means I’m on to some new things, including Stephanie Burgis’ The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart, which is a Cybils finalist in the middle grade fantasy novels category. I also need to get back to Saints and Misfits, which is due back to the library early next week. Next up on audio: I desperately need to finish listening to Lincoln in the Bardo (I think I’ve got about 3 hours left, which I can hopefully get done before it’s due back) & starting Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus & Tom Hanks’ short story collection, Uncommon Type.

What are you working your way through these days? Head over to Kat’s to see what others have going on right now.

Early last month, on a snowy Saturday morning, Rudi and I awoke early and hustled the eight blocks to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the re-opening of the renovated West End Branch Library.

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After ripping back the heel over the weekend, I haven’t touched my socks in a couple days. Instead, I’ve gone back to the Boomerang Cowl. I finished up one ball of yarn and need to wind up the second skein to finish the project up. It doesn’t look like much on the needles, so I’m hopeful blocking makes it pretty.

Since I didn’t finish the overdue Turtles All the Way Down last weekend, I really need to wrap it up this week. I’m still listening to Pirate King’s Daughter, but that expires in less than a week and I have three other books out on audio to follow it, so obviously I need to get a move on. I like the reader for it, though; she gives the main character, Alosa, a lot of spunk.

That’s it for me. Head over to Kat for links to more posts on books and knitting.

I am once again taking part in Bout of Books. It’s the 21st round, and I’d guess I’ve participated in about a third of them.

What is Bout of Books?

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a weeklong read-a-thon that begins 12:01 a.m. Monday, January 8th, and runs through Sunday, January 14th, in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 21 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Day 1 asked us for a six word intro:

Here goes:

Reading my way toward happiness daily.

Day 2 invites us to share 2018 reading goals:

Next week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic also asks about bookish resolutions, so I’ll just keep these simple:

1. Continue to read books by diverse authors representing different backgrounds.
2. Read more books that I already own.
3. Choose more nonfiction, more poetry, and more classics.

Reading Progress: I finished The Unbreakable Code by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman shortly after midnight on Sunday and listened to several chapters of The Pirate King’s Daughter by Tricia Levenseller. I’m carrying Turtles All the Way Down by John Green in my bag, but haven’t picked it up yet this week. I did start Jill Orr’s The Good Byline earlier this evening, but have already found two grammatical errors in the first two chapters, so am not feeling enthusiastic about its chances of surviving a third.