1. Rules of Civility – Amor Towles ★★★★★
2. The Night Swimmer – Matt Bondurant ★★★
3. The Odds – Stewart O’Nan ★★★★★
4. Bet Me – Jennifer Crusie ★★★
5. Stories I Only Tell My Friends – Rob Lowe ★★★★★
6. Sleeping Beauty – Elle Lothlorien ★★★★
7. Stay Awake: Stories – Dan Chaon ★★★★
8. Love and Shame and Love – Peter Orner★ ★★★★
9. The Spy Who Jumped Through the Screen – Thomas Caplan ★★
10. Hope: A Tragedy – Shalom Auslander ★★★★
11. The Borrower – ★★★
12. The Orphan Master’s Son – Adam Johnson ★★★★★
13. The Roswell Conspiracy – Boyd Morrison ★★★★★
14. Gideon’s Corpse – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child ★★★
15. The Secret Adversary – Agatha Christie ★★★★
16. 150 Pounds – ★★★★
17. The Flame Alphabet – Ben Marcus ★★★
18. Horizon – Sophie Littlefield ★★★★★
19. Bloodland – Alan Glynn ★★★★★
20. Defending Jacob – William Landay ★★★★★
21. Starters – Lissa Price ★★★★★
22. The Secret of the Sands – ★★★
23. Back to Zero – ★★★
24. Entangled – ★★★
25. The Snow Child – Eowyn Ivey★★★★★
26. Ragnarok – A.S. Byatt ★★★
27. Beat the Reaper – Josh Bazell ★★★★★
28. Wild Thing – Josh Bazell ★★★★★
29. The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins ★★★★★
30. Catch Me – Lisa Gardner ★★★★★
31. The Eden Prophesy – Graham Brown ★★★★★
32. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer ★★★★★
33. How to Cook Like a Man – Daniel Duane ★★★★
34. The Technologists – Matthew Pearl ★★★
35. The Rook – Daniel O’Malley ★★★★★
36. The Help – Kathryn Stockett ★★★★
37. The Starboard Sea – Amber Dermot ★★★
38. The Dressmaker – Kate Alcott ★★★★
39. River Monsters: True Tales of the Ones That Didn’t Get Away – Jeremy Wade ★★★★
40. Clawback – Mike Cooper ★★★★★
41. The Salmon of Doubt – Douglas Adams ★★★★
42. The Mirage – Matt Ruff ★★★★
43. The Games – Ted Kosmatka ★★★
44. This is How – Augusten Burroughs ★★★★
45. Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins ★★★★★
46. The Good Father – Noah Hawley ★★★★★
47. The Vanishers – Heidi Julavits ★★★★
48. How to Eat a Cupcake – Meg Donohue ★★★★
49. The Lifeboat – Charlotte Rogan ★★★★
50. The Thief – Fuminori Nakamura ★★★★
51. Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins ★★★★★
52. Angelmaker – Nick Harkaway ★★★★★
53. The Professionals – Owen Laukannen ★★★★★
54. The Importance of Being Earnest – Oscar Wilde ★★★★★
55. Edge of Dark Water – Joe Lansdale ★★★★★
56. Love is Murder – ITW ★★
57. The Philanthropist’s Danse – Paul ★★★★★
58. Oath of Office – Michael Palmer ★★★★
59. The Gilly Salt Sisters – Tiffany Baker ★★★
60. Gods Without Men – Hari Kunzru ★★★★★
61. The Return of the Ancients – Greig Beck ★★
62. An Economist Gets Lunch – Tyler Cowen ★★★★★
63. The Innocent – David Baldacci ★★★★
64. Wife 22 – Melanie Gideon ★★★★★
65. The New Republic – Lionel Shriver ★★★★
66. Lunatics – Dave Barry & Alan Zweibel ★★★★
67. Don’t Turn Around – Michelle Gagnon ★★★★★
68. The Fault in Our Stars – John Greene ★★★★★
69. Sorry Please Thank You – Charles Yu ★★★★
70. Overseas – Beatriz Williams ★★★★
71. White Lies – Jeremy Bates ★★
72. Guilt By Degrees – Marcia Clark ★★★★★
73. The Age of Miracles – Karen Walker Thompson ★★★★★
74. Discretion – Alison Leotta ★★★★★
75. The Deep Zone – James Tabor ★★★★
76. The Columbus Affair – Steve Berry ★★★
77. How to Talk to a Widower – Jonathan Tropper ★★★★
78. Fool Moon – Jim Butcher ★★★★
79. In One Person – John Irving ★★★★★
80. The Chemistry of Tears – Peter Carey ★★★★★
81. The Third Gate – Lincoln Child ★★★★★
82. Canada – Richard Ford ★★★★★
83. Bloodline – James Rollins ★★★★★
84. Strindberg’s Star –Jan Wallentin ★★
85. They Eat Puppies, Don’t They? – Christopher Buckley ★★★★★
86. The 500 – Matthew Quirk ★★★★
87. Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn ★★★★★
88. The Long Earth – Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter ★★★★★
89. Don’t Ever Get Old – Daniel Friedman ★★★★★
90. ParaNorman – Elizabeth Cody Kimmel ★★★
91. The Conviction – Robert Dugoni ★★★★
92. The Maze Runner – James Dashner ★★★
93. Beautiful Ruins – Jess Walter ★★★★★
94. The Key – Simon Toyne ★★★★
95. SecondWorld – Jeremy Robinson ★★★★
96. A Bad Day for Mercy – Sophie Littlefield ★★★★★
97. Alif the Unseen – G. Willow Wilson ★★★
98. Ice Fire – David Lyons ★★★
99. Beneath the Dark Ice – Greig Beck ★★★★
100. The Dangerous Animals Club – Stephen Tobolowsky ★★★★
101. Shunning Sarah – Julie Kramer ★★★★
102. 15 Seconds – Andrew Gross ★★★★
103. Harry Lipkin, Private Eye – Barry Fantoni ★★
104. Gold – Chris Cleave ★★★
105. The Next Best Thing – Jennifer Weiner ★★★★★
106. On the Island – Tracey Garvis Graves ★★★★★
107. Some Kind of Fairy Tale – Graham Joyce ★★★★
108. The Prisoner of Heaven – Carlos Ruiz Zafon ★★★★★
109. Shadow of Night – Deborah Harkness ★
110. Medusa’s Glance and Vampire’s Kiss:The Science of Monsters – ★★★★
111. Kill Decision – Daniel Suarez ★★★
112. Spiral – Paul McEuen ★★★★★
113. Albert of Adelaide – Howard L. Anderson ★★★★★
114. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye – Rachel Joyce ★★★★★
115. John Saturnal’s Feast – Lawrence Norfolk ★★
116. The Fear Index – Robert Harris ★★
117. One Last Thing Before I Go – Jonathan Tropper ★★★★
118. The Pidgeon Pie Mystery – Julia Stuart ★★★
119. The Dog Stars – Peter Weller ★★★★★
120. Liar & Spy – Rebecca Stead ★★★★
121. The Last Dragonslayer – Jasper Fforde ★★★★★
122. Where’d You Go, Bernadette? – Maria Semple ★★★★★
123. The Survivor – Gregg Hurwitz ★★★★
124. Telegraph Avenue – Michael Chabon ★★★★★
125. The Passage – Justin Cronin ★★★★★
126. What in God’s Name? – Simon Rich ★★★★
127. The House at Tyneford – Natasha Solomons ★★★
128. Power Play – Joseph Finder ★★★★
129. The Cove – Ron Rash ★★★★
130. The Map of the Sky – Felix J. Palma ★★★★★
131. NW – Zadie Smith ★★★
132. Breed – Chase Novak ★★★★
133. Hanging by a Thread – Sophie Littlefield ★★★
134. How Literature Saved my Life – David Shields ★★★★
135. This is How You Lose Her – Junot Diaz ★★★★★
136. The Woman Who Died a Lot – Jasper Fforde ★★★★★
137. The Satanic Verses – Salman Rushdie ★★★★
138. Siri For Dummies – Marc Saltzman ★★★★
139. The Yellow Birds – Kevin Powers ★★★★★
140. Joseph Anton – Salman Rushdie ★★★★
141. The Twelve – Justin Cronin ★★★★★
142. Run – Blake Crouch ★★★
143. American on Purpose – Craig Ferguson ★★★★
144. The Cat Behind the Hat – Caroline M. Smith ★★★★★
145. Sailor Twain: The Mermaid on the Hudson – Mark Siegel ★★★★
146. The Blood Gospels – James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell ★★★★★
147. The Casual Vacancy – J.K. Rowling ★★★
148. The Sign of the Four – Arthur Conan Doyle ★★★★★
149. Goldberg Variations – Susan Isaacs ★★★★
150. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore – Robin Sloan ★★★★★
151. The Middlesteins – Jami Attenberg ★★★★
152. Red Rain – R. L. Stein ★★
153. The Secret Keeper – Kate Morton ★★★★
154. Mrs. Queen Takes the Train – William Keuhn ★★★★
155. A Working Theory of Love – Scott Hutchins ★★★★
156. Back to Blood – Tom Wolfe ★★★★★
157. The Racketeer – John Grisham ★★★★
158. Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality – Jacob Tomsky ★★★★
159. Nine Stories – J.D. Salinger ★★★★★
160. The Round House – Louise Erdrich ★★★★★
161. Flight Behavior – Barbara Kingsolver ★★★★
162. Alice in Wonderland – Elle Lothlorien ★★★★
163. Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story – Christopher Moore ★★★★★
164. Peaches for Father Francis – JoAnne Harris ★★★★
165. I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus – S.G. Browne ★★★★
166. The Lawgiver – Herman Wouk ★★★★★
167. Sweet Tooth – Ian McEwan ★★★★★
168. Life Among Giants – Bill Roerbach ★★★★★
169. Far From the Trees – Andrew Solomon ★★★★★
170. Big Brother – Lionel Shriver ★★★★★
171. The Beginners Goodbye – Anne Tyler ★★★★
172. Battle Royale – Koushun Takami ★★★
173. Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm – Philip Pullman ★★★★★
174. Mannheim Rex – Robert Pobi ★★★
175. A Hologram for the King – Dave Eggers ★★★★★
176. Warm Bodies – Isaac Marion ★★★★★
177. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk – Ben Fountain ★★★★★
178. Nano – Robin Cook ★★
179. Behind the Beautiful Forevers – Katherine Boo ★★★★★
180. Home – Toni Morrison ★★★★★
181. The Newlyweds – Nell Freudenberger ★★★★★
182. Arcadia – Lauren Groff ★★★★★
183. Two Graves – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child ★★★★★
184. Dear Life: Stories – Alice Munro ★★★★★
185. Tell The Wolves I’m Home – Carol Rivka Brunt ★★★★★
186. Colin Fischer – Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz ★★★★★
187. Dangerous Waters – Toni Anderson ★★
188. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – Annie Barrows & Mary Ann Shaffer ★★★★★
189. The Orchardist – Amanda Coplin ★★★★★
190. The Innocent – Taylor Stevens ★★★★
191. One Shot – Lee Child ★★★★
192. A Thousand Pardons – Jonathan Dee ★★★★
193. Divergent – Veronica Roth ★★★★★
194. Little Known Facts – Christine Sneed ★★★★
195. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) – Jenny Lawson ★★★★
196. Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See – Juliann Garey ★★★★
197. Cover of Snow – Jenny Milchman ★★★
198. Risky Business – Nora Roberts ★★★
199. Blessed Are Those Who Thirst – Anne Holt ★★★★
200. The Death of Bees – Lisa O’Donnell ★★★★★
201. Extinction—Mark Alpert ★★★★
202. Half-Blood Blues – Esi Edugyan ★★★★
Story Collections (7)
Re-reads (11)
Young Adult (15)
Non-Fiction (17)
★ = 1
★★ = 11
★★★ = 31
★★★★ = 68
★★★★★ = 91
I read some of the same books you did. However, I give different star ratings to most.
ReplyDeleteThe Orphan Master’s Son – Adam Johnson
I HATED this book and give it one star for choppy writing.
Defending Jacob – William Landay
I agree with you: five stars.
The Snow Child – Eowyn Ivey
I give this three stars, not five, because the book is full of unanswered questions.
The Help – Kathryn Stockett
I felt this was a five-star book because enthralled with it and hated to see it end.
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
I agree with you: five stars.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – Annie Barrows & Mary Ann Shaffer
I gave this only two stars because the book is just plain silly and predictable. Also, because this book is written the way it is (as a series of letters), it never grabbed me and made me anxious to read more.
One Shot – Lee Child
I gave this four stars because I enjoyed it so much.
Several more of the books you read I own and plan to read this year.
I've challenged myself to read and review 100 books this year (chronicling it on loebick.com), and here you've done over 200! Well done! I had to go back and see what book you gave one star to and saw that it was Deborah Harkness's newest. I recently read A Discover of Witches and was also not impressed.
ReplyDeleteAnd here I was congratulating myself for having read and reviewed 8 books in 4 weeks. :-)
ReplyDeleteLast year I read about 60 books, and our lists overlapped on only one - The Sign of Four. I re-read that because I was enjoying Kim Newman's "Hound of the D'Urbevilles" hugely and wanted to refresh myself on the Holmes and other stories Newman used. I think you'd love "Hound."
Hey, it's fun to hear everyone's take on these books. Techeditor, I'm glad we're not always in disagreement on these titles! We're really far apart on a couple of them, though. In fact, within the week you'll see a review posted here which is an ode to epistolary novels like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I absolutely love stories that are told that way! And for me, that book was all about the characters, who I absolutely fell in love with. Maybe tomorrow I'll post a review of Herman Wouk's The Law Giver, another epistolary novel I flat-out loved (but given the above wouldn't recommend to you).
ReplyDeleteAnd Steve, it's good to see you! (You, too, April!) I can't believe that we only overlapped on one book the whole year. Yeah, I was watching both the British and the American contemporary Holmes shows, and I also wanted to refresh myself on the original. I was actually pleasantly surprised by just how much the tv people lifted straight from Conan Doyle.