Skip to Content

2017 Book Challenge

The Challenge: Finish 52 books in 2017. Can I do it? Follow along as I try, try, try.

The Rules:

  • The challenge is to finish 52 books this year. The books I started in 2016 (which I am barely half way through) will count if I finish them.
  • Audio books do count, but will be marked with an asterisk. There is definitely a difference between reading and listening to a book, but for the purposes of this challenge both will count toward the total.
  • Books I’ve read before do not count. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t reread them.
  • Children’s chapter books (i.e. middle grade readers) count. Picture books do not.
  • Comic books don’t count. However, graphic novels — bound editions that contain multiple issues of a comic or books written as a graphic novel — do.
  • Every book must be written about — as a review, interview, inspiration or even a paragraph long mention. Every. Single. One.

The Books

  1. “Conviction,” by Julia Dahl – advance copy. More on this soon.
  2. “On Writing,” by Stephen King* – Audiobook. Written about in “Shrimp and Vegetable Soba Noodles”
  3. “Night,” by Elie Weisel* – Audiobook.
  4. “The Princess Diarist,” by Carrie Fisher
  5. “Transmetropolitan: Year of the Bastard,” by Warren Ellis, Illustrated by Darick Robertson
  6. “Always,” by Sarah Jio
  7. “A Piece of the World,” by Christina Baker Kline. Written about for The Bangor Daily News.
  8. “Finding Audrey,” by Sophie Kinsella
  9. “See You in the Cosmos,” by Jack Cheng*
  10. “The Stars are Fire,” by Anita Shreve. Written about for The Bangor Daily News.
  11. “The Pilot’s Wife,” by Anita Shreve
  12. “Rescue,” by Anita Shreve
  13. “The Weight of Water,” by Anita Shreve
  14. “Wonder Woman: Who is Wonder Woman?” by Allan Heinberg
  15. “Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery,” by Melanie Fishbane. Written about in “Easy Roasted Teriyaki Salmon
  16. “Grit,” by Gillian French. Written about for The Bangor Daily News.
  17. “Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key,” by Jack Gantos. Written about in Blistered Shishito Peppers with Lemon and Sea Salt.
  18. “Saints for All Occasions,” by J. Courtney Sullivan
  19. “The Witch of Blackbird Pond,” by Elizabeth George Speare*
  20. “Strange Fits of Passion,” by Anita Shreve
  21. “I Know a Secret,” by Tess Gerritsen. Written about for The Bangor Daily News.
  22. “Scrappy Little Nobody,” by Anna Kendrick*
  23. “Real American: A Memoir,” by Julie Lythcott-Haims. Written about in Book Review: Real American: A Memoir by Julie Lythcott-Haims
  24. “Television: Innovation, Disruption, and the World’s Most Powerful Medium,” by Seth Shapiro*
  25. “Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone,” by Brene Brown*
  26. “A Beautiful, Terrible Thing,” by Jen Waite
  27. “Trell,” by Dick Lehr*
  28. “Ready Player One,” by Ernest Cline*
  29. “Death Note,” by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata (Book 1)
  30. “On Writing Well,” by William Zinsser*