I’m late getting this year’s running list of books I’ve read up and running, but here we go! This is actually better than last year, when I didn’t start blogging the list until mid March.

I’m determined this year. It WILL be a good year for reading. My lists have been on a decline since I first started logging books in 2008, when I was a public children’s librarian, wasn’t a mom yet, and had way more time to read and stay on top of what was new. Last year was my lowest ever.

But, interestingly, it was my highest ever total (since keeping these lists) of books for grownups read. So, my reading is shifting. I’m doing less of it, but there’s a shift away from scores of picture books to more and more books actually written for adults. My reading of children’s novels has fallen off, too, but that might start to come back up as H and I read more together.

This year I want to see a bit of an uptick. It might not even happen with my overall tallies, but since I read fewer picture books these days it’s to be expected. But I hope to see more books in the Grownup Books category, and even the Children/YA category (especially as I’m reading more chapter books with H). We shall see!

2008: 356 Books Read
2009: 302 Books Read
2010: 344 Books Read
2011: 202 Books Read
2012: 121 Books Read
2013: 118 Books Read
2014: 77 Books Read
2015: 84 Books Read
2016: 76 Books Read

2017 Total: 88 Books Read–My best total since 2013! 

B=Biography
BB=Board Book
C=Chapter Book/Easy Reader
CN=Children’s Novel
CNF=Children’s Nonfiction
N=Novel
NF=Other Nonfiction (Teen or Adult)
P=Picture Book
S=Short Stories

* Audio Book

Picture Books

1. Funny Machines for George the Sheep: A Picture Book Inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci–Geraldine Elschner (P)
2. Baby Dragon–Amy Ehrlich (P)
3. Our Busy Lives–Clare Hibbert (P)
4. The Little Fisherman–Margaret Wise Brown (P)
5. If you Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don’t!–Elise Parsley (P)
6. Robosauce–Adam Rubin– (P)
7. Leave Me Alone!–Vera Brosgol (P)
8. Big Bear, Small Mouse–Karma Wilson (P)
9. We Found a Hat–Jon Klassen (P)
10. Some Pets–Angela Diterlizzi (P)
11. Quest (Journey Triology #2)–Aaron Becker (P)
12. Return (Journey Trilogy #3)–Aaron Becker (P)
13. Little Penguins–Cynthia Rylant (P)
14. 19 Girls and Me–Darcy Pattison (P)
15. Dinosur Bones–Bob Barner (P)
16. Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909–Michelle Markel (CNF)(P)
17. The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore–Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (CNF)(P)
18. Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and The Right to Vote–Tanya Lee Stone (CNF)(P)
19. We March–Shane W. Evans (P)
20. Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation–Duncan Tonatiuh (CNF)(P)
21. Cesar: Si, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!–Carmen T. Bernard-Grand (CNF)(P)
22. Super Magic Happy Forest–Matty Long (P)
23. The Airport Book–Lisa Brown (P)
24. Pancakes for Breakfast–Tomie de Paola (P)
25. Fox and the Jumping Contest–Corey R. Tabor (P)
26. ABCs on Wheels–Ramon Olivera (P)
27. The Water Princess–Susan Verde (P)
28. Uni the Unicorn–Amy Krouse Rosenthal (P)
29. What If?–Anthony Browne (P)
30. 7 Ate 9–Tara Lazar (P)
31. We’re All Wonders–RJ Palacio (P)
32. The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors–Drew Daywalt (P)
33. Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great–Bob Shea (P)
34. Hello, My Name is Octicorn–Kevin Diller (P)
35. Olivia Goes to Venice–Ian Falconer (P)
36. Princess Cupcake Jones Won’t Go to School–Ylleya Fields (P)
37. Pete the Cat: Construction Destruction–James Dean (P)
38. Pete the Cat: Cavecat Pete–James Dean (P)
39. Pete the Cat Saves Christmas–Eric Litwin (P)
40. How to Catch an Elf–Adam Wallace (P)
41. Thelma the Unicorn–Aaron Blabey (P)
42. Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin Picking Plan–Rob Scotton (P)
43. Thanksgiving for Emily Ann–Teresa Johnston (P)
44. A Perfect Day–Lane Smith (P)
45. Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes–James Dean, Kimberly Dean (P)
46. Uni the Unicorn and the Dream Come True–Amy Krouse Rosenthal (P)
47. The Very Fairy Princess Follows Her Heart–Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Edwards (P)
48. The Very Fairy Princess Sparkles in the Snow–Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Edwards (P)
49. The Very Fairy Princess: A Spooky, Sparkly Halloween–Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Edwards (P)
50. The Very Fairy Princess Takes the Stage–Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Edwards (P)
51. The X-Files: Earth Children Are Weird–Kim Smith (P)
52. Be A Star, Wonder Woman!–Michael Dahl (P)
53. Ladybug Girl and the Dress-Up Dilemma–David Soman (P)
54. Creepy Pair of Underwear–Aaron Reynolds (P)

Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books

1. Dinosaurs That Ate Meat–Leonie Bennett (CNF)
2. The Princess in Black–Shannon and Dean Hale (F)
3. The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde–Shannon and Dean Hale (F)
4. The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation–Shannon and Dean Hale (F)
5. The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party–Shannon and Dean Hale (F)

Children’s/YA Books

1. My Father’s Dragon–Ruth Stiles Gannett (F)
2. *The Hate U Give–Angie Thomas (F)
3. *Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library–Chris Grabenstein (F)
4. *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them–JK Rowling (F)
5. A Treasury of Peter Rabbit and Other Stories–Beatrix Potter (F)
6. Maddy Kettle: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch–Eric Orchard (CN)
7. The Story of Diva and Flea–Mo Willems (CN)

Grownup Books

1. *The Andromeda Strain–Michael Crichton (F)
2. *The Kind Worth Killing–Peter Swanson (F)
3. *The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax–Dorothy Gilman (F)
4. *Mary Russell’s War: And Other Stories of Suspense–Laurie R. King (F)
5. *The Murder of Mary Russell–Laurie R. King (F)
6. *The Yard–Alex Grecian (F)
7. *Neverwhere–Neil Gaiman (F)
8. *Big Little Lies–Liane Moriarty (F)
9. *The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit–Michael Finkel (NF)
10. *The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks–Rebecca Skloot (NF)
11. *Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage–Alfred Lansing (NF)
12. *The Wanderers–Meg Howrey (F)
13. *14–Peter Clines (F)
14. *Lincoln in the Bardo–George Saunders (F)
15. *The Wastelands (Gunslinger #3)–Stephen King (F)
16. *Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore–Robin Sloan (F)
17. *A Grave Talent (Kate Martinelli #1)–Laurie R. King (F)
18. *To Play the Fool (Kate Martinelli #2)–Laurie R. King (F)
19. *Annihilation (Southern Reach #1)–Jeff Vandermeer (F)
20. *The Snowman–Jo Nesbo (F)
21. *Touchstone–Laurie R. King (F)
22. *The Girl Who Was Taken–Charlie Donlea (F)