Books Read in 2015

It’s hard to believe another year has already passed!  It’s crazy to look back at what I’ve read this year and see how many different books I’ve read and also how many there are that I have been wanting to read but still haven’t got to yet!  I’ll never get to all the books I want to read since there are so many already released books I want to read and then there are constantly new books being published that I want to read as well!

Once again audiobooks were a huge help in allowing me to read so many books since I listen to audiobooks while I clean, cook, do laundry, etc.

I read a variety of genres this year but my most read genre was definitely historical fiction.

As always, I do not necessarily recommend all the books on this list.  It’s my list of all the books I read and while I really enjoyed most of them, there were some that I didn’t.

My favorite books that I read for the first time this year are marked with a star.

 

Books Read in 2015:

January:

1.  Freefall by Traci Hunter Abramson (audiobook)

2.  Lady Emma's Campaign by Jennifer Moore

3.  The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern

4.  The Other Side of Heaven by John H. Groberg (audiobook)

5.  A Generation Rising by Gerald N. Lund

6.  Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (audiobook) (for book club)

7.  Paige by Annette Lyon

February

8.  The Undaunted: The Miracle of the Hole in the Rock Pioneers by Gerald N. Lund (audiobook) (reread/finished as I had read most of it several years ago)

9.  The Writing on the Wall by Dean Hughes

10.  When Books Went to War: the Stories that Helped us Win World War II by Molly Guptill Manning (audiobook)

11.  The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans (audiobook)

12.  All Fall Down by Ally Carter

13.  Wedding Cake by Josi Kilpack

14.  Atlantia by Ally Condie (audiobook)

March

*15.  Troubled Waters by Dean Hughes

16.  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade (audiobook)

17.  Esther the Queen by H.B. Moore (audiobook)

18.  Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (for book club)

19.  Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden

20.  What is Lost by Lauren Skidmore

21.  Little Men by Lousia May Alcott (audiobook)

April

*22.  A Heart Revealed by Josi Kilpack

23.  The Survivor's Club: The Secrets and Science That Could Save Your Life by Ben Sherwood (audiobook) (for book club)

24.  How Many Roads? by Dean Hughes

25.  Friends and Foes by Sarah M. Eden

May

26.  Take Me Home by Dean Hughes

*27.  So Much of Life Ahead by Dean Hughes

28.  Mark of the Thief by Jennifer Nielsen (audiobook)

29.  An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (audiobook)

30.  Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince by Jennifer Moore

June

31.  Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (audiobook)

32.  The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

33.  Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan (audiobook)

34.  Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ by Lew Wallace (audiobook)

July

35.  Only the Brave: the Continuing Saga of the San Juan Pioneers by Gerald N. Lund

36.  Promises to Keep: Diane's Story by Dean Hughes

August

37.  Life, Animated by Ron Suskind (audiobook)

38.  I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (audiobook)

39.  Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer Holm (audiobook) (reread)

40.  The Entitlement Trap by Richard and Linda Eyre (audiobook) (for book club)

41.  Matilda by Roald Dahl (audiobook)

*42.  A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (audiobook) (I ended up hosting this book for book club in October)

43.  The Book of Mormon (reread)

September

44.  Royal Target by Traci Hunter Abrahamson (audiobook)

45.  Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo (audiobook)

46.  The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (audiobook)

47.  The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle

48.  The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis (audiobook) (reread) (for book club)

49.  The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle (audiobook)

50.  The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnnett (audiobook)

October

51.  Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (audiobook)

52.  Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (audiobook)

53.  Timepiece by Richard Paul Evans (audiobook)

54.  The Letter by Richard Paul Evans (audiobook)

*55.  Fishers of Men by Gerald N. Lund

56.  The Cross Gardener by Jason F. Wright (audiobook)

57.  The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

*58.  Lord Fenton's Folly by Josi Kilpack

November

59.  Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (audiobook)

60.  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (audiobook)

61.  Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (audiobook)

62.  Faith of Our Fathers: A House Divided by N.C. Allen

63.  My True Love Gave to Me: 12 Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins (audiobook) (just listened to the ones I was most interested in)

December

64.  Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson

65.  Autumn Masquerade anthology by Josi Kilpack, Donna Hatch, and Nancy Campbell Allen

66.  The Christmas Wish by Richard Siddoway

67.  When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (audiobook)

68.  The Mistletoe Inn by Richard Paul Evans

69.  Home and Away: a World War II Christmas Story by Dean Hughes

70.  The Christmas Quest by Richard Siddoway

71.  Firefight by Brandon Sanderson (audiobook)

*72.  The New Testament: King James Version (first time reading it cover to cover)

 

I usually include Samuel's list of books read in the year as well.  He has been in the middle of about 6 different books, but hasn't finished any this year.  He has been doing lots of reading for med school though!

 

 

Books Read in 2014

2014 was another great year of books!  Audiobooks continued to be very helpful this year in allowing me to read more books, since I don’t have as much time to sit down and read a book with a little boy running around.  I continue to listen to audiobooks while I am cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, and exercising. 

I am still trying to be a lifelong learner by reading more non-fiction and classics than I used to now that I am out of college.  I had a goal of reading a total of 20 non-fiction/classic books this year and actually far surpassed that by reading 24 non-fiction books and 7 classics.  Well written non-fiction has actually become one of my favorite genres now.  It was my most read genre of the year.  Historical fiction was second highest with 15 books.  March, August, and November tied for being the month I read the most books in with 9 books in each of those months.  

In addition to 79 books I read this year, I read 4 full cookbooks [Miss Kay’s Duck Commander Kitchen (in Jan), Picky Palate (in Feb), The Pioneer Woman Cooks: a Year of Holidays (in Feb), and Six Sisters Stuff (in April)] and well over a 1,000 picture books.  It would be really hard to count all the picture books I read to Harrison through the year, but there were about 20 library books a week plus all the books at home that we read many many times.  I have put a star by my favorite books that I read for the first time this year.  There were many more that I really enjoyed, but these were my top choices of the year.  Samuel’s list of the books read throughout the year is at the end of my list.  I hope you all read some great books this year as well!

 Books Read in 2014:

January:

1.  Double Crossed by Ally Carter

2.  The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson

*3.  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain (audiobook)

4.  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

5.  The Orchard by Krista Lynne Jensen

6.  The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (audiobook)

7.  Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

*8.  Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (audiobook)

February:

*9.  Longing for Home by Sarah Eden

10.  My Story by Elizabeth Smart (audiobook)

11.  Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely  (audiobook)

12.  The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards (for book club)

13.  The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

14.  The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom (audiobook)

March:

*15.  My Name Used to be Muhammad: the True Story of a Muslim Who Became a Christian by Tito Momen

*16.  Hope Springs by Sarah Eden

17.  Letters in a Jade Dragon Box by Gale Sears (audiobook)

18.  Emma: a Latter Day Tale by Rebecca H. Jamison

*19.  David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell (audiobook)

20.  The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma (reread) (hosted this book for book club)

21.  It’s Just My Nature!  A Guide to Knowing and Living Your True Nature by Carol Tuttle (for book club)

22.  I am Malala: the Girl Who Stood up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai (audiobook) (also ended up being a book club choice a couple months later)

April:

23.  The Shadow Throne by Jennifer Nielsen

24.  These is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine by Nancy E Turner (audiobook)

25.  The Women of Duck Commander: Surprising Insights from the Women behind the Beards about What Makes This Family Work by the Robertson Women

26.  Split Second by Kasie West

27.  Glimmer of Hope by Sarah Eden

28.  Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (audiobook)

29.  The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

May:

30.  Cress by Marissa Meyer (audiobook)

31.  The Silence of God by Gale Sears

32.  Beauty by Robin McKinley (audiobook)

33.  What is Hidden by Lauren Skidmore (read an earlier draft before it was published, this was my first time reading the finished book)

June:

34.  Running for my Life: One Lost Boy’s Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games by Lopez Lomong

35.  A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

36.  Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (reread from childhood)

37.  The Alloy of the Law by Brandon Sanderson (audiobook)

July:

38.  Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

39.  Paperboy by Vince Vawter (audiobook)

40.  Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan (audiobook)

41.  Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (reread)

42.  Edward Partridge by Hartt Wixom

August:

43.  Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (audiobook)

44.  Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (reread)

45.  How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (audiobook)

*46.  Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

47.  Four: a Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth (audiobook)

48.  Walking on Water by Richard Paul Evans (audiobook)

49.  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (for book club)

*50.  On the Fence by Kasie West

51.  Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wildler (audiobook)

September

52.  Olivia by Julie Wright (audiobook)

53.  Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (audiobook)

54.  Surviving Hitler: the Unlikely True Story of a SS Soldier and a Jewish Woman by O. Hakan Palm

55.  Baked Alaska by Josi Kilpack

*56.  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (audiobook)

57.  Rocky Road by Josi Kilpack

58.  Rumors of War by Dean Hughes (audiobook)

59.  Since You Went Away (audiobook)

October

*60.  Gifted Hands by Ben Carson

61.  Fortune Cookie by Josi Kilpack

62.  Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (audiobook)

63.  The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

64.  The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (audiobook)

November

65.  The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit

66.  The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (audiobook)

67.  Far From Home by Dean Hughes

68.  Five Languages of Apology by Gary Chapman (I hosted this book for book club)

69.  Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith

70.  When We Meet Again by Dean Hughes

71.  For Elise by Sarah Eden

72.  The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (audiobook)

*73.  As Long As I Have You by Dean Hughes (I loved the whole Children of the Promise series, but this was my favorite book in the series)

December

74.  The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J Stanley (audiobook)

75.  The Power of Everyday Missionaries by Clayton M Christensen

76.  Becoming Lady Lockwood by Jennifer Moore

77.  Food: a Love Story by Jim Gaffigan (audiobook)

78.  A Christ Centered Christmas: Seven Traditions that lead us Closer to the Savior by Emily Freeman

79.  Standing By and Making Do: Women of War Time Los Alamos by Jane S. Wilson and Charlotte Serber

Samuel’s List:

-Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

-Stories from the Life of Porter Rockwell by John W. Rockwell and Jerry Borrowman

Read partway through and he is still currently reading:

-Agent Bishop: True Stories from a FBI Agent Moonlighting as a Bishop by Mike McPheters

-The Lincoln Hypothesis by Timothy Ballard