52 in 52

At the beginning of this year I took on the challenge of reading fifty-two books in fifty-two weeks. I didn't commit to the challenge until the end of January when I had already passed my quota for the month... I figured with such a great start I may as well give it a shot.

Every month I made an effort to read at least 5 books, some months I fell short, others I pushed forward. 

Come week 47 I met my goal... and kept going. 

Here's a list of the books I read this year. The books highlighted in yellow were my favorites and the ones highlighted in blue are notable and definitely recommended. I did not dislike any of the books I read and have something good to say about each one, the highlighted ones just stood out a little bit more than the rest.

January
1. Hector and the Search for Happiness - Francois Lelord
2. Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer
3. The Drawing of the Three - Stephen King
4. What Color Is Your Parachute? - Richard Nelson Bolles
5. The Monsters of Templeton - Lauren Groll
6. If You Have to Cry Go Outside - Kelly Cutrone
7. Beginner's Greek - James Collins
8. World War Z - Max Brooks
9. The Walking Dead Book One - Robert Kirkman (this is the first 12 issues)
    - recommended if you like the show

February
10. Operating Instructions - Anne Lamott
11. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
12. Coraline - Niel Gaiman
13. The Waste Lands - Stephen King

March
14. Save Karyn - Karyn Bosnak
15. Wizard and Glass - Stephen King
16. Sugar and Spice - Lauren Conrad
17. How Starbucks Saved My Life - Michael Gates Gill
18. What Now? - Ann Patchett
19. Official Book Club Selection - Kathy Griffin

April and May
20. Floor Sample - Julia Cameron
21. Nickel and Dimed - Barbara Ehrenreich
22. Kissing the Virgin's Mouth - Donna Gershten
23. The Wolves of Calla - Stephen King
24. Sinner Takes All - Tera Patrick
25. Song of Susanna - Stephen King
** Bossy Pants - Tina Fey

June
26. The Dark Tower - Stephen King (loved and hated it at the same time)
27. Lessons of a Lipstick Queen - Poppy King
28. The Sound of Paper - Julia Cameron
29. I Don't Care About Your Band - Julie Klausner
30. On a Hoof and a Prayer - Polly Evans
31. Reviving Ophelia - Mary Pipher

July
32. Bonk - Mary Roach
33. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart
34. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver
35. Through Painted Deserts - Donald Miller

August
36. Long Quiet Highway - Natalie Goldberg
37. The Hours - Michael Cunningham
38. Walking on Water - Derrick Jensen
39. Animal Dreams - Barbara Kingsolver
40. Yes Man - Danny Wallace

September
41. The Sea Wolf - Jack London
42. I Am a Pencil - Sam Swope
43. Lit - Mary Karr
44. Wildwood - Colin Meloy
45. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
46. The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

October
47. White Teeth - Zadie Smith
48. Teacher Man - Frank McCourt
49. Linchpin - Seth Godin

November:
50. This Is Not the Story You Think It Is... - Laura Munson
51. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
52. One Day - David Nicholls
And I kept going:
53. Strange Angels - Lili St. Crow
54. Betrayals - Lili St. Crow
55. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
56. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
57. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
58. The Traveling Death and Resurrection Show - Ariel Gore

December
59. Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson
60. The History of Love - Nicole Krauss
61. Walking in Circles Before Lying Down - Merrill Markoe
62. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou
63. The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron
64. School of Dreams - Edward Humes

**Looks like I made 65 instead of 64... somehow, when putting April and May books together I had forgotten that I had read Bossy Pants. How I forgot about that is beyond me.

While I loved this challenge I think I need time for other things next year. I am going to continue to keep track of the books each month but I am not going to stress about reading 52+. I do have to figure out my next reading goal... maybe a classic a month for 2012, or I can only purchase a book a month... the rest have to come from the library... 

I haven't decided quite yet.

What are your reading goals for next year?

xoxo

original image found via piccsy