I know you were on the edge of your seat all year waiting to see whether or not I would achieve my reading goal for 2016. No? Just me? Well, regardless, the time has come.
First let’s take a look at the books that rounded out my year.
(17) The Andy Cohen Diaries by Andy Cohen
I read Cohen’s Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture a while back and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, this go-around could not live up to that.
It feels very self-indulgent to release little more than a log of where you ate and who you hung out with. But that’s basically all this it.
That would have been a little more forgivable had there also been some juicy nuggets of celebrity misadventures, but it was really pretty tame.
He’s a funny guy, and there were absolutely entertaining parts, but I’m sad to say this will go down as one of my more disappointing reads this year.
(18) I’m Judging You by Luvvie Ajayi
If you have not already done so, please do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK!
After a few weeks of a reading slump, I flew through this one in just a couple of days. It had me laughing out loud – in my office, on the subway, you name it.
It’s a commentary on the current state of affairs, and Ajayi tackles both the serious (race relations, feminism) and the superficial (everyone’s least favorite font: Comic Sans, hashtags) hilariously.
In case you can’t tell, I highly recommend this one.
(19) Jazz by Toni Morrison
This is my third read with my book club at work. The first one I was not a fan of. The second I really enjoyed. And this one?
Well, I’m not completely sure yet. I think that’s a good thing, though.
While the language itself was fairly simple, some of it bordered on stream of consciousness (likely on purpose to go along with the name of the book and the free style of music), making it challenging to get through. There were several references to the magic of this city – probably what won me over. β€
I suppose the fact that I’m still mulling it over is a good sign? I’ll let you know if I make a more definitive decision.
(20) Red Carpets & White Lies by Lea Black
I’m a Bravo junkie at heart!
I won this book through a Twitter chat I took part in with Ms. Black (of Real Housewives of Miami fame) herself.
There was definitely a period in my life where I flew through the chick lit like it was my job…but that was over a decade ago, and it was really hard for me to get into a book like this now.
It felt very elementary the way characters were introduced and described up front, rather than developing over the course of the action, but over all this was a fun, easy read for a day at the beach.
(21) The Mommy Shorts Guide to Remarkably Average Parenting by Ilana Wiles
Another Twitter win for me, my husband and I actually ended up reading most of this one together on our flights to and from visiting our family for the holidays.
People around us probably thought we were crazy, but Wiles speaks a lot of very funny truths about parenting – photos included.
If you’re looking for a gift for mom and dad friends, or even something fun to add to your own coffee table, this bright yellow hard cover book is a great option.
So, 21…
I didn’t reach my reading goal for the year, but I did add to my tally since 2015. We have to look on the bright side, right? I have decided to keep my goal at 24 for 2017, and this year I have taken it a step further and already found 23 of them.
Read anything good lately? Even though I’ve carefully selected most of my books for the coming year, I always love to hear what others are up up. Let me know, and maybe I’ll bump something!
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