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Stephanie Howell

reading, organizing, shopping, momming too close to the sun. Home is wherever the Army sends us.

What I’m Reading 2014 // January 2014 Edition


One of my goals for 2014 is to be more intentional about reading. To track my books via Goodreads, to pay attention to what I read and didn’t read, to share what I’m reading here.

I hope this will be a monthly feature, but I’ve learned by now never to say anything for sure. HA!!

Let me share how I devour read and choose books.

My favorite thing about the end of the year is the “Best Of” lists you can find. I’ve pinned several of them to my Books Pinterest board HERE.

As I read the lists I add books to my Goodreads “to read” list.

The other day I added a bunch of books from the Kirkus Best Fiction of 2013 list…and when I got to the library I pulled up my Goodreads app and went from there.

When I go to the library I check out all the books that catch my eye. I don’t expect that I’ll read them all, but I’m not sure which ones will and won’t get read. I take a stack and return the ones that I’m not feeling.

January List:

1.Wild by Cheryl Strayed

2. The Returned by Jason Mott

3. Canada by Richard Ford

4. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

5. Very Bad Men by Harry Dolan (just noticed this one is 2nd in a series I haven’t read the 1st of…probably won’t be reading it).

6. The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

7. The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes

Books I completed last month:

1. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett- Didn’t like this one. Ann Patchett is a beautiful, poetic author but I really disliked this book. It bored me (no matter HOW MUCH I wanted to like it) and the ending ticked me off.

2. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon- Loved it. Beautiful, lyrical, spine-tingling and mesmerizing. Makes me want to visit Barcelona badly.

3. Christmas Bliss by Mary Kay Andrews- Devoured it in a few hours. It’s another Weezie/BeBe Savannah book and it was adorable. I didn’t want it to end. My only complaint is that it made me miss Savannah terribly.

4. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes- I fell in love with this and never wanted it to end. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

5. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain- Thanks to Paula, I’m now obsessed with the Lost Generation and the Jazz Age. I’ve always been intrigued by Hemingway/Fitzgerald/Stein/Joyce etc…and this book sealed the deal. Highly recommend.

6. Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand- It was okay. Highly forgettable but passed the time just fine. I’ve already forgotten about it.

Okay, there you go!

Hopefully I can keep up with this all year!

What are YOU reading?

xoxo

S

Comments

  3. Just finished the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. Very good book-read it in about a day and a half! 🙂 Thanks for the suggestions! I love goodreads and use it regularly. 🙂

  5. Hi Stephanie,
    My name is Catherine and I have been a silent reader of your blog for sometime now. You first caught my eye with your post “my instagram tips”, really helped me get a handle on the app and have been using it ever since.
    We love to take cross country road trips and I enjoyed your blogging about your adventures and then your move to Italy as well. You have crept into my heart, Stephanie, and I now visit regularly.
    Am enjoying your 2014 posts and you have inspired me to take more action. My blog has languished but am thinking it is time to re-start. Facebook and Instagram derailed my blogging to some degree.
    I wish you and your family a most wonderful New Year.
    Hugs,
    Catherine
    My blog: http://myview-catherine.blogspot.com/
    Instagram: my_view

  6. I love mysteries & discovered Carolyn Hart a couple of years ago – don’t know how I missed her books earlier. Some of the older books are hard to find, but I enjoy the hunt! I’m working my way thru her Death on Demand series. It’s based around a bookstore owner who lives on an island in Beaufort SC area. I rarely can figure “who done it” before I finish the book, but it’s fun trying. When do you find the time to devour books?

  8. I read ridiculously fast and stay up late. I read when the girls read, I read on road trips. I read in the carpool line and when Im waiting for appointments. I take my books everywhere. 🙂
    Sent from my iPhone

  9. Good list! I’m reading ‘The Dinner’ right now. So far so good. I bought it at the airport the other day, thinking I was going to be snowed in! (I wasn’t!) Apparently it’s like a European ‘Gone Girl’. Well, that’s what the cover said at least. I wouldn’t go that far… but it IS getting good!

  12. I haven’t read any newly published books but stick with my romance novels…it’s a nice way to ignore reality and not think too much. 🙂
    Right now I’m studying for a Human Resources certification, so that will be my only reading in January!

  13. Good post! I’m an avid reader, so I love to see what others are enjoying. I just finished Once Upon a Lie by Maggie Barbieri and loved it. I would describe it as in the mystery genre, though, and I’m not sure if you’re a mystery lover or not.
    I am recommending Lianne Moriarty’s The Husband’s Secret to everyone I know, though. It was fantastic!

  14. You need to read ‘The Secret Keeper’ by Kate Morton. Read it this summer and is now one of my favorite books ever! She also has a few others that are really good.

  15. Thanks Stephanie for the book reviews, I love reading and I sure will check out some of your recommendations. Happy 2014 !!

  19. I love this idea of sharing your reads! I recently created a Goodreads account and I like it already. I just finished The Memory-Keeper’s Daughter and did not like it – slow, unfair, and I think the author missed capitalizing on the raw emotion that she set up through plot.

  20. Can’t wait to try a few of these get reccomendations! I’ve been in a reading funk and can’t seem to finish anything I pick up. I went to see Saving Mr. Banks and now want to read all the Mary Poppins books!

  22. Thanks for the review. I love reading, and an opinion is always nice as a further hint into the details of a book. I just finished “A Long Way Gone”, best book I’ve read in awhile -memoir of a boy soldier in Sierra Leone in the 90’s. I always loved The Paris Wife and even read “The Sun Also Rises” which was written from the whole Spain/Pamplona experience -it was a unique read after reading The Paris Wife and knowing the “true” story. Thanks for sharing!

  24. thanks for the list, at least 3 of them on my list, but adding the other ones in! Will you do a review of the ones you finish and if you liked them or not next month then?! I love this steph! I need to do that too, I only post on IG what I am reading and Goodreads, but never after I am done!
    right now I am reading: Good Graces by Lesley Kagen (the 2nd book to Whistling in the Dark)
    I just finished: Songs of Willow Frost (same author as Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet, which I LOVED) and I loved Willow Frost as well!
    keep reading and sharing!
    tara

  26. So glad to see you on goodreads again. I really enjoy seeing what you are reading. I’ve gotten some good recs from you!

  27. Thank you thank you thank you!!! I opened a goodreads account too and I’m pumped! I always read you book recommendations and then all the comments following and make my book list from that! Now I have a solid place to keep the books straight! The girl you left behind I found in your comment section after you posted Me before You. Loved it! Now Me before You is On hold! Thanks again!

  28. Thank you for sharing how you use the goodreads app! I’ve now downloaded it onto my tablet and intend to make a trip to the library with the boys sometime this week! I find with my kindle I really only download free books and don’t end up reading them because I can’t organize them into genre/mood to find the type of book I want to read… maybe it’s time to put down the distracting electronic devices and have reading hour at home every night!

  29. So Santa needed to pick a book for my stocking and you had just posted about Jojo Moyes. Me Before You was the choice and OMG!!!! Amazing! I too didn’t want it to end and continue to think about it. Reading The Girl You Left Behind now. Thanks for the recommendation. I hope this feature of yours will last because while I don’t read nearly as much as you do, I think the books you love will be in line with things I would enjoy.

  32. I’m impressed with how much you manage to read! I’m reading the last of the Benedict Society series at the moment. It’s a children’s book but I like to keep an eye on what they’re reading (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it).

  33. Thank you for those recommendations. I love visiting our local library. I’m a student so it’s definitely the cheapest way for me to read books. I am currently reading an old favourite called ‘The forgotten Garden” by Kate Morton. It’s a lovely lovely read.

  38. I have a bad memory too, and since I don’t buy books anymore (kindle & library), I forget what I’ve read and what I want to read…I’ve just been writing stuff down in a little journal, but I’ll have to try that goodreads app!
    I read Me Before You & immediately fell in love with JoJo Moyes & had to get my hands on all her books…I also just got into Discovery of Witches & Shadow of Night again, because the third book is coming out soon…and I love any Jodi Picoult book! Have you read any?

  40. I think Ive read every single JP book ever! Love her.
    Bought Shadow of Night b/c I loved Discovery of Witches so much…couldnt get into it and ended up giving up. 🙁

  41. I have read the first book in that very bad men series. It was not memorable but picked it up due to a setting near where I live in michigan. Love to see what others are readings. Thanks!

  42. I am writing down your recommedations as the kids and I are heading to the bookstore tonight with our giftcards.
    Currently I am reading the Divergent triology (my kids have already read it, and we are anticipating the movies). Don’t know if you’ve read the Hunger Games triology–this one is dystopian but different.
    I also read everything by Nora Roberts but it is total brain candy, LOL!
    A really good non-fiction book is “On Writing” by Stephen King.

  45. I love this Stephanie! From your list, I’ve just finished Wild and liked it okay, I’m reading another book by her called: Tiny Beautiful Things which is a collection of advice columns by her and I love it. I was going to read Canada but I heard it’s really really sad and I don’t read sad books so I’ll look forward to what you say when you’re done 🙂 Age of Miracles has been in my list too and I look forward to seeing what you think of it.
    I’ve recently read Lexicon which was quite unusual and Luminaries which was very interesting but really long. So was Americanah. I am now listening to The Goldfinch. Let’s see how it goes 🙂

  49. Do you remember books you read?? I remember thinking Shadow of the Wind was one of my favorite books of all time, but I can’t even think of what it’s about right now! Same with the Book Thief now that it’s in theaters. I did read Me Before You this summer and it was amazing… stayed with me for awhile, too. For fluff reading, have you read Crazy Rich Asians? Pretty entertaining.

  50. HI Stephanie, I have to say you got me hooked on the dystopian YA novels a while back. Unofortunately I think I have read just about every good one out there (and some not so great) and have now moved on to a couple of my now favorite authors while I am waiting for books in a few series (namely City of Heavenly Fire, Cress and Into the Still Blue). Colleen Coble writes some “clean romance” that have a Christian theme to them, as well as Densise Hunter and Gayle Roper. If you ever run out of authors go check them out 🙂

  51. I read the three jojo moyes books after your Instagram picture. The Girl You Left Behind was my favorite. Such a cool book. It was the first books I’d read since #3 was born in November 2012. Clearly I needed some inspiration. Thank you! I love Elin Hilderbrands books. Have you tried The Castaways? Loved that one but usually try to read her books in the summer near a beach. :).

  52. As a intermediate school librarian, I read constantly. Which in my opinion, is the very best part of my job. The downside is that in the past three years I have only really read books written for my student’s grade levels. Don’t get me wrong I love middle grade and teen fiction, but I miss adult books as well. Maybe I should add at least one adult book a month to my reading list… I’m currently reading the 39 Clues series, which I am enjoying. Hoping to turn my fourth grade son onto this series. Full of action, adventure and intrigue, so I think he will love it. The big boys (10 & 7) and I need to finish up The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Which is one of my very favorite Christmas books. Some Sunday’s at church, when everyone is wiggly, whispery, and loud, I feel just like a Herdman’s. 🙂

  58. I just finished Me Before You thanks to a post by you. I also read Night Music and The Last Letter From Your Lover. I am currently reading The Girl You Left Behind. Next on my list is The Rosie Project. Love seeing what other people have read and discovering new authors. I have just started using Good Reads too. Thanks for sharing

  60. Thanks for the recommendations! My favorites this year were “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” (a throwback to a sweeter, gentler time), “The Night Circus” (started and stopped several times but all of a sudden it just clicked for me and I couldn’t stop until I finished; it’s very different but I enjoyed it a lot) and “The Light Between Oceans” (simply amazing). I just went back to working full-time and one of the things I miss the most is time to read. Once I get settled back into a routine I’m going to grab a few library books and start reading again.

  61. I’m so glad to see this on the blog. Many of the books I’ve read recently are from your Instagram feed, so it’s going to be great to read your thoughts on the books.

  62. Jojo Moyes is a hard act to follow, for sure. I read “The Girl He Left Behind” and “Me Before You” a while ago…a long while, got them from England. Amazing.
    I also loved The Light Between Oceans. Great book.
    I have tried several books on the Kirkus list and abandoned them: The Goldfinch (wow, VERY excessively wordy!), The Rosie Project, and Lookaway, Lookaway. I also tried The Love Affair of Nathaniel P, which got a LOT of press. Dreadful!
    I did finish The Apple Orchard, The Cuckoo’s Calling, and Never Go Back.
    I do not finish a book if it has not fully engaged me within 25-35 pages. I just do not have time.

  63. Stephanie, I just started reading the Last Letter from your Lover. I finished Me before You and it still haunts me. This is the one book that I cant stop thinking about. I love finding out what you are reading because I always find a book that I love thanks to you. Keep posting what you are reading so I have another book to read after the Last Letter from your Lover. LOL!

  64. I read Beautiful Day last week and I couldn’t agree more. It passed the time but was just okay.

  65. Thanks for the recs! I’ve been reading a lot of (confession) brain candy junk lately, but I’m really intrigued by Me Before You so I’ll have to check it out! Did you know it’s going to be a movie? And apparently the author of the book also wrote the screenplay. Interesting!

  66. Good luck with your reading goals… I want to get back into my good reading habits as well…. I kinda fell off that wagon with the holidays. Thanks for the reminder to back to it 😉 And I went and added you on Goodreads — I love that app and use it heavily to keep track of what I read and what I want to read!! 🙂

  68. I just finished The Pilot’s Wife, a historical fiction novel about Lindberg’s wife. I really liked it. Thanks for your book suggestions. Most were on my to-read list already, but love to hear from others that it is worth reading!

  70. Love this post! I always have something on the go. I’m just finishing up the last few pages of Allegiant by V. Roth which is currently ticking me off.(not liking the ending :() Then onto my Christmas gifts. Left Neglected by L. Genova(she’s fab), The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, Spring Fever by MKA, and The 5th Wave by R. Yancey. Here’s hoping they’ll all be great! I look forward to hearing what you thought of your current stack 🙂

  71. Love all the great recommendations….thanks Stephanie and friends! Had not checked out Goodreads….looks like fun! I also have a bad book memory! Have gotten caught when they put a new cover on an older book…ugh! Maybe this will help! Reading The Wedding Dress, Rachel Hauck…so far so good….happy reading to all!

  72. Just finished “Divergent” by Veronica Roth (kind of like Hunger Games) and “Doctor Sleep” by Stephen King (tells about the life of the kid in “The Shining” afterwards) and “Wonderland” by Stephen King also. Do you know about the Overdrive app? You link your library card and you can get ebooks and audiobooks for free on your device. I love that I can reserve the book and then get notified when it is available. Free is always good! Can’t wait to add all the suggested books to my list. Happy Reading!

  73. Love this! Always like to hear what others are reading. I just read Gone Girl and pretty much liked most of it. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to ruin it for you if you haven’t read it yet. The 2Peas Book Club has lots of good ideas too! “Reconstructing Amelia”, “The Silent Wife”, “Just What Kind of Mother Are You”. Reading “The Last Original Wife” by Dorthy Benton Frank, and “Family Pictures” – Jane Greene. Also have the Mary Kay Andrews new Christmas book to read.

  74. i just finished the divergent series by veronica roth. i’m now taking a small break from reading but hoping to dive back into a book next week. i LOVE goodreads and keeping track of my books and i’m taking a challenge on there to read 50 books this year. hoping if i have time to do a few reviews on my blog as well

  75. Thanks for the great book suggestions. I just read The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier and liked it. Next on my list is The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman.

  76. I also loved Me Before You and picked up Last Letter From Your. Lover shortly afterward and found it to be okay. It felt like it was a completely different author. I just finished Code Name Verity and loved it. Not sure what I’ll read next, but recently picked up The Rosie Project and The girl You Left Behind for the kindle so it will probably be one of those.

  77. Last year I started reading more…and scrapping less. Hope there isn’t a correlation 🙁
    I also loved Me Before You and read Last Letter From My Lover shortly after. I thought it was okay, it actually seemed like it could have been written by someone else entirely. I recently picked up The Rosie Project and The Girl You Left Behind for my Kindle so it will probably be one of those. I also got Outlander which I’ve always heard good things and thinking I want to read this before before it comes out as a series.

  78. A few years ago I read ROOM which has been one of my most favorites. It is written in a unique style and the story is a true page turner. Please give it a try. You will thank me. Just finished THE ORPHAN TRAIN. A great novel! Extremely well written and a wonderful story.

  81. Wild was AMAZING. I recently got back into hiking after a 5 year hiatus, and i LOVED it. It really touched my heart (and got my adventure side so excited for hiking this season!).
    Ive heard such good things about Me before You. I kind of want to save it to read because I can tell its going to be so special..
    Im so glad to see you back on Goodreads, and i look forward to your reviews!

  92. Adding the ones you like to my list, as I find that we have very similar taste.
    I am usually the same with books. I used to guilt myself but finally realized that Life is simply too short to waste time reading crappy books.
    I’ve been hearing LOTS of similar feedback recently re: Goldfinch. It’s making me think maybe I’ll skip it.

  105. I’m reading The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty…well, listening to it. I just don’t make time to read, and at bedtime, I usually fall asleep if I try to read. I started Goodreads, and should get back to it. But is this dumb? I felt pressure about reviewing/giving stars so I quit. Maybe I’ll try again!

  106. Oh! And have you read Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos? I love a book that I don’t want to end, and that was one. Our library just did a huge revamping of their website, and it lost our checkout history. That was a great way to keep track of what I read, but now I should really get back to Goodreads.

  107. Hi Stephanie, We read the same way! I check out about 20 books at a time from my library, anything that looks interesting and will close a book before the end if it doesn’t live up to my expectations. i am reading Ann Patchett’s This is the Story of a Happy Marriage-just started it. I loved, loved The Returned, so quirky. My stack of books today is The Valley of Amazement (Amy Tan), Autobiography of a Face (Lucy Grealy), Truth and Friendship (Ann Patchett), Dust (Patricia Cornwell) and We are Water (Wally Lamb). I really like Goodreads, but I can’t keep up with it! I read Little Bee (Chris Cleve) again the other day and had my heart broken again- it is such a compelling story. I am so excited to follow your book list and see what you are reading!

  109. I posted above but want to thank you again and your readers for all the great book suggestions! So fun! Have you read other books by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)?

  113. I’m trying to read more this year as I love it but find myself sucked into my iPad instead so I’m trying to be good! Someone else recommended me before you so I have just downloaded it ! So thanks for the push!

  114. I love to read too, so I’m very happy to see a book list from people to add to my reading list.
    I’ve only read “Wild” on your list. It sucked me and stayed with me for a very long time. Maybe because I really like to hike or maybe because it was a real story? I don’t know, but give it a chance if it doesn’t catch you right away.
    I’m hoping to read a few of those books that pull me in from the first page this year. Happy reading!
    🙂

  117. In your TBR pile I loved Wild and The Age of Miracles (although…the 2nd one is pretty gloomy.)
    I just finally got to the top of the list for The Shining Girls and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. Can’t decide which to read first!
    And, finally…I loved State of Wonder! I am fascinated by how differently people respond to books!

  119. I just read Me Before You also and I am recommending it to everyone I know. I can’t wait to read others by The author too! I also read and recommend The Lost Wife by Allyson Richman which is historical fiction during the holocaust. Touching love story. As for young adult literature…. Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan is an interesting story about an albino boy living in Africa and the horrible tragedies he was faced with. It was such an eye opening story based on real events! And another young adult fiction book is Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Love it and want to share it with teens and adults! thanks for sharing your reading lists, I always love suggestions.

  125. The closer I got to the end the more bummed I was. It really was not a good wedding story at all! Oh well in July I am sure I will buy her new book again and hope it is better!

  126. already commented, but have you ever thought about getting a kindle? they are super cheap and then you won’t have to drag your books everywhere. i have one and love it…most days. sometimes, i just miss buying a new book and having that feeling of putting the book down when it ends. idk, i’m torn! for traveling, the kindle is great and you guys travel a lot:)

  127. Great post, Stephanie! I am currently reading Me Before You and love it. I liked Wild a lot too. I really loved Cheryl Strayed’s strength and determination. Her hiking experience conjured up memories of when my husband and I hiked in some of the national parks (Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon Arches and Zion) before we had kids. We never backpacked and always returned to the comfort of a bed and indoor plumbing at night! And am I the only one who finds her last name ironic?
    I have been keeping a list of the books I have read since my early 20s. I used to keep the list in mini journal books. I switched over to Goodreads a few years ago and love it. Happy reading!

  128. Stephanie,
    Thanks so much for sharing part of your life with us on your blog. It has been so fun to watch your girls grow and follow you as you move. When I get behind on Feedly, your blog is one of the ones I always make sure to read – it puts a smile on my face to see what you are up to these days. I was an elementary school librarian during my last 4 years of teaching – loved every minute of it. Now I’m trying to keep up with what my daughter (6th grade) is reading. We are reading Little Women aloud before heading to Boston in April. Have you read Defending Jacob? Our book club read it and loved it. Thanks again for this little spot of sunshine on the internet!
    Julie

  129. I’m an avid reader and will have to check out your lists. I just went back to work so that has cut into my time to read but I am determined to get back to it.

  130. Oh I love Goodreads! I keep track of what I read on there too! I also love the reading goals they have where you can set your own goal for the year.