Recommendations & My Reading List for 2017

Hey World,

First of all, for everyone who submitted suggestions, thank you! It was really fun to crowdsource book titles, some of which I've heard about, and some of which were totally new, a few days ago. Below are some of the recommendations which I loved!

Based on the 53 books (and counting!) I've read in 2016, here's my Top Ten:

(Those with the * also came recommended from others!)

On my 2017 reading list, aside from some of the suggestions above, I am really excited about:

andddddd.....

Kim over at So Many Places wrote this (find out what the envelope is all about here) which is being published in April AND she's doing a campaign RIGHT NOW which is super cool -- join in here! 

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How do you keep track of books you'd like to read? I have a list of almost one hundred books that I've been recommended, that I've read about online, or that I've seen at a bookstore and thought, "I might want to read that one day"! I keep that list handy on my computer, and when I'm able to buy more books on Amazon, I search them to see which have very inexpensive "used" copies -- I am rarely willing to pay more than $4, including shipping and handling, for a book. 

I will also say that I am a book snob, in that I will almost exclusively read physical books, rather than on a Kindle device. This has been a blessing in disguise, because though it is hard to get new books, I am:

- less selective about what I'll read, and often ransack "take one, leave one" bookshelves with an unhealthy gumption

- more careful in what I do decide to order, which means I look forward to when I get them in hand and can read them!

- have lots of hard copies to trade, pass on, or keep! 

In the past year alone, I've accumulated almost 60 books, most of which I paid less than $4 for (and many which were free). Less than $300 allowed me to read a new book each week for an entire year, and could have gotten me just a fraction of that had I only bought new books! Of course, once in a while I splurge for a brand new book (oh, the divine smell!), but I also love reading a book that I know has brought joy to someone else before me.

Stay in touch with your reads & recommendations -- I'm really excited about 2017's lineup!

xoxo,
M