A LOOK AT MY TBR: 2017

Since we have almost completed two months this year (so far), I think it is time to take a look at unfinished books from 2017.  Here is my page of Books Purchased in 2017, with the completed books linked to the reviews.  Total Books Purchased in 2017:  149; total books unread:  41…

My Breakdown by Month:

January:  12 Books Purchased

                        2 Books Unread

February:  13 Books Purchased

                          4 Books Unread

March:         11 Books Purchased

                             3 Books Unread

April:              13 Books Purchased

                              5 Books Unread

May:                 14 Books Purchased

                               4 Books Unread

June:                 12 Books Purchased

                                2 Books Unread

July:                    7 Books Purchased

                               2 Books Unread

August:             17 Books Purchased

                                 6 Books Unread

September:      15 Books Purchased

                                   3 Books Unread

October:             12 Books Purchased

                                    1 Book Unread

November:         12 Books Purchased

                                     3 Books Unread

December:          11 Books Purchased

                                       6 Books Unread

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So…not as bad as I originally thought.  I did make a nice dent in these numbers with my Read the Books You Buy Challenge of 2017.

I hope to continue reading the books I’ve bought…even a few from 2014, 2015, and 2016.

How do your TBR stacks fare?  What tactics do you utilize?

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ATTACKING THE TBR: BOOKS LANGUISHING ON MY SHELVES…

At the start of a New Year, I like to check out my reading progress in previous years, especially those years that have been neglected.  Check out my Books Purchased in 2014, and then let’s take a look at the remaining books unread.

Unread Books from 2014:

The Life List (e-book), by Chrissy Anderson

Everyone Worth Knowing, by Lauren Weisberger

Abducted (e-book), by T. R. Ragan

The Apple Orchard (e-book), by Susan Wiggs

My Mother Was Nuts (e-book), by Penny Marshall

Paper Towns (e-book), by John Green

In the Woods (e-book), by Tana French

The Shadow Tracer (e-book), by Meg Gardiner

Wife 22 (e-book), by Melanie Gideon

Ellen Foster (e-book), by Kaye Gibbons

Leaves (e-book), by Michael Baron

Lemon Orchard, The (e-book), by Luanne Rice

Owen’s Daughter (e-book), by Jo-Ann Mapson

Ruth’s Journey (e-book), by Donald McCaig

Some Luck (e-book), by Jane Smiley

All Good Deeds (e-book), by Stacy Green

Eleanor and Park (e-book), by Rainbow Rowell

Underside of Joy, The, by Sere Prince Halverson

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Eighteen books?  Who knew, since most of these are hidden on Pippa, my Kindle.  The list looks pretty daunting, and I can see a few books that I will probably never read.  Have any of you read them?  What are your recommendations?

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KEEPING TRACK: TBR PROGRESS…

Good morning!  It is time to check out my TBR progress.  On November 9, I wrote a status update:  Keeping Track:  The Status of My TBR.

Since then,  my updated numbers show that I’ve read 117 books from my TBR Stacks this year…those purchased between July 2016 through December 2017 (so far).

Below, check out my books read and reviewed from the purchases in November 2017 and December 2017.  Knowing how I compulsively buy, I will probably add a few more before the end of December.

The links (on book titles read) will take you to the reviews.

November 2017-  Books Purchased:  12

                                        Books Read and Reviewed:  6

December 2017 – Books Purchased (So far):  9

                                         Books Read and Reviewed:  2

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NOVEMBER 2017:

1.A Bella Flora Christmas (e-book), by Wendy Wax

2.A Hundred Small Lessons (e-book), by Ashley Hay

3.A Season to Lie (e-book, Det. Gemma Monroe), by Emily Littlejohn4

4.Bonfire (e-book), by Krysten Ritter

5.Dead of Winter (e-book), by Wendy Corsi Staub

6.Every Breath You Take, by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke

7.Fragments of the Lost (e-book), by Megan Miranda

8.Little Broken Things (e-book), by Nicole Baart

9.Try Not to Breathe (e-book), by Holly Seddon

10.Unexpected Mother, The (e-book), by Susan A. Ring

11.What Happened, by Hilary Rodham Clinton

12.Wonder Valley (e-book), by Ivy Pochoda

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DECEMBER 2017:

1.An Early Wake (e-book, Book 3 County Cork), by Sheila Connolly

2.Cruel Winter (e-book, Book 4 County Cork), by Sheila Connolly

3.Edible Woman, The, by Margaret Atwood

4.Fragments of the Lost (e-book), by Megan Miranda

5.Girl in Times Square, The (e-book), by Paullina Simons

6.I Am Watching You (e-book), by Teresa Driscoll

7.If You Only Knew (e-book), by Kristan Higgins

8.Snap Judgment (e-book, Book 3 Samantha Brinkman), by Marcia Clark

9.These Violent Delights (e-book), by Victoria Namkung

***

This morning I woke up at 4:00 a.m.  I read in bed for a while, but then the day called to me.  Once I was on the computer, I decided to take another look at my progress.

Today I’m reading one of my November purchases:  Wonder Valley, by Ivy Pochoda…

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Yesterday was Book Release Day…and I checked the available releases…and controlled myself a little bit.  I downloaded The Girl in Times Square, by Paullina Simons

Description:  Living in bustling New York City, Lily Quinn has plenty of distractions and is struggling to finish college as well as pay her rent. But that all pales in comparison when Amy, her best friend and roommate, disappears without a trace.

Spencer O’Malley, a cynical NYPD detective assigned to Amy’s case, immediately captures Lily’s attention. Though he is wary and wrestling with his own demons, he, too, is irresistibly drawn to Lily.

But fate has more in store for Lily than she ever expected. As she looks deeper into the mystery surrounding Amy’s disappearance, Lily finds answers she never imagined she’d find—answers that challenge everything she knows about her own life.

***

As with all new purchases, I might wait a while before plunging into this one.  I have many purchases from earlier in the year, and even the previous one. 

Instead of joining a challenge in 2018, I may try “mood reading” for a while.  Time will tell.

What are your 2018 Reading Plans?

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KEEPING TRACK: THE STATUS OF MY TBR

With the year nearing its end, it’s time for another look at my book buying/reading stats.

I am regularly updating readers to my Read the Books You Buy Challenge, and so far, I have read 102 books toward the challenge goals.

What might not be evident from that number:  books I have counted for this challenge come from these sources:

Books Purchased Between July – December 2016

Books Purchased Between January 2017-December 2017

Let’s look at those sources more closely.

Between July-December 2016, I purchased 72 books, and from that number, I’ve read 61.

Between January-November (so far) 2017, I’ve purchased 139, and read 86.

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Those figures don’t add up, you may say!  But…here’s the clincher.  The ones that count for the 2017 Challenge must have been read in 2017.  And some of the books bought in 2016 were read last year.

It puzzled me when I first looked at the numbers…but now I’m clear on it.

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How I Track My Purchases and My Books Read:

When I purchase a book, I enter it onto the appropriate page on this blog:  Month, Year.

When I read a book, I link it to my review on the Books Purchased page and also on my Books Read page, month and year.

Review books have separate pages.

***

Before the year’s end, I don’t expect to have read ALL the books I bought this year, or even in 2016.  But I’m closer to that goal than I was on January 1.

How are you faring with your TBR stacks?  What methods work for you?

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THE TBR JAR: DUSTING OFF THE OLD UNREAD BOOKS….

My TBR Jar, shown above, contains slips of paper with unread book titles from 2014, 2015, and the first half of 2016.  I don’t seem to be moving these off the shelves, since I’m focusing on the newer books for my Read the Books You Buy Challenge (spotlighting 2017 purchases, along with those bought in the second half of 2016).

Sometimes it helps to actually list the books I need to read…and perhaps highlight those that I have a chance of picking soon.

Here are some from 2014, with three selected from The TBR Jar:

PURCHASED BOOKS UNREAD FROM 2014: (19 books, with 3 singled out from the jar)

• Life List, The (e-book), by Chrissy Anderson
• Everyone Worth Knowing, by Lauren Weisberger
• Abducted (e-book), by T. R. Ragan
• Apple Orchard, The (e-book), by Susan Wiggs
• My Mother Was Nuts (e-book), by Penny Marshall
• Paper Towns (e-book), by John Green
• What Remains:  A Memoir of Fate, Friendship & Love, by Carole Radziwil
• In the Woods (e-book), by Tana French
• Shadow Tracer, The (e-book), by Meg Gardiner
• Wife 22 (e-book), by Melanie Gideon
• Ellen Foster (e-book), by Kaye Gibbons
• Leaves (e-book), by Michael Baron
• Lemon Orchard, The (e-book), by Luanne Rice
• Owen’s Daughter (e-book), by Jo-Ann Mapson
• Ruth’s Journey (e-book), by Donald McCaig
• Some Luck (e-book), by Jane Smiley
• All Good Deeds (e-book), by Stacy Green
• Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, The (e-book), by Gabrielle Zevin
• Eleanor and Park (e-book), by Rainbow Rowell

 

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Do you devise ways to motivate yourself into picking up Old and Dusty TBR Books?  What works for you?

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TBR PATROL: ARE MY NUMBERS DICTATING MY LIFE?

It is time to check out my numbers for the year so far.

For the Read the Books You Buy Challenge, I have read and reviewed 19 books so far.  Ten of those books were purchased in January 2017, and nine were purchased in the second half of 2016, which still qualifies them for this challenge.

Books Purchased in January:  20 – so half of them have been read

Books Purchased in February so far:  9 – and I’ve read none of them.

***

Books Purchased Between July – December 2016:  71

Books Read:  53

Books Unread for the second half of 2016:  18

 

Obviously, several of those books from 2016 were read in that same year, and counted for last year’s challenge.

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So….my work is cut out for me.  But what fun the work has been!  I’ve been enjoying these books. 

As for those purchased before July 2016, some of which go way back to 2014…those are in the TBR Jar…and they will be dealt with…or not.

2014:  Unread Books-  20

2015:  Unread Books –  13

2016:  Unread Books from January – June – 21

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The task seems huge, even insurmountable, but let’s total up all the unread books I’ve purchased since 2014:  81!

The year is new, and I think I can probably put a dent in these numbers.  What do you think?

***

Of course, the review books will take up some time, but so far, I only have 6 NetGalley books to read and review (I’ll probably get more, though).

And as for author review books, I have two waiting…and one Amazon Vine book.

I should probably be mindful of these numbers when making requests.

***

What does your reading year look like so far?  Do my numbers seem manageable?  How about yours?

***

 

 

 

INTRODUCING THE TBR JAR & MY PLAN….

Now that January 2017 has arrived, we can get down to the business of wiping out the TBR piles.  Or at least whittling down the numbers.

Some bloggers use a TBR Jar…and I’ve been studying the receptacles around my house.  I settled on the little red container above.  It isn’t exactly a jar, but I like it…and it will serve the purpose.  Plus…it is bright enough that I won’t forget to pull book titles from it.

I still have some unread books from 2014, if you can believe that!  I counted them tonight, and not counting the DNFs that are already gone from the list, there are 21 remaining unread books.

Let’s look at 2015.  Using the same criteria, I found 14 unread books there.

And the first half of 2016, the part that doesn’t count for my new Read the Books You Buy Challenge:  there are 22 books.

Fifty-seven dusty old TBR books….not polished enough to make the cut of the 2017 Challenge.  So into the jar those titles go…and I will try to draw from it each week.  At least one of the oldies should come out every week, right?

We’ll see how that goes.

***

Currently I am reading one of those old books from 2014:  Desolation Row, by Kay Kendall.  I’m enjoying it so far.  Why did I wait so long?

 

 

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Today I finished a book that counts for the new Read the Books You Buy Challenge:

The Sleeping Beauty Murder (e-book), by Mary Higgins Clark/Alafair Burke (click for my review).  This was my First Book of 2017, already finished.

 

 

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Do you have plans for your TBR pile this year?  Are you enthused and rarin’ to go?  Please share.

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MY TBR STACKS: A CLOSER LOOK….

As the year winds down, I am taking a closer look at my progress toward whittling down my TBR stacks.

The Read the Books You Buy Challenge has helped me keep track of what I’ve read, and the total read to-date is 85.  That includes all books purchased between June 2015 through the end of 2016 (so far).

Let’s try another way to count my progress:  how many are still unread?

For the period from June 2015-December 2015 (the books not purchased for rereads)

Only eight remain!

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For the period from January 2016 through November (current figures)

48

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Next year, I will worry about the unread books purchased in 2014….sigh.  There are a few: 

 23 books unread

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So….here are the titles, with links to those already read and reviewed:

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JUNE 2015:

1.    Catching Air, by Sarah Pekkanen

2.   In the Unlikely Event (e-book), by Judy Blume

3.   It’s You (e-book), by Jane Porter

4.    Out of Orange (e-book), by Cleary Wolters

5.   Rumor, The (e-book), by Elin Hilderbrand

6.    Wrong Man, The (e-book), by Kate White

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JULY 2015:

1.    A Man Called Ove (e-book), by Fredrik Backman

2.    At Risk (e-book), by Alice Hoffman

3.    Dune Road (e-book), by Jane Green

4.    Friday On My Mind, by Nicci French

5.    Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee

6.    Losing Me (e-book), by Sue Margolis

7.    Perfect Son, The (e-book), by Barbara Claypole White

8.    Remember Mia (e-book), by Alexandra Burt

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AUGUST 2015:

1.    Accident Season, The (e-book), by Moira Fowley-Doyle-DNF

2.  Broken Homes & Gardens (e-book), by Rebecca Kelley

3.   Honest Illusions (e-book), by Nora Roberts-DNF

4.   Race for Paris, The (e-book), by Meg Waite Clayton

5.    Rainy Day Sisters (e-book), by Kate Hewitt

6.   Summer Wind, The (e-book), by Mary Alice Monroe (Book 2)

7.   Who Do You Love? (e-book), by Jennifer Weiner

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SEPTEMBER 2015:

1.   Dance Begins, The (e-book, prequel), by Diane Chamberlain

2.   Forever (e-book), by Judy Blume (Banned Books Week)

3.   Girls of August, The (e-book), by Anne Rivers Siddons

4.   Gray Mountain (e-book), by John Grisham

5.    Maybe in Another Life (e-book), by Taylor Jenkins Reid

6.    Nesting Place, The, by Myquillyn Smith

7.    Seventh Heaven (e-book), by Alice Hoffman

8.    Sleeping with the Enemy, by Nancy Price (for reread)

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OCTOBER 2015:

1.     Admissions, The (e-book), by Meg Mitchell Moore

2.    Cherry, by Mary Karr

3.    Deep End, The (e-book), by Julie Mulhern

4.   Girl with No Past, The (e-book), by Kathryn Croft

5.   Jane Fonda, The Private Life of a Public Woman, by Patricia Bosworth

6.    Liar’s Club, The:  A Memoir, by Mary Karr

7.     Lucky Us (e-book), by Amy Bloom-DNF

8.    Shadow Year, The (e-book), by Hannah Richell

9.     Truth Be Told (e-book), by Hank Phillippi Ryan

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NOVEMBER 2015:

1.     Black Widow, The (e-book), by Wendy Corsi Staub

2.     Forever, Interrupted (e-book), by Taylor Jenkins Reid

3.    My Life on the Road, by Gloria Steinem

4.   November 9 (e-book), by Colleen Hoover

5.   Wildflower, by Drew Barrymore

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DECEMBER 2015:

1.   All Dressed in White, by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke (Entry in First Book of 2016 Event)

2.    Behind Closed Doors (e-book), by Elizabeth Haynes

3.    Better Off Without Him (e-book), by Dee Ernst

4.   Broken String, The (e-book, novella), by Diane Chamberlain

5.    Empty House, the (e-book), by Rosamunde Pilcher

6.    Just Say Yes (e-book), by Alyssa Goodnight

7.   Secret Sisters (e-book), by Jayne Ann Krentz

8.   What She Knew (e-book), by Gilly MacMillan

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JANUARY 2016:

1.  Brooklyn (e-book), by Colm Toibin

2.  Crossing Places, The (e-book, Book 1 Ruth Galloway), by Elly Griffiths

3.   Ex, The (e-book), by Alafair Burke

4.   Guaranteed to Bleed (e-book, Book 2), by Julie Mulhern

5.   Summer’s End, The (e-book, #3), by Mary Alice Monroe

6.   Three To Get Deadly (e-book), by Janet Evanovich

7.   What Was Mine (e-book), by Helen Klein Ross

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FEBRUARY 2016:

1.  Find Her (e-book), by Lisa Gardner

2.  Girl in the Red Coat, The (e-book), by Kate Hamer

3.  Price of Salt, The (or Carol) (e-book), by Patricia Highsmith

4.   Ramblers, The (e-book), by Aidan Donnelley Rowley

5.   ROOM (e-book), by Emma Donoghue

6.  Under the Influence (e-book), by Joyce Maynard

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MARCH 2016:

1.   Another City, Not My Own (e-book), by Dominick Dunne (for reread)

2.   Be Frank with Me (e-book), by Julia Claiborne Johnson

3.   Breakdown (e-book), by Jonathan Kellerman

4.   Domestic Secrets (e-book), by Rosalind Noonan

5.   Friction (e-book), by Sandra Brown

6.   Must Love Dogs:  New Leash on Life (e-book, #2), by Claire Cook

7.   My Name Is Lucy Barton (e-book), by Elizabeth Strout

8.   Nest, The (e-book), by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

9.   Orphan Choir, The (e-book), by Sophie Hannah

10.  She Can Kill (e-book), by Melinda Leigh

11.  Somewhere Out There (e-book), by Amy Hatvany

12. Terrible Virtue (e-book), by Ellen Feldman

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APRIL 2016:

1.    Excellent Lombards, The (e-book), by Jane Hamilton

2.   First Frost (e-book, Waverley #2), by Sarah Addison Allen

3.   Lies & Other Acts of Love (e-book), by Kristy Woodson Harvey

4.   Luckiest Girl Alive (e-book), by Jessica Knoll

5.   My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry (e-book), by Fredrik Backman

6.   Obsession, The (e-book), by Nora Roberts

7.    One and Only, The, by Emily Giffin

8.    Other Typist, The (e-book), by Suzanne Rindell

9.   River Road (e-book), by Carol Goodman

10.  Scandal in Skibbereen (e-book, County Cork #2), by Sheila Connolly

11.  Shelter Mountain (e-book, Book 2), by Robyn Carr

12.  What We Find (e-book), by Robyn Carr

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MAY 2016:

1.  A Lowcountry Wedding (e-book), by Mary Alice Monroe

2.  Blue Bath, The (e-book), by Mary Waters-Sayer

3.  Clouds in My Coffee (e-book), by Julie Mulhern

4.  Dear Carolina (e-book), by Kristy Woodson Harvey

5.   Dear Thing (e-book), by Julie Cohen

6.   Flight Patterns (e-book), by Karen White

7.   I Let You Go (e-book), by Claire Mackintosh

8.   Island House, The (e-book), by Nancy Thayer

9.   Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty:  Memoir, by Diane Keaton9

10.  My Husband’s Wives (e-book), by Faith Hogan

11.  Some Women (e-book), by Emily Liebert

12. Two-Family House, The (e-book), by Lynda Cohen Loigman

13. Two If By Sea (e-book), by Jacquelyn Mitchard

14.  Unsinkable:  Memoir, by Debbie Reynolds

15.  Wilde Lake (e-book), by Laura Lippman

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JUNE 2016:

1.   Confess, by Colleen Hoover

2.  Death at Breakfast (e-book), by Beth Gutcheon

3.  Deep Dark (e-book), by Laura Griffin

4.  Dinner, The (e-book), by Herman Koch

5.  Drinking Closer to Home (e-book), by Jessica Anya Blau

6.   Exit, The (e-book), Helen FitzGerald

7.   Here’s To Us (e-book), by Elin Hilderbrand

8.   Mystic Summer (e-book), by Hannah McKinnon

9.   One True Loves (e-book), by Taylor Jenkins Reid

10.  Sunshine Beach (e-book), by Wendy Wax

11. Sweetbitter (e-book), by Stephanie Danler

12. Vinegar Girl (e-book), by Anne Tyler

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JULY 2016:

1. Coincidence of Coconut Cake, The (e-book), by Amy E. Riechert

2.  Girl You Lost, The (e-book), by Kathryn Croft

3. In Twenty Years (e-book), by Allison Winn Scotch

4. I’ve Got Sand in All the Wrong Places (e-book), by Lisa Scottoline, et. al.

5.  Melody Lingers On, The (e-book), by Mary Higgins Clark

6.  They May Not Mean To, But They Do (e-book), by Cathleen Schine

7.  This Must Be the Place (e-book), by Maggie O’Farrell

8.  Truly Madly Guilty (e-book), by Liane Moriarty

9.   Truth-Teller’s Lie, The (e-book), by Sophie Hannah

10. Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline Susann (50th Anniversary Copy – reread)

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AUGUST 2016:

1.All the Ugly & Wonderful Things (e-book), by Bryn Greenwood

2. American Girl, The (e-book), by Kate Horsley

3.  American Heiress, by Jeffrey Toobin

4.  Behind Closed Doors (e-book), by B. A. Paris

5. Book that Matters Most, The (e-book), by Ann Hood

6.  Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, by Anne Tyler (reread)

7. Family Tree (e-book), by Susan Wiggs

8.  Firefly Summer (e-book), by Nan Rossiter

9.  I Am No One (e-book), by Patrick Flanery

10. If I Forget You (e-book), by Thomas Christopher Greene

11. I Found You, by Lisa Jewell

12. It Ends with Us (e-book), by Colleen Hoover

13.  Map of the World, A (e-book), by Jane Hamilton (reread)

14. My Life, My Body, by Marge Piercy

15. Results May Vary (e-book), by Bethany Chase

16. Rosemary:  The Hidden Kennedy Daughter, by Kate Clifford Larson

17.  Silver Linings Playbook (e-book), by Matthew Quick

18. Siracusa (e-book), by Delia Ephron

19. Sister, The (e-book), by Louise Jensen

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SEPTEMBER 2016:

1.Come and Find Me (e-book), by Hallie Ephron

2. Finding Libbie (e-book), by Deanna Lynn Sletten

3. Kept Woman, The (e-book), by Karin Slaughter

4. Last Good Girl, The (e-book), by Allison Leotta

5.Life She Wants, The (e-book), by Robyn Carr

6. London Train, The (e-book), by Tessa Hadley

7. Some Tame Gazelle (e-book), by Barbara Pym

8. Sting (e-book), by Sandra Brown

9. Watching Edie (e-book), by Camilla Way

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OCTOBER 2016:

1. Commonwealth (e-book), by Ann Patchett

2. Dollhouse, The (e-book), by Fiona Davis

3.  Echoes of Family (e-book), by Barbara Claypole White

4.  Hot Milk (e-book), by Deborah Levy

5.  Hungry Heart (e-book), by Jennifer Weiner

6. Love Letters, by Debbie Macomber

7.  Mean Streak, by Sandra Brown

8. Mothers, The (e-book), by Brit Bennett

9. Red Car, The (e-book), by Marcy Dermansky

10.Saturday Requiem, by Nicci French

11. Send in the Clowns (e-book), by Julie Mulhern

12. Spelling It Like It Is, by Tori Spelling

13. Stealing Jason Wilde (e-book), by Dee Ernst

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NOVEMBER 2016:

1. Another Brooklyn, by Jacqueline Woodson

2.Hillbilly Elegy, by J. D. Vance

3. Home, by Harlan Coben

4.In a Dark, Dark Wood (e-book), by Ruth Ware

5. Inheriting Edith (e-book), by Zoe Fishman

6. Murder Game, The (e-book), by Julie Apple

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That’s my closer look, and now I feel as though I have a fresh perspective.  What do your unread stacks tell you?

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