Play Book Tag discussion

I am upping my goal a little bit this year, to 60 books, and I plan to (hopefully) complete the following challenges.

Pick-A-Year Challenge: Read 30 books published in 2018

1. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Published: February 6, 2019
Completed: February 16, 2018

2. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Published: February 6, 2018
Completed: February 25, 2018

3. I'll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa de los Santos
Published: March 6, 2018
Completed: March 17, 2018

4. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
Published: February 6, 2018
Completed: April 1, 2018

5. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Published: January 9, 2018
Completed: April 8, 2018

6. Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts
Published: May 29, 2018
Completed: April 8, 2018

7. Hot Mess by Emily Belden
Published: March 20, 2018
Completed: April 17, 2018

8. Hot Asset by Lauren Layne
Published: May 22, 2018
Completed: May 28, 2018

9. Savor You by Kristen Proby
Published: April 24, 2018
Completed: May 22, 2018

10. As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner
Published: February 6, 2018
Completed: June 9, 2018

11. Circe by Madeline Miller
Published: April 10, 2018
Completed: June 13, 2018

12. My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
Published: April 24, 2018
Completed: July 4, 2018

13. Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
Published: January 16, 2018
Completed: July 8, 2018

14. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
Published: January 9, 2018
Completed: July 14, 2018

15. The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
Published: April 3, 2018
Completed: July 20, 2018

16. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
Published: January 30, 2018
Completed: July 25, 2018

17. Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
Published: February 6, 2018
Completed: August 2, 2018

18. Deep Shadow by Nick Sullivan
Published: April 11, 2018
Completed: August 4, 2018

19. Love and Ruin by Paula McLain
Published: May 1, 2018
Completed: August 6, 2018

20. The Summer Wives
Published: July 10, 2018
Completed: August 14, 2018

21. Tailspin by Sandra Brown
Published: August 7, 2018
Completed: August 17, 2018

22. Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
Published: June 5, 2018
Completed: August 24, 2018

23. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Published: August 14, 2018
Completed: September 3, 2018

24. About That Kiss by Jill Shalvis
Published: January 23, 2018
Completed: September 4, 2018

25. Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton
Published: July 1, 2018
Completed: September 9, 2018

26. Dreams of Falling by Karen White
Published: June 5, 2018
Completed: September 16, 2018

27. Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
Published: December 4, 2018
Completed: September 17, 2018

28. The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews
Published: May 8, 2018
Completed: September 23, 2018

29. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Published: June 5, 2018
Completed: September 30, 2018

30. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Published: July 10, 2018
Completed: October 4, 2018

31. There There by Tommy Orange
Published: June 5, 2018
Completed: October 21, 2018

32. Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
Published: October 16, 2018
Completed: October 27, 2018

33. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing
Published: January 9, 2018
Completed: October 30, 2018

34. The Reckoning by John Grisham
Published: October 23, 2018
Completed: November 6, 2018

35. The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman
Published: October 2, 2018
Completed: November 8, 2018

36. Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
Published: February 19, 2019
Completed: November 12, 2018

37. Transcription by Kate Atkinson
Published: September 25, 2018
Completed: November 21, 2018

38. Hot Winter Nights by Jill Shalvis
Published: September 25, 2018
Completed: November 22, 2018

39. Mistletoe Miracles by Jodi Thomas
Published: September 25 , 2018
Completed: November 24, 2018

40. Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam by Elizabeth Partridge
Published: April 10, 2018
Completed: November 25, 2018

41. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
Published: May 21, 2018
Completed: November 26, 2018

42. A True Cowboy Christmas by Caitlin Crews
Published: October 30, 2018
Completed: November 28, 2018

43. A Tall, Dark Cowboy Christmas by Maisey Yates
Published: September 25, 2018
Completed: December 2, 2018

44. Becoming by Michelle Obama
Published: November 13, 2018
Completed: December 3, 2018

45. Cowboy SEAL Christmas by Nicole Helm
Published: September 4, 2018
Completed: December 7, 2018

46. The Christmas Key by Lori Wilde
Published: October 23, 2018
Completed: December 8, 2018

47. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson
Published: April 24, 2018
Completed: December 12, 2018

48. How the Dukes Stole Christmas by Tessa Dare
Published: October 15, 2018
Completed: December 16, 2018

49. Snowed in for Christmas by Noelle Adams
Published: October 23, 2018
Completed: December 19, 2018

50. Season of Wonder by RaeAnne Thayne
Published: September 25, 2018
Completed: December 20, 2018

51. A Season to Celebrate by Fern Michaels
Published: October 30, 2018
Completed: December 29, 2018

Pick-A-Year Challenge: Read 12 books published in 2017

1. Unqualified by Anna Faris
Published: October 24, 2017
Completed: January 3, 2018

2. The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Published: August 22, 2017
Completed: January 30, 2018

3. I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad by Souad Mekhennet
Published: June 13, 2017
Completed: February 7, 2018

4. Roomies by Christina Lauren
Published: December 7, 2017
Completed: February 11, 2018

5. Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne
Published: April 18, 2017
Completed: February 18, 2018

6. The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
Published: May 9, 2017
Completed: March 15, 2018

7. The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
Published: October 17, 2017
Completed: March 21, 2018

8. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Published: June 6, 2017
Completed: May 5, 2018

9. Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Published: April 25, 2017
Completed: May 15, 2018

10. Blush for Me by Kristen Proby
Published: March 7, 2017
Completed: May 20, 2018

11. The Beauty of Us by Kristen Proby
Published: August 22, 2017
Completed: May 21, 2018

12. The Power by Naomi Alderman
Published: October 17, 2017
Completed: June 23, 2018

13. The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone
Published: September 26, 2017
Completed: August 11, 2018

14. Class Mom by Laurie Gelman
Published: August 1, 2017
Completed: August 29, 2018

15. This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Published: January 24, 2017
Completed: November 11, 2018

16. Lady Osbaldestone's Christmas Goose
Published: July 25, 2017
Completed: December 19, 2018

Long Book Challenge: Read 3,000 pages from 500+ page books.

The Heart's Invisible Furies -- 582 pages
Devil in the Grove -- 656 pages
The Fiery Cross -- 1443 pages
Bitten -- 544 pages

TOTAL: 3235

Additional Challenge: Read one book for each category:

500-600 pages: The Heart's Invisible Furies
600-750 pages: Devil in the Grove
750-1000 pages: (potential: Natchez Burning w/ 791 pages)
1000+ pages: (potential: The Witching Hour w/ 1058 pages)
1400+ pages: The Fiery Cross

Play Book Tag Challenge: Read at least one book per month that fits each monthly shelf.

January - science
The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons by Sam Kean

February - Asia
I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad by Souad Mekhennet

March - autobiography
Greetings from Utopia Park: Surviving a Transcendent Childhood by Claire Hoffman

April - strong women
Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom

May - family drama
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Beartown by Fredrik Backman

June - magical realism
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

July - dystopia
Red Clocks by Leni Zumas

August - espionage
The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America's Enemies by Jason Fagone

September - friendship
Dreams of Falling by Karen White
The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

October - Canadian
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

November - literary fiction
This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

December - geek reads
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson

Fall Flurry of Holidays Challenge (Brainstorming Ideas)

October: Halloween
✓Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann

November: Thanksgiving/Autumn/Native Americans/Veterans Day
✓ There There by Tommy Orange (read in October)
On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle by Hampton Sides
✓ Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam by Elizabeth Partridge

December: Christmas
The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan
✓ Hot Winter Nights by Jill Shalvis
The Corner of Holly and Ivy by Debbie Mason
Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber
✓ Season of Wonder by RaeAnne Thayne
Winter at the Beach by Sheila Roberts
✓ A Tall, Dark Cowboy Christmas by Maisey Yates
✓ A Season to Celebrate by Fern Michaels
✓ The Christmas Key by Lori Wilde
Newness and Wonder by Alexis Lynne
Restoring Christmas by Kate Kasch
Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane by JoAnn Ross
First Flurries by Joanne DeMaio
✓ Cowboy SEAL Christmas by Nicole Helm
✓ Mistletoe Miracles by Jodi Thomas
✓ A True Cowboy Christmas by Caitlin Crews
✓ How the Dukes Stole Christmas by Tessa Dare
✓ Lady Osbaldestone's Christmas Goose by Stephanie Laurens
✓ Snowed in for Christmas by Noelle Adams

Cultural Challenge: Read 6 books about another culture that were written by someone who lives in/is from that culture

Brainstorming ideas

Very Likely
✓ We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity (India)
In the Shadow of the Banyan (Cambodia)
Beasts of No Nation (West Africa)
Half of a Yellow Sun (Africa/country?)
A Fine Balance (India)
The Complete Persepolis (Iran)
Black Box (Israel)
✓ I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad (Iraq/Turkey)
✓In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom (North Korea)

Maybe/If Time
Pachinko (Korea)
The Summer Book (Finland)
The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between (Libya)
This Blinding Absence of Light (Morocco)
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee's Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival (Syria/Egypt)
A Long Way Home (India)
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier (Sierra Leone)
Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet (Tibet)

Not Likely but Intrigued
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Pakistan/America)
Guapa (unnamed Arab country)
The Map of Love (Egypt)
Broken April (country?)
Smaller and Smaller Circles (Philippines)
The White Tiger (India)
The Marriage Bureau for Rich People (India)
The Attack (Israel)
The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk / Palace of Desire / Sugar Street (Egypt)
Cliff Diver (Mexico)
Ali and Nino: A Love Story (Austria)
Daughters of the River Huong (Vietnam)

Are you not doing the Listopia or Decathlon challenges? Or is this in addition to them?

I will probably not officially participate in those. I rarely do the PBT challenges 😬 I am not a great challenged kind of person...

I can’t remember from your review, but how was once upon a river by Diane Setterfield?

And..... nice job

Amy wrote: "I can’t remember from your review, but how was once upon a river by Diane Setterfield?"

I really enjoyed it! It was kind of gothic/dark without being too heavy. I thought it was very well done.

My Top 10 of 2018

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup - John Carryou
Becoming - Michelle Obama
The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America's Enemies - Jason Fagone
Once Upon a River - Diane Setterfield
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century - Kirk Wallace Johnson
The Power - Naomi Alderman
An American Marriage - Tayari Jones
Love and Ruin - Paula McClain
Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America - Gilbert King
The Heart's Invisible Furies - John Boyne

A Few Notes:
This year was hard! I read a lot of great books this year, and there are a few very worthy books that just barely missed the cut (a few of them are mentioned below).

An American Marriage and The Power are on this list for one shared reason: they were my IRL book club selections and the discussions my book club had were amazing! They enriched the book and just catapulted them onto this list. I felt very similar with This is How It Always Is, but that one just missed the list.

This year was a nonfiction bonanza for me! I typically read several nonfiction books a year, but rarely do so many just blow my mind. And another one, American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst, just missed my Top 10.

My favorite book of the year is a toss up between The Heart's Invisible Furies and Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup. Both amazing for totally different reasons.

This is the second year in a row that Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America made my "best of" list! I read it for the first time last year and loved it. Then, I read it again for a law school class this past summer and loved it even more. Seriously, the book is brilliant.

Least favorite book? Easy. Something in the Water. To me, this book was total garbage and it was the only 1 star book of my year. I am getting mad again just thinking about it.

Hearts Invisible Furies is on my list too! It’s in the top 7. Love and Ruin is s contender for the final three. I haven’t read any of your other eight choices, but I’m excited about once upon a river.