75 Books...More or Less! discussion

Having just barely managed 75 books in 2017, I am excited to start a new, better, bookier year in 2018! I will once again be shooting for 100, and I have never been more determined or more excited for the year of wonderful books ahead!

Welcome back, Lianne!

1. Decelerate Blue by Adam Rapp

A nice strong start to the challenge by reading a graphic novel on day 1! This was one of my huge pile of library books I have out, and I'm torn between wanting to get through them all and return them and wanting to read TBR pile stuff. I need to control my checkouts lol.

2. A Boy Named Queen by Sara Cassidy

My friend and library co-worker and I have decided to read all of this year's MYRCA nominees (the Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Awards). This is my first one. Read it in one sitting!

3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I've now successfully read one book off my TBR pile! And this was an excellent read.

Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I've now successfully read one book off my TBR pile! And this was an excellent read."

Looks good, I just added it to my list. I'm currently enjoying his Norse Mythology book. I haven't yet read anything else by him but I really like his writing style.

Drew wrote: "Looks good, I just added it to my list. I'm currently enjoying his Norse Mythology book. I haven't yet read anything else by him but I really like his writing style."

I haven't read that one yet! I love everything I've read by Neil Gaiman. I started with Neverwhere, which is what first got me into urban fantasy. Coraline might be my favourite of his.

4. Born With: Erika & Gianni by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Second MYRCA nominee down! I wasn't so sure about this and it took me a few days to really get going in it (it didn't help that I've had a very stressful week), but once I got into it I loved it!

5. I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

6. The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear

This was a reread for me. Brought it to an interview for a school library tech position... which I got!!! I'm totally gonna be working in a K-8 school library in less than 2 weeks!!!

7. The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks

Third MYRCA nominee completed. Really liked this one but it does rather demand that one reads the rest of the trilogy, like, now!

Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "I'm totally gonna be working in a K-8 school library in less than 2 weeks!!!..."

That sounds like so much fun!!!

Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "Brought it to an interview for a school library tech position... which I got!!! I'm totally gonna be working in a K-8 school library in less than 2 weeks!!! ..."

Congratulations! That sounds so cool!

8. Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett

9. Brother by David Chariandy

Brother was the Amnesty International Book Club read for January. Probably not something I'd have picked out for myself otherwise, but I'm glad I got the chance to read it!

When it comes to picture books, Jon Klassen's are some of my favorites. I can't tell if my son (2yo) quite understands an ending like I Want My Hat Back, but he seems to enjoy the stories anyway.

Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I've now successfully read one book off my TBR pile! And this was an excellent read."

This was one of my most favorite reads last year; I felt it was really the most perfect book. So glad you liked it.

10. Triangle by Mac Barnett

11. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (ebook)

12. Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae

13. Spork by Kyo Maclear

Those last two are books I read for story time, so I read each of them a bunch of times in a day.

14. Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things by Ted Naifah

Picked this graphic novel randomly because there was book club (quiet reading time) in the library. I ended up really enjoying it! Very dark for a children's book.

15. To This Day: For the Bullied and Beautiful by Shane L. Koyczan

16. Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

17. Mary's Atlas: Mary Meets Manitoba by Gwen Smid

If I keep counting picture books, now that I'm an elementary school library, I'm gonna fly past 100 books this year!!

I'm currently debating if I should keep counting picture books or not. I feel like I'm artificially inflating my numbers... with all the reading I do with my son, I could probably hit 200 with picture books alone!

Charleen wrote: "I'm currently debating if I should keep counting picture books or not. I feel like I'm artificially inflating my numbers... with all the reading I do with my son, I could probably hit 200 with pict..."

Yeah, in the past I've always counted them equally. And without counting them at all it's unlikely that I'd hit 100. But counting them fully, 100 is gonna be a breeze this year! During the school year it's safe to say I'll be reading at least one picture book a week (reading it about a dozen times to different classes).

18. Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

19. Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman

20. Sunshells by J.A. Self

21. Shadows by Robin McKinley

22. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

Fun read-aloud, with good rhyming and a chance for the kids to make sound effects.

23. Nnewts vol. 1: Escape from the Lizzarks by Doug TenNapel

24. Small Saul by Ashley Spires

25. The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands

I'm gonna start keeping track of subtotals for various types of books, so that at least if I fly effortlessly past 100 this year because of picture books, I can set additional goals based on size of book. :)

So far:
12 picture books
5 graphic novels
8 novels

Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I've now successfully read one book off my TBR pile! And this was an excellent read."

The graphic novel adaptation of this is also fantastic!

Drew wrote: "Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I've now successfully read one book off my TBR pile! And this was an excellent read...."

Neverwhere is my favorite!!!!

26. The Errand by Leo La Fleur

27. The Grip of It by Jac Jemc

Very spooky! I love the short chapters alternating between the two characters' perspectives. I flew through this one.

So far:
12 picture books
6 graphic novels
9 novels

28. Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

Fun, rhyming picture book. The kindergarteners loved it, mostly because of the references to Dr. Seuss.

29. Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged by Jody Nyasha Warner

My first time reading a serious book in story time! Got some great responses from the kids. A lot of them were totally unaware that segregation was ever a thing in Canada and were duly shocked.

30. Erik the Viking Sheep by Elizabeth Creith

A fun picture book about a sheep from Iceland who becomes obsessed with the idea of himself as a Viking sheep. Found it when looking up picture books that had never been checked out! I liked it so I put it in the bins the kindergarteners take books from, so they'll finally notice it. :)

So far:
15 picture books
6 graphic novels
9 novels

31. Flossie and the Fox by Patricia C. McKissack

32. A Dream of Ice (The Earthend Saga #2) by Gillian Anderson and Jeff Rovin

33. Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding

34. Slide by Norah McClintock

35. OCDaniel by Wesley King

I've been doing a read-24-hours-in-7-days challenge as part of the pre-Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon festivities, and have been using this time to try to get through as many of the MYRCA nominees as possible over spring break. I've now read 6 of them (so if I were a kid I would have earned two votes!). I was having trouble picking a favourite until I read Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts, which really stood out for me! I can see why Lemony Snicket gave it his praise.

Totals so far:
16 picture books
6 graphic novels
13 novels

36. Frogs by Andrea Wayne-von Königslöw

One of those hidden treasures! Sat on the shelf for years without being checked out a single time. Read to all my K-4 classes for storytime and it was a hit. Now there's a wait list for it. :) Illustrated by the same illustrator who does the Robert Munsch books, which kids immediately recognised.

37. Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles by Shari Green

7th MYRCA nominee down! This one was such a beautiful story. And it's written in verse, making it a very quick read.

Totals so far:
17 picture books
6 graphic novels
14 novels

38. George by Alex Gino

SO GOOD.

39. Down at the Dino Wash Deluxe by Tim J. Myers

40. Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse by Leo Lionni

41. The Cat and the Wizard by Dennis Lee

42. Flat Broke With Two Goats: A Memoir of Appalachia by Jennifer McGaha (audiobook)

43. I Wished for a Unicorn by Robert Heidbreder

44. Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

And now for my Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon reads!

45. The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate

46. Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics by Ted Naifeh

47. Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine

48. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi

49. Kristy's Great Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin

50. Saga, vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

51. Thornhill by Pam Smy

52. Twin Spica, vol. 9 by Kou Yaginuma

Totals so far:
22 picture books
10 graphic novels
20 novels

53. The Bugliest Bug by Carol Diggory Shields

54. Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox

55. The Road to Ever After by Moira Young

56. Zeus: King of the Gods (Olympians #1) by George O'Connor

57. Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess (Olympians #2) by George O'Connor

58. Saga, vol. 8 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

59. Roberto the Insect Architect by Nina Laden

60. Utopia by Thomas More (ebook)

61. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson

62. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (audiobook)

63. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher (audiobook)

64. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce

65. Phoebe and Her Unicorn (Heavenly Nostrils #1) by Dana Simpson

66. Late for School by Mike Reiss

67. Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom by Ted Naifeh

68. A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

69. Mark of the Plague (The Blackthorn Key #2) by Kevin Sands

70. Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova

71. A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

72. Leaning Into the Corner: On Becoming a Different Kind of Woman by Shelley Whitney

73. Unicorn on a Roll (Heavenly Nostrils #2) by Dana Simpson

74. Unicorn vs. Goblins (Heavenly Nostrils #3) by Dana Simpson

75. American War by Omar El Akkad

Hey look I hit 75 exactly halfway through the year! :D

76. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin

77. United (Alienated #3) by Melissa Landers

78. Razzle Dazzle Unicorn (Heavenly Nostrils #4) by Dana Simpson

79. The Way Back Home by Allan Stratton

Totals so far:
28 picture books
19 graphic novels
32 novels (+nonfiction)

Wow Lianne, you are moving right along :) Only 21 books to go!

Nice list! I loved A Dog's Purpose! Such a tearjerker!

Andrea wrote: "Wow Lianne, you are moving right along :) Only 21 books to go!"

Yep, I plan to hit 100 before the end of the summer! I have 20 books I have to read for work by back-to-school, plus some other stuff I wanna read. I think my stretch goal might be 75 novels by the end of the year. Maybe 150 books total!

Elyse wrote: "Nice list! I loved A Dog's Purpose! Such a tearjerker!"

Ugh, yes! I listened to that one while walking to and from work so I was frequently walking through my neighbourhood just crying lol.

80. Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson

81. Clutch by Heather Camlot

82. Short for Chameleon by Vicki Grant

83. Bounced by Ted Staunton

84. Those Who Run in the Sky by Aviaq Johnston

85. Laura Monster Crusher by Wesley King

86. Brave by Svetlana Chmakova

87. The Assassin's Curse (The Blackthorn Key #3) by Kevin Sands

88. Sit by Deborah Ellis

89. The Stone Heart (The Nameless City #2) by Faith Erin Hicks

90. Run by David Skuy

91. The Theory of Hummingbirds by Michelle Kadarusman

92. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (ebook)

93. Unicorn Crossing (Phoebe and Her Unicorn #5) by Dana Simpson

94. Falcon Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson

95. Restart by Gordon Korman

I did not reach my summer reading goals. It's mid-September and I still haven't finished reading the MYRCA nominees! Getting there though. Weirdly I read less over the summer than I normally do, I think, even though I had way more free time.

Totals so far:
28 picture books
22 graphic novels
45 novels (+nonfiction)

96. We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

97. Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox

98. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (audiobook)

99. The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller

100. Exo by Fonda Lee

Totals so far:
30 picture books
22 graphic novels
48 novels (+nonfiction)

I DID IT!!! It's late September and I have read 100 books in a year for the first time ever!!!

My stretch goal is to get my novels+nonfiction count up to 75 if I can (although that's 2 per week for the rest of the year so... we'll see lol).

Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "96. We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

97. Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox

98. [bookcover:The Immortal ..."

Woohoo great job, Lianne!

101. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North and Erica Henderson

I actually read this sometime in the spring but apparently forgot to add it on Goodreads! So rather than trying to find where it fits in I'm just gonna put it here.

102. When We Were Alone by David Alexander Robertson

103. Phoebe and Her Unicorn in the Magic Storm by Dana Simpson

104. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

105. A Blinding Light by Julie Lawson

106. Drama by Raina Telgemeier

107. Amulet, vol. 1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi (reread)

108. Unicorn of Many Hats (Phoebe and Her Unicorn #7) by Dana Simpson

109. Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez

I haven't been reading a whole lot of novels written for adults lately! So I was pleased to find that I LOVED this one and devoured it in a weekend!

110. Lumberjanes, vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson

111. The King of Little Things by Bil Lepp

112. The Caterpillar and the Polliwog by Jack Kent

113. Fragile Bones: Harrison & Anna by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

The following 5 books are the ones I finished during the 24 Hour Read-a-Thon:

114. The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine

115. The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate

116. Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) by Ann M. Martin

117. Tales of the Interlake: A Collection of Strange Rural Stories for All Ages by Carol Gardarsson

118. The Explorers: The Door in the Alley by Adrienne Kress

And now back to my regularly scheduled reading:

119. This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers

120. The Winnowing by Vikki VanSickle

121. Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds

122. The Doll's Eye by Marina Cohen

123. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It's True by Ryan North and Erica Henderson

124. Amulet, vol. 2: The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi

125. But Excuse Me That Is My Book by Lauren Child

I read this to my kindergarten classes and it was so much fun!

126. Amulet, vol. 3: The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi

Totals so far:
36 picture books
31 graphic novels
59 novels (+nonfiction)

127. Tidy by Emily Gravett

128. Amulet, vol. 4: The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi

Totals so far:
37 picture books
32 graphic novels
59 novels (+nonfiction)

129. Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt

130. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (audiobook)

131. Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

132. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

133. You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum! by Andy Stanton

Totals so far:
38 picture books
33 graphic novels
62 novels (+nonfiction)

134. Amulet, vol. 5: Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi

135. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (audiobook)

136. Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett

137. From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea by Kai Cheng Thom

138. Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O'Neill

139. The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill

140. Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming (audiobook)

141. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

142. The Digger and the Flower by Joseph Kuefler

143. Amulet, vol. 6: Escape from Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi

144. Lumberjanes, vol. 2: Friendship to the Max by Noelle Stevenson

Totals so far:
40 picture books
38 graphic novels
66 novels (+nonfiction)

145. Lumberjanes, vol. 3: A Terrible Plan by Noelle Stevenson

146. Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story by David Alexander Robertson

147. The Break by Katherena Vermette

148. Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell (ebook)

149. The Visitors by Catherine Burns (audiobook)

Totals so far:
40 picture books
40 graphic novels
69 novels (+nonfiction)

150. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson

151. The Polar Express by Chris van Allsburg

Totals so far:
42 picture books
40 graphic novels
69 novels (+nonfiction)

Great job, Lianne!

151. The Polar Express by Chris van Allsburg

A perfect book to read at this time of the year!

152. The Peacemaker: Thanadelthur by David Alexander Robertson

153. Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga

Finally!! I was reading this book for about 5 months, on and off, because I had to keep returning it to the library and requesting it again. I'm glad I read it but I'm glad to be done it.

154. Doc Christmas by Neil Enock

A nice Christmas story! I bought this at Comic Con two years ago and finally got to it.

Totals so far:
42 picture books
41 graphic novels
71 novels (+nonfiction)

155. Lumberjanes, vol. 4: Out of Time by Noelle Stevenson

156. The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag

Fun fact: Noelle Stevenson and Molly Knox Ostertag are a couple and I did not know that until after I read a book by each of them today!

Totals so far:
42 picture books
43 graphic novels
71 novels (+nonfiction)

Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "155. Lumberjanes, vol. 4: Out of Time by Noelle Stevenson

156. The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag

Fun fa..."

Haha what a coincidence!

I forgot to post my last book of the year here, so for completness' sake:

157. Emma by Jane Austen