2017: A Year in Books

Since I started teaching and my adulthood officially began, my literary appetites dwindled. It's sad, but true. I used to chew through 30-40 books annually. But for the past 5 years, I've barely cleared 1 book per month. (*sigh*) To combat this lethargy, I decided to read at least 25 books in 2017. And I mean really read - no audiobook nonsense (not that there's anything wrong with that). 25 books in a year is certainly less than many, and it's not even close to what I was able to accomplish before, but I thought it'd be a good, modest number to aim for. Thankfully, it was a goal that I found very attainable. I'll shoot for 25 again in 2018.

Therefore, the following list showcases all the books I read this past year. Although most were new reads, I managed to revisit a few favorites along the way. Novels, plays, short story collections, non-fiction, graphic novels - I've got 'em all on this list, and presented in the order in which I read them. Also, because I can't help but do a little bit of a review whenever I can, I'm putting a letter grade next to each book, indicating how good I believe it to be. Read and enjoy!

1.) Dark Places by Gillian Flynn ... A-
2.) Rage by Richard Bachman ... B
3.) The Long Walk by Richard Bachman ... C
4.) NOS4A2 by Joe Hill ... A
5.) A Separate Peace by John Knowles ... B+ 
6.) Anthem by Ayn Rand ... B+ 
7.) The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell ... B
8.) The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton ... C+
9.) A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry ... A
10.) Yummy by G. Neri and Randy DuBurke ... B
11.) Sex Criminals Vol. 1: One Weird Trick by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky ... A- 
12.) Rose Madder by Stephen King ... C+ 
13.) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood ... A+
14.) Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez ... B+ 
15.) The Colorado Kid by Stephen King ... C
16.) The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena ... D+
17.) Parker, Book One: The Hunter by Darwyn Cooke ... C-
18.) The Giver by Lois Lowry ... A
19.) Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry ... C-
20.) Everything's Eventual by Stephen King ... A
21.) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou ... A+
22.) Messenger by Lois Lowry ... C+
23.) A Separation by Katie Kitamura ... B-
24.) Son by Lois Lowry ... C 
25.) Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King ... B