2017: 100 Book Challenge

Hello!

Welcome to another 2017 round-up post. I’ve already done a post about my favorite and least favorite movies of the 2017 and now it is time for my list of book for this year. I don’ really post about books on this blog (I write short comments about them on Instagram as @sharingshelves) but since a lot of the books I’ve read are movie related (novels and comics that are adapted into films or non-fiction works about movies), I thought that some of you might be interested in my suggestions/recommendations. Also, I wasn’t planning on repeating the challenge but I managed to finish 100 books again this year (did the same in 2016). I have to promise myself that I’m not even going to attempt to read this many books next year, as when I have a certain numerical goal in mind, the reading experience does become more about quantity than quality.

Before I give you the list, here are a couple of general notes about it:
• From the 100 books this year, 10 were in Lithuanian (my native language) and 90 in English – I’m reading less and less in my native language every year.
• Most popular authors were Galbraith/Rowling for novels and Ennis, Bendis, and Snyder for comic books.
• I’ve read more graphic novels this year but fewer non-fiction books. My most often read comic book characters were Batman and Wonder Woman.
• I didn’t do an author break down by nationality but a general overview is this – I mostly read books by English-speakers. I didn’t even read a single book by a Lithuanian author (one by an author of Lithuanian descent was on the list, though).
• I’ve read mostly stand-alone books this year: if we’are not counting the comic book series, I’ve only read one full novel series.
• The 20th and 21st-century books were my most preferred for leisure reading, while for my English course, I’ve jumped around all time periods, but mostly focused on the literature of the 19th century.

Anyways, here is my list of books divided into the different genres. In every part, I’ve highlighted a couple of my favorites! I have also linked some movie reviews next to the relevant books. Enjoy!

Non-fiction:

1. S. Cain – ‘Quiet: The Power of the Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking’
2. W. Isaacson – ‘Steve Jobs’ (adapted to film)
3. R. Roll – ‘Finding Ultra’
4. P. Pfitzinger and S.Douglas – ‘Advanced Marathoning’
5. F. Hufton – ‘Running: How To Get Started’

Fiction:

1. D. Brown – ‘Digital Fortress’
2. M. Zusak – ‘The Book Thief’
3. W. Carther – ‘Death Comes For The Archbishop’
4. Z. N. Hurston – ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’
5. N. Gaiman – ‘American Gods’
6. N. Gaiman – ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’
7. S. Meyer – ‘ The Chemist’
8. A. Huxley – ‘Brave New World’
9. A. Huxley – ‘Island: a novel’
10. I. Welsh – ‘Trainspotting’ (adapted to film)
11. J. Moyes – ‘ The Girl You Left Behind’
12. L. Groff – ‘Fates and Furies’
13. R. Galbraith – The Cuckoo’s Calling’
14. R. Galbraith – ‘The Silkworm’
15. R. Galbraith – ‘Career of Evil’
16. L. Moriarty – ‘Big Little Lies’
17. A. Burgess – ‘A Clockwork Orange’
18. G. Orwell – ‘Animal Farm: a fairy story’
19. G. Orwell – ‘1984′
20. D. Eggers – ‘The Circle’ (adapted to film – review)
21. J. le Carre – ‘The Night Manager’
22. E. Morgenstern – ‘The Night Circus’
23. L. Evans – ‘Their Finest’ (adapted to film – review)
24. M. Bulgakov – ‘The Master and Margarita’
25. D. O’Porter – ‘Goose’
26. C. Palahniuk – ‘Fight Club’
27. C. Bukowski – ‘Post Office’
28. N. Larsen – ‘Passing’
29. G.R.R. Martin and G. Dozois (as editors) – ‘Rogues’
30. D. Gibbins – ‘Crusader Gold’
31. R. Sepetys – ‘Between Shades of Gray’
32. B. Ridgway – ‘The River of No Return’
33. F. Molnar – ‘The Paul Street Boys’
34. T. Parsons – ‘Starting Over’
35. T. Capote – ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’
36. A. Christie – ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (adapted to film – review)
37. A. Thomas – ‘The Hate U Give’
38. P.K. Dick – ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ (adapted to film – review)
39. S. King – ‘It’ (adapted to film – review)

Cinema related books:

1. G. Jenkins – ‘Empire Building’
2. J. Luceno – ‘Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel’
3. A. Freed – ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ novelization (film review)
4. C. Fisher – ‘Postcards From The Edge’
5. C. Fisher – ‘The Princess Diarist’
6. C. Fisher – ‘Wishful Drinking’
7. D. O’Neil – ‘The Dark Knight’ novelization
8. C. Clark – ‘The Prince, The Showgirl and Me’
9. C. Clark – ‘My Week with Marilyn’
10. J.K. Rowling – ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ script (film review)
11. A. Kendrick – ‘Scrappy Little Nobody’
12. S. Nathan and S. Roman – ‘Frozen’ novelization
13. S. Bukatman – ‘Blade Runner – BFI Film Classics’

English 3rd year degree books:

1. Aeschylus – ‘Prometheus Bound’
2. C. Marlowe – ‘Doctor Faustus’
3. J. Milton – ‘Paradise Lost’
4. M. Shelley – ‘Frankenstein; 1818 text’
5. R. Henryson – ‘The Testament of Cresseid’
6. D. Defoe – ‘Robinson Crusoe’
7. N. Shephard – ‘The Quarry Wood’
8. N. Larsen – ‘Quicksand’
9. A. Carter – ‘The Bloody Chamber and other stories’
10. C. Bronte – ‘Jane Eyre’
11. E. Bronte – ‘Wuthering Heights’
12. A. Bronte – ‘The Tenant of Wildfell Hall’
13. G. Elliot – ‘The Lifted Veil’
14. G. Elliot – ‘The Mill on The Floss’
15. C. Dickens – ‘Great Expectations’
16. H.G. Wells – ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau’
17. B. Stoker – ‘Dracula’
18. W. Collins – ‘The Woman in White’

Graphic novels:

1. Various authors – ‘Marvel Platinum: The Definitive Doctor Strange’ (film review)
2. D. Abnett – ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Rocket Raccoon and Groot steal the galaxy’ (film review)
3. G. Ennis and S. Dillon – ‘Preacher: Gone To Texas’
4. G. Ennis and S. Dillon – ‘Preacher: Until The End Of The World’
5. G. Ennis and S. Dillon – ‘Preacher: Proud Americans’
6. G. Ennis and S. Dillon – ‘Preacher: Ancient History’
7. G. Ennis and S. Dillon – ‘Preacher: Dixie Fried’
8. B.M. Bendis and M. Gaydos – ‘Alias: Volume 1’
9. B.M. Bendis and M. Gaydos – ‘Alias: Volume 2’
10. B.M. Bendis and M. Gaydos – ‘Alias: Volume 3’
11. B.M. Bendis and M. Gaydos – ‘Alias: Volume 4’
12. G. Rucka – ‘Wonder Woman Rebirth: Volume 1 The Lies’ (film review)
13. G. Rucka – ‘Wonder Woman Rebirth: Volume 2 Year One’
14. G. Rucka – ‘Wonder Woman Rebirth: Volume 3 The Truth’
15. M. Finch and D. Finch – ‘Wonder Woman: Resurrection’
16. S. Snyder and G. Capullo – ‘Batman: The Court of Owls’
17. S. Snyder and G. Capullo – ‘Batman: The Nights of Owls’
18. S. Snyder and G. Capullo – ‘Batman: The City of Owls’
19. S. Snyder and G. Capullo – ‘Batman: Endgame’
20. J. Tyrion – ‘Batman Detective Comics Rebirth: Volume 1 Rise of the Batmen’
21. G. Morrison and A. Kubert – ‘Batman and Son’
22. T. S. Daniel – Batman: Battle for the Cowl’
23. A. Conner and J. Palmiotti – ‘Harley Quinn Rebirth: Volume 3 Red Meat’
24. J. Hickman and C. Pacheco – ‘Ultimate Thor: Volume 1’ (film review)
25. M. Wagner – ‘Trinity’ (film review)

And that is it for the books I’ve read this year! What was your favorite book(s) of the year? What are you planning on/excited to read in 2017?

Leave a comment below and Have a Happy New Year!