one of my favorite children’s books: The Little Prince
a cozy stock photo.
JULY 2018
WHEN I STARTED THE BOOKSHELF PROJECT
86
BOOKS READ SO FAR
200+
BOOKS ON MY BOOKSHELVES & MY KINDLE
backstory
Hello there! Welcome to a project I’ve been working towards my entire life: reading everything on my bookshelves. I say this in a one-sentence-breath because it’s true, and it’s actually a little overwhelming. My book collection goes back as far as elementary school, back when there were discard book piles in the library. (You might remember seeing the DISCARD stickers or words written on the inside of books.) *Sighs* And then, there are the books on my Kindle, which I use regularly.
To further encourage myself to read more–especially during a busy work schedule– I started using Audible in 2015. While I love reading, my pesky ADD can get in the way of me doing what I love. With the help of a narrator–or in some cases, narrators–I’m able to finish a book in less than a month.
I also use Libby, which is an app where you can get audiobooks and Kindle editions of books from your local library! It’s completely free and I love it! (I started using Libby in August of 2020, and have been using it ever since.)
There was a time when I used to feel embarrassed about my Audible use, like it was a bad thing. I was used to reading relying on my own gumption to get myself reading. (But this process often took months with longer books, making it impossible to even remember why I wanted to read such a long book in the first place.) Now, I love using listening platforms like Audible and Libby whenever it’s possible. They really help me stay present and focused when I’m reading. The audiobooks also help me read faster, and I really enjoy hearing various narrators bring characters to life.
You can see what I’m currently reading by looking at my Goodreads widget at the bottom of my blog page. What I’m currently reading is in blue. Each year is clearly marked, so you can see what I’ve read over the years.
So, come and follow me on this exciting (and if I’m honest with myself possibly never-ending) journey!
Watch my reading list grow!
In 2018: I read 11 books.
In 2019: I read a total of 16,308 pages & read 47 books.
In 2020: I read a total of 14,230 pages & read 33 books.
In 2021: I read a total of 10,538 pages & read 24 books.
In 2022: I want to read 35 books.
books read
2018
2. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. LotR: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
4. LotR: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
5. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
6. A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
7. ASoI&F: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
8. ASoI&F: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
9. The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
10. Scardust by Suzanne van Rooyen
11. The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
2019
12. Woke Up Lonely by Fiona Maazel
13. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
14. Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison by Piper Kerman
15. Call Me by Your Name by Andre Aciman
16. Dedicated: A Rhythm of Love Novel by Neve Wilder
17. The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal by Jonathan Mooney
18. Legion: The Many Lives of Stephan Leeds by Brandon Sanderson
20. Northern Lights by Raymond Strom
21. Gmorning, Gnight by Lin Manuel Miranda, illustrated by Jonny Sun
22. Dear Evan Hanson: The Novel by Val Emmich with Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
23. Boy Erased by Gerrard Conley
24. Lucky Town (a Badlands novella) by Morgan Brice
26. The Rising by Morgan Brice
27. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
28. Center of Gravity by Neve Wilder
29. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
31. Maus I: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
32. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
33. Burn (a Witchbane novella) by Morgan Brice
34. LotR: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
35. Letters for Lucardo Vol. 2: Fortunate Beasts by Otava Heikkila
36. Otherworld (Last Reality # 1) by Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller
37. this is the way it always is by Laurie Frankel
38. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
39. Hexhunter by Jordan L. Hawk
40. Hexbreaker by Jordan L. Hawk
41. Brendan Wolf by Brian Malloy
42. Hexmaker by Jordan L. Hawk
43. Hexslayer by Jordan L. Hawk
44. The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt Och Dag
45. The Magpie Lord: A Charm of Magpies, Book 1 by K.J. Charles
46. A Case of Possession: A Charm of Magpies, Book 2 by K.J. Charles
47. Flight of Magpies: A Charm of Magpies, Book 3 by K.J. Charles
48. The Passage by Justin Cronin
49. The Twelve by Justin Cronin
50. The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin
2020
52. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
53. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
54. The Last Sun (The Tarot Sequence #1) by K.D. Edwards
55. The Hanged Man (The Tarot Sequence #2) by K.D. Edwards
58. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
59. The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
60. Glitterland by Alexis Hall
64. Crossover by Joel Shepherd
65. The Wheel of Time: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
66. By Chance Alone by Max Eisen
67. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
68. Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Gavin
69. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
70. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
71. Divergent by Veronica Roth
72. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
74. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
75. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
76. Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
77. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
78. The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
79. Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five
80. Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram
81. What if it’s Us? by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
82. Real Life by Brandon Taylor
83. The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
84. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
2021
85. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
88. Home Body by Rupi Kaur
89. Memorial by Byran Washington
90. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
91. Spoiler Alert (Spoiler Alert, # 1) by Oliva Dade
92. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
93. A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, # 1) by Naomi Novik
94. Dragonslayer (Dragonslayer # 1) by Duncan M. Hamilton
95. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
96. The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis
97. Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
98. Loose Ends (Badlands # 3) by Morgan Brice
99. A Little Life by Hanya Yangihara (re-reading)
100. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
101. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
102. The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich
103. Inheritance (Inheritance Cycle # 4) by Christopher Paolini
104. The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials # 1) by Philip Pullman
105. A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire # 4) by George R.R. Martin
106. A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire # 5) by George R.R. Martin
2022
107. The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
108. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
109. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
110. To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
111. Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff
112. Boyfriend Material by Alexsis Hall
113. The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
The Nerdy Nook 
Ya Audible sounds nice I’ve wanted to read a lot more too but just haven’t felt like I have the time. I will have to try Audible.
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You should! I love it! It helps especially since I’m working more.
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