58 Books in 52 Weeks

In January, I decided that my New Year's resolution would consist of reading 52 books in 52 weeks. Although the notion of reading a book a week seemed daunting at first, it eventually became rather comforting.  In fact, overtime, I felt somewhat figety or naked without a book in my hand.  As of today, I have surpassed my ambitious expectations by reading 58 books in 52 weeks.

Throughout our distressing year in rather volatile political circumstances, I have traveled to several different asteroids, the Pacific Crest Trail, and Hogwarts.  I have entered the minds of writers who have succumbed to loss but also secured victory.  I was there to share these moments both fictional and real with an ever growing sense of empathy.

I would highly recommend this triumphant challenge to you dear reader, whoever you may be.  Regardless of where you are in life, I truly believe that you can benefit greatly from this pleasurable task.  With that said, here is my comprehensive (and glorious) list of all of the books I have consumed in the last 52 weeks:

1.  The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery 

For lovers of: sunsets, loneliness and philosophy 

2.  Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell

For lovers of: mind reeling non-fiction

3.  Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - Cheryl Strayed 

For lovers of: Jon Krakauer, bucket lists and new beginnings

4.  Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

For lovers of: Gone Girl, beach reads

5.  Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison

For lovers of: Africana critical theory

6.  The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

For lovers of: Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays With Morrie"

7.  Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris 

For lovers of: humorous essays featuring redneck families, early speech therapy fiascos, and living abroad in France

8.  Life of Pi - Yann Martel

For lovers of: spiritual magical realism

9.  The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro 

For lovers of: Downton Abby, the emotionally repressed

10.  The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

For lovers of: absurd but strangely engaging love stories

11.  Modern Romance - Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg

For lovers of: sociology, witty celebrity memoirs and self help books

12.  White Teeth - Zadie Smith

For lovers of: a solid debut novel

13.  The Death of Ivan Iiyich - Leo Tolstoy 

For lovers of: compelling deathbed reads

14.  The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins

For lovers of: campy page turners

15.  One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey

For lovers of: classic mental asylum novels

16.  Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg 

For lovers of: career-driven self help books....for the laaaaadies

17.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling

For lovers of: boarding schools, wizardry and quadditch

18.  The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates - Wes Moore

For lovers of: nature vs nurture

19.  Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

For lovers of: the movie "Apocalypse Now"

20.  What the Dog Saw - Malcolm Gladwell

For lovers of: both The New Yorker and Malcolm Gladwell

21.  Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen 

For lovers of: Jane Austen, PBS and tea time

22.  The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder 

For lovers of: divine intervention, historical fiction

23.  Dark Places - Gillian Flynn 

For lovers of: rural mysteries, female psychological protagonists

24.  Gilead - Marilynne Robinson

For lovers of: Non-preachy religious literary fiction

25.  The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien

For lovers of: Books that blur the lines between fiction and memoir

26.  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

For lovers of: house elves and enchanted car rides

27.  The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion

For lovers of: marriage and honest memoirs dealing with loss

28.  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling

For lovers of: Hogsmeade, Firebolts and butter beer

29.  Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold 

For lovers of: novels that are simultaneously unsettling and serene

30.  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: world cups, playful gnomes and reliving those awkward awkward days of adolescence


31.  Everyman - Phillip Roth
For lovers of: existential crisises


32.  The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
For lovers of: children's fantasy literature


33.  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: freedom of speech and endurance


34.  Portnoy's Complaint - Phillip Roth
For lovers of: edgy 1960's coming of age novels


35.  The Last Tycoon - F. Scott Fitzgerald
For lovers of: show biz romance novels

36.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: slightly more mature elements in their children's literature


37.  Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
For lovers of: video game dystopian novels


38.  How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
For lovers of: common knowledge


39.  I Hunt Killers - Barry Lyga
For lovers of: pulp(ish) young adult fiction


40.  Designing Your Life - Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
For lovers of: career-driven self help books....for anyone who hasn't found their calling


41.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: Snape, good vs. evil, a fulfilling climax to a long-awaited conclusion


42.  Funny Girl - Nick Hornby
For lovers of: man-boy fiction...for women


43.  Winter's Bone - Daniel Woodrell
For lovers of: cold, cold 'country noir.'


44.  The Fall - Albert Camus
For lovers of: existential 'what does it all mean' late night reads


45. DJ Shadow's Endtroducing (33 1/3) - Eliot Wilder
For lovers of: the album none other than 'Endtroducing'


46.  Girl in a Band - Kim Gordon
For lovers of: women who rock


47.  Maus - Art Spiegalman
For lovers of: comic book memoirs for history buffs


48.  A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgress
For lovers of: droogs, pol, dratsing, oh and free will


49.  Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger
For lovers of: precocious family narratives

50.  Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides
For lovers of: mesmerizing but haunting literary fiction


51.  Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton
For lovers of: tragic novellas


52.  Navel Gazing - Michael Ian Black
For lovers of: (anyone who enjoys complaining about aging)


53.  One More Thing - B.J. Novak
For lovers of: comedic short stories


54.  White Noise - Don DeLillo
For lovers of: contemporary(ish) satire


55.  The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
For lovers of: the arts and the fountain of youth

56.  Ghost World - Daniel Clowes
For lovers of: graphic novels directed towards prototype hipsters


57.  The Marriage Plot - Jeffrey Eugenides
For lovers of: NPR, Whit Stillman and love triangles


58.  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
For lovers of: logic and whimsy



See also:

Books Read in 2014
Books Read in 2015

Which books did you read this year?

Top Albums and Singles of 2016

It has been difficult to remain optimistic in 2016.  Having lost more than a handful of prominent artists like David Bowie, Prince, Phife Dawg, Leonard Cohen, and Sharon Jones, one may wonder if the next crop of performers are capable of making an indelible footprint.  Along with the demise of some of America's most respected musicians, many critics are pondering the future of several influential genres including rock 'n' roll.

Speaking of 'the future'.....

It would be nearly impossible to talk about this year in music without talking politics.  I think it's safe to say that none of us have witnessed an election as vile and unsettling during our lifetimes.  Naturally, through this unpredicable upheaval, our nation's music has reflected our anxiety through a number of inspired protest songs.   We may not know what our future holds with Trump in office, but I am certain that today's artists will continue to churn out some artistically perceptive anthems.

Top 5 Albums

1.  Blackstar - David Bowie

2.  case/lang/veirs - case/lang/veirs 

3.  You Want It Darker - Leonard Cohen

4. Paging Mr. Proust - The Jayhawks

5.  We Got It From Here.... - A Tribe Called Quest

Top 40 Singles

1.  Changes - Charles Bradley

2.  Celebrate - Anderson .Paak

3.  We The People - A Tribe Called Quest

4.  The Valley - Mayer Hawthorne

5.  Shut Up, Kiss Me, Hold Me Tight - Angel Olsen

6.  Safe And Sound - Justice

7.  I Can't Give It All Away - David Bowie

8.  Dark Child - Marlon Williams

9.  In Bloom  - Sturgill Simpson

10.  Wow - Beck

11.  Little Baby - M. Ward

12.  Tearing Me Up - Bob Moses

13.  Face Down In The Gutter of Your Love - Dent May

14.  You Want It Darker - Leonard Cohen

15.  Real Love - Father John Misty

16.  Capsized - Andrew Bird

17.  Certainty - Temples

18.  If I Ever Was A Child - Wilco

19.  Frank Sinatra - The Avalanches

20.  Run Sister Run - Cass McCombs

21.  Quite Like You - Andy Shauf

22.  Atomic Number - Case/Lang/Veirs

23.  City of Angels - The Head and the Heart

24.  Theme for a Taiwanese Woman in Lime Green - Devendra Banhart

25.  Burn The Witch - Radiohead

26.  These Words - The Lemon Twigs

27.   Lovers In The Sun - Jayhawks

28.  Same Old Lie - Jim James

29.  When A Woman Is Around - Unloved

30.  Wanted To Want It Too - C Duncan

31.  Noisy Days Are Over - Field Music

32.  Break Into Your Heart - Iggy Pop

33.  Tesselation - Mild High Club

34.  Sea of Noise - St. Paul & The Broken Bones

35.  Four Degrees - Anohni

36.  Cranes In The Sky - Solange

37.  Can't You Tell - Aimee Mann

38.  Whatever, Wherever - Band of Horses

39.  Glowed Up - Kaytranada ft. Anderson .Paak

40.  A 1000 Times - Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam

What have I missed this year?  Include your top albums in the 'comments' section.

See also: Top Albums and Singles for 2015
Top Albums and Singles of 2014