What I Read in 2017

I only read 12 books this past year! 12! It wouldn't seem so bad if I hadn't given myself the goal of 20 which means I barely made it half way. This year my goal is to read 24 books - at least. You can follow along my reading journey with this post if you would like!

Here were the 12 books I read this past year and which were my favorites and least favorite.
12. The One and Only - Emily Griffin
Fiction
Rating: 2/5
To be honest, I was a little disappointed with this one. Chick-flickish (if that's a word) books don't tend to be my thing anyway so I probably should have known better. I have heard great things about this author, I just don't think this genre of novel is really for me. But it is a light-hearted read, one I would recomend for the beach!

11. Flirting with French - William Alexander 
Memoir
Rating: 2/5
This book is based around a man who wants to be French but doesn't speak the language (I can relate! Ha.) but parts of it fell flat for me and I struggled to finish it. To be honest, I barely remember any of it which makes me want to give it another try later on. I was reading it when I was attempting to work two jobs and was working over 75 hours a week so that may have been the issue.

10. Hillbilly Elegy - J.D. Vance
Memoir
Rating: 2/5 
This book was written by a former Marine and Yale graduate and it's based on his life growing up in a poor Appalachian town. I try to read books that give me an insight on the way other people are living or grew up so this was an interesting read for sure. I think the thing that threw me off was the tone of the book and I felt like he was blaming the poor for being poor which (I feel) is unfair.

9. An Object of Beauty - Steve Martin
Fiction
Rating: 3/5
I had a hard time getting through the first half of the book, but once you finally get to know the characters a little more I flew through it, wondering what was going to happen next! It's based around a young women trying to make it in the art world in New York City. This is one of the few books that I still enjoyed while not really liking the main character.

8. All The Ugly and Wonderful Things - Bryn  Greenwood 
Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Definitely not for the light-hearted. This book centers around a young girl who falls in love with her parent's drug dealer. I finished this book fairly quickly, curious about what was going to happen next. One of the two fiction books I read in this past year.

7. My (Part-Time) Paris Life - Lisa Anselmo 
Memoir
Rating: 4/5
Lisa Anselmo was living between New York and Paris. I loved hearing all about her journey with buying and moving into her own home in Paris. She doesn't hold back, sharing the bad aspects (such as trouble with leaks not being fixed efficiently as well as the aspect of loneliness) and the good ones (great food, new friends, the realness of living in FREAKIN' PARIS).

6. The Opposite of Loneliness - Marina Keegan 
Essays and Short Stories
Rating: 4.5/5
Marina Keegan died in a car accident in 2012, leaving behind a series of short stories and essays both fiction and non-fiction. The title was named after her graduation essay that was published and well-received in the New York Times. My favorite essay was easily the title essay but they were all so interesting (and relatable).

5. The Sun and Her Flowers - Rupi Kaur 
Poetry
Rating: 4.5/5
Unlike most people, I actually read this before Milk and Honey. (But I got Milk and Honey for Christmas this year so I can't wait to start that one!) Every poem draws you in, and throughout the majority of the book I thought about how I felt or had felt that way at some point throughout each chapter - wilting, falling, rooting, rising and blooming.


4. I Was Told There'd Be Cake - Sloane Crosley 
Essays and Short Stories
Rating: 5/5
I LOVED how relatable Sloane Crosley was. Each story was filled with humor as well as reality. She addresses trying to find her identity and making bad decisions in her 20's while living in a major city. Which, right now, as a 24-year old I feel like I'm in the midst of, even if I'm living in Philadelphia instead of New York City.

3. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living and Awesome Life - Jen Sincero
Self Help/Personal Development
Rating: 5/5
Want to read something that's going to make you want to get started right now? Then this is the book for you! It was the last book for me to read in 2016 and it was the perfect end to a year/beginning of a new year book to read. Jen Sincero remains super straight-forward throughout the book, eliminating all of your excuses for not getting shit done.

2. #GIRLBOSS - Sophia Amoruso
Self Help/Memoir
Rating: 5/5
Yes. Yes. Yes. Please go read this! I loved reading about Sophia Amoruso's journey. It's refreshing to read the story of somebody who wasn't necessarily driven or succeeding until she found something she was passionate about. When we think of success we tend to think of those who have always been overachievers (those who were honor students or were always ahead in school/career from the start), so it's a nice turn to see somebody who didn't always fall in that category become successful. I also love that she took ownership of things that went wrong in her career.

1. The Longest Way Home - Andrew McCarthy 
Memoir 
Rating: 5/5
The feeling of restlessness is a feeling that I can 100% relate to. Andrew McCarthy's story of packing up and traveling is filled with interesting and incredible stories. Andrew McCarthy's new career as a travel writer suits him well. As you read the book you can vividly imagine the places he takes you throughout the book.

What did you love reading in 2017?