Click here to Find me on GoodReads! Aimee

Congratulations! You’re really good at reading, and probably a lot of other things, too! -GoodReads

I am so happy that I not only completed my goal of 50 books this year, I far surpassed it by reading 80! 2016 has been quite an exciting year for me in my reading life. Early in the year, I discovered a new podcast called “What Should I Read Next” hosted by Anne Bogel. Find it and subscribe on iTunes. This podcast really inspired me to step up my reading game and because of it, my “To Be Read” list has gotten out of control! Haha. I constantly have people asking me for book recommendations which I love and I kept thinking “How I can I make my love of reading into more of a public hobby?” I decided it was time to reach out to the public and create a space for my fellow readers and I to talk all things books. Book It Forward began (and still remains) a group on Facebook by the same name. I invited friends, and friends of friends that enjoyed reading as much as I did to join. Initially we just posted what we were reading or book recommendations, but then we decided to read a book as a group every other month and discuss it online. The host of the month selects four books and the remaining members vote on the one they are most interested in. Whichever book polls the highest wins and then we chat about it. The Book It Forward Facebook group then inspired me to think bigger. I decided to branch out and create a blog space to review and suggest books to whomever asked. By the way, my lovely husband came up with the name Book It Forward! He is way more creative than I am. Shortly after my blog went public, I became a professional reader with NetGalley. This really has taken my reading to a whole new level of amazingness! I think it is one of the coolest things ever to be given a copy of a book that has yet to be published. On top of that, my reviews become public and the author’s actually reach out to thank me!! I am such a nerd because every time this happens I get so ridiculously excited! I recently joined Twitter and have been meeting some fantastic writers, fellow bloggers and publishers. 2016 was such a great year for me and my favorite hobby and I cannot wait to see how 2017 goes!

To keep the Book It Forward momentum going, here are my goals for the upcoming year:

Interacting more with you all in the comments!
Working with additional writers and publishing houses.
Hosting a Book It Forward Book Drive!
Posting lots of giveaways!!

Keep reading below for some fun reading stats from this year!

MY READING TOTALS

80 Books

27,743 pages

(and counting)

SHORTEST BOOK

The Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris

89 Pages

The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy & Women’s Work

http://amzn.to/2iljOM0

This book isn’t as weird or bland as it sounds. In a nutshell, it is a great book to remind us how the little things in life such as daily housework aren’t just terrible things that we have to do, but are actually enormous life giving moments. Feeding and clothing our families is important work that we tend to forget means more than just getting it done.

LONGEST BOOK

832 Pages

Paris: The Novel

http://amzn.to/2hYcHdi

From Edward Rutherfurd, the grand master of the historical novel, comes a dazzling epic about the magnificent city of Paris. Moving back and forth in time, the story unfolds through intimate and thrilling tales of self-discovery, divided loyalty, and long-kept secrets. As various characters come of age, seek their fortunes, and fall in and out of love, the novel follows nobles who claim descent from the hero of the celebrated poem The Song of Roland; a humble family that embodies the ideals of the French Revolution; a pair of brothers from the slums behind Montmartre, one of whom works on the Eiffel Tower as the other joins the underworld near the Moulin Rouge; and merchants who lose everything during the reign of Louis XV, rise again in the age of Napoleon, and help establish Paris as the great center of art and culture that it is today. With Rutherfurd’s unrivaled blend of impeccable research and narrative verve, this bold novel brings the sights, scents, and tastes of the City of Light to brilliant life.

AVERAGE BOOK LENGTH: 363 Pages

1,985,790 people also read

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

http://amzn.to/2hwMiCc

This book was amazing. Tragic, but beautiful.

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.