52 books in 52 weeks (2023 edition)

Year 10 of Reading 52 Books in 52 weeks! That's 520 books in the last ten years. WOWZA! #NerdAlert

I love reading and this year I read some great books and some stinkers too. I wanted to read more books by women and BIPOC and I think I accomplished that. Out of the 52 books I read:

29 books were written by female authors. And of those 29, there were 21 different female authors because I read 8 books by Agatha Christie, my most-read author this year.

23 books were written by male authors. And of those 23, there were 20 different male authors. I read 4 books by Tom Perrotta, my most-read male author. 

So, I'm pretty happy with those stats. I made my way through a lot of Dame Christie's books, but still not done. Also, only read one Wheel of Time book this year which is less than I wanted to, but those books are hefty and long and take a bit... but maybe I'll try for two next year! 

As always, thanks to Goodreads and Storygraph for helping me keep track of my reads. Now onto my superlatives because that's the most fun part of these end-of-year blogs:

Favorite Book: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Love his prose and imagery and this one really made me think. 

Least Favorite Book: If On A Winter's Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino. MY GOD, this book pissed me off. What started as a clever conceit, quickly became nonsensical, boring, and wrath-inducing!! Hated this! 

Longest Book: Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan. The Wheel of Time books do not mess around. They are long and plodding but I'm still invested, even 912 pages later! 

Biggest Letdown: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Somehow... this book just completely misses the mark for me and rang hollow. Surprised because of all the love it got... but nah, it didn't work. Special Mention to: All of Us Our Lying for also being really bad. Ugh. 

Least Favorite Character: That girl from Ninth House. Or, anyone and everyone in Stranger in a Strange Land or The Cabin at the End of the World. 

Most Batsh*t Character: Alex from The Guest. She had me sweating and screaming and cursing and frustrated at every turn, and yet, I couldn't put the book down!! 

Shortest Book: Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose. Short, but gripping and effective!

Favorite Character: Prince Harry from Spare. Jk, jk. But I am Team Sussex through and through. Hard to pick a favorite character but maybe Hercule Poirot from Agatha Christie's books. He manages to be charming, smart, and hilarious at every murder, which is saying something.

Favorite Author: You probably think I'd say, Agatha Christie, and you wouldn't be wrong, but unfortunately for that great dame, my favorite author I read this year is Haruki Murakami! Something about his novels just really relates to me and I admire his original, deeply emotional prose.

And that's it for 2023. George RR Martin still hasn't finished The Winds of Winter or even part 2 of Fire & Blood, but at least we're getting more House of Dragon in 2024. There's always hope he'll finish it or another great fantasy book series rises to the top. Happy reading to all.

- ben fleck

1. Bonfire - Krysten Ritter

2. Now Is Not The Time to Panic - Kevin Wilson

3. All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

4. Foundation and Empire - Isaac Asimov

5. The Cabin at the End of the World - Paul Tremblay

6. The Fires of Heaven - Robert Jordan

7. Fleishman is in Trouble - Taffy Brodesser-Akner

8. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Scwab

9. Spare - Prince Harry

10. Commonwealth - Ann Patchett

11. Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

12. Fire & Blood - George R.R. Martin

13. Without Remorse - Tom Clancy

14. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin

15. Twelve Angry Men - Reginald Rose

16. The Two Faces of January - Patricia Highsmith

17. Little Children - Tom Perrotta

18. The Labours of Herclues - Agatha Christie

19. Taken at the Flood - Agatha Christie

20. Burn It Down - Maureen Ryan

21. How to be Perfect - Michael Schur

22. The Interestings - Meg Wolitzer

23. Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert A. Heinlein

24. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

25. Mrs. Fletcher - Tom Perrotta

26. Children of Dune - Frank Herbert

27. Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel

28. After All These Years - Susan Isaacs

29. The Abstinence Teacher - Tom Perrotta

30. Three Blind Mice - Agatha Christie

31. The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

32. The Under Dog - Agatha Christie

33. The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

34. Mrs. McGinty's Dead - Agatha Christie

35. Tracy Flick Can't Win - Tom Perrotta

36. Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan

37. Circe - Madeline Miller

38. The Light We Carry - Michelle Obama

39. Under the Whispering Door - TJ Klune

40. Kafa on the Shore - Haruki Murakami

41. If On A  Winter's Night A Traveler - Italo Calvino

42. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

43. Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

44. Charmed Life - Dianna Wynne Jones

45. Dead Man's Folly - Agatha Christie

46. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

47. The Golden Spoon - Jessica Maxwell

48. Ninth House - Leigh Bardugo

49. One of Us Is Lying - Karen McManus

50. The Guest - Emma Cline

51. Hickory Dickory Dock - Agatha Christie

52. After the Funeral - Agatha Christie

52 books in 52 weeks (2021 edition)

Anyone else find 2021 to be worse and more exhausting than the unprecedented trash year that was 2020? Because I sure as hell did. Thankfully I had books to help get me through. Let's cut to the chase because right now on the last day of 2021 I have no energy left to give.

This is my EIGHTH year of reading 52 books in 52 weeks. So for my maths friends out there, that's FOUR HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN books in the last eight years. Wow. That's quite impressive when you see it like that. Good job, me. That's a lot of reading. #NerdAlert or maybe just #UnemployedAlert.

Over the last eight years, two trends have evolved for me. Firstly, my very British goal of reading through every Agatha Christie book. This year I read a whopping TWO Christie books. And neither was that great. One was actually a stinker. My second (also very British) goal of reading through every Shakespeare play made glacial progress as I only read play this year (The Winter's Tale).

Another goal I had was to read more novels written by women and BIPOC. Out of the 52 books, I read 21 written by women, 31 written by men. It's something, but it's not great. For 2022, I want to increase that goal. Combined, I read 27 books by women and BIPOC, 25 books by white men. So that's... shite. In calculating how many books I read by purely BIPOC, it only amounted to 10. I need to do better in 2022. So here's to more books by women and BIPOC because I want to make sure I am ingesting a wide range of views, stories, and perspectives. No limiting oneself in the new year. And thank you excel sheets for helping me calculate all of this.

Now, onto lists because that's my favorite part of the year end wrap up: 

Least Favorite Book: Cherry. What to say? Misogynistic, terrible writing, no plot, awful characters?

Longest Book: The Secret Commonwealth. So long, and yet nothing happened? How?

Biggest Letdown: Ready Player Two. Literally a cookie-cutter copy of the original but with less stakes, less character development, and just... URGH.

Most Depressing Book: The Fifth Season. If you love apocalyptic, dystopian fiction, this is for you. Not an ounce of joy or happiness in this book about the broken earth and the people damned to try and survive on it. 

Least Favorite Character: Nico from Cherry. Alina from Shadow and Bone. Everyone in French Exit.

Most Batsh*t Character: Mary Katherine Blackwood from We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Favorite Book: Obvisously Fleabag: The Scriptures. But in close competition behind it: Gossamer, Watchmen, The Midnight Library, and Sphere.

Shortest Book: UR. Kindle readers, BEWARE!

Favorite Character: Fleabag from Fleabag; Nora Seed from The Midnight Library; Kvothe from The Name in the Wind.

Most Surprising Character: Coriolanus Snow from the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes; Jerry from Sphere.

Favorite Author: Phoebe Waller-Bridge & Michael Crichton, 

And that's it for 2021. 2022, please be better. Maybe George R.R. Martin will save us all by completing The Winds of Winter. Time will tell. Everyone stay safe out there. Covid is that bitch. May we all have a healthy and happy new year. Until next time...

- ben fleck

1. I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai

2. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - August Wilson

3. The Name of the Wind- Patrick Rothfuss

4. French Exit - Patrick deWitt

5. Cherry - Nico Walker

6. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins

7. The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin

8. Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah

9. Fleabag: The Scriptures - Phoebe Waller-Bridge

10. The Ancient Evil - Christopher Pike

11. The Girl Who Lived Twice - David Lagercrantz

12. Foundation - Isaac Asimov

13. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

14. Nomadland - Jessica Bruder

15. Behind Her Eyes - Sarah Pinborough

16. A Promised Land - Barack Obama

17. The Three-Body Problem - Cixin Liu

18. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

19. Emma - Jane Austen

20. Exhalation: And Other Stories - Ted Chiang

21. The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson

22. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

23. Watchmen - Alan Moore

24. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

25. Nine Perfect Strangers - Liane Moriarty

26. Diamonds Are Forever - Ian Fleming

27. Dune Messiah - Frank Herbert

28. Gossamer - Lois Lowry

29. Beloved - Toni Morrison

30. Ready Player Two - Ernest Cline

31. The Word for World is Forest - Ursula K. Le Guin

32. We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson

33. Sphere- Michael Crichton

34. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig

35. The Disaster Tourist - Ko-eun Yun

36. The Testaments - Margaret Atwood

37. Election - Tom Perrotta

38. The Great Hunt - Robert Jordan

39. The Secret of Chimneys - Agatha Christie

40. Appointment with Death - Agatha Christie

41. Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

42. The Rules of Attraction - Bret Easton Ellis

43. The Leftovers - Tom Perrotta

44. The House of Gucci - Sara Gay Forden

45. Utopia - Thomas More

46. Veronika Decides to Die - Paulo Coelho

47. The Secret Commonwealth - Philip Pullman

48. UR - Stephen King

49. The Winter's Tale - William Shakespeare

50. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

51. The Fifth Season - N.K. Jemisin

52. The Silmarillion - J.R.R. Tolkien

52 Books in 52 Weeks (2018 Edition)

Another year has gone by which means it's time for my annual update to this mostly defunct blog to list the 52 books I read in these last 52 weeks. Before I get into any listicle fun, let me just say that another year has gone by without The Winds of Winter by Mr. George R.R. Martin. GEORGE! SRSLY?! I am respecting your process, but come on... the show is ending in 2019 and we still haven't gotten book 6!

Anyways sidestepping that rage, I continued the tradition of reading my way through ol' Dame Agatha Christie's collection of mysteries, but only 3 this year. I'm still not done because she wrote a hell of a lot of mystery novels and I can't just keep Jessica Fletchering myself all day, e'ryday. But I did get to visit London and watch one of her plays LIVE (Unfortunately, The Mousetrap wasn't one of her bests).

Also, re-read a Harry Potter because DUH.

ALAS, I am also taking a trip down the old William Shakespeare train, trying to get through as many of his works as I can. So far, comedies > tragedies. His wit and hijinks far outweigh the death, gore, and drama.

Let me implore you, devoted blog reader: reading fiction for fun is fun! It's nice to escape from the hellscape of reality and dip into another world for a few hours. I mostly read fiction, sci-fi, mystery, and fantasy -- but more power to all those who read whatever book brings them joy. READ PEOPLE, COME ON. Also, check out my Goodreads page for more in-depth reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2018/23079812

Without further ado, it is time to get to listing stuff. Because lists are fun. Almost as fun as reading.

Favorite Book: It's a tie: Kindred - Octavia Butler & The Princess Bride - William Goldman.

Least Favorite Book: Less Than Zero - Bret Easton Ellis. HATED.

Longest Book: A Column of Fire - Ken Follett.

Shortest Book: Oleanna - David Mamet (Also, the most explosive & thought-provoking!)

Biggest Letdown: Mortal Engines Sequels (Infernal Devices, A Darkling Plain). They just weren't as good as the first novel.

Most Depressing Book: A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara.

Favorite Character: Starr Carter (The Hate U Give), Professor Trelawney (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), every character in The Princess Bride.

Least Favorite Character: Every single character in Less Than Zero. THEY ALL TRASH! Also, Joe Goldberg from You was not great.

Most Misogynistic/Racist Character: James Bond (from Casino Royale & Live and Let Die). He's pretty terrible.

Most Surprising Character: Mary Poppins was quite the asshole.

Most Read Author: William Shakespeare. Sorry, Dame Agatha!

Favorite Author: Octavia Butler, William Goldman, JK Rowling (duh).

Okay, y'all that's it for 2018. See ya next year. 2018 was hard and at times awful, but here's to hoping 2019 is better. Vive la resistance! Happy reading.

- ben fleck

52 Books in 52 Week (2018 Edition)
1. The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides
2. The Ice Dragon - George R.R. Martin
3. The Book of Dust - Philip Pullman
4. Endless Night - Agatha Christie
5. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood
6. Oleanna - David Mamet
7. A Streetcar Named Desire - Tennessee Williams
8. The Glass Menagerie - Tennessee Williams
9. Equus - Peter Shaffer
10. Casino Royale - Ian Fleming
11. Nightflyers - George R.R. Martin
12. Red Sparrow - Jason Matthews
13. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
14. A Column of Fire - Ken Follett
15. Less Than Zero - Bret Easton Ellis
16. The Man in the Brown Suit - Agatha Christie
17. Mary Poppins - P.L. Travers
18. The Marriage Plot - Jeffrey Eugenides
19. Timekeeper - Tara Sim
20. The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett
21. Infernal Devices - Philip Reeve
22. The Shape of Things to Come - H.G. Wells
23. A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara
24. Speed the Plow - David Mamet
25. Jamaica Inn - Daphne Du Maurier
26. You - Caroline Kepnes
27. The Merry Wives of Windsor - William Shakespeare
28. Bioshock: Rapture - John Shirley
29. Atonement - Ian McEwan
30. A Simple Favor - Darcey Bell
31. The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick
32. Death in the Clouds - Agatha Christie
33. The Girl who takes an Eye for an Eye - David Lagercrantz
34. Othello - William Shakespeare
35. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer
36. The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
37. All's Well that Ends Well - William Shakespeare
38. Lethal White - Robert Galbraith
39. A Darkling Plain - Philip Reeve
40. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
41. A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare
42. Kindred - Octavia Butler
43. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? - Maria Semple
44. The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare
45. The Princess Bride - William Goldman
46. Love's Labour's Lost - William Shakespeare
47. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
48. Live and Let Die - Ian Fleming
49. If Beale Street Could Talk - James Baldwin
50. The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
51. The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry
52. The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah

52 Books in 52 Weeks (2017 Edition)

Another year has gone by, another reading challenge has been completed, and another year without The Winds of Winter by George R.R. Martin. 2017 was at times a shitty year, but, come on George! We need GoT Book 6! We need it now more than ever!

Regardless, I am back to writing on this blog (exactly one year since I last wrote on it) to report that I have once again read 52 books in 52 weeks. It may not have been a good year for most things, but it was a good year for books. I re-read the first two books in the Harry Potter series because sometimes you just need them in your life. (Also, read a special Ravenclaw version of the Philosopher's Stone, because I'm going in on Ravenclaw this year. Thanks new Pottermore sorting quiz!)

Carrie Fisher passed away at the end of 2016, so I made sure to read everything I could that she had written. She was so wise, funny, and truthful. It hurts that someone like that is now gone.

I also continued to earn that Agatha Christie Fan Club badge as I make my way through every novel she has written.  Seven more this year. She certainly knew what she was doing, but did have some stinkers too (At Bertram's Hotel, you hot, hot mess!)

Reading has always been so fun for me and nothing is more fun in reading than LISTS. So here are some lists!

Favorite Book: S. - J.J. Abrams. ('Twas so rich, complex, and immersive! Also, this is not counting my re-readings of the first two HP novels)

Least Favorite Book: Crash and Burn - Michael Hassan. (Truly the worst!)

Longest Book: Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens (Bud needed an editor!)

Biggest Letdown: A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess (Maybe I just didn't get it.)

Favorite Character: Lisbeth Salander (The Girl in the Spider's Web), Dobby (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), Lady Edgware (Lord Edgware Dies)

Least Favorite Character: All of the characters from Crash and Burn. THE WORST.

Most Read Author: Agatha Christie. Love that old broad.

Most Read Genre: Mystery / Sci-Fi / Fantasy

Favorite Author: Well, besides J.K. Rowling, Agatha Christie, and Madeleine L'Engle (the OG ladies), I'd have to say Jeffrey Eugenides.

2017 was the beginning of the world changing. Glass ceilings were broken. Hard truths were learned. And the resistance is getting fueled up. Can't wait to see what 2018 has in store for us all.

- ben fleck

52 Books in 52 Weeks (2017 Edition)

1. S - J.J. Abrams
2. As You Like It - William Shakespeare
3. A Separate Peace - John Knowles
4. The Beatrice Letters - Lemony Snicket
5. Lord Edgware Dies - Agatha Christie
6. The Princess Diarist - Carrie Fisher
7. Wishful Drinking - Carrie Fisher
8. Who Could That Be at This Hour? - Lemony Snicket
9. When Did You See Her Last? - Lemony Snicket
10. Once Upon a Time in the North - Philip Pullman
11. Tulip Fever - Deborah Moggach
12. A Caribbean Mystery - Agatha Christie
13. Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens
14. Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography - Lemony Snicket
15. File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents - Lemony Snicket
16. A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
17. The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman
18. Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie
19. The Lost City of Z - David Grann
20. Aenir - Garth Nix
21. Above the Veil - Garth Nix
22. The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
23. Shouldn't You Be in School? - Lemony Snicket
24. Mortal Engines - Philip Reeve
25. At Bertram's Hotel - Agatha Christie
26. The Girl in the Spider's Web - David Lagercrantz
27. Castle in the Air - Diana Wynne Jones
28. Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights? - Lemony Snicket
29. Nemesis - Agatha Christie
30. My Cousin Rachel - Daphne du Maurier
31. Crash and Burn - Michael Hassan
32. Into Battle - Garth Nix
33. The Violet Keystone - Garth Nix
34. Postcards from the Edge - Carrie Fisher
35. A Ring of Endless Light - Madeleine L'Engle
36. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
37. The Taming of the Shrew - William Shakespeare
38. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling
39. Predator's Gold - Philip Reeve
40. The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
41. Three Act Tragedy - Agatha Christie
42. Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn
43. Troubling a Star - Madeleine L'Engle
44. Mr. Kiss and Tell - Rob Thomas
45. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
46. Sleeping Murder - Agatha Christie
47. Call Me by Your Name - André Aciman
48. Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
49. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
50. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling
51. Orpheus Descending - Tennessee Williams
52. Suddenly Last Summer - Tennessee Williams

52 books in 52 weeks - 2015 Edition!

Oh, yes, I'm still blogging! It's 2016. Can everyone believe it? Because I can't. This post is more of a mini-update. I'm on the last chapter of my novel and I once again finished reading 52 books in just 52 weeks! Which means I've read 104 books in the last 2 years, which hurts my head. But, alas, it is time to update thee ol' blog again!

The first half of the year was going strong, but then in June, I got a new job and my daily readership spiked downward heavily. However, I managed to do it with only 5 hours to spare til the clock struck midnight on December 31st! Hooray! It was an interesting year for books and I didn't get to read everything I wanted. But there were some great books I read this year. Maaaan, I love reading. #NerdWinner2015.

Lists! Are! Fun! So here's some catorgorized facts about the 52 books I read this year.

Favorite Book: 

THREE WAY TIE:

1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie

2. Son - Lois Lowry

3. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

Least Favorite Book: Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

 

Longest Book: World Without End - Ken Follett

 

Shortest Book: Burn Lake - Carrie Fountain

Biggest Letdown: The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett

Favorite Character: James Sheppard (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd) and Agatha Trunchbull (Matilda)

Least Favorite Character: Celeste Price (Tampa) or anyone in Catch 22.

Most Read Author: Agatha Christie, love that old broad!

Most Read Genre: Mystery & Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Favorite Author: Margaret Atwood, Roald Dahl, and, of course, Agatha Christie!

2016 should be an interesting year and I'm once again on to 52 more new exciting books. Let us all hope that The Winds of Winter is among them. COME ON, GEORGE R.R. MARTIN, we are counting on you! Cheers!

- ben 

52 books in 52 weeks (2015 Edition)

1. The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith

2. The Last Command - Timothy Zahn

3. The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie

4. The Murder on the Links - Agatha Christie

5. Messenger - Lois Lowry

6. The 13 Problems - Agatha Christie

7. Poirot Investigates - Agatha Christie

8. The Body in the Library - Agatha Christie

9. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie

10. Son - Lois Lowry

11. The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett

12. A House Like a Lotus - Madeleine L'Engle

13. The Moving Finger - Agatha Christie

14. The Turn of the Screw - Henry James

15. Sabriel - Garth Nix

16. Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut

17. Red Rising - Pierce Brown

18. This Side of Paradise - F. Scott Fitzgerald

19. The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick

20. The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett

21. World Without End - Ken Follett

22. Every Secret Thing - Laura Lippman

23. Paper Towns - John Green

24. A Murder is Announced - Agatha Christie

25. Meet the Austins - Madeleine L'Engle

26. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

27. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

28. Dark Places - Gillian Flynn

29. Leviathan Wakes - James S. Corey

30. The Steel Remains - Richard K. Morgan

31. Tampa - Alissa Nutting

32. The Big Four - Agatha Christie

33. The Mystery of the Blue Train - Agatha Christie

34. The Martian - Andy Weir

35. Room - Emma Donoghue

36. Fantastic Mr. Fox - Roald Dahl

37. The Princess, The Scoundrel, & The Farm Boy - Alexandra Bracken

38. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Tennessee Williams

39. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

40. The Witches - Roald Dahl

41. The Moon by Night - Madeleine L'Engle

42. The Pearl - John Steinbeck

43. Castle - Garth Nix

44. The BFG - Roald Dahl

45. Aenir - Garth Nix

46. Burn Lake - Carrie Fountain

47. Look Back in Anger - John Osborn

48. The Stranger - Albert Camus

49. The Death Cure - James Dashner

50. Matilda - Roald Dahl

51. The Hedge Knight - George R.R. Martin

52. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

52 Books, 52 Weeks, Only More to Come...

I did it. What does it matter if it's the last day and I only had a few hours to spare? I finished reading 52 books in 52 weeks. It wasn't easy at all. I struggled at points. Some books were long, some were short. Some I disliked strongly, others I fell in love with. But I kept reading and each new book opened up my mind to new ideas, experiences, and understandings. Books really are beautiful.

Sometimes it is hard to find time to read. Life gets in the way. Heck, life gets in the way of most things I want to do: write, travel, explore, etc. But I believe reading is a key essential of life. As my favorite character from Game of Thrones, Tyrion Lannister, so shrewdly puts it, “I have a realistic grasp of my own strengths and weaknesses. My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer, and I have my mind… and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge. That’s why I read so much, Jon Snow." Back at ya, Mr. Lannister.

If you hate reading, I encourage you to give it another chance. No one likes to be told to read when they are at school, but reading for your own pleasure is an immensely wonderful thing. So, please READ.

Why not make some superlatives for all the reading I did this year. People like lists, right? I like lists.

Favorite Book: The Arm of the Starfish and/or The Amber Spyglass really surprised me.

Least Favorite Book: The Hunger Pains - just god awful trash!

Longest Book: The Goldfinch -  it was over 1,000 pages and went on and on...

Favorite Character: Lizbeth from the Millenium Series

Least Favorite Character: Quentin Coldwater from The Magicians, BY FAR. He's the WORST.

Biggest Letdown: Allegiant - Why, Veronica Roth, why? Just a terrible ending...

Favorite Author from these 52: Madeleine L'Engle or Agatha Christie - Old Ladies, FTW.


2014, you've been a weird, challenging year. I accomplished a lot of things, but I still yearn for more new and exciting adventures. I'm always hopeful at the end of the year/beginning of the new year and I won't change that. I've always been an optimistic person.

So, as I go into 2015, I know that I want to see more, create more, and be more alive. I'll be doing the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge again. I'll finally finish my first book and also some of the many screenplays I'm writing.

2015 is the year to put myself out on the ledge, get vulnerable, and live...


So cheers to that. See ya on the other side, brotha!

-ben josé

Below follows the 52 books I read in 52 weeks, 2014 Edition.

1.  Heir to the Empire - Timothy Zahn
2. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
3. The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson
4. The Fall - Albert Camus
5. Candide - Voltaire
6. On Writing - Stephen King
7. Divergent - Veronica Roth
8. Carrie - Stephen King
9. Redwall - Brian Jacques
10. The High Druid's Blade - Terry Brooks
11. The Arm of the Starfish - Madeleine L'Engle
12. The Accidental Billionaires - Ben Mezrich
13. Sparkling Cyanide - Agatha Christie
14. The Shining - Stephen King
15. The Wishong of Shannara - Terry Brooks
16. The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson
17. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
18. The Hunger Pains - The Harvard Lampoon
19. A Swiftly Tilting Planet - Madeleine L'Engle
20. Eragon - Christopher Paolini
21.  The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
22. Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
23. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry
24. House of Secrets - Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini
25. A Handful of Dust - Evelyn Waugh
26. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
27. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
28. The Fault In Our Stars - John Green
29. The Magicians - Lev Grossman
30. Allegiant - Veronica Roth
31. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
32. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
33. Inferno - Dan Brown
34. An Acceptable Time - Madeleine L'Engle
35. The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman
36. Animal Farm - George Orwell
37. The Egypt Game - Zilpha Keatley Snyder
38. Dark Force Rising - Timothy Zahn
39. The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt
40. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman
41. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line - Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
42. Aurorarama - Jean-Christophe Valtat
43. The Beautiful and Damned - F.Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Seventh Tower - Garth Nix
45. The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler
46. Dragons in the Waters - Madeleine L'Engle
47. The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli
48. The Murder at the Vicarage - Agatha Christie
49. Death on the Nile - Agatha Christie
50. A Floating City - Jules Verne
51. The Scorch Trials - James Dashner
52. Yes Please -  Amy Poehler

Day +5: Finished, But NO STOPPING

Everyone give a "WHOOP" because I "won" my third straight NaNoWriMo. On the last day of November. With 2 hours to spare. TWO! It came down to the wire and I was writing non-stop on the last weirdly rainy in LA day. But I did it. 50,000 more words done. Only problem is... wait for it... waaaait for it.... I'm still not done with my novel. *Price is Right fail music plays*

Still not finished. But now my novel has a staggering 193,853 words. That is an insane amount of words. I wonder if I have yet worked the words "kumquat" or "fart" into any of the 193,853 words. I don't think I have actually. And that is an INJUSTICE.

Holding myself from constantly editing my writing has obviously led to this momentous occasion. But I must still hold back. I need to finish the novel first. You may be questioning my sanity or if I'll ever finish, but fear not, I have a fun fact to share that will hopefully instill as much hope in you as Katniss instills hope in the people of Panem (which is a lot, despite herself).

My novel takes place over a short period of ten days in a row.  And we follow eight characters over the course of those ten days. That's not the long of a period of time, so how come it is taking so long, Ben? I shall ignore your question, and just gladly tell you that I am currently on the last day of those ten days. So the end, it is near!

I only have 24 more hours to get through... and even though everything in my novel has been building up to this last day and it is the climax and everything relies on it and, oh god, I can't screw this part up!

Blog reader? Are you there? I'm probably talking to the void of the internet at this point. But just know. THE END IS NIGH.

OH, also, I still am doing the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge. Yea, so I'm a bit behind. I have to read 11 more books in the next 26 days! AHH! So, excuse me while I go lock myself in my room.

Until next time...

- ben josé