fifteen thousand two hundred sixty five

pages. the approximate number of pages i read for fun this past year and almost three weeks. {yes, i love numbers, so i did the calculations.  i mean come on...fifteen thousand sounds much more grand than fifty.}

remember that reading list i started last april {a page to turn} with the goal to read fifty books in a year?  well, two and a half weeks overdue, the list has been completed with just a handful of substitutions.  finally.  i'll be honest.  so much of me is disappointed that i didn't make the official year deadline, but it is still a neat accomplishment. especially considering the year before i probably only read a handful or so, saying i read fifty books in about fifty-five weeks.  technically speaking, i had about forty-eight and a quarter completed by the deadline.

i enjoyed this experience and this challenge and will likely create a new list in order to keep myself motivated.  i will likely take this summer to start developing a new list, but will not actually pursue the list until the fall.  i want to take this summer to focus on finishing my last two classes for me educational specialist degree.  then again, i may just do a shortened list to get me from september to december.  the routine part of my brain wants to have yearly lists that actually align with the calendar.  so may the official new list will begin in january.  i would love to hear your suggestions though of books to add to the new list.  fiction and nonfiction.

with the last several books, i was lazy about posting quotes like i did initially, so i am going to look back through some of the books and see where i stuffed little pieces of post-it notes or index cards, bookmarking excerpts that stood out to me.  if i find they still are that good, i'll post them with another reading list finale post.  stay tuned for that one!

now for a few superlatives:

• best looking:  pride & prejudice {jane austen} [[ahhh, mr. darcy...]]
• most eligible bachelor: gone with the wind {margaret mitchell}[[ah, rhett...]]
• best personality:  emma {jane austen}  [[i remember thinking how much emma and i were alike as i read, so naturally, emma would be voted best personality...]]
• most likely to be a millionaire: the great gatsby {f. scott fitzgerald}
• life of the party:  gone with the wind {margaret mitchell} [[scarlett loves to be the center of attention...]]
• most unique:  nineteen eighty-four {george orwell}
• most likely to succeed:  outliers {malcolm gladwell}
• most likely to skip class (aka wouldn't recommend): the journey to the center of the ear {jules verne} [[i mean, sci-fi.  really?!?!]]
• most random:  alice's adventures in wonderland {lewis carroll} [[i know, i know.  we grew up on it, right?  but have you read it lately? disturbing!]]
• most likely to turn into a movie:  water for elephants {sara gruen}, the vow {kim & krickett carpenter}, the lucky one {nicholas sparks}, the help {kathrynn stockett} [[all this past year, anyway]]
• most inspirational:  choosing to see {mary beth chapman} [[get your tissues ready]]
• most likely to be remembered:  gone with the wind {margaret mitchell}, little women {louisa may alcott}
• best war action:  catch 22 {joseph heller}, all quiet on the western front {erich maria remarque}