A Year of Reading, A Year of Writing
January 6, 2025
Doodle mania is back after nearly a year-long sabbatical! I hope nobody suffered too much from Disadoodleistic Melancholy. If so, take a pill, lie on a couch, and read a good book.
At the beginning of 2024 a friend from way back posted on Facebook the 100 books she had read over 2023. I immediately raised my arm and declared, “If Dixie Tenny can do it, I can too!” Thus, the year of reading my eyeballs out of socket instead of writing doodles commenced. Here’s my list for 2024. The *s represent my personal book ratings, but since I didn’t rate them as I read them, I have to rely on my semi-putrid ability to remember how much I liked them. Therefore I have very few, if any, 5 star books, because I like 4 stars better. Plus a baby dog joined our home in early December, so I’m in the midst of puppy postpartum exhaustion.
**1. Israel and the Middle East by David & Kathy Walker 1/3 20 pgs
*2. Still Life, Louise Penny 1/2/-1/3 312 pgs
*3. Bear Town, Fredrik Backman 1/4/-1/8 418 pgs
****4. The Princess Bride, William Golden 1/9/-1/15 414 pgs
**5. Saint Maybe, Anne Tyler (second read) 1/15-1/18 501 pgs
***6. The Whole Town’s Talking, Fannie Flag 1/19-1/21 402 pgs
****7. The Woman in the Window, A.J.Finn 1/22-1/26 427pgs
***8. Angel Falls, Kristin Hannah 1/27/-1/29/24 396pgs
**9. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, W. Phillip Keller 1/29-1/31 173pgs
**10. Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller 2/1-2/4 331pgs
****11. The Amber Photograph, Penelope J. Stokes 2/5-2/9 357pgs
****12. The Warsaw Orphan, Kelly Rimmer 2/10-2/16 397pgs
*13. The Waiter, Matias Faldbakken 2/17-2/23 245 pgs
**** 14. What Alice Forgot, Liane Moriarty 2/24-2/29 459 pgs
****15. The Memory Book, Penelope J. Stokes 3/1-3/3 292 pgs
***16. Distant Shores, Kristin Hannah 3/4-3/8 342 pgs
***17. The Incredible Journey, Sheila Burnford 3/8-3/9 148 pgs
**18. An Old Fashioned Girl, Louisa May Alcott 3/9-3/15 290 pgs
**19. Pollyanna, Eleanor H. Porter 3/15-3/15 146 pgs.
****20. The Amethyst Heart, Penelope J. Stokes 3/16-3/22 376 pgs
***21. Silent Fall, Barbara Freethy 3/23-3/25 346 pgs
***22. Watch Over Me Christa Parrish 3/26-3/29 349 pgs
*23. The Guest List, Lucy Foley 3/30-4/2 313 pgs
****24. The Treasure Box, Penelope J. Stokes, 4/3-4/5 293 pgs
***25. Comfort and Joy, Kristin Hannah 4/6-4/6 237 pgs
**26. The Clock Winder, Anne Tyler 4/7-4/11 312 pgs
**27. The Book of Peach, Penelope J. Stokes 4/12-4/15 292 pgs
***28. The Dog Who Danced, Susan Wilson 4/14-4/20 342 pgs
***29. Patterns & Progress, Amber Stockton 4/20-4/21 169 pgs
***30. Blue Bottle Club, Penelope J. Stokes 4/22-4/28 322 pgs
**31. The Swan House, Elizabeth Musser 4/29-5/2 442 pgs
***32. Heartbreak Cafe, Penelope J. Stokes 5/3-5/4 296 pgs
33. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson 5/4-5/5 92 pgs, unfinished
****34. Circle of Grace, Penelope J. Stokes, 5/5-5/10 358 pgs
****35. Sold on a Monday, Kristina McMorris, 5/11-5/15 (2nd read) 341 pgs
*36. Stardust, Neil Gaiman, 5/15-5/17 250 pgs
**37. The Dwelling Place, Elizabeth Musser 5/18-5/21 411 pgs
***38. The Wishing Jar, Penelope J. Stokes 5/22-5/23 287 pgs
**39. When God Winks at You, Squire Rushnell 5/23-5/24 232 pgs
*40. The Bluegrass Conspiracy, Sally Denton 5/25-5/29 365 pgs
**41. The Sweetest Thing, Elizabeth Musser 5/29-5/31 397 pgs
**42. The Dream Giver, Bruce Wilkinson 5/31 157 pgs
***43. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen 6/1-6/3 331 pgs
***44. When I Close My Eyes, Elizabeth Musser 6/4-6/7 342 pgs
**45. Finding God in the Land of Narnia, Kurt Bruner & Jim Ware 6/7-6/8 175 pgs
****46. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough 6/9-6/16 692 pgs
***47. Promises, Promises, Amber Miller 6/16-6/19 170 pgs
*48. The Search for the Killer Asteroid, Gregon L. Vogt 6/19 64 pgs
***49. Angels on Earth, Laura Schroff 6/20-6/21 299 pgs.
****50. Night, Elie Wiesel 6/22-6/23 120 pgs. (2nd read)
***51. Dawn, Elie Wiesel 6/22-6/23 81 pgs
***52. Day, Elie Wiesel 6/24 110pgs
****53. One Breath Away, Heather Gudenkauf 6/25-6/26 370 pgs
****54. An Invisible Thread, Laura Schroff 6/26-6/28 238 pgs
**55. Out of the Silent Planet, C.S. Lewis 6/28-6/29 206 pgs
**56. Perelandra, C.S. Lewis 6/29-7/2 190 pgs
**57. That Hideous Strength 7/2-7/6 380 pgs
***58. Searching for Eternity, Elizabeth Musser 7/7-7/12 428 pgs
***59. Mysterious Ways, Editors of Guideposts 7/12-7/14 374 pgs
****60. How to Stop Time, Mike Haig 7/15-7/18 325 pgs (2nd read)
***61. The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip 7/19-7/21 358 pgs
***62. High Tide in Tucson, Barbara Kingsolver 7/22-7/25 270 pgs
***63. Moose, Michio Hoshino 7/24 89 pgs
***64. The Cave, the Cabin and the Tatoo Man, Tim Callahan 7/24-7/29
297 pgs.
***65. A Child Called It, Dave Pelzer 7/29 180 pgs
***66. A Breath of Charity (Salem Witch Trials), Ann Rinaldi 7/29-7/31 295 pgs
67. Drenched in Light, Lisa Wingate 7/31-8/5 300 pgs
****68. Little Beach Street Bakery, Jenny Colgan 8/5-8/7 416 pgs
***69. Good Hope Road, Lisa Wingate 8/7-8/9 254 pgs
***71. A Thousand Tomorrows, Karen Kingsbury 8/10-8/12 238 pgs
***70. Crazy Love, Francis Chan 8/9-8/10 198 pgs
***72. A Thousand Voices, Lisa Wingate 8/13-8/15 310 pgs
**73. Reasons to Stay Alive, Matt Haig 8/16 254 pgs
**74. The Silver Lining Playbook, Matthew Quick 8/16-8/17 289 pgs
***75. The Promised Land, Elizabeth Musser 8/18-8/23 370 pgs
**76. Vessels That Thrive, Ryan E. Bentley 8/23-8/24 199 pgs
****77. The Divine Proverb of Streusel, Sara Brunsveld 8/25-8/27 312 pgs
***78. Silent Run, Barbara Freethy 8/27-8/29 378 pgs.
***79. The Case for the Real Jesus, Lee Strobel 8/29-8/1 269 pgs
***80. All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes, Maya Angelou 9/1-92 208 pgs.
****81. The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah 9/2-9/5 553 pgs.
**82. The Lost Boy, Dave Pelzer 9/5-9/6 338 pgs.
***83. A Man Named Dave, Dave Pelzer 9/7-9/10 290 pgs.
****84. Delta Belles, Penelope J. Stokes 9/11-9/13 358 pgs
*****85. Anxious People, Fredrik Backman 9/14-9/19 336 pgs (2nd read)
*****86. Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese 9/20-9/25 658 pgs
***87. Lucky Man, Michael J. Fox 9/26-9/29 260 pgs
****88. The Book of Lost Names, Kristin Harmel 9/30-10/4 384 pgs
****89. Wish You Well, David Baldacci 10/5-10/9 399 pgs.
****90. Summer Island, Kristin Hannah 10/10-10/17 392 pgs.
****91, Waiting for Peter, Elizabeth Musser 10/18 90 pgs
****92. The Patron Saint of Liars, Ann Patchett 10/19-10/25 392 pgs
****93. Keepsake, Kristina Riggle 10/26-11/1 366 pgs
****94. Smoke Screen, Teri Blackstock 11/2-11/3. 336 pgs.
****95. The Midwife’s Confession, Diane Chamberlain 11/4-11/11 417pgs
***96. Help Is Here, Max Lucado 11/11-11/15 155 pgs
**98. A Royal Christmas Wedding, Rachel HauckE 11/23-11/27 236 pgs
***99. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini 11/28-12/23 370 pgs
****100. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett 12/16-12/22
358 pgs
**101. A Sister’s Gift, Giselle Green 12/23-12/30 409 pgs
****102. Amazing Animals—Moose, Kate Riggs 12/31 24 pgs
**97. The Bark Before Christmas, Laurie Berenson 11/16-11/22 280 pgs
**103 The Mysterious Stranger, Mark Twain 12/31 (45 minutes until midnight—half the book—41 pgs)
*****104 Mornings with Jesus devotional 1/1-12/31 365 pgs
*****105 Walking in Grace devotional 1/1-12/31 365 pgs
*****106 The Passion New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs & Song of Solomon 1/1-12/31 1039 pgs
32,273 pages unless I calculated wrong, which is entirely possible, but I’m not going to add it up again because I am tired.