I have to admit, when I set a goal to read 52 books in 2016, I wasn’t quite confident I could hit it – but so far, I’m on track! I read five books in January, and the best part is, they were mostly pretty good. I’m hoping that posting mini-reviews every month will help keep me on track – and give you some reading inspiration!

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, Carrie Brownstein

Like a lot of people, I became a fan of Carrie Brownstein through Portlandia – but it turns out she’s been part of a punk band since the 1990s. I’m not into punk music (clearly, since I’d never heard of Brownstein’s trio) but I decided to read her musical memoir anyway – and I’m SO glad I did. I’ve read more than my fair share of celebrity-authored books, and this one was incredibly well-written – more so than any other I’ve come across. Even better, it got me interested in the music and I’ve been listening to Brownstein’s band, Sleater-Kinney, on Spotify ever since! Five stars

The Girl on The Train, Paula Hawkins

I read this book because everyone else had read it (yes, Mom, I would jump off a bridge if all my friends were doing it). The consensus was that it was an engrossing read, if not a very intelligent one – and I’d have to agree. The mystery completely captivated me (I spent most of my Washington D.C. trip sneaking in a chapter whenever I could), but I was left unsatisfied. Not a single character is likable, and there are plot holes everywhere. Still, a quick read, and I’m glad to have read it if only so I can discuss it with friends. Three stars

Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari

I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. I’m not much for dating, but reading Modern Romance (essentially a scientific study of how technology has changed the dating landscape) provided so much insight and context. It was all completely relatable, complete with real-life anecdotes and witty asides from Ansari. I read a paper copy, but I’ve heard the audiobook is incredible as well – and to be honest, I was reading it in his voice the whole way through! Five stars

Gossip Girl, Cecily von Ziegesar

OK, yeah. Luckily this challenge wasn’t to read 52 quality books. I’m allowed to throw in some garbage here and there to give my brain a break. I thought reading the Gossip Girl series throughout the year would be a good way to accomplish that. I read the first one on my Kindle and while I enjoyed it in a “wow these teenagers’ terrible lives are fascinating” sort of way, I’m not sure I’ll read the rest (especially since my library doesn’t have the rest of the series for Kindle). Two stars

Tales of the City, Armistead Maupin

And in the OPPOSITE vein – I picked this book up because I wanted to read fiction about San Francisco before I head there in a couple weeks, and I immediately fell for the characters and have already started reading the next book in the series. It’s an easy-to-read, soap-operaish drama set in the 1970s, when San Francisco became a hotbed of liberalism. Highly recommend! It’s also been turned into a miniseries. Four stars

What have you been reading lately? Follow me on Goodreads here!

As most of you know, one of my goals for 2015 was to read 30 books. I only managed 24 last year, so I thought 30 would be a good “reach” goal: a bit of a stretch but still manageable. I posted a little update in September when I’d read 26, and felt pretty good about hitting 30 by year’s end. So you can imagine my surprise when I returned from Africa, checked my Goodreads account, and saw I’d whizzed past my goal without even noticing! I’m currently up to 33, and still reading like a fiend. I’ll need to up my goal next year, but we’ll talk about that later – for now, here’s what I’ve read since that last update!

Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling: I loved Mindy’s first book of essays and I’m obsessed with her show on Hulu, so it was a given I’d love this as well! I pre-ordered it, so it was waiting for me on release day, and zipped through it in a couple days.

All The President’s Men, Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward: This was an Amazon Kindle deal of the day for $2, and as a journalist myself I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn more about how the Washington Post broke Watergate. I found it fascinating, but it’s tedious, so probably best if you have a weird obsession with journalism and/or history.

Kisses from Katie, Katie Davis: I read this in just a couple days before leaving for my own mission trip to Africa, and it left me feeling inspired, motivated, and with a realistic idea of the challenges lying ahead: both during my trip and after.

Taking Flight, Michaela DePrince: This is a memoir (favorite genre!) of a professional ballerina (once a goal of mine – decades ago) and also incorporates some interesting African history, as DePrince was adopted from war-torn Sierra Leone in the 1990s. I read the entire thing on the flight to Johannesburg and loved it!

Finding Audrey, Sophie Kinsella: I put this on my Kindle because I love Kinsella’s Shopaholic books, not realizing Finding Audrey is actually young adult. I liked it fine, and it’s a quick read (this one I did on the flight HOME from Johannesburg), but probably best to know what you’re getting into!

The Royal We, Heather Cocks: My friend Molly lent me this book since it’s been getting a lot of hype and I work for a British company – so it’s nice to have a little inside look at the royal family (though this book is fiction, it’s pretty blatantly based on Kate & Will). I enjoyed it, but thought it was entirely too long and tedious in parts.

The Ice Twins, SK Tremayne: This was a total surprise. I picked it up at the airport in Johannesburg because it was cheap and I had some leftover rand, but I read the entire thing in less than a day. It’s a thriller, which is 100% not my genre at all, but I was hooked – and completely did not see the ending coming.

I guess I’ve skewed more toward fiction than usual lately, which may explain how I got my numbers up so quickly! Overall I really haven’t read a dud in quite some time. Do you have any suggestions for me?!

One of the greatest delights in my day-to-day life is reading. As a kid, I always had my nose in a book (mostly The Baby-Sitters Club) and I just never really stopped. I like to think my tastes have matured – these days it’s more historical fiction than middle-school series. But otherwise, I’m still usually wandering around with a book (or more likely my Kindle), reading in the park, on the train, in bed. My goal in 2015 was to read 30 books, and as of now I’ve read 26 – so I’m feeling pretty good about it! Here’s the best of what I’ve read lately.

Elizabeth Street, Laurie Fabiano: A look at an Italian immigrant family in Little Italy in the early 1900s, Elizabeth Street is historical fiction based on the author’s family. I’ve been a little obsessed with NYC historical fiction lately, and this included a fascinating look at the mafia.

How Not to Travel the World, Lauren Juliff: This is a book written by the girl who runs Neverending Footsteps, which is one of my very favorite blogs to read. Buying her memoir was a no-brainer for me and I read it very quickly.

New York, Edward Rutherford: This was a bit of a doozy, a one-thousand-page historical-fiction piece following a family through the generations in New York City, from 1664 to 2009. It took me six weeks to get through but I LOVED it, and am itching to read Rutherford’s other books about other places.

Paris Letters, Janice Macleod: Paris Letters is a fun little memoir about a woman who quits her job and moves to Paris, falls in love with a Frenchman, and uses her creative talents to start her own business. Basically the dream.

The Post-Birthday World, Lionel Shriver: Look, a novel that’s not historical fiction! The first chapter of The Post-Birthday World ends with the main character at a bit of a crossroads, and for the rest of the book the chapters alternate between two universes – one in which she (metaphorically) goes right at the start, and one in which she goes left. It was a little difficult to read at times (just more flowery than I’m used to) but worth the read, if only for the thought-provoking ending.

Currently, I’m reading Why Not Me? by my queen Mindy Kaling – it came out yesterday and was delivered to my apartment, having preordered it months ago. It’s got me feeling like that little girl again, nose in book until it’s done! I can’t wait to share my thoughts.

What are you reading? Follow me on Goodreads here.