Rabbit Hole #59: 12 Reads for 2017

2016 isn't over yet (seriously, it's the year that will never end), but I'm already thinking ahead to my reading for next year. The books below aren't new releases; rather, these are ones that have been sitting on my list "to read some day." That list is ridiculously long and growing all the time, but here is a quick look at some of the ones I hope to read in the coming twelve months:

1. Hamilton by Ron Chernow--I'm in love with the musical, and Hamilton: A Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter was one of my favorite reads of this year. It's probably time to pick up the source material. 

2. The Great Gatsby Anthology: Poetry and Prose Inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald's Novel--This collection put out by Silver Birch Press collects short works by over 80 authors that are all inspired by Gatsby. If you know me, you know how much I love the novel, so it's no surprise that this collection is calling my name. 

3.  A Portable Shelter by Kirsty Logan--Logan's The Gracekeepers was a beautiful, haunting novel based on myth and fairytale. This interconnected short story collection is centered around Scottish myths that two women tell their unborn child. 

4. Hogarth Shakespeare Series: Ok, this is a bit of a cheat; it's actually five books, not one (with more to come). These are retellings of Shakespeare plays by contemporary authors. The top two on my list are Hagseed by Margaret Atwood (The Tempest) and Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler (The Taming of the Shrew), but honestly, they all sound incredible. 

5. An Untamed State by Roxane Gay--Gay's best known work, the essay collection Bad Feminist, was one of my top reads of 2015. An Untamed State was her 2014 debut novel and centers around a Miami-based attorney who is visiting her family in Haiti when she is kidnapped by armed gunmen. 

6. Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang--This graphic novel set has been on my radar for years, since I first read American Born Chinese. This duology follows two children, Little Bao and Four-girl, juxtaposing their very different experiences during the Chinese Boxer Rebellion.

7. An Indigenous People's History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz--As the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline showed, most of America doesn't know (or doesn't care) about the indigenous people who were here long before most of our ancestors showed up. We learn U. S. history, but not our entire history. This is a book to help fill in the gaps.

8. Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul by Eddie D. Glaude, Jr.--Yes, racism is still a problem. We need to learn as much as we can in order to fight it. 

9. The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly--This is a middle grade novel about immigration and family, centered around two Filipino girls abandoned by their father and living with their stepmother in Louisiana. 

10. Josephine: The Hungry Heart by Jean-Claude Baker--Josephine Baker is one of the most fascinating figures of the 1920s, but she was so much more than that. This is written by one of her "adopted" children, so it's part memoir/part biography. 

11. The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt by Kara Cooney--Egypt and a strong, powerful woman. I'm here for this biography.

12. There Was and There Was Not: A Journey Through Hate in and Possibility in Turkey, Armenia, and Beyond by Meline Toumani--In today's society where the "other" is so often demonized, we often refuse to listen.

True Story

Rabbit Hole #44: July Reading Update

July was a whirlwind of a month. Between going back to the Good Life for ten days and then having guests in and out of New Orleans the rest of the month, I'm just now starting to catch my breath--just in time for school to start up in a week and a half.

August is drenched in the tears of teachers. 

All of the company was partially responsible for a slow reading month for me, both in terms of actual time spent reading and books completed--I mean, who wouldn't rather be out and about spending time with those you love?  The books I read were also rather lackluster; other than The Vegetarian, there really weren't any grabbed me which made it hard to sit down and actually read for any length of time. (I would really recommend that one, though; it's well worth the read.)

All of that said, here are the month's accomplishments:

Popsugar 2016 Reading Challenge

A YA bestseller: The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (3 stars)
A book that takes place in summer: The Vacationers by Emma Straub (2 stars)
A book recommended by a family member: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children--Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs (3 stars)


Bustle Women/POC Challenge

A feminist science fiction novel: The Female Man by Joanna Russ (3 stars)


Read Harder Challenge 2016

A book by a Southeast Asian author: The Vegetarian by Han Kang--South Korea (4 stars)



Non-challenge books completed: Refuge/es by Michael Broek (3 stars)

I'm currently reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, which I highly recommend to anyone, and Villa America by Liza Klausmann, about the 1920s, the French Riviera, and the wonderful messed-up Lost Generation gang.

Rabbit Hole #38: April Reading Update

April was bit better for reading. Even though we've had lots of visitors and events going on, I ended up reading seven books (well, sort of--I read most of the Steinbeck in March, but finished it the first few days of April), a couple of which were over 500 pages. I'm planning on doing a review of the first quarter of the year in a couple of weeks, so be on the look out for that as well.

PopSugar 2016 Reading Challenge (Current Completion: 18/41 challenges)

A book about a road trip: Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck (3 stars)

A book you can finish in a day: Krishna--The Journey Within by Abhishek Singh (4 stars)

A book longer than 600 pages: Winter by Marissa Meyer (3 stars)

A book with a protagonist with your profession (teacher): On Beauty by Zadie Smith (4 stars)

A book guaranteed to bring you joy: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (4 stars)



Bustle Women/POC Reading Challenge (Current Completion: 6/20 challenges)

A book in translation: The Scattered Papers of Penelope--New and Selected Poems by Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke (Greek) (4 stars)

A memoir from someone who identifies LGBTQIA: Redefining Realness by Janet Mock (4 stars)



Book Riot's Read Harder 2016 Challenge (Current Completion: 6/24 challenges)

Nothing finished for the Book Riot Challenge this month.

Rabbit Hole #36: March Reading Update

This month...ugh. Reading was a struggle, and I have no idea why. I just could not motivate myself to sit down and read for any length of time.  I did manage to finish 5 books; 3 of which were relatively short, but...tomorrow's a new month!

PopSugar Challenge 2016 (Currently Completed: 13/41 challenges)

A book under 150 pages: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn; 139 pgs (3 stars)

A book written by a celebrity: As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Cary Elwes (4 stars)

A book translated to English: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho; Portuguese (3 stars)

A political memoir: My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem (5 stars)



Bustle Reading Challenge 2016 (Currently Completed: 4/20 challenges)

A contemporary collection of poetry: Bellocq's Ophelia by Natasha Trethewey (5 stars)




Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2016  (Currently Completed: 6/24 challenges)

I didn't complete any of the challenges on this list this month.

I may be a little overwhelmed by the challenges I set for myself . . . not giving up yet!!

Rabbit Hole #33: Best Books I Read 2015

I'm back! January has been very busy so far, as the start of the new semester always is. Add to that the non-stop roller coaster that is our first Mardi Gras experience here in New Orleans, and time just has gotten away from me!

I read a lot of wonderful books last year, so it wasn't easy to narrow this down to my "favorite" reads of 2015. These are the ones that rose to the top, though, after a lot of consideration: 

Fiction: 

          Krik? Krak? by Edwidge Danticat

          A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
          The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

Nonfiction:

         On Immunity by Eula Biss

         Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

         So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and How It Lives On by Maureen Corrigan

         We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

Poetry:

         Citizen by Claudia Rankine

         Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

Graphic novels/comic collections:

         March Books 1-2 by Rep. John Lewis

         The Wicked and the Divine Vol. 1 by Kieron Gillan

YA:

         Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodsen

         Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saénz

         Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

2016 is already shaping up to be another fantastic reading year, and I can't wait to continue sharing my reading journey with you!

Rabbit Hole #31: Reflections on the Read Harder Challenge 2015

A few thoughts after a year of reading mindfully:

1. Micro-histories have crazy long titles.

2. Graphic novels and comic books are a really great way to pull yourself out of a reading slump. So are poetry collections.

3. Being mindful of what you are reading really does make a difference. Before this year I thought I was actually reading rather diversely, but my average percentage of non-white authors generally hovered around 20%, which is pretty abysmal. This year, it's around 40%, which I'm much happier with. Next year, though, I'd really like to hit at least 50%.

4. I know categories about people's race or nationality or gender don't come close to telling their whole story. At this point, though, they're the best measurements I have to keep track of my reading. I would gladly take suggestions to make this better.

5. I'm very late to the game, but Grey Wolf Press puts out incredible titles.

6. I still don't consider audiobooks reading. You are listening to a great story, yes, but to me, the physical act of reading and the physical act of listening are completely different. I see audiobooks as more in line with movies or television. I also have a very difficult time focusing on an audiobook while doing other things, which may be why I don't enjoy them. I did see one video discussing adult coloring books used while listening to audiobooks, which I may try during this year's audiobook portion of the Challenge.

7. I need to expand beyond reading books by American or British authors--over 70% were from these two countries. I really need more Middle Eastern and Latin/South American books next year, as well as more from Africa and Asia. I also need to read more from indigenous peoples. Again, in previous years, I thought I was reading diversely; now...not so much.

8. I still read overwhelmingly literary fiction.

9. I'm not one for romance novels. I used to be; as a teenager I devoured Danielle Steele novels, but now, I just can't keep interested long enough. (Maybe I'm just not reading the right ones.)

10. I am a sucker for a good paranormal story. Give me witches, vampires, werewolves--as long as it's well-written and tries to go beyond the normal tropes. (Not really a zombie fan, though.) This is something that I tried to downplay for several years because of outside opinions, but I've decided I'm too old to worry about what anyone else says anymore. I'm reading what I love.

11. Ditto for re-imagined/retellings of fairy tales.

12. I tend to read a lot of back-list books rather than new releases. Unless they're by one of my favorite authors, or a very special circumstance, I tend to wait until they come out in paperback.

13. I read more e-books than I used to, but the percentage is still very small. I'm ok with that. I tend to only buy e-books of titles I'm mildly interested in, or that aren't available in another format. It's not my favorite way to read; I prefer to actually hold a physical book in my hands and not worry if I have enough battery life.

14. I didn't have a lot of books recommended to me this year that I read. In past years, a good chunk of what I read depended on the recommendations of a few people; now that I'm no longer around those people, I've struck out more on my own. That's not to say I won't read recommended books; I just haven't had the desire to.

15. For some reason, my reading more than doubled this year. I have no real answer for it; even if you take out all of the graphic novels/comic collections, I still doubled my yearly average of about 50 books per year. And it's not like I'm being a hermit; I think we are out and about more than we ever were before we moved. It's a strange phenomenon, but not one I'm complaining about.

16.  BookTube has introduced me to some amazing authors and books that I didn't know existed. There are people vlogging about every genre, and there's a personality for everyone. I highly recommend checking it out. (Warning: It can become addictive.)

17. For 2016, I'm contemplating participating in three reading challenges: Book Riot 2016 Read Harder Challenge, the PopSugar 2016 Reading Challenge, and the Bustle Reading Challenge that focuses on women and people of color. There will be some overlap, but I think it will push me even more.

All in all, a wonderfully bookish year, and I'm looking forward to 2016!!


And in case you're curious:

2015 basic stats:

135 books read
32, 766 pages
Average length of book: 243 pgs
Average rating: 3 stars (out of 5)
Total books written by people of color: 50 (37%)
Total books written by women: 67 (50%)

Rabbit Hole #30: Read Harder Challenge 2015 Update--December

This is the final installment in this year's Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2015. Not everything I've read this year is on this list, but it does comprise the majority. As always, this month's reads are in blue.

1. A book written by someone when they were under 25: 

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala

2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65: 

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
Lucrezia Borgia by Sarah Bradford

3. A collection of short stories:

Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie
Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat

4. A book published by an indie press: 

The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson (Open Roads Media Sci-Fi and Fantasy)
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (Grey Wolf Press)d
On Immunity by Eula Biss (Grey Wolf Press)

5. A book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQIA: 

We Are the Animals by Justin Torres
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa by Rigoberto Gonzalez

6. A book by someone of a different gender than you: 

Shooting Victoria: Madness, Mayhem, and the Rebirth of the British Monarchy 

by Paul Thomas Murphy 
Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

7. A book that takes place in Asia: 

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

8. A book by an author from Africa:

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
Zarah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

9. A book by or about someone from an indigenous culture: 

The Bone People by Keri Hulme
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie

10. A microhistory: 

Desire and Disaster in New Orleans: Tourism, Race and Historical Memory by Lynnell L. Thomas
Liar, Temptress, Soldier Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

 Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity and the Women Who Made America Modern 
by Joshua Zeitz

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II 
by Denise Kiernan
Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants 
by Robert Sullivan
The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case: Race, Law, and Justice in the Reconstruction Era
 by Michael A. Ross

11. A YA novel: 

Paper Towns by John Green
The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Page
Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
Scarlet, Cress, and Fairest by Marissa Meyer
Chanda's Secret by Allan Stratton
Coraline by Neil Gaiman

12. A sci-fi novel: 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Neuromancer by William Gibson
MADDADDAM by Margaret Atwood
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

13. A romance novel: 

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice

The Queen's Lover by Francine Du Plessix Gray

14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer from the last decade: 

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Pulitzer)

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Man Booker)
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodsen (National Book Award for Young People's Lit)
Head Off and Split by Nikky Finney (National Book Award--Poetry)

15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story: 

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (retelling of Snow White)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (The Jungle Book)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Cinderella)
ODY-C Vol. 1: Off to Far Ithicaa by Matt Fraction (The Odyssey)
Poison (Snow White) and Charm (Cinderella) by Sarah Pinborough
The Rose and The Beast: Fairy Tales Retold by Francesca Lia Block (various)

16. An audiobook: 

Voices and Poetry of Ireland (a collection)

17. A collection of poetry: 

Once and Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful by Alice Walker
The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes
Thrall by Natasha Tretheway
Selected Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
An Aquarium by Jeffrey Yang
Breezes on Their Way to Becoming Winds by Charles Peek

18. A book that someone else recommended to you: 

Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber

19. A book originally published in another language:

Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann (French)
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Spanish)
Buddha's Little Finger by Victor Pelevin (Russian)
An Illiad by Alessandro Baricco (Italian)
The Star of Algiers by Aziz Chouaki (French)

20. A graphic novel, memoir or collection of comics: 

Captain Marvel, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick

Sandman, Vols. 1 and 2 by Neil Gaiman

Batgirl, Vol. 1 by Gail Simone

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore

Nevermore: A Graphic Novel Anthology of Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal, Vol. 2: Generation Why and Vol. 3: Crushed by G. Willow Wilson
Thor: Goddess of Thunder, Vol. 1; Who Holds the Hammer, Vol. 2 by Jason Aaron
Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
Just So Happens by Fumio Obata
Griffin and Sabine: Book 1 and Sabine's Notebook: Book 2 by Nick Bantock
March: Books 1-2 by Rep. John Lewis
Dominique Laveau, Voodoo Child: Requiem by Selwyn Seyfu Hinds
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1 by Ryan North
Fables, Vol 1: Legends in Exile and Vol. 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham
Wicked and the Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act and Vol. 2: Fandemonium by Kieron Gillen
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosch
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks

21. A guilty pleasure: 

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert 

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston
Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding (reread)

22. A book published before 1850: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup (actually 1853, but close)

23. A book published this year: 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Jan. release date)

 Find Me by Laura van den Berg (Feb.)
The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan (May)
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (July)

24. A self-improvement book: 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
So Good They Can't Forget You by Cal Newport
The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

I also read: Middle Passage by Charles Johnson

Rabbit Hole #26: Read Harder Challenge 2015 Update--November

I have finished the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2015, but I'm going to keep adding to it for the next two months, just to see where I end up. 

Here's my list so far:  
(This month's reads are in blue.)

1. A book written by someone when they were under 25: 

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala

2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65: 

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
Lucrezia Borgia by Sarah Bradford

3. A collection of short stories:

Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie
Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat

4. A book published by an indie press: 

The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson (Open Roads Media Sci-Fi and Fantasy)
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (Grey Wolf Press)

On Immunity by Eula Biss (Grey Wolf Press)

5. A book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQIA: 

We Are the Animals by Justin Torres
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa by Rigoberto Gonzalez

6. A book by someone of a different gender than you: 

Shooting Victoria: Madness, Mayhem, and the Rebirth of the British Monarchy 

by Paul Thomas Murphy 
Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

7. A book that takes place in Asia: 

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

8. A book by an author from Africa:

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
Zarah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

9. A book by or about someone from an indigenous culture: 

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

10. A microhistory: 

Desire and Disaster in New Orleans: Tourism, Race and Historical Memory by Lynnell L. Thomas
Liar, Temptress, Soldier Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

 Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity and the Women Who Made America Modern 
by Joshua Zeitz

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II 
by Denise Kiernan
Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants 
by Robert Sullivan
The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case: Race, Law, and Justice in the Reconstruction Era
 by Michael A. Ross

11. A YA novel: 

Paper Towns by John Green
The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Page
Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
Scarlet and Cress by Marissa Meyer 
Chanda's Secret by Allan Stratton
Coraline by Neil Gaiman

12. A sci-fi novel: 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Neuromancer by William Gibson
MADDADDAM by Margaret Atwood
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

13. A romance novel: 

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice

The Queen's Lover by Francine Du Plessix Gray

14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer from the last decade: 

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Pulitzer)

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Man Booker)
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodsen (National Book Award for Young People's Lit)
Head Off and Split by Nikky Finney (National Book Award--Poetry)

15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story: 

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (retelling of Snow White)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (The Jungle Book)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Cinderella)
ODY-C Vol. 1: Off to Far Ithicaa by Matt Fraction (The Odyssey)
Poison by Sarah Pinborough (Snow White)
The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold by Francesca Lia Block (various)

16. An audiobook: 

Voices and Poetry of Ireland (a collection)

17. A collection of poetry: 

Once by Alice Walker
Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful by Alice Walker
The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes
Thrall by Natasha Tretheway
Selected Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks

18. A book that someone else recommended to you: 

Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber

19. A book originally published in another language:

Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann (French)
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Spanish)
Buddha's Little Finger by Victor Pelevin (Russian)
An Illiad by Alessandro Baricco (Italian)

20. A graphic novel, memoir or collection of comics: 

Captain Marvel, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick

Sandman, Vols. 1 and 2 by Neil Gaiman

Batgirl, Vol. 1 by Gail Simone

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore

Nevermore: A Graphic Novel Anthology of Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal, Vol. 2: Generation Why and Vol. 3: Crushed by G. Willow Wilson
Thor: Goddess of Thunder, Vol. 1; Who Holds the Hammer, Vol. 2 by Jason Aaron
Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
Just So Happens by Fumio Obata
Griffin and Sabine: Book 1 and Sabine's Notebook: Book 2 by Nick Bantock
March: Books 1-2 by Rep. John Lewis
Dominique Laveau, Voodoo Child: Requiem by Selwyn Seyfu Hinds
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1 by Ryan North
Fables, Vol 1: Legends in Exile and Vol. 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham
Wicked and the Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act and Vol. 2: Fandemonium by Kieron Gillen
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosch
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks

21. A guilty pleasure: 

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert 

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

22. A book published before 1850: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup (actually 1853, but close)

23. A book published this year: 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Jan. release date)

 Find Me by Laura van den Berg (Feb.)
The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan (May)
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (July)

24. A self-improvement book: 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport

I also read: The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez, Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid