So, I read a lot. I decided to start keeping track of the books I read – partially as a challenge to myself to see if I could make 200. I read some truly excellent ones and some truly horrible ones. I really do recommend the ones I’ve bolded – but some of them may not be your particular passion. Also, don’t judge me for some of the fiction I chose. We all have our coping mechanisms. One of mine for graduate school is mindless reading.

January

1. Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith (read for fun in South Africa)
2. Room by Emma Donnahue (read for fun in South Africa)
3. Children, Youth and Spirituality in a Troubling World by Almeda Wright and Mary Elizabeth Moore (read for independent study)
4. Dual Image by Nora Roberts (read for fun in recovering from jet lag)
5. Untamed by Nora Roberts (read for fun in recovering from jet lag)
6. Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenedies (read for fun on extended layover in Philly)
7. Harry, A History by Melissa Anelli (read for fun on extended layover in Philly)
8. Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas (read for fun)
9. The Firebrand by Susan Wiggs (read for fun)
10. Justice and Reconciliation in Post-Apartheid South Africa edited by Francois DuBois and Antje DuBois-Pedain (read for independent study)
11. Theopolitical Imagination by William Cavanaugh (read for independent study)
12. Hungry by Chrystal Renn (read for independent study)

February

13. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore (read for fun)
14. Marrying Daisy Bellamy by Susan Wiggs (read for fun)
15. Almost Christian by Kenda Creasy Dean (read for independent study)
16. Terror in the Name of God by Mark Jurgensmeyer (read for independent study)
17. Discourse on Free Will by Erasmus & Luther (read for Text and Traditions Two)
18. Table for Five by Susan Wiggs (read for fun)
19. Passing Through Paradise by Susan Wiggs (read for fun)
20. A Year of Living by Julia London (read for fun)
21. How to Woo a Reluctant Lady by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun)
22. Columbine by Dave Cullen (read for independent study)
23. Cry, the Beloved Country by Allen Patton (read for independent study)
24. Shopaholic and Baby by Sophia Kinsella (read for fun)
25. Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh (read for independent study)
26. After Mandela: The Battle for the Soul of South Africa by Alec Russell (read for independent study)
27. Vision in White by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
28. The Adolescent Journey by Amy Jacober (read for my job and because she’s awesome)
29. Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
30. Violence and the Sacred by Rene Girard (read for independent study)
31. Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
32. Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
33. Prospect Park West by Amy Sohn (read for fun)
34. Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz (read for fun)
35. The Antelope’s Strategy by Jean Hatzfeld (read for independent study)
36. Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers by Christian Smith (read for independent study)
37. Let Sleeping Men Lie by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun)
38. The Royal Brotherhood: Part Two by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun)
39. Tonight and Always by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
40. A Matter of Choice by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
41. Endings and Beginnings by Nora Roberts (read for fun)

March

42. The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls by Joan Brumberg (read for independent study on adolescents)
43. Ambivalence of the Sacred by Scott Appleby (read for independent study on religious violence)
44. Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery (read for fun)
45. Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (read for fun)
46. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich (read for fun)
47. Wed Him Before You Bed Him by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun on Spring Break)
48. The Dangers of Deceiving a Viscount by Julia London (read for fun on Spring Break)
49. Silk and Stone by Deborah Smith (read for fun on Spring Break)
50. The Brazen Bride by Stephanie Laurents (read for fun on Spring Break)
51. On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah (read for fun on Spring Break)
52. Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead (read for fun on Spring Break)
53. Cocktails for Three by Madeline Wickham (read for fun on Spring Break)
54. If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern (read for fun on Spring Break)
55. Every Last One by Anna Quindlen (read for fun on Spring Break)
56. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen (read for independent study on adolescents)
57. Crisis and Renewal: The Era of the Reformations by Wayne Holder (read for Text and Traditions 2)
58. Marrying Daisy Bellamy by Susan Wiggs (read for fun)
59. War in the Hebrew Bible by Susan Nidtch (read for independent study on religious violence)
60. A Dangerous Love by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun)
61. A Wind at the Door by Madeline L’Engle (read for fun)
62. A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeline L’Engle (read for fun)
63. A Reformation Reader by Denis Janz (read for Text and Traditions 2)
64. Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy (read for fun)
65. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (read for fun)
66. Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin (read for fun)
67. Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich (read for fun)
68. Susanna Wesley: Servant of God by Sandy Dengler (read for preparation for a paper)
69. Susanna Wesley by Kathy McReynolds (read for preparation for a paper)
70. Susanna: Mother of the Wesleys by Rebecca Harmon (read for preparation for a paper)
71. Trauma & Grace: Theology in a Ruptured World by Serene Jones (read for Religious Violence class)
72. Susanna Wesley: Mother of Methodism by Mabel Brailsford (read in preparation for a paper)
73. Pia Desideria by Philip Jacob Spener (read for Text and Traditions 2: Reformation Theology)
74. Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews (read for insomnia coping)
75. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell (read for insomnia coping)

April

76. Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten City by Greg Grandin (read for research on conflict countries)
77. Courting Catherine by Nora Roberts (read for insomnia coping)
78. A Man for Amanda by Nora Roberts (read for bad day coping)
79. Susanna Wesley: God’s Catalyst for Revival by Donald L. Kline (read for Text and Traditions 2: Reformation Theology)
80. For the Love of Lilah by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
81. I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan (read for fun)
82. All the Possibilities by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
83. One Man’s Art by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
84. Souls in Transition by Christian Smith (read for independent study on Adolescent Faith Development)
85. This Lullabye by Sarah Dressen (read for fun)
86. Playing the Odds by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
87. Tempting Fate by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
88. Little Bee by Chris Cleave (read for independent study on conflict countries)
89. Sites of Violence, Sites of Grace: Christian Nonviolence and the Traumatized Self by Cynthia Hess (read for independent study on religious violence)
90. Sing Me Home by Jodi Piccoult (read for fun)
91. Skin Deep by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
92. Without a Trace by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
93. The Search by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
94. On Suicide Bombing by Talal Assad (read for independent study on religious violence)
95. The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark (read for fun… and honestly regretted it)
96. Matrix of Meaning by Craig Detweiler (read for independent study and TA job)
97. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (read for fun)
98. Dangerous Liaisons by Elizabeth Hoyt (read for fun by the pool)
99. Face the Fire by Nora Roberts (read for fun by the pool)
100. Shiver by Maggie Steifvet (read for fun by the pool)
101. The Chief by Monica McCarty (read for fun)
102. Peacemaking and Religious Violence: From Thomas Aquinas to Thomas Jefferson by Roger Johnson (read for independent study)
103. Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald (read for fun)

May

104. How to Read the Air by Dinaw Mengestu (read for fun)
105. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (read for research)
106. The Hawk by Monica McCarty (read for fun)
107. This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper (read for fun)
108. The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon (read for research)
109. Bossypants by Tina Fey (read for fun)
110. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson (read for research)
111. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (read for research)
112. A Thousand Sisters: My Journey in the World’s Worst Place to be a Woman by Lisa Shannon (read for research)
113. Judge and Jury by James Patterson (read for fun)
114. The Sweetness at the Bottom of a Pie by Alan Bradley (read for fun)
115. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (read for fun)
116. A Turn in the Road by Debbie Macomber (read for fun)
117. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (read for fun)
118. Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts (read for fun)

June

119. Second Nature by Nora Roberts (read for fun on the flight over)
120. Lessons Learned by Nora Roberts (read for fun on the flight over)
121. Only a Duke Will Do by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun in Sicily)
122. After the Leaves Fall by Nicole Baart (read for fun at sea)
123. In the Prince’s Bed by Sabrina Jeffries (read for fun at sea)
124. To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt (read for fun at sea)
125. Wading Home: A Novel of New Orleans by Rosalyn Story (read for fun in Ephesus)
126. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn (read for fun in Ephesus)
127. More Than A Mistress by Mary Balough (read for fun in Rhodes)
128. No Man’s Mistress by Mary Balough (read for fun in Istanbul)
129. Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson (read for fun in Istanbul)
130. Someone Like You by Susan Mallery (read for fun on the ship)
131. Wild Sight by Loucinda McGary (read for fun on the flight home – and it’s a novel set in Northern Ireland!)
132. The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz (read for consultancy job)
133. Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise (read for fun and jet lag coping)
134. Secondchance Pass by Robyn Carr (read for fun and jet lag coping)
135. Beverly Hills Adjacent by Jennifer Steinhauer (read for fun)
136. The Bride by Julie Garwood (read for fun)
137. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (read for fun) (note: if you enjoy historical romance, Quinn is second to none)
138. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (read for fun)
139. Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener (read for fun)
140. Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (read for fun)
141. Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World by Catherine E. McKinley (read for research)
142. An Offer From A Gentleman by Julia Quinn (read for fun)
143. Dreams of Desire by Cheryl Holt (read for fun)
144. Sleepless in Scotland by Karen Hawkins (read for fun)
145. The Bride’s Farewell by Meg Rosoff (read for fun)
146. Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork (read for fun)
147. The Wedding by Julie Garwood (read for fun)

July

148. Alice in Real Life by Deborah Smith (read for fun)
149. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn (read for fun)
150. To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn (read for fun)
151. When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn (read for fun)
152. Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie (read for fun)
153. On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn (read for fun)
154. How To Change the World by David Bornstein (read for research)
155. Little Children by Tom Perotta (read for fun)
156. Dancing in the Moonlight by Julia Quinn (read for fun)
157. The Angel in my Arms by Steffanie Sloane (read for fun)
158. Minx by Julia Quinn (read for fun)
159. Election by Tom Perotta (read for fun)
160. And Peace Still Did Not Come by Agnes Kamara (read for reasearch)
161. It Happened On the Way to War by Rye Barcott (read for fun)
162. Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn (read for fun)
163. What Happens in London by Julia Quinn (read for fun)
164. An American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin (read for fun)
165. A Rogue of My Own by Johanna Lindsey (read for fun)
170. Temptation and Surrender by Johanna Lindsey (read for fun)
171. Now You See Her by James Patterson (read for fun)
172. The Lady Most Likely by Julia Quinn, Connie brockway, Eloise James (read for fun)
173. The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw (read for fun)
174. ‘A’ is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (read for fun)
175. The Secret Mistress by Mary Balough (read for fun)
176. Sisterhood Everlasting by Anne Brashares (read for fun)
177. The Vision of Peace: Faith and Hope in Northern Ireland by Mairead Corrigan Maguire (read for fun)
178. Beach Music by Pat Conroy (read for fun)
179. The Price of a Dream by David Bornstein (read for research)
180. The Bridal Season by Connie Brockway (read for fun)
181. The Bridal Favor by Connie Brockway (read for fun)

August

182. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig (read for fun)
183. The Devil in Disguise by Stefanie Sloane (read for fun)
184. One True Love by Susanne Enoch (read for fun)
185. Two Hearts by Karen Hawkins (read for fun)
186. A Dozen Kisses by Mia Ryan (read for fun)
187. Thirty-Six Valentines by Julia Quinn (read for fun)
188. It Happened One Night by Stephanie Laurens (read for fun)
189. Sizzle: A Novel by Julie Garwood (read for fun)
190. Enchantress by May McGoldrick (read for fun)
191. Her Master and Commander by Karen Hawkins (read for fun)
192. The Secret Wedding by Jo Beverly (read for fun)
193. When Harry Met Molly by Keiran Kramer (read for fun)
194. Nine Rules to Break by Sarah McLean (read for fun)
195. Ten Ways to be Adored by Sarah McLean (read for fun)
196. Eleven Scandals to Start by Sarah McLean (read for fun)
197. The Season by Sarah MacLean (read for fun)
198. Building Kwacha: Political Culture and Nationalism in Malawi by Joey Power
199. Marx, Durkheim and Weber by Ken Morrison (read for PhD)
200. A Short History of Sociological Thought by David Cheevers (read for PhD)

September

201. A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan (read for fun)
202. Bad Girls by Rebecca Chance (read for fun (in Belfast!))
203. Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keys (read for fun)
204. The Submission by Amy Waldmann (read for fun)
205. The Luxe by Amy Godferson (read for fun and barely finished it)

October

206. Religion in the Modern World by Steve Bruce (first PhD book)
207. Religion & Everyday Life by Stephen Hunt (PhD research)
208. Like None Other by Caroline Linden (read for fun)
209. Public Secrets by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
210. How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (read for book club)
211. Sweet Trouble by Susan Mallory (read for fun)
212. Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan (read for fun)
213. Religion as a Chain of Memory by Daniele Hervieu- Leger (read for PhD)
214. Sociology of Religion by Grace Davie (read for PhD)

November

215. Heaven’s Kitchen by Courtney Bender (read for PhD)
216. The Abduction of Julia by Sophie Hawkins (read for mindless entertainment)
217. One True God by Rodney Stark (read for PhD)
218. After Shock by Kent Annan (read for personal growth)
219. The Next Christendom by Phillip Jenkins (read for PhD)
220. Bible Believers: Fundamentalists in the Modern World by Nancy Ammerman (read for PhD)
221. The Globalization of Charismatic Christianity by Simon Coleman (read for PhD)
222. Religion in the Contemporary World by Alan Aldridge (read for PhD)

December

223. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kailing (read for fun)
224. Unfamiliar Fishes by Sara Vowell (read for fun)
225. Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein (read for research)
226. The Next Always by Nora Roberts (read for fun)
227. Women in the Presence by Joyce McKittrick (read for PhD)
228. Death Comes to Pemberly by P.D. James (read for fun)
229. Social Theory in the Twentieth Century by Patrick Baert (read for PhD)
230. Social Theory: An Introduction by Alex Callicinos (read for PhD)
231. Contemporary Social Theory by Anthony Elliot (read for PhD)
232. Dimensions of Sociological Theory by David Cheal (read for PhD)
233. Religion and Advanced Industrial Society by James Beckford (read for PhD)
234. Religion, The Social Context by Meredith McGuire (read for PhD)
235. Social Theory and Religion by James Beckford (read for PhD)
236. To Wed a Lord by Sabrina Jeffries (read for mindless fun)
237. Foucault: Key Concepts by Dianna Taylor (read for PhD)
238. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes by Robert Emmerson (read for PhD)
239. A Proper Englishwoman by Elisa James (read for mindless fun)
240. Confessions of a Little Black Dress by Elizabeth Boyle (read for mindless fun)

~*~

40 over my goal! I think I’ll keep the goal at 200 for next year, knowing that much of my academic reading is articles and that pretty soon I’ll be writing more than reading. We’ll see how I’m doing by July though, and maybe tentatively raise it.

What are the best books you’ve read this year?

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