One of my resolutions this year was to read more, so I challenged myself to read one book per week. I am excited to say that I met that goal and I have loved every minute of it. Well, most minutes. There are some minutes I will never get back and I am slightly bitter about reading those books. At least I can tell you to avoid these books so you aren’t bitter about reading them like I am.

I am attempting to do reviews of my books in one sentence. I hope you enjoy my year of reading in this set of quick reviews. (Amberly also reviewed her books this year and you can read her reviews here. She’s a much more talented writer, so maybe read hers next so you’re not disappointed by my blog posts after reading hers.)

I have read a ton of books this year, so I am splitting up my reviews into fun categories so they’re a bit easier to get through. 🙂

My first category has been one of my favorites this year:

PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES (PLUS SPACESHIPS AND OTHER FUN TRAVELING DEVICES)

Sully: My Search for What Really Matters

by Chesley B. Sullenberger, Jeffrey Zaslow

A life of preparation led to the successful emergency landing of Flight 1549–it also saved his library books from drowning in the Hudson–and while some are hesitant in calling him a hero for his job preparedness, I’d still categorize him as one.

 

Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival

by Laurence Gonzales

A great, thorough look at an epic plane crash that will keep you from wearing synthetic fabrics on a plane, but that won’t matter because you’ll never want to fly again.

 

Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

by Mike Massimino

Mike Massimino makes you want to be an astronaut with his funny stories, even after his massive f*ck up on a Hubble spacewalk.

 

Before the Fall

by Noah Hawley

A very enjoyable mystery/thriller I shouldn’t have read while on a plane. (What is it with me and plane crash books?)

 

Dark Matter

by Blake Crouch

It will blow your mind and make you question your own reality (and it’ll also give you a migraine).

 

The Woman in Cabin 10

A hot mess of a woman gets into trouble on a boat and no one believes her, but *SPOILER ALERT*: SHE WAS RIGHT.

 

The Breakdown

by B.A. Paris

I hadn’t met a protagonist I loathe more than the main character in The Girl on the Train, until I met Cass–the most whiny, obnoxious, and boring character to have ever lived in a thriller. This story drags and drags and I’m sad that I’ll never get these hours of my life back. (Here I go breaking my sentence rule, but I can’t help it with these truly awful books.)

 

We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

by Dennis E. Taylor

This book has an incredibly strong beginning that hooks you in, but I will go against the trove of other positive reviewers to say that it became redundant and lost purpose along the way.

 

Artemis

by Andy Weir

I wanted to love you, Artemis, I really did, but this book has characters I didn’t become invested in and a dull, boring story line that didn’t live up to my expectations and my previous love for Watney.

 

Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery

A funny smart-ass went to space, wrote an awesome book about it that unexpectedly made me cry multiple times throughout.