Funny because although I really liked Gentleman in Moscow, I liked his first book Rules of Civility more. It is a NYC period piece (I am a sucker for books about NYC in the 20’s through 50’s). I saw Towles at an author event, several years ago, (after Rules and before Gentleman). He seemed like a nice guy - talked a lot about researching the time period.
I’ve read a lot less than many of you (something I need to fix in 2018! Sounds like I need to start with Gentleman in Moscow! 
). My favorite this year was Commonwealth.
A question for those who read what seems like a ton of…(OK, 50-100!!) books a year…How much time do you spend reading? When do you read? I am lucky to read 10-12 books in a year! Not sure if it’s time spent or if I read slowly.
Maybe I can pick up some tips from those of you who read so much!
@rutgersmamma , I just finished book #56 for the year. I read in the evening; I read fast. I’m divorced, I have no social life, and my children are adults and live out of state. I have lots of time to fill when I’m done with work. I do like watching TV, but my dog doesn’t like the sound of the TV and often leaves the room when it’s on. She has cancer and I want her to be in the room with me, so I’ve been avoiding noisy activities this fall.
I read over 50 books a year. But it does happen in bursts. I might finish several in a vacation week, for example. I do read every night before bed for at least half an hour (can’t sleep if I don’t) and more on weekends.
I read 100 books a year. I keep track on Goodreads. I am a fast reader and I read whenever I am not doing anything else. I read when I ride my stationary bike each morning and in the evenings I sit in my comfy chair after dinner and read. I am not a big TV watcher and I consider reading to be my primary hobby.
two fantastic books i recommend for everyone:
- aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe by benjamin alire sáenz (i read this in one car ride while traveling back from california)
- call me by your name by andré aciman (movie [and book] made me sob) (don't judge me)
I probably read ~150-200 or more books per year. I work full-time, but reading is my main way to relax. I read at night, at lunch, weekends, on vacation. I am, and always have been, a very fast reader.
Most of the books are mystery/crime, regular fiction, light stuff in between, occasional non-fiction. Not big on what I call book club books or modern high literature. Stuffiness and pretentiousness bores me. Main criteria are well-written and well-edited. No cats or historical people solving crimes. I also read magazines, newspapers, the back of cereal boxes…
I’m another heavy reader - approx. 160 so far this year, ranging from the more literary to the fluffier end - I have fairly eclectic tastes. I live alone so read while eating dinner, during the commercial breaks or boring bits on TV (and I don’t watch that much TV either), on the train or in taxis, in queues, in the bath, in restaurants if dining out alone, during the trailers in the cinema, and whenever not doing anything else. I feel bereft if I have nothing to read. I nearly had a nervous breakdown when my kindle broke down when I was at the doctor’s last year. I read magazines I plan on throwing out later while I’m washing up or cooking or cleaning my teeth. I usually have something on my kindle and a real book both on the go depending on where I am.
Fannie Flagg’s - newest " A Redbird Christmas" for those in a hallmark movie Christmas state of mind.
Heartwarming, uplifting, and saccharine, but I liked it.
@ignatiius following up on your request for overview of reading last year. Surprised at how many books I didn’t finish-
( thanks to goodreads for helping me remember- I’m JZNj on good reads and looking for more goodreads friends )
The Essex Serpent
A Gentleman in Moscow
A Year of living Danishly.
The Almost Perfect People: Thr a myth of the Scandanavian Utopia
When life becomes air
The microbiome solution
The Peach Keeper- discovered Sara Addison Allen ( waving to Ignatius)
Al Franken- Giant in the senate ( sadly it should be titled Former Giant in the senate )
For thr hallmark movie channel fans-----
A city bakers guide to country living
A Redbird Christmas
I had a light year this year - only about 20 books but I only have time to read right before I go to bed. I think the book I enjoyed the most was News of the World. Also really liked The Gentleman from Moscow Glass Houses.
I “pledged” 50 books on Goodreads this year, but I don’t think I’m going to make it. I’ve read 44. I expect I’ll top out at 47 or so. (I’ve read part of about 4 books and expect I’ll finish 3 of them, but who knows?)
Goodreads keeps track of what you read if you set up a “challenge” and enter each book when you finish.
My list overlaps a lot of those here.
My shortest book was Tracy Chevalier’ New Boy. Longest (completed) was Magpie Murders.
Highest rated on Goodreads was–no surprise–A Gentleman in Moscow.
The ones I liked best: Alice McDermott’s The Ninth Hour. (It’s probably helpful if you were raised Catholic); Moonglow; The Barrowfields—anyone else here read it?; Eleanor Oliphant; Clementine by Sonia Purnell (non-fiction).
I overlap a bit with @rosered55 . From her list, my 2017 books include Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett; Faithful Place, by Tana French; Modern Lovers, by Emma Straub, Moonglow. I’d onlly put Moonglow in my top 5 though.
Just checked, and am at 51 for 2017. I expect I’ll finish a couple more before 12/31, and I also reread the entire Vorkosiverse series front to back this year (comfort reading right before bed to help me sleep in troubling times), and didn’t record those.
My favorites for 2017 were New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea by Alyssa Mastromonaco, Provenance by Ann Leckie, and Being Mortal by Atul Guwande.
I will say that I did not consider this a great year as far as the books I read. I read so many that started with a promising plot/idea, but failed to some degree in execution. And the endings… so many books I read this year had endings that fizzled or were unsatisfactory. But my TBR list has 301 books on it, so there must be some gems in there for 2018.
@SouthJerseyChessMom, just added the Year of Living Danishly to my TBR list!
Funny anybody should mention New York 2140. Read it for a book group this year and I was the only one who finished it. Universally disliked by everybody in the group - including the person who nominated it (many couldn’t get past a few chapters.) Just shows how reading tastes differ.
I am aware that my reading tastes differ from many others on this thread. 
I liked that book because it helped me envision a real city where I have spent time, and what will happen there due to climate change and rising sea levels. Sure, I theoretically knew. But it was jarring to read a detailed story about it. KSR is my favorite author (some of the time – I love about half of his books, and hate the other half).
Love there is a thread not about college per se!
I also use goodreads to track what I read/to-read list and my goal was 24 this year and I got 47, granted including read/listened. I started using overdrive app on my phone which links books from my local library, non-interrupted book-reading.
My favorite reads this year r (not in particular order)
The sympathizer (satire could be so powerful and war is always so ugly)
The fire next time (written 50 years ago yet almost still contemporary in its anguish, better than “bwtween the world and me”)
Lincoln in the bardo (the strangest book I have ever read and could not wait to see its movie adoption- how?!, lol)
My favorite authors this year, read three or more of their books and like them all:
Richard Russo (old-fashioned story-telling never get old)
Kazuo Ishiguro (memory is such a intriguing thing).
Next year I would like to set a goal of 50 books.
@rutgersmamma I didn’t read a lot, I don’t think the number of books we read is that important as long as we read and enjoy reading
You guys are much better than me. I was always a big reader but since the election I have become addicted to watching MSNBC every night and between that and reading the New York Times, New York and sometimes the New Yorker, there aren’t enough hours in the day! With that among my favorite reads this year were:
Commonwealth
The Girls
The Plot Against America
The Sisters Weiss
The Lotus Eaters
Einstein’s Wife
I re-read the Cuckoo’s Calling, the first of the JK Rowling books written as Gailbraith
a collection of short stories by Daphne Du Maurier
I have Mudbound as I never read it and have had it for a few years along with another book by the same author and The Handmaid’s Tale as I never read that either and older D passed her copy along to me
I’ve only read Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Trilogy and 2312. I was interested to see him described as “our greatest political writer” by The New Yorker and as literary science fiction - since while I think he does a fabulous job of world building, I don’t always believe in or care about his characters and I find his writing style a bit clunky. I liked 2312 better than the Mars books.
I’m not sure how many books I’ve read this year. I used to keep track, but haven’t in a long time. I like the idea of setting a goal so that Good Reads will track them for me.