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Peg Cheng

Author + Blogger + Teacher

December 31, 2017 By Peg Cheng

Books I Read in 2017 (and My Top 10)

In 2017, I read 48 books. This is a big decrease from the 67 books I read last year. Part of this drop is due to reading too much about the deterioration of America in the news. The other reason is because I was dealing with a family death, and was reading much slower.

Here are the 48 books I read in 2017. They are listed in the order in which I read them.

Like I did in 2016, I picked the top ten books that I especially enjoyed and/or changed me for the better. These books are in bold. While I enjoyed many of the books I read this year, these ten hold a special place in my heart and I highly recommend them.

  1. Maman’s Homesick Pie by Donia Bijan
  2. Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughn & Cliff Chiang
  3. Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing by Kay A. Haring & Robert Neubecker
  4. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
  5. A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen
  6. This City by Claudia Castro Luna
  7. Found Poetry Review, Vol. 7, edited by Jenni B. Baker & Beth Ayer
  8. Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck & edited by Robert DeMott
  9. Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon *
  10. Make Trouble by John Waters
  11. Sunday Sketching by Christoph Niemann
  12. Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell
  13. Of Lamb by Matthea Harvey & Amy Jean Porter
  14. The Turner House by Angela Flournoy
  15. You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
  16. Death at Glacier Lake by Pam Stucky
  17. My Mother Was Nuts by Penny Marshall
  18. The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck by Sarah Knight
  19. Northwest Cartoonists Cookbook by various cartoonists & artists
  20. The Round House by Louise Erdrich
  21. Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002) by David Sedaris
  22. Orange Ginger Jam by frannerd
  23. Perfect Tree Shapes by frannerd
  24. Boogie-Woogie Crisscross by Tess Gallagher and Lawrence Matsuda
  25. Chinook & Chanterelle by Robert Michael Pyle
  26. Chibi Samurai Wants a Pet by Sanae Ishida
  27. The Way of the Writer by Charles Johnson
  28. Poetry, March 2017
  29. IBS–Free at Last! by Patsy Catsos
  30. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
  31. Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living edited by Manjula Martin
  32. The Autobiography of an American Buffalo by Oscar Zeta Acosta
  33. Why We March: Signs of Protest and Hope by Artisan
  34. Radiant Child: the Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe
  35. The Jones Family Express by Javaka Steptoe
  36. Inspirations: Poems of Life and Love by Kathryn Carole Ellison
  37. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
  38. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
  39. Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar
  40. Americus by MK Reed and Jonathan Hill
  41. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
  42. Ms. Marvel: No Normal: Issues 1-5 by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
  43. Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday
  44. Enginerds by Jarrett Lerner
  45. Invisible Dead by Sam Wiebe
  46. The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins
  47. Monstress, Volume II, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
  48. I Am Pusheen the Cat by Claire Belton

* indicates that I read this book in a previous year and read it again this year

Hope this list gives you good ideas for books to read in 2018. And if you’ve read any of these already, please let me know what you thought of them in the comments box. Happy New Year and happy reading!

Peg Cheng is the author of The Contenders, a middle-grade novel that asks, can enemies become friends? She is currently writing another novel that is a re-imagining of the Snow White fairy tale set in 1980s Seattle. Peg is also the creator of Fear & Writing, a workshop for procrastinating writers from all walks of life.

Photo by Jaredd Craig.

Filed Under: Reading Recs

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jeanie Boawn says

    December 31, 2017 at 2:24 PM

    Great list, look forward to checking some of these out! 48 is still impressive, I think I will end up with around 30 if I finish one I’m reading today, which would probably be a better use of my time than watching football. ๐Ÿ˜‰ The first half of the year I read every New Yorker to finish out my subscription, which left little time for books, so was relieved when that ended. My pile of 2018 reading is already staggering, we’ll see how it goes. Happy reading (and writing)!

    • Peg Cheng says

      December 31, 2017 at 11:23 PM

      You’re so good–reading every New Yorker to finish out your subscription! I’m like that too. If I pay for a subscription, then I will make myself read every magazine. Usually. But you’re more dedicated than me. I don’t think I’ve ever read a full New Yorker magazine. This statement may be sacrilege to the literary illuminati, but I like shorter articles. Long articles bore me. Even if they’re written by brilliant people.

      Hey, if football makes you happy, keep watching it. We all need to do more thing that make us happy. ๐Ÿ™‚ Happy reading in 2018!

      • edgy says

        January 1, 2018 at 2:38 PM

        Yes, Jeanie is awesome that way (among others). I’m currently laboring under a New Yorker subscription, and weirdly, I can’t figure out who gave it to me. I hate the ever-growing pile of unread articles pouting at me–I wish I could get an online-only subscription.

        Anyway, I enjoy a good long article, as long as it’s not by John McPhee. (If you ever want a taste of hell, Cubby, exhume his five-part article on the orange.) Yes, I suppose he’s technically good at writing. But for me it’s like I’m standing near the rim of the Grand Canyon, being lectured by a genial, portly, self-satisfied professor who never steps back from the railing, and just lets me look. As if the knowledge of a thing were more important than the thing itself. But people I respect love his writing, so I guess it’s just me.

        • Peg Cheng says

          January 1, 2018 at 4:15 PM

          You’ve just confirmed to me that I should never get a New Yorker subscription. Thank you, Edgy. I bet if you contacted them and asked to be switched to online-only, they’d do it.

          I have not read anything by John McPhee but I’ve heard that other people like his stuff. But a 5-part article on an orange?! Jesus. I know what you mean about the genial, self-satisfied professor who just chuffs on and on and never lets you see the Grand Canyon. That’s a great analogy! I’ve been in that spot. If we’re ever both in that position at the same time, I’ll stick out my leg and you push. Deal?

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What people are saying…

Lizz Zitron, College Professor

The Contenders is the middle grade novel you’ve been waiting for: diverse characters who are funny and real. Eunice and her friends and family feel so real–they are flawed, kind, complex, a little mean at times, and just wanting to find their place in the world. Highly recommended for every middle school collection.

Jas Hothi, Author + Entrepreneur

I’ve done my fair share of personal finance reading and, well, Rebel Millionaire is probably the single best thing I’ve read. Why? So effortlessly simple and effective. As I’m about to turn 31, this is just the nudge I needed to start saving and investing for my future. Thank you, Peg, and Plaid Frog Press!

Laila Atallah, Career Coach

What I love so much about your writing is how personal it is. It gives me permission to accept and love my own humanity, while also giving really helpful tips and mindset shifts, and next steps too.

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