100 books in 2014

I read an article the other day that said it would take 60,000 years to read all the books in the world currently catalogued by the Library of Congress. 60,000 years!! That's just crazy. I really have no interest in reading every single book ever published, but because I feel like there are so many good ones I still have yet to discover, I made it a goal to read at least 100 books by the end of this year.

Three that I'd recommend (out of the few that I've read so far this year) are:
1. And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
2. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
3. The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley

They're all entirely different, but all really good in their own way. If you enjoyed The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns, you'll really like And The Mountains Echoed (though the first two were more of my favorite than this last one). I can't say too much about the story without giving the whole of it away, but in a nutshell the plot revolves around one fathers decision, and all the consequences that follow his family (and their relationships) for decades to come. Each chapter jumps from one character to another, all in different times and places, but naturally begins in pre-war Afghanistan. I think I liked it so much because Hosseini is so good at storytelling and involving the reader, anndd it has a somewhat of a happy ending. "Somewhat" because it's more real than happy (like his other books), but it's still, sort-of, "okay, I'm glad that happened," happy-ish too.

I picked up Wonder mainly because it's YA lit and a notable best-seller, and this book did not disappoint. I'm 24 and I think a seventh grader would enjoy it just as much as I did. Or maybe I should say that the other way around? The main character, August Pullman, "is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary face"and has been homeschooled all of his life up until the fifth grade, when his parents enroll him in a prep school. It's an easy read, something you could probably finish in a few hours, but I tried to take my time because I hate when I get to the end of a book I like so much with no sequel to follow. I promise, no matter your age, you will love Auggie Pullman so much by the end of the story. You might even cry with him. It's worth the read alone just to find out what happens on "Graduation day."

And lastly, although I've never been interested in reading "get rich" or "wealth in America" kinds of books,  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed The Millionaire Next Door. It just made a lot of sense, and honestly, mainly just changed the way I thought about "wealth" in the first place. The majority of it focuses on what we've already been told a million times before, the importance of how much you're saving vs. how much you're spending but more people really need to learn this. Like maybe Obama. The whole thing is just really good. And it makes sense even if the most you've ever learned about our economy is in that awful American Heritage class in college. We should have read this instead!

That's it. Recommend any books my way! I still have 92 to go!