This is the time of year for reflection. Looking through the 81 books I read last year, I wanted to share some of my favorites.

I hit the Revolutionary War era pretty hard. So far, Rick Atkinson has published two books in his trilogy on the Revolutionary War. I read the first, “The British Are Coming.” Don’t be intimidated by the size of these books, they have pictures, maps, and nearly 200 pages of documentation, meaning what looks like an 800 page book is more along the lines of 600 pages. He covers both sides of the war extensively. If I were his editor, I would encourage him to include a list of characters and which side they were on. As a reader, I encourage you to keep a pencil and paper handy when reading these.

“The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon takes place in 1789, when the US was a country, but just barely. This book follows a year in the life of a midwife. I followed that with “A Midwife’s Tale,” by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and Martha Ballard, which is the diary Lawhon used to write her book. I highly recommend Lawhon’s book to those who enjoy historical fiction.

“The Island at the Center of the World” by Russell Shorto is the story of Manhattan Island. I learned that my ancestors with the strange name Rapalje were some of the first settlers on the island. I am not sure my book club members all enjoyed this book, but I like learning things, including that the Dutch are the reason we eat cookies and our British friends eat biscuits.

“Every Valley: the desperate lives and troubled times that made Handel’s Messiah” by Charles King takes place in the 1700s. This book brings together the many events that influenced the creation of a beloved musical piece. “The Messiah” premiered in Dublin 1742, and made its US debut in 1818.

I finished up four books that were languishing on my bedside table. I packed them in my luggage when I went on a long vacation, and as I read them I left them in the airport or gave them to fellow travelers. This left extra room for souvenirs!

I picked up “Travels With a Medieval Queen” at the book store in Bushnell a decade ago. It wasn’t an easy read, but I made it to the end. I also finished “Ghost Warrior” by Lucia St. Clair Robson. If you like historical fiction about early America, with an emphasis on native cultures and strong women, you might enjoy this author. She hasn’t written anything for at least a decade, and we no longer have her in our collection, but I bet you can find them at book sales. I read a book of Erma Bombeck’s columns, collected by her children. As you can expect, I was laughing while weeping, and in public. I also read “Queens of England” by Norah Lofts. Most of these books came from the library book sale, so we no longer have them in the collection. Library book sales are a good source of reading material. Ours is coming up in April.

Some fluffy books I enjoyed were, “The Guncle” by Steven Rowley, “Dial A for Aunties” by Jesse Q. Suntato, “How to Age Disgracefully” by Clare Pooley,  and “The Housemaid’s Secret” by Freida McFadden.

I finished books by some of my favorite female authors, including a couple by Elizabeth Strout, “Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett, “True to Form” by Elizabeth Berg, “After Annie” by Anna Quindlen, and “Heartburn” by Nora Ephron.

I read several books about Spain and Portugal, including “The Miracle and the Message: 100 years of Fatima” by John C. Preiss, “Iberia” by James Michener, and a book about the art of Antoni Gaudi.

Additionally, I permanently swore off Sandra Dallas after reading “Where the Coyotes Howl.” I love her writing, her settings, and her characters, but I am done with dead babies.

I would love to hear what some of your favorite reads were from last year. My “Want To Read” list is at 469 now. A few more won’t hurt anything!

Article by Sherry Preston