It’s been a good long while since I updated you on this year’s reading challenge (4 books of 1,000+ pages in 4 seasons). After a strong start—finishing Bone, Les Miserables, and The Lord of the Rings before the summer solstice—my schedule filled up and I didn’t have as much time for lengthy reads. Study abroad was perfect for 4 in 4; regular life isn’t.

But like so many this year, I picked a week (Thanksgiving break) to get ensnared by the Hunger Games trilogy, and devoted many an hour on the long drive between Little Rock, AR and Upland, IN to finishing what I will consider the fourth thousand-page book. If the 1,069 pages of the Lord of the Rings trilogy counted, then why not the 1,176 pages of the Hunger Games series?

The writing style was decent. Though Collins is a gripping storyteller, her prose is merely adequate, and her narration often made me less sympathetic with the protagonist, not more. That said, I couldn’t put this series down, and I found in it a more realistic picture of war, revolution, romance, and heroism than the typical action story of the 21st century. For that, it is to be highly commended.

All in all, I ended up reading half as many books this year as last (the year of 52 in 52): still a pretty good record in my “book” (GET IT????). What’s next year? Maybe 12 in 12?

1. The Art of Manliness by Brett & Kate McKay, 274 pages (4 Jan)
2. True Grit by Charles Portis, 215 pages (13 Jan)
3. Bone by Jeff Smith, 1332 pages (13 Jan)
4. All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison, 308 pages (13 Jan)
5. Generous Justice by Tim Keller, 230 pages (25 Jan)
X. The Fellowship of the Ring (2 Feb)
6. Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger, 367 pages (10 Mar)
7. Austrian Macroeconomics: A Diagrammatical Exposition by Roger W. Garrison, 36 pages (12 Mar)
8. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, 1330 pages (11 Apr)
9. The Trip of a Life by James Lepine, 105 pages (17 Apr)
10. Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction by Colin Ward, 98 pages (18 Apr)
X. The Two Towers (23 Apr)
11. King’s Cross by Tim Keller, 238 pages (29 Apr)
X. The Return of the King (30 Apr)
12. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, 1069 pages (30 Apr)
13. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey, 426 pages (23 May)
14. A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O’Connor, 7:35:09 (8 June)
15. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis, 160 pages (11 June)
16. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger, 198 pages (12 June)
17. Slave Ship Captain by Carolyn Scott, 92 pages (25 June)
18. The Runaway’s Revenge by Dave and Neta Jackson, 141 pages (1 July)
19. Forgotten God by Francis Chan, 208 pages (? Sep?)
20. Spousonomics: Using Economics to Master Love, Marriage, and Dirty Dishes by Paula Szuchman and Jenny Anderson, 352 pages (9 Sep)
21. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superatheletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Ever Seen by Christopher McDougall, 304 pages (26 Sep)
22. Once A Runner by John L. Parker, Jr., 274 pages (19 Nov)
X. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, 374 pages (20 Nov)
X. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, 404 pages (23 Nov)
X. Mockinjay by Suzanne Collins, 398 pages (26 Nov)
23. The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins, 1176 pages (26 Nov)
24. Finally Feminist by John G. Stackhouse, 141 pages (8 Dec)
25. Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, 96 pages (26 Dec)
26. The Reason for God by Tim Keller, 281 pages (26 Dec)