The Lazarus Project by Aleksandar Hemon
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Alas, when moving in with your fiancé, planning a wedding, and buying your first house, there is very little time to read. I think I also got my first smart phone during this time, which I’m sure didn’t help.
I only vaguely remember reading The Lazarus Project, but I remember it being a finely interwoven tale that was quite suspenseful despite knowing how the story would end from the outset.
I enjoyed the complexity of the narrative, but I just couldn't get fully absorbed in a book that contained so many repellent characters and events. I prefer cleaner complexity that appeals to my better angels instead of revels in engaging the reptilian brain - just a personal preference of mine, nothing against Hemon or The Lazarus Project.
—From my Goodreads review of The Lazarus Project
I believe I read both A Christmas Carol and Little Women near Christmas time. I find the simplicity of classics to be soothing, sometimes. There was a war going on in Little Women but the characters seem somewhat insulated from the worst of its implications. And Dickens is always a delight.
I suppose it’s a little unfortunate that I didn’t read very much this year, but I can at least be proud that the books I did read were of such quality.