Still love to read

As per tradition, here's my list of books read during the year. A nice, varied selection in my opinion. The one that had the greatest impact on me was Merrill's Marauders. My grandpa -- Paka -- served as a Marauder captain in World War II. He wasn't one to talk much about his experiences, but he started to dictate his memoirs many years ago at my dad's request. Unfortunately, he put the project on hold as my grandma's Parkinson's disease progressed and she required more care. When Paka suddenly passed from an aneurysm, the rest of his story remained untold.

I'm not sure how it all came about, but my dad learned about Gavin Mortimer's research and shared what he had collected of Paka's memoirs. Mortimer included some of Paka's memories and quotes in the book, which made the reading very personal. Even though Paka's contribution to the bulk of the book was minimal, I knew his actual contribution to the war effort and participation in the struggles and horrors in this part of the Pacific theater were absolute. I didn't need to see his name in every battle scene or hear his direct reaction to events to realize he was there -- that he watched his friends die, that he suffered from heat and bugs and hunger and fatigue, that he wondered whether or not he would make it out alive. I already had a great deal of respect for my grandpa, but this book expanded and deepened those feelings.

• My Family for the War by Anne C. Voorhoeve
• The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
• Wonder by R.J. Palacio
• Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
• Cress by Marissa Meyer
• The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen
• The Pigeon Pie Mystery by Julia Stuart
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner
• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
• Looking for Alaska by John Green
• The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez
• Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
• Merrill's Marauders by Gavin Mortimer
• Cinder by Marissa Meyer
• The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen
• Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal
• The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
• Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
• Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
• A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
• Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson
• The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
• Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey
• A Daughter of Zion by Bodie Thoene
• The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel
• Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King