I had a MAJOR reading year! I finished 62 books in 2019. (And I wrote a few lines about each one here.) For the record, I don’t keep track of books I started and didn’t finish, but there were plenty of those, too.
I credit the increase from the usual 50 to spending a good part of the year listening to audiobooks instead of podcasts. However, I still love podcasts so I’m not sure I will keep up that pace in 2020.
I enjoyed so many books in 2019 that doing a “top 10” feels impossible. Instead, I’m doing a “best of” organized by my own categories. I suppose these are superlatives, like in a yearbook.
First, some breaking down of what I read:
- 37 Novels and/or Short Story Collections
- 19 Memoirs and/or Essay collections
- 6 General nonfiction
How I read:
- 21 out of the 62 were on audio using both Libro.fm and the library.
- 5 were advance releases via netgalley.com, which I read on my Kindle.
- The rest were in paperback or hardcover either purchased by me, borrowed from the library, or in one case, given to me as an advance copy from the author.
FINALLY—MY “BEST OF” FOR 2019
KEPT ME UP TOO LATE (IN A GOOD WAY)
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
RECOMMENDED OFTEN
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
EXCELLENT WRITING IN EVERY WAY
Magical Realism for Non-Believers by Anika Fajardo
ESSAYS THAT MADE ME THINK LONG AFTER READING
Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino
MOST RELATABLE ESSAY COLLECTION
I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott
BOOK I’M SURPRISED TO STILL BE THINKING ABOUT MONTHS LATER
The Parting Gift by Evan Fallenberg
BOOK I’M NOT SURPRISED TO STILL BE THINKING ABOUT MONTHS LATER:
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
MOST CHARMING
Meet Me at The Museum by Anne Youngson
When You Read This by Mary Adkins
The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal
The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess
FAVORITE MEMOIRS
Save me the Plums by Ruth Reichl
Inheritance by Dani Shapiro
MOST CLEVER STRUCTURE
Twenty-one Truths About Love by Matthew Dicks
The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
SHORT STORIES COLLECTIONS I WILL KEEP IN MY OFFICE
We Love Anderson Cooper by R.L. Maizes
The Book of Jeremiah by Julie Zuckerman
FAVORITE EARLY RELEASE (LOOK FOR THIS ONE IN 2020)
Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
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Photo by Aung Soe Min on Unsplash
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One Response
I am surprised you included Where the Crawdads Sing. I am interested to know why you liked it. Love, Mom