It’s time for my annual what-I-read-last-year blog post! Here’s the breakdown for 2019,
- I read 78 books, which surpassed my goal to read 60 books by 30%.
- According to my Goodreads ‘Year in Books’ page, I read a total of 25,807 pages. I’m not sure how accurate the page counts are, considering different editions of books, (ebooks vs. print, hard vs softcover, etc.). My shortest book was 203 pages, and my longest book was 549 pages.
- I read nearly everything with my Kobo, and most of my books came from the library. (I love Overdrive integration!) I bought some books as well.
- I unintentionally reread a book that I first read in 2015, but didn’t realize it until I was partway through, so I kept going.
- I read my usual mix of fiction and memoir, with some other non-fiction here and there, but tried to expand to include more new-to-me authors.
- I enjoyed most of the books I read, and gave up on a few I didn’t. No more slogging through!
- I reviewed very few books because I hate the idea of hurting an author’s feelings. (And to think, I wanted to be a music critic when I was growing up!)
Here are the covers of everything I read:
Some of my favourite reads were:
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I read this book in less than 24 hours within a week of its release. I love both oral history-style writing and rock biographies so a story of a 70s rock band and their magnetic singer felt like a book that was written just for me. Looking forward to the screen adaptation that is in progress. The Show Your Work podcast had a great two-part interview with Taylor Jenkins Reid, which definitely worth listening to now if you missed it back in May (Part 1, Part 2).
Becoming by Michelle Obama
This was a long memoir, but I really enjoyed how Michelle Obama told her story. We would all do well to have someone like her in our lives: smart, funny, and insightful.
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
This book drew me in quickly and told the stories of a couple who immigrated into the U.S. from Cameroon, and of the wealthy family they worked for in New York City. Taking place just before and during the 2008 recession, it humanized a lot of issues that have been in the news ever since.
Southern Lady Code by Helen Ellis
This book of essays was a quick, fun read. Lots of snark and ridiculousness along with some life advice you may, or may not want to take.
Scruples by Judith Krantz
I added this to my to-read list after I heard Judith Krantz had died. I discovered I wasn’t the only one who did that – there were a lot of holds for it at the library. The book itself was a fun read, if a bit dated.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
I kept putting this book off, even though the premise appealed to me. Once I finally started to read it, I wondered why I had waited. I read it quickly and really enjoyed it.
Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of “The View” by Ramin Setoodeh
This was a super dishy read that I borrowed from the library on a whim. The author seemed to know many of the subjects well, or at least well enough to get them to talk. I’m surprised so many of the women went on record.
