2019 in Books

What a whirlwind 2019 has been for reading. I didn’t quite set out to read this many books when I began, but I just plowed through one after another, consuming like an all-you-can-eat buffet. I don’t know that I’ll keep up this pace going forward, but it was fun for a while.

What a whirlwind 2019 has been for reading. I didn’t quite set out to read this many books when I began, but I just plowed through one after another, consuming like an all-you-can-eat buffet. I don’t know that I’ll keep up this pace going forward, but it was fun for a while.

And while I don’t think I read any life-changing books this year – nothing that I’m telling all of my friends to read – I do think the quality of the books I read was altogether higher than years past. I wasn’t surprised when my average rating was higher despite my not having any major stand-out books.

It was a good year. A wild ride. A whole lot of reading, so let’s get into it…


Books read:

54


Pages read:

17,118


Average Page Length:

317


Longest Book:

The Hearts Invisible Furies by John BoyneThe adopted Cyril Avery’s story of finding identity in a world he’s only ever been adrift in. 


Shortest Book:

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck – A classic story of a boy restlessly anticipating having his own horse.


My Average Rating:

3.7


My Highest Rated Books (5 stars):

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire
by Suzanne Collins
The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
The Rabbit Girls by Anna Ellory
Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur
The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey


My Lowest Rated Books:

Way Out Here by Richard Leo (2 stars)
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck (2 stars)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1 star)
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (2 stars)
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo (2 stars)


Goodreads Highest Rated Book of my 2019 Books:

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (4.52 average rating)


Goodreads Lowest Rated Book of my 2019 Books:

The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner (3.5 average rating)


My Favorite Book of 2019:

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John BoyneThe adopted Cyril Avery’s story of finding identity in a world he’s only ever been adrift in. 
The Rabbit Girls by Anna Ellory (first runner up)
A realistic fictional story of Miriam, a German who discovers her father’s ties to Auschwitz as he lies on his deathbed amidst the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (second runner up) – A fictional oral history of one of the biggest bands of the 70s.


The Book(s) that Changed the Way I Think About Something:

Motherhood so White by Nefertiti AustinNefertiti’s true story of the adoption of her black “crack baby” as a single, black woman.
The Heart’s Invisible Furiesby John Boyne The adopted Cyril Avery’s story of finding identity in a world he’s only ever been adrift in.
Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace: A True Story
by Debra Moerke – The true story of a foster care situation that would both bind and change two families forever.
Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford LarsonThe true story of Rosemary Kennedy, based on Kennedy family documents, letters and journals, being hidden away for being different and lobotomized at the age of 23.


The Book(s) I’m Most Likely to Recommend to Others:

The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne – The adopted Cyril Avery’s story of finding identity in a world he’s only ever been adrift in. 
The Rabbit Girls
by Anna Ellory – A realistic fictional story of Miriam, a German who discovers her father’s ties to Auschwitz as he lies on his deathbed amidst the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Daisy Jones & The Six
by Taylor Jenkins Reid – A fictional oral history of one of the biggest bands of the 70s.
Into Thin Air
by Jon Kraukauer – The true account of Jon Krakauer’s Mt. Everest Climb amidst a ravenously deadly storm.
Recursion
by Blake Crouch – The science fictional story of preserving memories, the curation of False Memory Syndrome, and the opportunity to re-experience memories.


The Book(s) I’m Least Likely to Recommend to Others:

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Way Out Here by Richard Leo


The Scariest Book I Read:

Watching You by Lisa Jewell (I wasn’t really one for scary books this year, so this is really not that scary.)


The Happiest Book I Read:

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms


The Saddest Book I Read:

Murder, Motherhood and Miraculous Grace: A True Story by Debra Moerke


The Funniest Book I Read:

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper


Broken Down by Genre:

Historical Fiction: 12
Nonfiction: 9
Young Adult: 9
Literary Fiction: 7
Memoir: 6
Chick Lit: 5
Mystery/Thriller: 3
Classic: 2
Sci-Fi: 1


If you’ve made it this far, you must be a reader as well. Please comment to let me know your book recommendations!

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