Okay, not everything. (You can check out my Goodreads for that.) But I’m hoping that by the end of this post, you will get a sense of how the year has gone for me in literary terms.
By the numbers, I read 92 books this year. Originally, my goal was 75, because while I thought I would probably surpass that, I also wanted to give myself some breathing room. I wanted to push myself, but not so much that I was stressed about it. The compromise here ended up working pretty well for me.
Another note: I made a pact with myself about halfway through the year that I wouldn’t spend any money on books, partially because I don’t have any (lol college), and partially because there are libraries. Unless you live under a rock, there are some app gems out there, which means you can check out ebooks and audiobooks without even leaving your home. I am fortunate enough that I was gifted many of my hardcopy books by generous publishers and received audiobooks curtesy of my favorite company, libro.fm, but even without these people in my life, my no-spending goal still would have been totally doable.
This brings up another point: I listen to a lot of audiobooks. Audiobooks are, of course, of equal worth to their physical counterparts. Yes, I do feel that some books are better read on the page, but that is personal preference. Absolutely nothing is wrong with being a busy gal and needing to multitask or sneak in some listening on walks to class. Anyways, this is an argument I have made many times — the point is, if this list makes it look like I’m constantly reading, it’s because I am sneaky about fitting them in. Not all of these books were read by fireside with a mug of tea in hand, as bookstagram might have you believe.
SO, because I just love to complicate things, I’m going to give you a few different lists. First of all, my five-star reads. Self-explanatory, right? Second, my favorite reads. I know what you’re thinking — aren’t those the same thing? But see, there are some books that I just couldn’t give five stars to that are nonetheless still stuck in my heart, and they deserve a place. And, finally, for the sake of continuity, I’m going to do a Reading Superlatives list, because I really enjoyed it last year!
Five-Star Reads (in no particular order)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (2020 release)
Little Weirds by Jenny Slate
Blankets by Craig Thompson
The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
Nasty Women by 404Ink
Dominicana by Angie Cruz
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
I’ll be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
The Queen of Bloody Everything by Joanna Nadir
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The God Game by Danny Tobey (2020 release)
Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
My Favorite Reads (in no particular order)
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
The Anatomy of Dreams by Chloe Benjamin
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
I’ll Be Gone In the Dark by Michelle McNamara
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Recursion by Blake Crouch
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
Little Weirds by Jenny Slate
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
The God Game by Danny Tobey
The Reason You’re Alive by Matthew Quick
So from this list I gather that I like biographical works, techy Black Mirror-type reads, and some good investigative journalism. Not all of these are five-star reads — some I might even have a lot of criticisms about — but they are still the most memorable reads that have immersed me, stuck with me, and made me think.
Reading Superlatives 2019
A Book That You Loved This Year by A Person of Color
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
A Favorite Debut Novel You Read This Year
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
A Book That Disappointed You This Year
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
A Book That Made You Cry (or LOL)
Cry: Flush by Virginia Woolf
I was unaware of the tragic ending, okay?
LOL: The Captain and the Glory by Dave Eggers
Your Favorite 2019 Read
Not picking one. Gotcha!
An Underrated Book You Loved
Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales
I’m a sucker for a good YA.
Your 2019 Favorite Book Cover
Little Weirds by Jenny Slate or Make It Scream, Make It Burn by Leslie Jamison
A Book that Taught You Something
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Or also, any of the investigative journalism. Actually, wait, so many books. Like 70% of them, honestly. Learning things is fun!
Anyways, whoo! That was a lot! And hopefully all of it! Looking forward to another year of wonderful books!
Happy New Year,
