2019 End of the Year Book Survey

Such a weird reading year. For the first time, I took part in a committee which selects a new play to win a big grant. That added about 30 new plays to my regular reading list. Plus, I had a baby in April, which had a big impact on my choice of books. I read a lot fewer classics and a lot more YA, "chick lit", and mysteries. I also tried to binge through more new releases than normal because of the publisher rules with libraries that might be changing and restricting use of ebooks soon. 

All that being said, it was a good reading year. I made a goal to read more from my shelves (at least 30 books) and to quit reading books that weren't working for me. I did both! I also FINALLY completed the last two Shakespeare plays I hadn't read. Now I just need to see more of them performed live. 
  

Any books I reread this year are not eligible for this list. I also didn’t count the piles upon piles of children’s books I read, except to list a couple new favorites. I also don’t limit myself to one book per answer if there are two or three that are a perfect fit.

Number of Books You Read: 187

Number of Re-Reads: 13

Genre You Read The Most From: Literary fiction and mysteries

1. Best Books You Read In 2019?

Classics — North and South
Historical Fiction — Daisy Jones and the Six and Where the Crawdads Sing

Mystery — The ABC Murders and The Inspector Gamache series 

Literary Fiction — Once Upon a River, The Dutch House, and The River

Nonfiction — Educated, I'd Rather Be Reading, Just Mercy, From Scratch, Becoming, Garlic and Sapphires, and Being Mortal 

Fantasy — The Starless Sea 

Play — Pericles, Witch, and Cambodian Rock Band 

YA — Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, The Royal We, The Sun is Also a Star 

Science Fiction — Recursion and The Testaments

Children’s — The Little House on the Prairie series, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore 

Graphic Novel — Kid Gloves, Here and March

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Here and Now and Then and A Court of Thorns and Roses, Chances Are...

3. Most surprising (in a good way) book you read?

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour  

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

From Scratch and The River 

5. Best series you started in 2019?

Little House on the Prairie and the Inspector Gamache series

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2019?

Peter Heller and Ruth Reichl, I read two books from each author this year and loved them all! 

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

The Royal We 

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Recursion, The River, and The Turn of the Key

9. Book You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

The Starless Sea, without a doubt!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2019?

The Lager Queen of Minnesota, The Immortalists, Time After Time, and The Dutch House

11. Most memorable character of 2019?

- Inspector Gamache 

- Maeve from The Dutch House

- Kaz from Six of Crows

- Kya from Where the Crawdads Sing 
- Sunja from Pachinko

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2019? 
The Starless Sea

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2019? 
Being Mortal

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2019 to finally read?

The Earthsea books by Ursula LeGuin 

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2019?

“The day had stretched her thin, to the point where she felt the boundary of herself dissolving into the atmosphere.” – Once Upon a River

“The last time always seems sad, but it isn’t really. The end of one thing is only the beginning of another.” – These Happy Golden Years

“Married love is in the details — The purloined plums, the casual kiss on the way out the door, the midday phone call just to say hi, the arm wrapped around your shoulders through a winter’s night. It’s not exactly happily ever after, but it’s the only place I know to find fireflies in March.” – Pitching My Tent

“Humility is a most excellent barometer,” he said, “and ought to be looked for in all those we are made to look up to.” – The Golden Tresses of the Dead

“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” – Just Mercy

“Singing a new song is like making the audience eat their spinach.” - A Dream About Lightning Bugs

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2019?

- Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics & Pesky Poltergeist: 64 pgs

- The Unexpected Everything: 560 pgs

17. Book That Shocked You The Most?

The Lost Man (the ending) and Just Mercy (our broken legal system) 

18. Favorite Couple?

- Leon and Tiffy in The Flatshare 
- Inspector Gamache and his wife
- Celine and her husband in Celine 

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of The Year?

- Meredith and her step-grandpa in The Honey Bus

- Holling and his teacher in The Wednesday Wars

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2019 From an Author You’ve Read Previously?

Once Upon a River and The Lager Queen of Minnesota 

21. Best Book You Read In 2019 That You Read Based SOLELY On A

Recommendation From Somebody Else?

The Unhoneymooners

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2019?

Sam from One True Loves

23. Best 2019 debut you read?

The Silent Patient 

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
The Starless Sea 

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

#IMomSoHard 

26. Book That Made You Cry in 2019?

Lift, a letter from a mother to her two daughters... can you blame me?

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

The Honey Bus and Dear Mrs. Bird 

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

The Big Burn, two pieces of that book really got to me. First, that Teddy Roosevelt's mother and wife died within a few hours of each other. Second, that Pulaski, a man who worked for the forest service and saved many during a forest fire, was treated horribly by the government and left destitute and dying.  

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2019?

My Lady Jane 

30. Book That Made You the Maddest?

One Day in December and Normal People 

31. Best Audiobook?
Daisy Jones and The Six

32. Best Book to Film Adaptation?
The Sun is Also a Star and Little Women

Thanks to Perpetual Page Turner for once again hosting this survey! It’s always so much fun to look at everything I read throughout the year and think about what I loved/hated. 

Photo by me.

2019 First Quarter Reading

The first three months of 2019 have been unusual for me for a couple reasons. I was asked to join a national committee that selects new plays to receive $40,000 in award money. As part of my role of the committee I read 26 plays, way more than I would normally read in a few months. 

The other thing that affected my reading is pregnancy. I'm pregnant with my second kiddo and a few preterm labor scares have led to partial bedrest, which has led to more reading. Fatigue, because of said pregnancy, has led me to reread old favorites instead of new books for most of the past month. Sometimes you just need comfort reads, so Jane Austen's Persuasion, The Night Circus, and the Harry Potter series have all made their way into my hands recently. 

I also managed to reorganize and streamline my home library (see above) before getting too far into this pregnancy. That was a huge goal of mine since the room also doubles as a play room. We got rid of a big bookcase (and lots of books!) and I'm continuing to prioritize reading and getting rid of my own books this year. 

Total Read: 62

Fiction: 27

Nonfiction: 9

Plays: 23

Graphic Novels: 3

My Favorites So Far: 

Where the Crawdads Sing: Loved this one. Set in the marshland of North Carolina, the story is part coming-of-age, part murder mystery, and part romance. From the age of 6, Kya raises herself almost completely alone in the marshes. Her love of nature and fear of the often cruel towns people isolated her. The writing is beautiful and characters like Jumpin’ and Tate give an added richness. The book is less about plot and more about Kya's journey. It reminded me of The Girl of the Limberlost.

Once Upon a River: An English pub, a bedraggled man, a storyteller, a photographer, a village nurse, a parson’s housekeeper, a couple whose toddler was kidnapped, a farmer with clever pigs, and a river; layer upon layer is added as the story unfolds. Though there seemed like a lot of disconnected threads at first, the author brings them together in the end. The characters are so well drawn. Armstrong the farmer and the nurse Rita were two of my favorites. I’d highly recommend taking time to sink in and enjoy this one. Its beautifully crafted and a wonderful yarn.

“The day had stretched her thin, to the point where she felt the boundary of herself dissolving into the atmosphere.”

Educated: This memoir has been so hyped over the past year, but it lived up to everything I heard. It reminded me of The Glass Castle, but the author's story is a unique one. She was raised by Mormon survivalists on a mountain in Idaho. I was so impressed with the way she tells her story. Despite shocking details and abuse, she's able to unfold a story that felt so visceral and real. It's easy to lose the humanity of the oppressors in a telling like that, but as a reader, I always felt that she didn't hate and resent her family in a way that would have been understandable. It's a heartbreaking story, but one that is beautifully written and so compelling.

“My life was narrated for me by others. Their voices were forceful, emphatic, absolute. It had never occurred to me that my voice might be as strong as theirs.”

“Everything I had worked for, all my years of study, had been to purchase for myself this one privilege: to see and experience more truths than those given to me by my father, and to use those truths to construct my own mind."

I'd Rather Be Reading: I adored this! It was just like chatting with a good friend about our mutual love of books. Almost everything she said reminded me of my own bookish habits and struggles. She talks about falling in love with the library, rereading old favorites, and not pushing books on others just because you think they SHOULD read them. So many of the books she cites are my favorites as well. It was short and sweet and I know I’ll read it again.

“If my real life reminds me of something I’ve read in a book, I’m reading well and I’m probably living well.”

Kid Gloves: I’ve loved following Knisley’s career in her wonderful graphic memoirs. Since I’m currently pregnant, this one was particularly perfect timing. She blends historical facts about pregnancy and childbirth with her own difficult experience. She’s honest and open about her pain and doubt. Her birth experience might have been extreme, but her pregnancy and miscarriages are all too relatable. I loved it.

“I don’t feel good. Can I have some nachos, please?”

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I've also had a few really good books that haven't quite been "favorites" but were excellent. Those include: The Word is Murder, The Dreamers, Belles on Their Toes, The Sun Is Also a Star and The Golden Tresses of the Dead (Flavia de Luce forever!)

I'm guessing the rest of the year will have a big dip in reading. That tends to happen when you have a newborn and are sleep deprived. So I'm pretty happy that this first quarter contained so many great books! 

Photos by me.