Two thousand nineteen was a great reading year for me. Honestly, it's my best reading year so far. Why? Because I read more books in 2019 than I ever have in a year before. What was that number? 52 books.
In the grand scheme of things, particularly in the world of avid readers, 52 books may not seem like that many. For me, though, it's a personal best. In 2019, I rediscovered my joy and love of reading. In the past eight years or so (basically college and my early adult working life), reading had been a struggle. It picked back up for me when I decided to train for a half marathon back in 2015, when I discovered my love of audiobooks. From then on, I slowly began to pick books up again, and each year it's built back up to what it was in my youth (what am I, 84 years old? No. No, I'm 27...). When 2019 hit the ground running, my reading appetite was ravenous, and I was ready to get some pages under my belt. I started...and never stopped. I'm not the fastest reader, but dang I'm proud of myself for these 52 books.
So, for the first time in my reading life, I'm doing a top five of 2019! I'm very excited to dive into this. So here goes!
1. Columbine, by David Cullen. You all have heard me sing the praises of this book before, and I stand by every word I've ever written about it.
2. Beneath a Scarlet Sky, by Mark Sullivan. This book is phenomenal. The true story of a young man who stands supports the resistance against Hitler and the Nazis. A heartbreaking tale of suspense and loss, beautifully woven through a novelists lens.
3. The Silence of the Girls, by Pat Barker. This book ignited my interest in Greek mythology, having never liked it much in school. Told through the eyes of the captive women during the Trojan War, it allows for a unique reading experience and gives us insight into lesser characters from these epics.
4. Every Heart a Doorway, by Seanan McGuire. I really enjoyed this entire series, actually. A YA series that follows various children through their experiences falling into new worlds and realms and how they navigate their lives going forward. McGuire is a brilliant writer with an enormous imagination.
5. The Little Shop of Found Things, by Paula Brackston. I really enjoyed this book. It basically had all of my quirky, romancy, time-hopping dreams all in one. I heard about this one during a podcast for someone coming down off an Outlander high, and I'm really glad I picked it up.
I'm obviously a fiction reader, in case you can't tell. Maybe someone will even pick up one of my top five of 2019, but even if no one does it's okay. I read a ton of newer books last year (newer, as in - not classics) and so I have resolved to read more classics in 2020. Maybe I'll even try to pick up some more non-fiction, but that might be 2021's goal, because the classics list I've got going is...intense. Think I can do it? We'll find out.
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