And in case you're wondering, that's 16,601 pages read!
I had moments where I would finish one book and start another. Then I had moments where I didn't read anything for a month. I have no real rhyme or reason with what, how, and when I read.
I love having the Nook App on my phone because that means I can read at any time. Waiting for a dr. appt...I can read.
So here we are in 2020 and I have a LIST of books I want to read. At the end of the day, I love reading. If I hit my goal, Great! If I don't, so be it.
As a review, here's what I read in 2019 with my opinions on each book.
Let's start with my favorites. Only two that really rose to the top as far as favorites. I read these two one right after another and both of them were so good I've tried to share the word to anyone who would listen.
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes (5+stars - that's how good it was) - This book! I can't even begin to tell you what a wonderful book this was. It's set in WWII and present day. It bounces between a story of two women. You don't fully understand why until towards the end of the book. It's written brilliantly and it comes together so well. I'd reread this book for sure.
Echoes by Maeve Binchy (5+ stars) - I've read a couple of her books and each on stayed with me for a bit. This book stayed with me. In fact, it stayed with me so much when I finished reading it, the next day I wondered what the characters were doing. I fell in love with the characters and the story. Set in Ireland, which I love, it's a story of life in a small town, love, and how people try to avoid their destinies.
Next, the books from the book club, Vines & Spines. We've read some good ones this year, and we've read some duds. I rank my books in stars 0-4 with 4 being great and zero being don't bother.
Bold spirit "Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America by Linda Lawrence Hunt (0 stars) - Not my favorite. It's interesting from a historical perspective, but meh.
Boy Erased by Garrand Conley (1 star) - This was my selection. I thought it would be way more interesting than it was. The only interesting part to me was that people are crazy enough to think conversion therapy works.
Daughters of the Night Sky by Aimie K. Runyah (2 stars) - This book is about the women pilots in WWII. The history was interesting, the story was ok, the ending, not so great.
Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce (1 star) - I had to look up what this book was even about. Guess that tells you how much I liked it.
Glory Over Everything: Beyond the Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom (3 stars) - Last year we read The Kitchen House and this year we read the sequel. Great book. Great writing. The two are a good read.
How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents by Julia Averez (1 star) - Again, another book that was just meh for me. What was interesting about this book is the look at how immigrants have to deal with life in America.
The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman (4 stars) - Probably one of my all time favorites that we've read in book club. Such good writing, such a good story. Sad, happy, thoughtful, it had everything.
Love and Ruin by Paula McLain (4 stars ) - One of the first years of book club we read the Paris Wife about one of Ernest Hemmingway's wives. This book is about one of his other wives. I've gotta say, he was quite a cad. This, however, was a great book. The Paris Wife was one of my favorites for sure and this one was yet another favorite.
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James (4 stars) - This was my pick for January 2020 actually but I read it in December 2019. If you like mysteries, this is the book for you. Not at all gruesome or violent - but a mystery all the same.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (0 stars) - I had high hopes for this book because I'm a fan of fantasy and futuristic stories. The TV show looked interesting too. Yet this book just didn't hit the mark for me.
The Long Winter by Laura Ingle Wilder (2 stars) - This is book 6 of the Little House on the Prairie series. I loved that TV show in the 80's but never read a book of hers. Over all this one wasn't great for me. The LONG Winter just went on and on and on. What was interesting is reading and understanding how people survived back then.
The Silent Wife by Kerry Fisher (2 star) - Yet another I had to look up to see what it was about but once I did I remembered I liked this book. Also a mystery and an easy read.
And lastly...
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (0 star) - Mrs. Braspir decided since we had read two books about his wives we should read one of his books. I wasn't a fan of him in high school and I thought maybe as an adult I'd like him more. Nope! Still don't like his writing. Still don't have a clue what this book is about.
I read two young adult books, or what I consider young adult books, this year.
Paper Towns by John Green (2 stars) - I loved Fault in our Stars so I figured I'd probably love other books by him. This book was good. Interesting. I got a bit tired of one of the main characters, but overall a good, quick read.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (2 stars) - I wish I could tell you how I came across this book. I usually know how books come into my life, but this one I don't have a clue. It's about a high school girl that is an outcast because she called the cops on a high school party. She becomes so isolated she stops speaking all together. In her art class she finds a way to face what happened at the party...she was raped. She begins to heal when she runs into the guy again. This book hits a home run with regards to what high schoolers have to deal with in today's world.
The rest of the books are romance, sci-fi, fantasy, and other...
One self help book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0. Had to read it for a Leadership Foundation Class. Good book. Got some good pointers out of it.
Books by Lynsay Sands - she's one of my favorite authors. Usually writing about vampires.
- A Lady in Disguise
- Bliss
- Sweet Revenge
- The Wrong Highlander: Highland Brides
The Callaway Series by Barbar Freethy - New author for me this year. These are the typical romance books. Boy meets girl. They fall in love. There's an issue. They resolve it. They live happily ever after.
- On a Night Like This (Callaways #1)
- So This is Love (Callaways #2)
- Falling for a Stranger (Callaways #3)
- Between Now and Forever (Callaways #4)
- Bird of Paradise
- Born Prophesy #1 – Fireborn
- Born Prophesy #2 - Starborn
- Dragon Unbound (Dragon Falls #3.5)
- Cassie Scot #1 - Cassie Scot
- Cassie Scot #2 - Secrets and Lies
- Cassie Scot #3 - Mind Games
- Cassie Scot #4 - Stolen Dreams
- Cassie Scot #5 - Madison's Song
- Cassie Scot #6 - Kaitlin's Tale
- Cassie Scot #7 – Frozen
- Forever My Girl by Heidi McLaughin
- Midnight on the River Grey by Abigail Wilson
- Chronicles of the One #1 - Year One by Nora Roberts
- Chronicles of the One #2 - Of Blood and bone by Nora Roberts
- City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments Series #2) by Cassandra Clare
- Diary of the White Witch by Melissa de la Cruz
- Shades of Wicked (Nicht Rebel #1) by Jeaniene Frost
- Deadman's Cross #1 - Deadmen Walking by Sherrilyn Kenyon
- The League #10 - Born of Vengeance by Sherrilyn Kenyon
- Cloak and Silence (Maris from the League) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
- Upon the Midnight Clear (Dream-Hunter Series #2) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
- When I fall in Love by Wendy Lindstrom
Temptation's Darling by Johanna Lindsey - Johanna Lindsey has been one of my favorite authors since college. She writes historical romances and I just love all her books and her characters. She died in October 2019 and that makes me sad. No more new books from her.
So yah. I read a wide variety of types of books. Book club makes me read genres I don't normally read, so that's good. But when I want to read quick, I fall into a book from my favorite authors or romance. Now..If you'll excuse me I have 50 books to read by Dec 31, 2020.
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