In 2019 I only read or listened to 58 books out of my goal of 75. But that doesn’t really bother me too much, since I was continually listening to or reading something. It just means I had less free time than I expected and that’s not the end of the world.
What is shocking though is that there wasn’t a single book among the 58 (besides my own – lol) that I rated with 5 stars. Does that mean I chose poorly? Am I hard to please? Are there just very few epic books out there? I think it’s a mixture of all of that.
Reading is so subjective and an author can never please all readers. Even epicly popular books like Harry Potter have their own haters. Since I read almost half the amount I did in 2018, the
odds were against me that I would find some that really blew me away.
I love a good book that resonates and makes me dream, think, or wish I had written it. Among my 2019 reads, The Cruel Prince and the sequel The Wicked King, books 1 & 2 in The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black came darn close. I’m definitely looking forward to finishing that trilogy this year.
I also enjoyed Beth Revis’ 2 book series Give the Dark My Love and Bid My Soul Farewell. The storyline really stayed with me.
I admit, I’m easily pleased, so it should come as no surprise that I rated the majority of the 58 books I read last year with 3 or 4 stars. You can find a complete list of the books I read and the ratings I gave them on my 2019 Reads list on Goodreads. Note: if I didn’t add a rating at all, it probably means I didn’t enjoy it. That doesn’t mean you won't!
Based on my poor performance in 2019 and the fact that I hope to WRITE more in 2020 – taking away from my reading time. But add back the fact that my commute to/from work may double, I think I will set my 2020 reading goal at 60 books.
How did you do in 2019? How many do you hope to read this year?
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