2019 Wrap-up
2019.
A lot of things happened this year; I read a lot, started writing book reviews for this blog, remade the blog, started receiving ARCs, found a lot of new favorite authors and new favorite books, and got to interact with a bunch of cool authors on Instagram.
What an end to the decade!
To commemorate this year of reading and reviewing, I figured I’d put together my own version of Spotify wrapped…book version. Full of stats and facts in a fun look back at this year (in books).
Average Rating
%
Completed Goodreads Goal
Advanced Reader's Copies Recieved
Genres
Formats
New Favorite Authors
Paul Tremblay
Reading The Cabin at the End of the World was all it took to convince me to read all of Tremblay’s works, an adventure I’ll be happily continuing on in 2020.
Brandon Sanderson
Reading only one book from an author usually isn’t enough to say they’re a new favorite, but Sanderson’s writing style and surprise-ending in Warbreaker easily swayed me.
Amanda Lovelace
Poetry is not usually my forte, so if an author can convince me otherwise…it really says something. Lovelace’s Women are some Kind of Magic series definitely won my praises this year.
Taylor Jenkins Reid
I’m not the only one who has climbed aboard the TJR train this year after reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Daisy Jones and the Six, both of which won critical acclaim, adaptations, and my approval.
Best Books of The Year
Best Graphic Novel
Saga Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
My new favorite graphic novel of all time, this little volume packs a punch with witty dialogue, original and multi-layered characters, a compelling conflict, and a sprawling setting (which is only given a glimpse in this first installment). The art style and smart use of space and typography made my graphic-novel-loving nerdy side come out and live its best life.
Best Adult Fantasy
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Finally an adult fantasy with a vast world, an original magic system, complex and compelling characters, but without any of the pretentious and convoluted writing style so many in the genre take on. Plus, an ending that still rocks me to my core when I think about it.
Best Adult Historical Fiction
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Never before have I felt like a fictional character was so real until I found Evelyn Hugo. This masterpiece of historical fiction depicting life as an actress in the 50’s is full of everything I want in a book; shocking surprises, romances to root for, morally grey characters, and hard-hitting topics. Plus, this book is one of the few this year that succeeded in making me emotional.
Best YA Historical Fiction
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Monty is a character I could follow to the ends of the earth…even if he might be utterly pretentious, somewhat offensive, and mildly irritating. The adventures that he, his sister, and best friend (crush?!) go on are full of excitement, humor, and a sprinkling of steamy romance.
Best Poetry
the witch doesn’t burn in this one by Amanda Lovelace
Poetry is not usually what I reach for, but Lovelace might have changed my mind. Delving into numerous hard topics in a modern style rife with allusions to familiar fairytale troupes, this collection of poetry spoke to my soul.
Best Thriller
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
For a thriller to wow me, I need to be surprised, and the ending of this book definitely did that for me. Not only that, but the main character, although unreliable and obviously flawed, was fleshed out so well that she seemed familiar to me from the first chapter.
Best Suspense
The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
I went into this book expecting a thriller and got a work of literary fiction, an exploration of humanity, and a great example of writing craft. This story is shocking, thought-invoking, and incredibly smart…but the more blindly you go into it, the better off you’ll be.
Best YA Contemporary
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Perhaps one of the most relevant stories of our decade, this book deserves all the praises it has gotten. Following the story of a girl who has just witnessed her friend killed at the hands of a cop, this book covers so very many important topics without being too obvious or dumbed-down and created characters that felt real enough to break my heart.
Best Short Story Collection
Wake, Siren by Nina Maclaughlin
Poetic descriptions and elegant writing abound in this collection of feminist retellings featuring figures from Ovid’s classic collection. This one takes on some heavy topics, but it’s worth the hardship to see what Maclaughlin can do with voice and modernizing ancient stories.
Best Horror
The Troop by Nick Cutter
I’ve read (and watched) enough horror that it takes a lot to make me squirm, but this story about a boy scout troop stuck on an island when a clearly-ill man rows ashore made my skin crawl plenty of times. Stephen King vibes abound, but much more enjoyable (perhaps not the best word for the genre…) than any King I’ve read recently.
Best Non-Fiction
Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan
Cahalan’s story about her month of insanity is real-life terror. Her abilities as a journalist certainly shine through in how well researched this story is, despite Cahalan being unable to remember much of it at all.
Lowest Rated Reads
Don’t Forget Me by B.C. Schiller
This translated thriller about a cold case come up again was so predictable and unoriginal that it felt like a chore every time I picked it up.
Coral by Sara Ella
A re-telling of the classic Little Mermaid story this book had the bones to be great but fell very much short in the execution. The plot was difficult to follow, the characters impossible to connect to, and the inclusion of suicide and suicidal ideations as central plot points seemed to go against everything the author was trying to speak about.
Plans for 2020
2020 Goodreads Reading Goal
Read at least 20 Advanced Reader’s Copies and reach a Netgalley feedback score of 80%.
One new book review a week.
Focus on reading a variety of genres, formats, and publications years (new and backlist titles).
20 Books to Read in 2020
(click to learn more!)
How did your 2019 reading year go and what are your 2020 bookish resolutions?
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