I set out to read 52 books in 2019. It was a lofty goal. One I wasn’t sure I could accomplish. I mean, how would I read a book EVERY week? Where would I find the time?
Answer: I put down my phone. Instead of scrolling mindlessly while in the carpool lane, at the doctor’s office, during lunch or to relax in the evening, I picked up a book. At first it was all about achieving my reading goal, but eventually it became a habit.
So much of a habit that I spent less and less time on social media, eventually walking away altogether (learn more about that journey HERE).
So much of a habit, that sinking into a book became my form of self-care.
So much of a habit that my kids even started reading more (miracle!).
I wrote all about what I learned through the experience in a blog post for Des Moines Moms Blog (link HERE), but I wanted to give everyone an update on the results of my challenge. Drum roll…….
I did it!
I read 61 books this past year. I actually hit my 52-book goal in the beginning of September and then kind of cruised through the rest of the year. (Hey, sorry. I got lured into the new fall shows and having a DVR for the first time in my adult life. And apparently I only have enough willpower to ACHIEVE a goal, but not really EXCEED a goal!)
Below is my complete reading list for the year. Don’t you love reading lists? I do. They give me all kinds of ideas for new books to try. I also did a podcast at the beginning of Summer 2019 with my top choices for a Summer Reading List. Listen HERE.
A couple of notes about my list:
My list is mostly fiction, with a few non-fiction books for good measure.
The books were mostly of the ink-and-paper variety, but I did have a few audio books thrown in, too. Those are noted.
When I discover an author I like, I devour everything they’ve written. Speaking of, here are my….
Top Five Favorite Authors from 2019
Alafair Burke
Chris Bohjalian
Lisa Gardner
Lisa Jewell
*Kristin Hannah
*Kristin Hannah may be my new favorite author. I haven’t read a book of hers that wasn’t a page-turner and didn’t move me. Still thinking about Night Road. Speaking of favorite books, here are my…
Top Five Favorite Books Of 2019
Night Road - Kristin Hannah
The Gifted School - Bruce Holsinger
Necessary People - Anna Pitoniak
Becoming - Michelle Obama
Where The Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
All of these books have two things in common:
I couldn’t put them down.
They made me think (and in some cases, I still can’t stop thinking about them).
So, after all of this, what’s next??
Well, I’m still reading. There were so many positive benefits from the challenge that I’m renewing my challenge. In fact, so I don’t coast through the last quarter of the year like I did in 2019, I’m increasing my goal to 70 books. I was going to make it 75, but that just seems crazy!
I would LOVE to have you join me! You don’t have to go for 70. Start with one book a month. Or try my good friend Neko’s book challenge that encourages you to try different types of books to mix it up.
Either way, I’d love to have reading friends along with me in the journey. Feel free to use my 2019 list as a starting point and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE send me your book recommendations. I’m gonna need a few…..like about 70 of them!
Love,
Christine’s 2019 Reading List
Nine Perfect Strangers - Liane Moriarty
The Christmas Blessing - Donna Van Liere
Where’d you go Bernadette? - Maria Semple
Hamilton: The Revolution - Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
Never Tell - Alafair Burke
All Day And A Night - Alafair Burke
Long Gone (audio) - Alafair Burke
Then She Was Gone - Lisa Jewell (audio)
A Spark Of Light - Jodi Picoult
You - Caroline Kepnes
Turtles All The Way Down - John Green
Sweet Little Lies - Caz Frear
Two By Two - Nicholas Sparks
The Child Finder - Rene Denfeld
I’ll Be Gone In The Dark - Michelle McNamara
Every Breath - Nicholas Sparks
The Immortalists - Chloe Benjamin
What Happened That Night - Sandra Brock
The Flight Attendant - Chris Bohjalian
The Sleepwalker - Chris Bohjalian
Midwives - Chris Bohjalian
Night Road - Kristin Hannah
The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris
The Neighbor - Lisa Gardner
Nothing to Prove - Jennie Allen
Live to Tell - Lisa Gardner
Inside the O’Briens - Lisa Genova
Every Note Played - Lisa Genova
The President Is Missing - Bill Clinton and James Patterson
Where The Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
Uncommon Type - Tom Hanks
Missing Molly - Natalie Barelli (audio)
All We Ever Wanted - Emily Giffin
My Year of Rest and Relaxation - Ottessa Moshfegh
If She Knew - Blake Pierce (audio)
Love You More - Lisa Gardner
Catch Me - Lisa Gardner
If She Saw - Blake Pierce (audio)
Fear Nothing - Lisa Gardner
Find Her - Lisa Gardner
Look For Me - Lisa Gardner
Necessary People - Anna Pitoniak
To The Moon And Back - Karen Kingsbury
Traces of Guilt - Dee Henderson
Threads of Suspicion - Dee Henderson
Lie to Me - JT Ellison
Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah
Stay Up With Hugo Best - Erin Somers
I Found You - Lisa Jewell (audio)
When We Were Young - Karen Kingsbury
The Third Wife - Lisa Jewell (audio)
Fly Away - Kristin Hannah
The Gifted School - Brice Holsinger
Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah
Whiskey In A Teacup - Reese Witherspoon
Night Film - Marisha Pessl
Daisy Jones and The Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid
Mrs. Everything- Jennifer Weiner
Searching for Sylvie Lee - Jean Kwok
Noel Street - Richard Held Evans
Becoming - Michelle Obama