I read 86 books this year.

17 were published in 2019 and 17 in 2018.

64 were fiction, 22 were non-fiction.

Of those fiction 27 were authors new to me.

48 women authors, 36 men and 1 both.

33 were audio books. (I think that’s a record!)

Favorite Cover

I continued with 11 series (Lucas Davenport #28 & #29, Mrs. Pollifax #11 & #12, Kinsey Millhone F & G, Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence # 2 & #3, Blue Heron #5, Inspector Rebus #2, #3 & #4, Ravenels #4 & #5, Lincoln Rhyme #13 & #14, Cormoran Strike #4, Robert Langdon #5, Me Before You #3)

I tried 9 new series books (not sure what I’ll continue with at this point).

I read 9 books for the Classics Club (Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, I Had Seen Castles by Cynthia Rylant, Sarah, Plain and Tallby Patricia MacLachlan, The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon,The Giver by Lois Lowry, Animal Farm by George Orwell, Washington Square by Henry James, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum,The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Expury)

I read two books first published in the 1800’s – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 1865 and Washington Square in 1880

Shortest book – Sound Bites by Aaron Broadstreet, 44 pages

Longest book – Lethal White by Robert Galbaith, 656 pages

Most read authors with 3 each, Ian Rankin and Maria Shriver.

My 5 Favorite Books

Becoming by Michelle Obama. “Michelle Obama was a normal, yet accomplished young woman with a lucrative career and two Ivy League degrees when she was introduced to a hot shot intern who would change her life forever.  She is real and warm and selfless in so many ways.  I always respected her strength as first lady and was happily surprised to have her exceed any expectation I placed on her.”

A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne. “This is one of those novels with a main character so horribly delicious that it makes you want to look away.  It may even force you to shut the book and put it down for awhile, but you keep glancing at it and eventually you pick it back up and steel yourself for some ugly happenings.  Okay, maybe that was just me.  The storytelling for this book was just so good.  Love or hate the main character of Maurice, you have to revel in the way his story unfolds, first through the voices of those he had wronged and then through his.”

  The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary.   “Tiffy was a ray of sunshine, but was healing from a breakup, hoping it wasn’t permanent.  Leon had a girlfriend who took it upon herself to screen the girl that would be sharing his flat, but couldn’t muster sympathy for his imprisoned brother.  The two, never in the apartment at the same time, communicated by post-it note.”

The Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah.  “The story starts with bickering sisters Meredith and Nina, nothing too different than other stories I’ve read, but then their father takes ill and it’s important they’re all together.  This is also when we start hearing about the cold mom, Anya, who seemed to dislike both girls growing up.  As the three women must help each other, the story of Anya’s life in Russia takes center stage.  Her story drew me in and kept me turning the pages as fast as I could.  It was that good.  The sisters faded into the background for me as I read in horror the things that Anya faced.”

 Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. “He is a Vietnam monk who coined the phrase ‘engaged Buddhism’.  Engaged Buddhism refers to Buddhists who are seeking ways to apply the insights from meditation practice and dharma teachings to situations of social, political, environmental and economic suffering and injustice. (wikipedia)  Because of his peaceful protest belief he influenced Martin Luther King Jr. during the Vietnam War and was actually nominated by King for the Nobel Peace Prize that year.”