What I Read in 2019 (and a reading goal for the New Year)
At the end of 2018, I made the decision to be a bit more intentional and organized with my personal reading in the coming year. I had grown up a voracious reader and being bookish was the childhood identity that felt the most comfortable.
But, adulthood has a way of crowding out passions and joyful pursuits for more “practical” tasks (showing up to work on time, keeping children alive, cleaning baseboards). I’ve had seasons of life during the past decade or so where my reading life has been lackluster.
On the other hand, working, grad school and parenting forced me to broaden my horizons to include more nonfiction and less regency romance. So, not a total loss.
Anyway, I found myself wanting a more consistent reading routine. I also wanted a way to keep track of what I wanted to read and what I had read. I started by making a list of a few titles I wanted to read throughout the year. I also committed to documenting my reading each month.
The results were positive(ish). I was definitely more intentional in 2019. I averaged 2-3 books a month. I was mostly successful in keeping track of what I read. Although, I know I read more in September and October than I documented.
I thought I’d share the list of what I read in 2019. I’m not including the vast majority of what I read to/with my kids. I’m also not including a few books that I only started. I’ve been better about letting go of the guilt associated with not finishing a book. When it doesn’t “spark joy”, I just let it go.
At the end, I’m sharing my top 5 reading moments at the end of the post, for posterity and as a little motivation for 2020.
What I Read in 2019
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Violent Bear it Away by Flannery O’Conner
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doeer
33 Days to Morning Glory by Michael E. Giatley
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
Girl Wash Your Face (reread) by Rachel Hollis
The Enchanted Hour by Meghan Cox Gurdon
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Outlander (reread) by Diana Gabaldon
Girl Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
My Father Left Me Ireland by Michael Brendan Dougherty
One Beautiful Dream by Jennifer Fulwiler
I am Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
Murder on the Orient Express (reread) by Agatha Christi
Educated by Tara Westover
Audiobooks
The Magician’s Nephew
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
A Few Read Alouds
Charlotte’s Web
Stewart Little
Little House in the Big Woods
The Boxcar Children (books 3-6)
As I said, the above lists aren’t definitive, but it’s a pretty accurate snapshot of my reading year. All in all, I consider 2019 a great success in reading. I reread a few old favorites, crossed a few long-neglected classics off my list, and finally caught up on a few “must-reads.”
I’m not sure that I could pick my top 5 books of the past year (OK, I probably could). But there were a few reading moments that stuck out as highlights:
1. After years of hearing how wonderful Kristin Lavransdatter was from every Catholic blogger on the internet, I finally jumped in. At over 1100 pages, it was an epic in every sense of the word. The story was, as promised wonderful. But, it took a few weeks to process all of what I had read before I realized how impactful the book was. There just aren’t very many literary portrayals of grown women as nuanced as Kristin.
2. It’s hard to call yourself bookish or write about the importance of family reading having never read any of the Chronicles of Narnia series. I’m not sure how I managed to make it as long as I did without having read the books. To be honest, I felt a bit like a literary fraud. Like a person who loves movies and has never seen The Godfather. We listened to the series (6 of 7 books) on audiobook as a family throughout the summer. The stories and characters were just as lovely as I expected.
3. I’ve written about The Enchanted Hour before. In fact, it was so impactful, it resulted in a 4 part blog series on building a family reading culture. It was defiantly my top nonfiction read of the year.
4. I read a few chapter books to my youngest this year (in addition to our usual storybook reading). It’s always special to share a beloved book with your child for the first time. It’s peak nostalgia in the best possible way. I grew up loving Little House in the Big Woods and remember reading it to my oldest years ago. I wasn’t sure how it would land with my youngest, but I’m happy to say it was a hit!
5. I read some stellar books this year (Hannah Coulter, Where the Crawdads Sing, Educated), but I think All the Light We Cannot See tops the list. It was just perfect. Great historical fiction, amazing characters, beautiful storylines, etc. It won the Pulitzer when it was first published in 2015 and I can see why. A beautiful and haunting book.
I’m hoping 2020 proves to be as successful as 2019 was in terms of reading. I’m setting a very stretch goal of 52 books this year. I’m including audiobooks and any chapter books I read to my kids in the total. Less than two weeks in, and I’m already a bit behind in terms of averaging one book a week. Oh well, plenty of reading time left!
