With my First Book of 2020 well underway, it's time to recap 2019. I've waited a little longer than usual because the last book of 2019, a strong contender for my favorites list, was not finished until New Year's Eve.
I only read 45 books this year, but had a record number of 5-star ratings. I'm not sure whether to attribute that to making better choices or becoming an easier marker... but I'll go with the former.
Nonfiction accounted for 42% of my reading this year. I read quite a few memoirs, plus three biographies of Supreme Court Justices. Unfortunately, my classics total was way down - I only read two.
I listened to a lot of audiobooks in 2019! Audiobooks account for 40% of my reading, read/listen combinations come in at 27%, while print alone is 33% of the total. It seems that whenever I start a book, I almost always try to find an audio copy.
Another statistic of note this year is that 81% of the books I read were written by women! I usually read slightly more female authors anyway, but never this many more. Do you suppose that has anything to do with all the 5-star ratings?
On to the favorites...
They are divided into fiction and nonfiction, and listed in no particular order. All of my nonfiction favorites were audiobooks this year. The fiction, except for May Sarton, were read/listen combinations. I listened to If Beale Street Could Talk.
FICTION FAVORITES
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
If Beale Street Could Talk (audio)
by James Baldwin,narrated by Bahni Turpin
Chances Are... by Richard Russo
NONFICTION FAVORITES
by Ruth Reichl, narrated by the author
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone (audio)
by Lori Gottlieb, narrated by Brittany Pressley
by Dani Shapiro, narrated by the author
Devotion: A Memoir (audio)
by Dani Shapiro, narrated by the author
A few more notables:
The funniest book I read this year was An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten. The dark humor won't suit everyone, but it was a 5-star read for me.
The saddest book I read this year is The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. I had a couple complaints, but still rated it 4.5 stars... and it has stuck with me.
Kudos to audiobooks:
There were several outstanding audiobook productions I'd like to mention. They significantly added to my overall enjoyment and reading experience, and I highly recommend listening to these titles.
- Normal People by Sally Rooney, narrated by Aoife McMahon
- My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, narrated by Adepero Oduye
- My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Et al., narrated by Linda Lavin
- memoirs narrated by the author - Save Me the Plums, Inheritance, Devotion
So that's my year in reading. I can't wait to see what 2020 brings!
What was your favorite book of 2019?
Sounds like a great year for you. I love reading these posts and 'listening' to bloggers analyze their reading. I have 4 of the books on your list unread as yet. I read Lori Gottlieb's book and considered it a favorite. Our mystery group is reading and discussing the Crawdad book for May, so I'm putting that one off for a bit. You had a lot going on in your life this last year. Good luck with everything for 2020 - mostly your reading, of course - ha!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kay. As crazy as 2019 turned out to be, it's pretty amazing that I read even 45 books. Thank God for audiobooks! I'll be curious to hear what you think of the Crawdad book. Some readers had trouble with the premise, but it worked for me.
DeleteI was surprised at how many audio books I listened to in 2019. I read 5 of the same books and loved all of them except Crawdads - for some reason that one didn't work for me like it did for most people. I'd like to read more e-books in 2020, but I say that every year and it doesn't happen. I hope 2020 is good to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteKathy - As much as I love beautiful hardcovers and paperback, I actually prefer reading ebooks. The adjustable font and backlighting make my kindle hard to resist.
DeleteVicki - Without audiobooks, my year would have been a total bust!
ReplyDeleteI loved My Sister, the Serial Killer. I had read the book so I wonder what it would have felt like to listen to it.
ReplyDeleteAthira - The narrator had the most wonderful Nigerian accent... I loved listening to her! The book was so good anyway, but that narration really elevated it to the next level.
DeleteIt seems it was. A great reading year for you, thanks for sharing your favourites!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shelleyrae. Can't wait to see what 2020 brings!
DeleteI had a great reading year too, with lots of things I loved (including The Dutch House, This Is Happiness, and Olive, Again. It was an excellent season for reading!
ReplyDeleteAmy - Had to look up This is Happiness, but it's on my to read list now. Thanks! I'll be reading Olive, Again soon.
DeleteEnjoy This Is Happiness! It's not a book where a lot happens, but the characters and community are very entertaining.
DeleteI think you have just got better at picking books you know you will like. :-) I may not have had as many five star reads as you, but I did enjoy just about everything I read and had no DNF books. So, I think that's good overall.
ReplyDeleteWhere the Crawdads Sing was quite popular this past year. I haven't read it, but it seems like everyone I know who did loved it. I am interested in reading Ann Patchett's novel.
I hope you read many more great books in 2020!
Wendy - No DNFs is pretty impressive! I should probably start tracking how many books I put aside... it's much easier for me to abandon a book that's not working for me these days. So many great books waiting. That may be part of the increase in 5-star rating, too.
DeleteYay for such a great reading year! I have got to read more nonfiction but the one book I'm most looking forward to is The Dutch House. Se glad to see that on your favorites list! Wishing you another great reading year ahead.
ReplyDeleteIliana - You're in for a treat with The Dutch House. Hope you love it as much as I did!
DeleteMy audio books were up this year too. And yes, I DO think that the extra woman added to the extra 5 star ratings! I need to see if my library has the My Own Words in audio. Fun stats.
ReplyDeletestacybuckeye
Stacy - My Own Words gets a little dry at times... I might have had a hard time getting through it in print. Linda Lavin's narration is excellent!
DeleteI generally read way more female than male authors. Glad you had so many five-star reads! I got some nonfiction recs from you in the last couple months, so I'm excited to start those, including Save Me the Plums!
ReplyDeleteAngela - I've always read more women than men, but the statistic was particularly lopsided this year... not quite sure how to interpret that. Hope you love Save Me the Plums!
DeleteThe Nickel Boys was among my Top 5 for Fiction in 2019. On your list I think I'd like to read Russo's novel Chances Are most ... and I'm curious about the Gottlieb nonfiction book which seems popular. It seems you are off to a good start in 2020.
ReplyDeleteSusan - I've seem Gottlieb's book on so many lists this year.If you can listen, I highly recommend going that route!
DeleteI requested The Dutch House yesterday. Initially I wasn't all that jazzed about it but after everyone's reviews I have changed my mind. I also have Chances Are. Almost picked it up yesterday but went with a thriller instead.
ReplyDeleteTi - Hope you love both The Dutch House and Chances Are... two of my favorite authors!
DeleteI've got Inheritance coming available on audiobook soon - can't wait now that I see it on your list.
ReplyDeleteLisa - Oooh, Inheritance is wonderful! It wasn't at all the story I was expecting. My book club in NY loved it, too. I went on to listen to two of her pervious memoirs and liked Devotion nearly as much.
DeleteFinally getting to this post of yours...
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of The Dutch House on my bookshelf and hope my book group chooses it for 2020. I've heard such wonderful things about it! I will probably listen to the audio and use the book for making notations of favorite passages. I also have a copy of The Nickel Boys on my stack. I read the first few lines and can already tell it will be a winner. Ask Again, Yes and Where the Crawdads Sing were two of my favorites in 2019, too. Great writing in both of those novels! I was not as impressed as you with As We Are Now. Can't wait to read Russo's latest. Hope I'm not in the minority for that one! I agree with you on Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. Loved that audio! It was my #1 nonfiction of the year. I've got Inheritance on my phone, ready for a listen once I finish my current book (My Oxford Year), which I'm thoroughly enjoying so far. Devotion was such a great read and one I'll return to in the future. My mom didn't care for Normal People, so I'll give it a try on audio rather than the print format.
Happy reading, my friend!
Les - Finally getting around to commenting here! The library group discussed Russo's new book and it was a popular pick. The less glowing reviews seems to come from younger women and we thought it might be a factor of age rather than gender. I also enjoyed the mystery element in the book... something new for Russo, I think.
DeleteI really think my enjoyment of Normal People was primarily due to the audio production... don't think I would have reacted as positively in print. My daughter read it and said she wished that she listened instead. The lack of quotation marks was distracting. She did follow up with Rooney's earlier novel Conversations with Friends... liked but didn't love it. I've added that one to my list.
Thanks for this, JoAnn. I've added Normal People to my Audible list.
DeleteLes - I'll be curious to hear what you think of it!
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