2019 In Books

2019 In Books

Happy New Year, everyone. At the end of this year I figured I would check in with y'all the only way I know how, by talking about books. Guess we'll start with what I read, and then I'll talk to you about my favorites.

2019 was a big year, with jobs changing, school ramping up, and lots of travel. Many books were read. A total of 154 books were read by 79 different authors. A total of 55,255 pages were read, with the average book being 359 pages long. 66% of authors were female, and the author I read the most, at 16 books, was Patricia Briggs. My most read genre was romance, with fantasy coming in a close second. 

Here is a link to the complete list of books I read this year.

Fantasy

I read 42 fantasy books this year, including two phenomenal series. The first was the Darker Shade of Magic series by V.E. Schwab. Brilliant fantasy set across four different Londons, some with magic and some without. The story follows Kell, a man who can move from London to London, and Lilah, a gutter rat in Grey London, our London. This story has pirates, magical sport tournaments, and was incredibly fun and brilliant. All of V.E. Schwabs books are great, this series is great for lovers of the Lies of Locke Lamora and Mistborn.

The other fantasy series that I absolutely loved was the Discovery of Witches series by Deborah Harkness. Following Diana Bishop, a witch, as she discovers a mystery thousands of years old, and Mathew, a vampire trying to figure out who she is and why he is drawn to her. They travel across the world and back centuries to solve the question of the mysterious text she pulled out of the library. This one is for fans of Outlander, a great blend of historical, romance and fantasy.

Fiction

I read lots of amazing fiction this year, and I think my favorite is either The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller, or The Overstory, by Richard Powers. 

The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the Trojan War, told through the eyes of Patroclus. The story telling is brilliant and raw. The characters were incredibly fleshed out and the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles was incredibly beautiful. If you have any interest in Greek history or myth, or enjoyed The Red Tent or Millers other book, Circe, you should check out this book. 

The Overstory, was a fantastic book. Following several characters from their grandparents up through their trials trying to protect a stand of redwoods from logging. The characters are all extremely well written with amazingly different backgrounds, making for an immersive story with amazing impact. This book was an amazing mixture of Cloud Atlas and The Monkeywrench Gang and I highly recommend it.

History

My favorite history book that I read this year was When Women Ruled the World, by Kara Cooney. This history follows six women in ancient Egypt, the only women who possibly rose to become Pharaoh. Brilliantly written, and expertly researched, Cooney writes about these women in a way that makes them come alive, outlining the trials and tribulations they would have faced, as well as their reasons for doing so. 

Science

Science follows a large segment of books. In my data crunching I broke this segment into health, science, nature. Here I want to talk about three books. The first, Nine Pints of Blood is a health book, while The Uninhabitable Earth and Timefullness are books that examine climate science.

Nine Pints of Blood, by Rose George, follows our complicated relationship with blood. For years we weren't sure what it did, and now we use donated blood as a critical lifesaving stopgap. This book is amazing and eclectic, telling stories from the establishment of the blood bank to how period blood impacts women around the world but is seldom discussed in any meaningful way (which we really should fix. In Nepal, women and girls are forced to sleep in sheds while on their period, which is atrocious), to how the negligence by the US government during the AIDS crisis led to infection of people who rely on blood banks to survive. A fantastic read.

Timefullness, by Marcia Bjornerud, argues that we need to think more like geologists. The long view they take when examining events is critical in examining the climate crisis. Bjornerud gives a history of deep time and explains why the events happening now are not like any events that have happened before. Beautifully written in a way that anyone can understand, this book is one that I believe should be required reading in the years to come.

The Uninhabitable Earth, by David Wallace Wells, is an extremely terrifying and interesting book. Instead of examining how climate change has occurred or influenced the past, or how it will have a negative impact on the natural world it focuses on how climate change will effect us. Humans.  And not what will happen to us in one hundred years, but what is happening to us now and what will happen to us over the next ten years. Fascinating, terrifying, and necessary, another read that I highly recommend everyone should pick up.

Romance

2019 was a year of romantic reading. It was my most read genre at 43 books. I highly enjoy romance, its like candy. My favorite romantic series that I read this year was The Rules of Scoundrels, by Sarah Maclean. So fun, with well written heroines and enjoyable stories. If you've never read romance this series is an enjoyable place to start.

So that was my year in reading. I was a fantastic year, and I can't wait to see what I discover in 2020. I'm hoping to read more books off of my TBR list (its gotten a little obscene), and am looking forward to discovering many new books. If you've read any of the books above, I would love to hear what you thought of them. If you have any books that you loved that you think I would too, please comment.