2019 on Goodreads

Top Reads of 2019These are all the (new) reads from 2019 that got 4.5 stars or higher from me.1) [b:Tiamat's Wrath 28335698 Tiamat's Wrath (The Expanse, #8) James S.A. Corey https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522779721l/28335698.SY75.jpg 48382890] - 5 Stars - (My Review)2) [b:Underlord 40502274 Underlord (Cradle, #6) Will Wight https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549953283l/40502274.SY75.jpg 62830100] - 5 Stars - (My Review)3) [b:The Burning White 30169100 The Burning White (Lightbringer, #5) Brent Weeks https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533264732l/30169100.SY75.jpg 50608625] - 5 Stars - (My Review)4) [b:The WoW Diary: A Journal of Computer Game Development 42594746 The WoW Diary A Journal of Computer Game Development John Staats https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562512607l/42594746.SX50.jpg 66288030] - 5 Stars - (My Review)5) [b:The Liar's Key 22852698 The Liar's Key (The Red Queen's War, #2) Mark Lawrence https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415906270l/22852698.SY75.jpg 42416602] - 4.5 Stars - (My Review)6) [b:Ship of Smoke and Steel 34618380 Ship of Smoke and Steel (The Wells of Sorcery, #1) Django Wexler https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526961717l/34618380.SY75.jpg 55772540] - 4.5 Stars - (My Review)For the rest of my review here's the report generated by my GoodReads Parser Application and some general comments about the numbers. ^_^***** Yearly Report ****Year: 2019Total Books: 75Total Backlog Books: 32 (42.67%)Rereads: 4 (5.33%)My reading dropped off quite a bit in 2019. This is for a few reason. I've gotten back into gaming a lot more than I have in past years. I've also cut back my bike riding a bit (I was overdoing it). In general too I was just less interested in reading and found myself listening to music or reading a news article where normally I'd be listening to an audio book or reading a book.I've decided my years of pushing myself to read constantly are over. It was fun for awhile, but now it feels like work. I've fallen behind on my reviews several times and just don't feel motivated to catch back up most of the time.On the plus side I really worked down my backlog this year. Nearly half of my reads were stuff I already owned.I suspect my reading in 2020 will drop a bit further, but I'm ok with it. I'm sure the books I do read will be that much better since I'm not in such a rush to do as many as I can anymore.****** Format Breakdown ******Total AUDIO_BOOK Count: 46 (61.33%)Total BOOK Count: 4 (5.33%)Total EBOOK Count: 9 (12.00%)Total GRAPHIC_NOVEL Count: 16 (21.33%)Despite the drop off in my overall reading my percentages remained about the same. I'm doing about 60% in audio and 20% graphic novels so only 20% are books I'm reading with my eyeballs. ******* Genre Breakdown ******Total FANTASY Count: 51 (68.00%)Total MYSTERY Count: 4 (5.33%)Total NONFICTION Count: 4 (5.33%)Total SCIFI Count: 16 (21.33%)Hey look I read a lot of fantasy and a fair bit of Sci-Fi. I kept that line from my previous reviews, because it continues to be very true every year. Despite my attempts to read more other genres I had another big spike in fantasy again. This is partially due to all the graphic novels I read being primarily fantasy based stuff. Unlike past years I didn't read any Thrillers although I did read a few mysteries instead. I have several non-fiction books on my backlog so hoping to keep plugging those in between SFF reads in 2020.******** Author Gender Breakdown ********Total MALE Count: 56 (74.67%)Total FEMALE Count: 19 (25.33%)My ratio is about 1% worse than last year, and still pretty unbalanced. I'm still not necessarily looking for a 50% balance, but it'd be nice to get it closer. ** Ratings ****Average Rating: 3.8Total 2 Count: 3 (4.00%)Total 3 Count: 14 (18.67%)Total 4 Count: 53 (70.67%)Total 5 Count: 5 (6.67%)My average rating continues to be about a 3.8 compared to 2018. Percentage wise I'm still at about a 4% on books I didn't enjoy much. Unlike years past 2/3 of my 2 star reads were ones I picked out myself.My percentage of 5 star reads is also down. I only added 4 new books to the mix, the other was from a re-read of [b:Heir of Novron 44777327 Heir of Novron (The Riyria Revelations, #5-6) Michael J. Sullivan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554303044l/44777327.SY75.jpg 16022532]. I didn't have that many 4.5 star reads either. Still plenty of 4 star reads which continue to be the typical rating I give my books, so generally happy with my book selection.Years Published:Total 1968 Count: 1 (1.33%)Total 1972 Count: 1 (1.33%)Total 1980 Count: 1 (1.33%)Total 1984 Count: 1 (1.33%)Total 1986 Count: 1 (1.33%)Total 1989 Count: 2 (2.67%)Total 1991 Count: 1 (1.33%)Total 1992 Count: 1 (1.33%)Total 1993 Count: 1 (1.33%)Total 2007 Count: 1 (1.33%)Total 2008 Count: 2 (2.67%)Total 2009 Count: 2 (2.67%)Total 2010 Count: 3 (4.00%)Total 2011 Count: 2 (2.67%)Total 2012 Count: 3 (4.00%)Total 2013 Count: 2 (2.67%)Total 2014 Count: 4 (5.33%)Total 2015 Count: 2 (2.67%)Total 2016 Count: 2 (2.67%)Total 2017 Count: 1 (1.33%)Total 2018 Count: 14 (18.67%)Total 2019 Count: 27 (36.00%)Decade Published:Total 1960 Count: 1 (1.33%)Total 1970 Count: 1 (1.33%)Total 1980 Count: 5 (6.67%)Total 1990 Count: 3 (4.00%)Total 2000 Count: 5 (6.67%)Total 2010 Count: 60 (80.00%)Most of my reading continues to come from books published since 2010, and a good number (27) of my total were published in 2019. Only about 4% of the books I read were published before I was born.Additional Stats:Number of Books: 29Total Pages: 7306Total From Backlog: 14Longest Book: [b:Seven Blades in Black 40389431 Seven Blades in Black (The Grave of Empires, #1) Sam Sykes https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1536228116l/40389431.SY75.jpg 62700695] by [a:Sam Sykes 3252210 Sam Sykes https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1320698169p2/3252210.jpg] - 704 pagesShortest Book: [b:The Boys, Volume 3: Good For The Soul 4184715 The Boys, Volume 3 Good For The Soul Garth Ennis https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353827662l/4184715.SY75.jpg 4232030] by [a:Garth Ennis 14965 Garth Ennis https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1242438038p2/14965.jpg] - 206 pagesAverage Pages: 251.93Number of Books (Excluding Graphic Novels): 13Total Pages (Excluding Graphic Novels): 4683Average Pages (Excluding Graphic Novels): 360.23Number of Audiobooks: 46Total Audio Hours: 750Total From Backlog: 18Longest Book: [b:The Burning White 30169100 The Burning White (Lightbringer, #5) Brent Weeks https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533264732l/30169100.SY75.jpg 50608625] by [a:Brent Weeks 1370283 Brent Weeks https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1232012513p2/1370283.jpg] - 39 hoursShortest Book: [b:Artificial Condition 36223860 Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2) Martha Wells https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505590203l/36223860.SY75.jpg 56357518] by [a:Martha Wells 87305 Martha Wells https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1397566224p2/87305.jpg] - 3 hoursAverage Hours: 16.3Overall not my best year of reading, but still an enjoyable one. There are some big reads I'm looking forward to in 2020, so even if my reading continues to decline I'm sure it will be great too.

This was a great reading year for me. My average rating across all my 2019 reads was 3.6, and my average for the Popsugar challenge was 3.8.

Lessons learned:
- I reinforced that I shouldn't force myself to read something I'm not enjoying
- Using a challenge to slightly expand my scope is good, but so is bending prompts to fit things I already want to read
- Anthologies are usually uneven, but the best stories are worth reading the book for
- In addition to Weird Fiction and Science Fiction, my genre jams include Gothic Fiction, Reimagined Folktales, Feminist Comic Books, and the admittedly narrow Post-Apocalypse Reconstruction Murder Mystery
- If in doubt, re-read Jane Austen

Five-Star Books:
Fingersmith
All Systems Red
Artificial Condition
The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft
The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Supernatural Enhancements
The Visible Filth
Pride & Prejudice
The Language of Thorns
Bitch Planet #2
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Papergirls, vol 1-6

Top 10 Fiction:
10. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler, by E.L. Konigsburg
9. The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum
8. Thief of Corinth, by Tessa Afshar
7. Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
6. The Enchanted Sonata, by Heather Dixon Wallwork
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling
4. And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie
3. The Warden and the Wolf King, by Andrew Peterson
2. Saving Amelie, by Cathy Gohlke
1. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Top 10 Nonfiction:
10. The Road Back to You, by Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile
9. The Strength You Need, by Robert J. Morgan
8. Disappointment with God, by Philip Yancey
7. The Next Right Thing, Emily P. Freeman
6. God's Smuggler, by Brother Andrew
5. Take Back Your Time, by Morgan Tyree
4. Remember God, by Annie F. Downs
3. The Jesus I Never Knew, by Philip Yancey
2. Brave is the New Beautiful, by Lee Wolfe Blum
1. Grace for the Good Girl, by Emily P. Freeman

Let's look back on my 2019 reading year! I used an older end of the year book tag, so it will be less chaotic. :pWithout further ado, let's begin. 2019 WRAP-UPBest book I read in 2019?I have to go with [b:Skyward 36642458 Skyward (Skyward, #1) Brandon Sanderson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531845177l/36642458.SY75.jpg 58411143] by Brandon Sanderson. It was my first time reading something by Sanderson and this one was on my shelves since it was released. I finally picked it up last year and I fell in love with his writing style and the characters he created inside Skyward. (Deffo picking up Starsight this year).Book I was excited about and thought I was going to love more, but I didn't?[b:Wildcard 29386918 Wildcard (Warcross, #2) Marie Lu https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526376554l/29386918.SX50.jpg 49635633] by Marie Lu. I really really thought I would love the sequel, since I ADORED Warcross, but alas, I really disliked book two. It was boring in my opinion and I didn't care about the characters anymore. It felt like the book had a drastic cast change which wasn't great. Most surprising (in a bad or good way) book I read?One book immediatly came to my mind when I was thinking of a book that surprised me in a bad way .. UNPOPULAR OPINION COMING, BEWARE. I'm talking about [b:The Cruel Prince 26032825 The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1) Holly Black https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574535986l/26032825.SY75.jpg 45959123] by Holly Black. In my opinion this book was very troublesome. As a reader you're introduced to some very toxic characters, like Cardan. Cardan acted like such a little child. Can't stand him at all. For over 75% of The cruel prince nothing happens. It's just boring. I feel like it's way too hyped ....Book I pushed people to read the most?Defininetly [b:Scythe 28954189 Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1) Neal Shusterman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456172676l/28954189.SY75.jpg 49179216], [b:Thunderhead 33555224 Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, #2) Neal Shusterman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505658534l/33555224.SY75.jpg 54332060] and [b:The Toll 43822024 The Toll (Arc of a Scythe, #3) Neal Shusterman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558117336l/43822024.SY75.jpg 59222476] by Neal Shusterman. I LOVED Scythe when I first read it in December 2018. I'm recommending The arc of a Scythe series to so many people when they ask me what to read. One of my best friends has it on his TBR, because I pushed him to read it :'). Best series I read in 2019?The whimiscal [b:Strange the Dreamer 29748925 Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1) Laini Taylor https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1459436163l/29748925.SY75.jpg 48158509] by Laini Taylor. I had Strange the dreamer on my shelf since I got it in my Fairloot in March 2017. So I put it off for TWO years, because it's such a big book and I felt intimidated by it. wasn't an easy read. The writing style is very whimsical and it takes some time getting used to it, but after fifty pages I fell in love with the strange story of Lazlo. Favourite new author I discovered in 2019?Leigh Bardugo! I feel so ashamed to admit that I've read the Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows duology for the first time in 2019!!! I did love them, great characters and I absolutely adore the setting of the books!Best book from a genre I don't typically read?In 2019 I've read books I had to read for school. I had this literature list I had to follow (35 books), so with some of them I was definitely out of my comfort zone! From my reading list I enjoyed [b:Jij bent van mij 39723057 Jij bent van mij Peter Middendorp https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522927827l/39723057.SY75.jpg 61402426] by Peter Middendorp. This book follows the perspective of a guy who's a murderer and a rapist, but doesn't think he is. It was such an interesting book to read. It definitely was scaring me, but I highly recommend this one. (Jij bent van mij (You are mine) is only available in Dutch and German).Favourite cover of a book I read in 2019?[bc:Aurora Rising 46026495 Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1) Amie Kaufman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558982648l/46026495.SY75.jpg 50493990] Most memorable character of 2019?Thomas Cresswell! The character in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series who stole my heart from book one. I do have to say that he was even more fabulous in [b:Hunting Prince Dracula 33784373 Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper, #2) Kerri Maniscalco https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1489420853l/33784373.SX50.jpg 50890346]. He's for sure the character that stayed with me. Book that shocked me the most? [b:The Wave 481743 The Wave Todd Strasser https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320402950l/481743.SY75.jpg 840805] by Todd Strasser. I've seen the movie Die Welle many many times and it scared me so much. The book was amazing. It captivates you from page one and it doesn't let you go long after you've finished the book. I still can't believe this book is based on true events!!!Book that made me (almost) cry?[b:Aurora Rising 46026495 Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1) Amie Kaufman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558982648l/46026495.SY75.jpg 50493990] by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Some things happen in this book which made me cry so hard! ;-; (I still love every single bit in this book).Sequel I'm most anticipating in 2020?[b:The Winds of Winter 12111823 The Winds of Winter (A Song of Ice and Fire, #6) George R.R. Martin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1465341854l/12111823.SY75.jpg 6570035] by George R. R. Martin! Probably just some high hopes by me, but I really hope this one is getting published this year!!! ;-;Book I'm most anticipating in 2020?[b:Chain of Gold 17699853 Chain of Gold (The Last Hours, #1) Cassandra Clare https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571379245l/17699853.SY75.jpg 19212510] by Cassandra Clare! It's about the children of two of my favourite characters from the entire Shadowhunter chronicles, WHAT ELSE DO I WANT?So this was my wrap-up! I've read 103 books in total in 2019, which is the most I've ever read in a year :3. How was your reading year?