2019 Reading Wrap-Up and Favorites

Hello, all!

I'm a huge fan of GoodReads. I've only been using it for about 2 years or so, but everything about it is so convenient: you can add books that you want to read, keep a record of those you have read, rate and review books, and even browse lists of upcoming releases. I always love setting my GoodReads goal every year, and I thought it might be fun to go over this year's Reading Challenge.

I tend to set my reading goal on the lower side because I feel like if it's too high I might be setting myself up to fail. This year I went with 50, and as you can see, I sorta went a bit over that which really surprised me. This was easily my most productive reading year I think I've ever had, and I'm gonna say that was mostly due to getting more into audio books. I'm allowed to keep headphones in while I work, so I really took advantage of that. By doing so, and also reading a physical book, I would get through anywhere from 2-4 books a week. I'm also a fairly quick reader which helped bump up my reading count. I'm also going to list out my favorite reads for this year as well, which was a bit tough since I loved so many! Without any further ado, let's take a look:

I had a nice mix of newer reads and re-reads this year. As much as I enjoy discovering a new book or series to love, there's nothing that makes me happier than revisiting a world and characters that are so familiar to me. I definitely thought my average rating would've been a bit higher though cause I felt I read a lot more 4/5 stars this year.

Speaking of high ratings, let's move on to some of my favorites this year. I keep a bookish bullet journal, and at the end of each month I picked my favorite read, so here are 12 that really stood out to me:

1. Circe- Madeline Miller: I grew up obsessed with Greek mythology, and this was such a phenomenal take on this famous sorceress's story.
2. The Name of the Wind- Patrick Rothfuss: I don't know why it took me so long to read this, but I was completely sucked into Kvothe's story from the very first page.
3. Daisy Jones & The Six- Taylor Jenkins Reid: The hype surrounding this book is so real and so so worth it.
4. The Unhoneymooners- Christina Lauren: This was the first Christina Lauren book I'd ever read, and proceeded to binge them for the rest of the year. Talk about swoon-worthy.
5. Soul of the Sword- Julie Kagawa: This was the sequel to Shadow of the Fox and the whole series just gives me such anime-Studio Ghibli vibes and I'm here for it.
6. My Best Friend's Exorcism- Grady Hendrix: If you ever wanted to know what The Exorcist would be like if John Hughes wrote it, look no further.
7. Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating- Christina Lauren: Like I said, I binged a whooooole lot of their books, and I loved each one.
8. Well Met- Jen DeLuca: Enemies to lovers set at the Ren Faire? Sign 👏 me 👏 up.
9. Capturing the Devil- Kerri Maniscalco: I love the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, and thought this was such a solid ending to it.
10. Serpent & Dove- Shelby Mahurin: Another enemies to lover story I couldn't get enough of, but this time involving a witch who has to marry a witch hunter and all the shenanigans that ensues.
11. The Bromance Book Club- Lyssa Kay Adams: It was so refreshing to see a chick lit book written from the guys perspective, and Gavin was so charming.
12. The Girls with No Names- Serena Burdick: A really gritty, grimy look at two girls and the hardships they face in a home for wayward girls in 1910's New York which was so heartwarming yet heartbreaking at the same time.

Lemme know how your reading went this year, and if you had any favorites that stuck out!