Over the last five years I’ve shared my reading lists with you, dear readers. Some years I’m really ambitious. Some years, like this year, I’m kinda burned out and creating a reading wish list is the furthest thing from my mind. I’m sure you can all relate.
Just for fun, here are the lists that I’ve ended up posting –
I knew 2019 was going to be a busy year. On the Goodreads Reading Challenge I only committed to reading a paltry 12 books. I’m proud to report I managed it and even better, will probably finish three more by the end of the year. Many of these books were books selected by my book club. Should you ever want to be challenged to read things you wouldn’t normally pick, being part of a book club will definitely help with that.
This year’s fiction books include:
- The Optimist’s Daughter, Eudora Welty
- When We Were Very Young, A.A. Milne
- The Tower of the Swallow, Andrzej Sapkowski
- Season of Storms, Andrzej Sapkowski
- (Reread) Ella Minnow Pea, Mark Dunn
This year’s books by people I know:
- Servant of the Crown, Melissa McShane
- The Book of Secrets, Melissa McShane
- The Hawkweed, Candace J. Thomas
- Wings of Change: Stories About Dragons, edited by Lyn Worthen (This is an anthology that I was part of this year)
This year’s non fiction books include:
- Successful Self-Publishing, by Joanna Penn
- Word Painting Revised Edition: The Fine Art of Writing Descriptively, by Rebecca McClanahan
- The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life, by Twyla Tharp
Books I’m currently working to finish:
- The Naked Ape: A Zoologist’s Study of the Human Animal, Desmond Morris
- Radical Honesty: How to Transform your Life by Telling the Truth, Brad Blanton
- Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders, Neil Gaiman
The number one book that influenced me this year was one suggested by Annie Oortman, Radical Honesty. What struck me as profound is how the author connects secrets and dishonesty to physical conditions, such as chronic pain and fatigue. Holding back from telling someone the truth, regardless of the reason, quite literally weighs you down. While I have always endeavored to be very honest, this book takes that to a new level. It encourages people to be brave enough to say how they really feel in the moment and not let things fester.
The book I disliked the most was Eudora Welty’s The Optimist’s Daughter. The story itself revolves around a daughter and her stepmother as they navigate the death of the father. My book club chose to read it because it held examples of good description. While it did have plenty of that, the story itself moved so slowly and had so many scenes that felt unnecessary, that I got super bored.
Let’s discuss!
What were the best and worst of the books you’ve read this year? I’m looking to create next years list – if you’ve got some great suggestions, send them my way.
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Jodi L. Milner, Author 