2019 Wrap-Up

I can’t believe another year has gone, and i’m writing another wrap-up! It feels like no time at all since i did the last wrap-up of the year. 2019 has been one of my greatest reading years so far, and i’ve really enjoyed dipping in to new genres, reading loads of gay books and having loads of fun with my reading choices!

I’ve read over 80 books in 2019, and that’s the most books that i’ve ever read in a year. I’m really happy with this amount, it feels like i’ve properly achieved something this year, and i’ve enjoyed quite a bit of what i’ve actually read!

I want to talk a little bit about my stats and about what i’ve loved this last year in reading. Let’s start off with the stats. I find reading stats so interesting, and i know they’re not everyones cup of tea, so skip this little bit if you’re not interested!

Books read: 82

Pages Read: 24,869

Unrated books: 10

1 Star: 1

2 Stars: 2

3 Stars: 20

4 Stars: 27

5 Stars: 22

Longest Book: Monsters Of Men by Patrick Ness

Shortest Book: Snotgirl #1 by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Novels: 63

Graphic Novels: 19

Audio Books: 5

Most Read Genre: YA Contemporary

I’m not overly surprised by my stats this year. I was surprised at only having one 1 star read, and having so many four and five star reads! I clearly have enjoyed reading a lot this year, which i’m very appreciative of. I found some books that i really loved and i want to talk about constantly.

I only listened to five audio books, which isn’t a surprise, but i wish i had listened to more. I feel like i could fit so much more reading in if i just listened to a few more audio books. Again, YA contemporary being my most read genre is not a surprise as it is the genre that i tend to enjoy the most and lean towards.

This is the most books i’ve ever read in a year, which doesn’t seem like a whole lot but i’m pretty pleased with that number. I didn’t put myself to read, i’ve just gone with the flow and to arrive at 82 books is crazy to me! I’m really pleased with that. It’s also the most graphic novels i’ve ever read which i’ve definitely enjoyed this year.

I want to talk a little bit about the books that i absolutely loved of this year. Naturally, i’ve already talked about them on the blog, because i want to share the love for all my favourite books! These are the ones that deserve numerous mentions and constant praise.

I want to quickly mention first two of the three autobiographies i read this year. They could not be more different, but i adored them both the same. Michelle Obama’s Becoming and Lily Allen’s My Thoughts Exactly i loved. They’re clever, engaging and tell the story of these incredible people exactly how they want it to be told. In different ways, i feel like i learned so much about these women from their books, and i felt incredibly empowered by both of them. I absolutely adored listening to them share their lives so far via audio book. I’ve never been overly interested in either of them as people, i can’t say i still am, but i really did enjoy listening to them talk about being badass women.

I knew i’d have novels that i loved this year, with Angie Thomas releasing a new book and Juno Dawson, i’d definitely come away with some favourites. One that really surprised me as being one of my faovurite books of 2019 was The Girls Of Paper & Fire by Natasha Ngan. We read this wonderful novel for book club in the middle of the year. I was incredibly unsure of what i would think about a high fantasy novel, but i devoured it and still think about it now. The story is so well created, and the characters are so likeable and easy to connect with. I still haven’t jumped in to the sequal yet, but i know that will happen this year!

Two special mentions to Candie Carty-Williams’ Queenie and Yasmin Rahman’s All The Things We Never Said because these books have stuck with me the whole year too. Queenie is a stunning depiction of a young twenties woman trying to find her place in the world and achieve what she can. I felt so connected to this book in some ways, and i still think Queenie is my favourite character of 2019. Similarly, Yasmin’s debut novel was equally as harrowing and wonderful. I expected nothing less from this wonderful human being. The story of a suicide pact between girls online is something that definitely should be talked about more, and it was such a relatable and emotional read.

My five star books of 2019 are:

• The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
• On The Come Up by Angie Thomas
• Becoming by Michelle Obama
• A List Of Cages by Robin Roe
• Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
• Girls Of Paper & Fire by Natasha Ngan
• Alex In Wonderland by Simon James Green
• Meat Market by Juno Dawson
• How To Make Friends With The Dark by Kathleen Glasgow
• The Quiet At The End Of The World by Lauren James
• The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
• All The Things We Never Said by Yasmin Rahman
• Heartstopper Vol 2 by Alice Oseman
• Naturally Tan by Tan France
• The Places I’ve Cried In Public by Holly Bourne
• Pumpkin Heads by Rainbow Rowell
• My Brothers Husband Vol 1 & 2 by Gengoroh Tagame
• The Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay
• My Thoughts Exactly by Lily Allen
• The Christmasaurus & The Winter Witch by Tom Fletcher

So overall, i had a pretty great reading year. I liked most of what i read, i found plenty of books that i adored, i kept the blog going for a whole year, also book club going for a whole year, and so much more! It’s been a year for change up and growing up in my life, and i’m pretty excited to see what the future holds for reading, blogging and the bookish world.

I won’t be doing an end of decade wrap-up. As much as i’d love to, i haven’t been properly reading for long enough for it to be fair. I have loved so many books in the last few years, and don’t really have dates for before that of books being read. I think this will always be the decade where i found reading, i collected books, i became a blogger and made a bunch of friends because of it. And that all amounts to it being the best couple of years yet!