My Reading Trends and 2019 Highlights

Starting in 2019, I decided to make a more committed effort to reading in my free time, I think somewhat prompted by Goodreads’ annual reading challenge feature combined with the added convenience of reading on a Kindle. I read ~30 books that year, with a mix of books I read for myself and ones I read aloud to the kids as part of our long-standing nightly bedtime routine. With a shift to working from home during 2020 and increased work schedule flexibility, that ramped up to ~100 books in 2020 and ~150 in 2021. This year I discovered audiobooks and started listening to them during times I would have listened to podcasts previously, which meant even more time for books (over 250 so far this year). I’m not usually one to write a review or even rate books as I read them, but have been thinking it would be nice to better capture some that I’ve either particularly enjoyed or have made a strong impression on me. With that in mind, here are my highlights from 2019 (in no particular order):

• “Neverwhere” by Neil Gaiman: Absolutely lovely.
• Impossible Times series by Mark Lawrence (“One Word Kill”, “Limited Wish”, and “Dispel Illusion”): Fun Time Travel? Sign me up.
• The Kingkiller Chronicle series by Patrick Rothfuss (“The Name of the Wind”, “The Wise Man’s Fear”, and “The Slow Regard of Silent Things”): I felt the early part of the 1st book dragged a bit for me, but once it picked up I loved this series. Really hopeful it continues.
• The Sixth World series by Rebecca Roanhorse (“Trail of Lightning” and “Storm of Locusts”): Post apocalyptic setting, urban fantasy, and Diné mythology
• Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson (“Skyward” and “Starsight”): Enjoyable YA sci-fi
• “Dragon Pearl” by Yoon Ha Lee: Another YA sci-fi, elements of Korean (?) mythology
• Red Rising saga by Pierce Brown (“Red Rising”, “Golden Son”, “Morning Star”, and “Iron Gold”): Violent dystopian sci-fi. Strong Hunger Games vibe.
• And I finally finished the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (“Towers of Midnight” and “A Memory of Light”): I found some of the books struggled with pacing, which put me off for a while. Glad I saw it through to the end. I’ve happily gone back and re-read or listened to some of the early books in the series more than once.