Literary Pursuits

Books I Read in 2019

I have been tracking my reading for the past 4 years with Goodreads. For the previous 3 years my average was about 10 books a month with around 120 books total for the year. I didn’t set a specific goal to read more this past year, but it turns out I read over 200 books in 2019.

It’s not quite as impressive as it sounds because about half the titles I read were either children’s picture books or middle grade chapter books. I was interested to see how it all balanced out in regards to the different genres so I divided my “books read” list up by category. It turns out that only about 10% of my reading is non-fiction so that and the easier kids’ books account for why my numbers are so high.

Here’s my reading list by category. The title link will take you to Amazon where you can usually read a description and a few sample pages. I also have to disclose (as if you didn’t know) that they are affiliate links which means I might earn a little bit if you end up ordering from Amazon. I’ve included a star rating (on a scale of 1 to 5) and bolded the titles I rated 5-star.

I’ve also indicated which titles are available on Kindle Unlimited, Audible Escape, or (for kids) Free Time Unlimited, if you have a membership. If you don’t, you can try any of these programs free for a month. A few books are free to read if you have an Amazon Prime membership as well.

If you’re on Goodreads I’d love to connect with you there. Or follow my Instagram account for bookish posts throughout the year.

Christian Fiction

Mainstream Fiction

Non-Fiction

Children’s Picture Books

Juvenile Fiction

YA Fiction

Re-Reads

Now I’m trying to decide how to structure my reading for 2020. I have a “Want to Read” list started over on Goodreads but it mainly consists of books I already own (as a reminder that I do intend to read them eventually) or titles that have caught my eye in passing that I want to consider reading later. Are you following a reading challenge for 2020? Any suggestions?


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8 Comments

  • Roxanne

    This is a pretty impressive list! I haven’t taken part in any reading challenges other than the one on Goodreads where you set your own number. I like having the flexibility to read whatever I want, so some of the other challenges don’t appeal to me.

    • Jan

      That’s amazing!!! Good job!!

      I do keep track of the books I read, but
      I come no where near your number. I try to read 12 a year – 1 a month. I havent looked at my list yet to see how many I read in 2019. But I believe it was under 12. I almost always read non-fiction. Though i began a non-fiction to start out 2020. I am enjoying it and find I can zip through it a bit faster. So maybe I will hit 13 in 2020.☺️

      • Jan

        I mean, I began a fiction…not non fiction. I am on my phone and not doing so well. And I have no idea if that was the correct web address. I did it from memory – and a poor one at that. Lol

      • Karla Ezell Cook

        Non-fiction is slower reading for me, too, especially depending on the subject matter. For example, memoirs are pretty quick but books on, say, theology or personal growth… those definitely slow me down.

    • Karla Ezell Cook

      I agree! I usually end up trying to fit what I’ve already read into the categories rather than choosing something based on the category. But I’m mulling over the idea of giving a category-based challenge another try.

  • Sheila DelCharco

    I started MMD’s challenge last year along with the Unread Shelf Project, combining the two into one. I failed. Goodreads says I read 71 books but it counts abandoned books as read so it’s less than that since I track those. This year I want to read Sonlight books that have been added over the years. I went through the catalog and made a list. Your list is impressive because I can imagine how much time you spent typing it up, categorizing them, and adding links. SO MANY BOOKS! I follow you on GR and appreciate your star ratings but sometimes I want to know WHY you gave a book that many stars. Happy reading in 2020!

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