Every year since 2016, I've kept track of every book I've read that year. I'm sad to admit that since I graduated high school, the number of books I've read each year has decreased a lot. But it's always exciting for me to add a new book to the list I have on my phone whenever I finish another one. Because I'm a nerd, I decided I would share it with you.
In 2016 I read 37 books.
In 2017 I read 31 books.
In 2018 I read 22 books.
In 2019 I read 22 books.
Here are all of the books I read in 2019, as well as the ones that were my favorite, ones I didn't love, and one's I'd read again.
1. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer *** (Reread)
Despite all the hate the Twilight series gets, it'll always be one of my favorites, if for nothing else but nostalgia. I read this book for the first time in 4th grade and reread the series, or parts of it, multiple times over the years. It's just fun to go back to reading something mindlessly that I know I'll enjoy.
2. Le Mariage de Figaro - Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais **
This was the first of multiple French books read in 2019, and my feelings are similar to how I felt about the rest of them. I had to read it for class and found it easier to read while watching the play online. Like most plays (I"m looking at you, Will Shakespeare and all my English teachers ever) it's meant to be watched, not read. So it was more beneficial watching it being done while reading it, so to get a better grasp of the way the speech was supposed to be read. I didn't hate the book, but I don't intend to read it again.
3. A Court of Frost and Starlight - Sarah J Maas *** (Reread)
While This series is one of my favorite book series ever, ACFS is not my favorite book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, so I only give it 3 stars. But it's a nice feel-good book to read around the holidays or in the cold of winter.
4. Throne of Glass - Sarah J Maas ***
This series is by the same author who wrote my favorite book series at the moment, A Court of Thorns and Roses (the same as the book above.) ToG was the first book Sarah J Maas wrote, and it's really clear in ToG. Between reading her first book and the books in her most recent series, it's really interesting being able to see how much she's grown as a writer. This book was not my favorite, and to be honest if it weren't written by Maas I probably wouldn't have finished it. HOWEVER, the series gets so much better the further it goes, and the later books are some of my favorites too. Definitely glad I stuck with this book.
5. How to be Parisian Wherever You Are - Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret, and Sophie Mas ***
My mom got this book for me my freshman year of college, and I'm embarrassed when I say I only finished it three years after I got it. However, I wanted to read it right before going to France, and I'm glad I did. It's a feel good coffee table book- more of a guidebook full of sarcasm and wit about la Parisienne and living in Paris, than a novel to lose yourself in, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
6. The Princess Diarist ** - Carrie Fisher (Audiobook)
I listened to Carrie Fisher's memoir on my flight to France. It wasn't what I expected it to be, but I don't know why I was surprised, Carrie having been the spirited, brash, and honest woman that she was. The book was filled with a lot of "behind the scenes" things from Carrie's life during Star Wars and casts a less than positive light on the film franchise that made her a household name. As a massive Star Wars nerd myself, this was hard to accept, but the book itself, read in Carrie's voice, gave an honest window into what life as an actress in the '60s was like.
7. Notre Dame de Paris - Victor Hugo ***
I read Notre Dame de Paris while studying in Paris for my history class. The only reason I gave it 3 starts instead of 4 was that it was for a grade. I've always found it less enjoyable to read a book, even if its a book I love, when it's for a grade. Granted, I chose the book I got to read and report on, so having to read a book of it's length and density in such a limited time was my own fault. Other than that, I loved NDP; reading it in language, in Paris, right after Notre Dame itself burned, was a very surreal experience. If you're looking for a warm and fuzzy book about love and happiness in Paris, this isn't the book for you. It's very different from the happy ending of the Disney film. Notre Dame de Paris is a very real and sad book about the realities of racism, religion, and prejudice in 15th century Paris. But, I loved it nonetheless.
8. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen **** (Reread) (Audiobook)
Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books, and after watching the film on Netflix in France (they have different shows and movies available on Netflix in Europe than they do in the U.S.) I wanted to reread the book. But because I was in France, I had to settle for an audiobook. It gave me a sense of home while away in a foreign country, something I didn't know I so badly needed.
9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K Rowling **** (Reread)
I will always love this series. It was my thirds time reading it and it felt like coming home. If you haven't read this series, what are you doing? It's 2020.
10. Crown of Midnight - Sarah J Maas ***
Similar feelings to ToG but glad I stuck with it. While still not my favorite, it led me to the later books in the series that I fell in love with. More on that later.
11. Dairy Queen - Catherine Gilbert Murdock ** (Audiobook) (Reread)
I read this book for the first time when I was twelve, after randomly picking it up at Barnes and Nobel. It's not the most well written book, and the plot is predictable, but it's sweet and an easy read.
12. WTF is Tarot? - Bakara Wintner *****
This book changed my life. If you've been around me for the past seven months, you know this already. It's the guidebook to my life. Bakara is my queen. I'll leave it at that. I'm about to re-read it in 2020.
13. Bain de Lune - Yanick Lahens **
I read this book for my French class and had to present and write a report on it, similar to NDdP, it was made less enjoyable due to this fact. However, unlike NDdP, if it weren't assigned for school I probably would never have read it. Written in French about Port-au-Prince in Haiti, it tells the story of two Haitian families over several generations. It's very difficult to follow as it switches tenses, time periods, and narrators sporadically. I'm glad I read it but I don't intend to read it again.
14. Finale - Stephanie Garber *** (Audiobook)
I started the Caraval series two years ago and loved the books, reading through the first two quickly while I worked the front desk of a community pool a few summers ago. I didn't follow them close enough to know when Finale was released, but when I saw that it was available on audiobook, I knew I had to finish the series. Finale was just as magical as the first two books. If you like fantasy, magic, romance, and drama, check out this series.
15. Two Dark Reigns - Kendare Blake***
Like the Caraval series, Three Dark Crowns was a series I started a while ago and didn't follow too closely. I believe there's another book in the series I need to read at some point as well. While I really like the series, it didn't strike me like others I talk about in this post did, but this book is definitely enjoyable and easy to lose yourself in. However, it can be dark at points.
16. Good Morning, Good Night (Audiobook) - Lin Manuel Miranda ***
This book was recommended to me by my mom, even though I knew all about it thanks to Twitter. It's so cute, and while it's not a novel, I found myself really enjoying it. It's short, sweet and to the point and you can't help but feel good when you read it. I think I listened to the whole thing in two days. Even if you don't want to read the whole book, check out Lin's twitter. It's pretty much the same thing.
17. Dracula (Audiobook) - Bram Stroker ***
I read Dracula as a part of my October bucket list because, hello, horror fanatic. I read Frankenstein a couple of years ago and always wanted to read Dracula. While I enjoyed the story itself, it wasn't entirely what I expected. Granted, the audiobook I listened to was a theatrical production of it, and I'm not sure if it was the actual book or a play adaptation-- it was hard to find a clear audiobook on Overdrive. However, I intend to read the physical book at some point an hopefully have a better stance on it.
18. Edgar Allan Poe: The Complete Poems - Edgar Allan Poe *****
Edgar Allan Poe is my life. Tragic, isn't it? I've had this book of his poems since freshman year of college and would thumb through it reading different poems. In October, however, I made it a goal to read one piece of Poe's writing a day. While I got behind on doing it every day, I was able to make it up at the end and ended up reading every poem in this book. Love love love. But, if you don't like poetry, horror, or melancholy, it's not for you.
19: 39 Rue de Berne - Max Lobe **
Another book I read for French. While I enjoyed it more than Bain de Lune, it was made less enjoyable having to read it for a class in a limited amount of time. However, had I not had to read it for class, I probably wouldn't have read it at all. The book itself was easy to read, but dealt with sensitive topics and had a lot to twists. If your a francophone, or can find an english translation, check it out.
20. Heir of Fire - Sarah J Maas ****
HoF was the book in the Throne of Glass series that really got me to adore the series, and fall in love with the books and with the main characters. The first two books, as my reviews make clear, weren't as captivating to me, but I'm glad I stuck it out. Once I got to HoF it was worth it. Still don't love the series as much as ACoTaR but it's up there. There's something about the main character that I can't relate to as much as I can Feyre, but I still adore her.
21. Queen of Shadows - Sarah J Maas ****
I'm torn between QoS and EoS for which I like more in the ToG series so far. I still have two more books to read, but I found myself FLYING through these books, wanting to know what happened next. I think I read QoS in a week and a half. And it's a big ass book.
22. Empire of Storms - Sarah J Maas ****
Same adoring sentiments. See above.
23. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K Rowling ****
See earlier comment about Sorcerer's Stone. Not my favorite in the series, but it still feels like home.
And that's it! This is the first ever book review I've done, and I really enjoyed it. While I had hoped to read more books in 2019, it's always hard finding time to read at college with the amount of work and reading I do for my classes. I usually read more in the summer, but it was hard to do so while in Paris taking classes. While audiobooks help, sometimes I'm in a podcast or music kind of mood and don't want to do those either. My goal is to read 30 in 2020, which will hopefully be easier once I've graduated college and have (hopefully) some more free time to read.
As always, thank you for sticking with me. All my love,
Mare