2019 Reading Wrap Up

I finally put together my reading list. I lost track along the way and had to do a bit of hunting to put together my final list. 

Tell us about your reading year? What was your goal this year and did you have a plan, and/or follow rabbit trails or wing it?

I started out the year with a book buying ban in place, except for new releases preordered, and a  plan to read from my shelves.  I read 25 physical fiction books and 10 physical nonfiction books so managed to make a small dent.  I didn’t buy any new books until mid May I think and those were mainly ebooks. Stress about the completion of the house project got the better of me and I turned to revisiting old friends for three months or so and reread several series and afterwards, just sort of winged it.  I managed to complete 7 out of 10 of my original 10 x 10, failing completely with 1001 books, book chain and hubby picks because I forgot which books he gave me. Bad me.  However, based on the books I did read, I replaced those with three new categories -  steampunk, romance and thrillers and there is a little overlap.  Not including the rereads, I read a total of 88 books.

Which book had the most original, most unique story?   Black God’s Drums by P. Djeli Clark. It may have been the shortest book I read, but it was the most unique with a mixture of dystopian, steampunk, and Haitian culture.   

Which book made you laugh? Weaver Takes a Wife by Sheri Cobb Smith.  I enjoyed the by play between the two main characters.

Which new to you authors did you discover and would you read another book by this author?  I really liked S.K. Dunstall, and Rebecca Roanhorse and will definitely read more of their books. 
  
Which authors and/or detectives would you like to continue exploring from Whodunit Bookology.  I definitely want to read more of Ellis Peter, Kwei Quartery, and Fred Vargas.  Plus read the first book in the series of the authors I somehow never quite finished for some odd reason: Donna DeLeon, Harry Kemelman, and Stuart Kaminsky. 

Which one made you cry?  The Lost Art of Letter Writing by Menna Van Praag touched my heart.

Non Fiction – From my shelves 
1. Benedict Option - Rod Dreher (304 p)
2. The Cat Who Came for Christmas - Cleveland Armory  (256 p)
3. View from the Cheap Seats - Neil Gaiman  (544 p)
4. Thanks a Thousand - A.J. Jacobs  (160 p)
5. King Alfred's English - Laurie White  (170 p)
6. Writers and their Notebooks - Diana Raab (208)
7. Writer's Guide to Persistence - Jordan Rosenfeld  (234 p)
8. Writing from the Inside Out - Dennis Palumbo (256 p)
9. Story Trumps Structure - Stephen James (304 p)
10. A Secret Sisterhood: Literary Friendships  of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf - Emily Midorikawa  and  Emma Claire Sweeney (352 p)

Steampunk
11. Lady of Devices - Shelley Adina (#1 Magnificent Devices)
12. Her Own Devices #2
13. Magnificent Devices #3
14. Brilliant Devices #4
15. A Lady of Resources #5
16. A Lady of Spirit #6
17. A Lady of Integrity #7
18. A Gentleman of Means #8
19. Devices Brightly Shining #9
20. Fields of Air #10 
21. Fields of Iron #11  
22. Fields of Gold - Shelley Adina #12
23. The Black God's Drums -  P. Djeli Clark  

Romance

24. Act Like It - Lucy Parker (#1 London Celebrities )
25. Archer's Voice - Mia Sheridan  
26. Black Hawk - Joanne Bourne (#4 spymaster, historical romance)
27. Forbidden Rose - Joanna Bourne (historical romance)
28. Changing Habits - Debbie Macomber ( 400 p)
29. Dangerous to Trust - Teresa Hill (#1 Spies, Lies and Lovers)
30. Must Love Weiners - Casey Griffin. (359 p)
31. Summer on Mirror Lake - Joanna Ross  (#3 Honeymoon Harbor,  432 p)
32. Barefoot in the Sun – Roxanne St Claire (#3 Barefoot bay)
33. Barefoot by the Sea (#4 Barefoot Bay)
34. Barefoot Bound (#7 Barefoot Bay)
35. Old Dog, New Tricks - Roxanne St Claire (#8 The Dogfather)
36. Hot under the Collar - Roxanne St Claire (#1 Dogmothers, 376 p) 
37. Three Dog Night – Roxanne St. Claire (#2 Dogmothers)
38. Under Currents - Nora Roberts   (Romantic suspense, 448 p)
39. Weaver Takes a Wife - Sheri Cobb Smith (Historical London)


Detective 

40. A Better Man - Louise Penny (#15 Armand Gamache, 448 p)
41. Kingdom of the Blind - Louise Penny  (#14 Armand Gamache,  400 p)
42. Connections in Death - J.D. Robb (#48 In Death, 384 p)
43. Vendetta in Death - #49 (368 p)
44. Golden in Death #50 (400 p)
45. Amnesia - G.H. Ephron (#1 Peter Zak Medical )
46. Chalk Circle Man - Fred Vargas   (#1 Adamsberg)
47. Killing Floor - Lee Child (#1 Jack Reacher, Thriller)
48. Morbid Taste for Bones - Ellis Peters (#1 Brother Cadfael, 12th Century mystery)
49. Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie (Mystery)
50. Wife of the Gods - Kwei Quartey  (#1 Darko Dawson)
51. Cocaine Blues – Kerry Greenwood (#1 Phyrne Fisher) 

Thriller

52. Deep Fathom  - James Rollins  (608 p)
53. Crucible - James Rollins #13 Sigma Force, 637 p) 
54. Origin - Dan Brown (656 p)
55. Promise Not to Tell - Jayne Ann Krentz (Suspense thriller, 464 p)
56. Rise of Magicks - Nora Roberts (Supernatural thriller, 480 p)
57. The First Prophet - Kay Hooper  (#1 Bishop files, Paranormal thriller, 400 p)

Fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction

58. Circle of the Moon - Faith Hunter (#4 Soulwood, 368 p)
59. Shattered Bonds - Faith Hunter  (# 13 Jane Yellowrock,  400 p)

60. Archangel's War - Nalini Singh (Guild hunter series)
61. Silver Silence - Nalini Singh (#1 psychangeling/trinity series)
62. Ocean Light - Nalini Singh (#2 psychangeling/trinity series)

63. Black Kiss – J.R. Ward (#1 Black dagger legacy)
64. Blood Vow (#2)
65. Blood Fury (#3)
66. Blood Truth (#4)
67. The Beast (#14 Black Dagger Brotherhood)
68. Chosen (#15 BDB) 
69. Thief  (#16 BDB)
70. The Savior (#17 BDB)
71. Where Christmas Finds You (#18 BDB)

72. Hunter Hunted - Keri Arthur (#3 Lizzie Grace)
73. Demon's Dance - Keri Arthur (#4 Lizzie Grace)
74. Unlit - Keri Author (#1 Kingdoms of Earth and Air)

75. Diamond Fire - Illona Andrews (Hidden Legacy)
76. Heat Stroke - Rachel Caine (#2 Weather Warden)
77. Justice Calling - Annie Bellett 
78. Linesman - S.K. Dunstall (#1 Linesman, Science Fiction)
79. Night and Silence - Seanan McGuire (#12 October Daye)
80. The Shape of Water - Guillermo Del Toro
81. Storm Cursed - Patricia Briggs  (Fantasy, 368 p)
82. Trail of Lightning - Rebecca Roanhorse (#1 Sixth World, dystopian sci fi, 304 p)
83. Wild Country - Anne Bishop (#2 Others, Fantasy , 496 p)

Literary and Miscellaneous

84. Lost Art of Letter Writing - Menna Van Praag (Literary - Cambridge England, 320 p) 
85. Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami (Japan, magical realism, 467 p) 
86. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore - Matthew Sullivan (Literary, 337 p)
87. Nick of Time - Ted Bell (#1 Nick McIver Adventures, time travel 464 p)
88. The Source - James Michener (Historical Fiction, Israel, 1104 p)

Rereads

1. Death and Relaxation - Devon Monk (Ordinary Series)
2. Psy Changeling series # 1 -18 -  Nalini Singh,
3. Dirk and Steele series 1 -3  Marjorie M Lui
4. Black Dagger Brotherhood - J.R. Ward
5. Barefoot Bay series - Roxanne St Claire
6. Night Stalker series - M.L Buchman 
7. Soulwood Series - Faith Hunter
8. Guild hunter series - Nalini Singh
9. Northern Lights  - Nora Roberts 
10. Born of Darkness - Lara Adrian (#1 Midnight Breed Hunter Legacy,)
11. Death of the Red Heroine - Qui Xiaolong (China, 90's detective)

How'd your reading year turn out?