List of 52 Books I'd like to Read in 2019

I'm going to try something I've never tried before. I am going to set my reading goal for 2019 at 52 books. (You can track with me on Goodreads HERE.) Usually I like to go with the flow of things and pick books randomly as the year trots along and who knows but that I'll do that yet. However, I'd like to conduct a little experiment and see how much I could read from a planned list of books. Let us see.

Out of 52 books I'd like to leave room for 12 random reads because something tells me this experiment doesn't stand a chance unless there's room for some amount of flexibility!

That leaves 40 books to select and put on a Prepared Reading List for 2019.  In no particular order, these are the titles I'd really like to get to in 2019. Many are from my own bookshelves and there are some I'm probably going to be forced to collect. (Wink)

Starting with the most important read of the year and moving on from there -

1. I'll be using the One Year Chronological Study Bible this year again. I've used it for the past 5(ish?) years and I find it the easiest, most consistent way to make sure I read through the Bible every year. It's laid out by date which is ever so helpful as I'm not trying to keep track of a separate piece of paper and keep track of readings. Why that's a challenge for me, I don't know, but I do know that this particular One Year Bible has been tremendously handy and feel I ought to stick with it!

Account for Flexible Reads -

2 - 13. Open slots for flexibility.

BOOKS FOR ME

Fiction - 

14. The Clockmakers Daughter, by Kate Morton. This title was just released this fall. LOVE Kate Morton. My son gave me this book for Christmas and I can't wait to dive in.

15. The Story Peddler, by Lindsay Franklin. Another gift from another son for Christmas. (It was a very good, bookish sort of Christmas!)

16. Carrie's War, by Nina Bawden. I picked this one up in Scotland because, I mean, how could I not?

17. Daddy Long Legs, by Jean Webster. I picked up the Puffins Classic version because a.) it's pretty and b.) I haven't read this book yet.

18. A Rogue's Life, by Wilkie Collins

19. Golden Lads, by Daphnie Du Maurier

20. Crossing to Safety, by Wallace Stegner

21. Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, by Brian Jacques

22. Along the Shore, by L.M. Montgomery

23. The Gown, by Jennifer Robson (I have a review copy for this one!)


Non-Fiction - 

24. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, by Nabeel Quireshi

25. Victoria and Abdul, by Shrabani Basu (I'm terribly iffy on this one and if there was a book I might change my mind about, this would be the one. I picked it up at the library book sale after hearing about the movie. Reading the back of the book makes me rethink things. We'll see.)

26. The Gift of Fear and Other Survival Signals that Protect Us From Violence, by Gavin de Becker (Came highly recommended by a friend of mine.)

27. It's Not Supposed to Be This Way, by Lysa Terkuerst

Books I'd like to Re-Read - 

28. Stepping Heavenward, by Elizabeth Prentiss

29. Hinds' Feet on High Places, by Hannah Hurnard

30 - 41. The Mitford Series, by Jan Karon

To Read With the Kids

42. The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart (a re-read, but the younger kids don't remember it)

43. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum

44 - 49. The First Five Great Mouse Detective Books, by Eve Titus

50. The Magic Faraway Tree, by Enid Blyton

51. Mr. Popper's Penguins, by Richard Atwater

52. Ramona the Pest, by Beverly Cleary

That's a wrap.

Even just writing down those titles made me realize how little reading time I've carved out for myself of late and how small a stack 52 books really is when all is said and done. Clearly I shall die with a TBR list that's 14,000 miles long. I'm sure you can appreciate the feeling, yes? Writing this down motivates me to read, read, read and see if I can best myself. But. If all I read are 52 books it will be good and I need to be satisfied with that! Here's to books, the places they take us, and how much that they teach us!

Happy 2019 everyone!

Favorite Reads of 2018

I still have reviews in my head which I'd like to write out but somehow the month of December just flew right by! So I've spent the past few days trying to wrap up reads and make sure I marked all of the books that I managed to read down.

This year was the first in which I utilized Goodreads' Reading Challenge program. If memory serves, I originally set my goal at 35 books, wanting to err on the conservative side of things. But then a good friend of mine suggested that I could do better than that so I upped it to 50 which made her happier. Ha! (Everyone needs a friend who will gently push them in the right direction!) Turns out 50 was just about right. I managed 52 books - that's including books read aloud with my kidlets - giving me a 104% success rate on Goodreads! My little over achieving self is made happy.

Now, let's get to the point of all of this. What were my favorite reads of 2018? Here they are, in no particular order:

FAVORITE WORK OF FICTION

Hands down, no contest, it was A Gentleman in Moscow. The title is linked to my review of the book, which is remarkable because I didn't write very many reviews at all this year. I read A Gentleman in Moscow back in March which honestly feels like a lifetime ago. This is a beautiful piece of work and I highly recommend it.

FAVORITE PIECE OF NON-FICTION

This one is always harder because each piece of non-fiction that I ended up reading was read for a different reason and was impacting in different ways. However, I will do my best to narrow it down and go with The Pursuit of Holiness (which, when I re-read my review again, makes sense). I definitely recommend this read if you've never picked it up.

FAVORITE BOOK READ ALOUD W/ THE KIDS

TOUGH QUESTION! I'll go with The Adventures of Hamish and Mirren which we read ahead of our family trip to Scotland. This was such a rich, delicious and entertaining read! Highly, highly, highly recommended!

LEAST FAVORITE BOOK

Well, there are four that I didn't quite care for for one reason or another but if I were to issue a warning, I guess I'd place The Royal Rabbits of London at the top of the list. I don't really have anything much to say about it except that it's stupid. Cute idea in theory but it is slap-stick in the worst possible way appealing to the worst in the reader instead of to the best. I hoped to read it with my kids. Instead I skimmed it by myself and then tossed it.

Runners up:

- Raven, Seek Thy Brother by Gavin Maxwell. This was the third book in a series of memoirs penned by Maxwell, a Scottish author who raised and cared for wild otters up on the Northern Coast. The first book (Ring of Bright Water) was brilliant. The second was disappointing. The third was just depressing as Maxwell showcased his inability to love people over animals and how to take relationships for granted.
- When People are Big and God is Small. This book I found imbalanced in its approach to God and humanity. It pre-supposes that the most holy approach to life is to set aside every God-given emotion that you possess, and the wisdom gained in life to apply wisdom to life's circumstances, and suggests that we must all behave like Lt. Commander Data from Star Trek instead. As we just weren't made that way (on purpose!), I couldn't take the author very seriously. I wouldn't recommend this read as a result.
- Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry, by David C. Robertson. MAJOR SNOOZE ALERT! I like non-fiction reads and I enjoy learning about how business have grown and expanded themselves but this book was boring. Absolutely boring. Save yourselves a read and find a different title about the Lego Company to enjoy.

FAVORITE NEW-TO-ME-AUTHOR

Enid Blyton. The kids and I read her Christmas Stories over the month of December and I honestly cannot ever remember reading a better book of short stories, aside from E. Nesbit's The Book of Dragons (linked to review). If you know me and know my love of The Book of Dragons, you will recognize this as high praise. When we were traveling in Scotland I picked up Blyton books wherever we went and we are now in the process of devouring them! I bought some of her Famous Five books for my 9 year old who started reading them and specifically requested that he be given more titles from the series for Christmas. Ye who know how to give good gifts to your children . . . 

Read a Blyton and change your reading world! (Possible Reading Slogan for 2019.)

I'll stop there. If you're curious to see my entire 2018 Reading List just click on that link there and it'll take you to it. Meanwhile, if there's a book you think I ought to consider reading in 2019 I am happy to hear of it! Leave me a comment or shoot me a note if you please.

HAPPY NEW READING YEAR to everyone!!!

2018 Reads

I had a separate place I was keeping my reading list but I think I shall combine it with Reading to Know and keep things a bit more streamlined. This post will be updated throughout the year as I complete titles. If you see that a title has a link attached to it, note that it is linked to my review. If you do not see a link, it was a book that went un-reviewed. If you're curious as to what I thought of any of the titles, ask and I may see about writing up my thoughts. (No promises though! This is strictly A Maybe!) 

1. One-Year Chronological Bible

Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge

2. A Tangled Web
3. Anne of Windy Poplars

Others:

4. The Pursuit of Holiness, by Jerry Bridges
5. Virtous, by Nancy Wilson
6. Uncomfortable, by Brett McCracken
7. Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry, by David C. Robertson (not reviewed)
8. Laugh it Up! by Candace Payne
9. Closer Than a Sister, by Christina Fox
10. Loving the Little Years, by Rachel Jankovic (re-read)
11. The Bark of the Bog Owl, by Jonathan Rogers
12. A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles
13. The Blessing of Humility, by Jerry Bridges (re-read)
14. The Northern Lights: The True Story of the Man Who Unlocked the Secrets of the Aurora Borealis, by Lucy Jago (not reviewed)
15. The Royal Rabbits of London, by Santa Montefiore (not reviewed)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, by R.K. Rowling (re-read)
17. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by R.K. Rowling (re-read)
18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by R.K. Rowling (re-read)
19. When People are Big and God is Small, by Edward Welch
20. The Peace Maker, by Ken Sande
21. Uninvited, by Lysa TerKeurst
22. In Freedom's Cause, by G.A. Henty
23. Green Glass House, by Kate Milford
24. Ring of Bright Water, by Gavin Maxwell
25. The Rocks Remain, by Gavin Maxwell
26. Raven, Seek Thy Brother, by Gavin Maxwell
27. The Coral Island, by R.M. Ballantyne
28. Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter, and Me, by Lorilee Cracker
29. Tales of Mr. Pink-Whistle, by Enid Blyton
30. The Read-Aloud Family, by Sarah Mackenzie
31. Tom's Midnight Garden, by Philippa Pearce
32. Adventures of the Wishing Chair, by Enid Blyton
33. What Katy Did, by Susan Coolidge
34. What Katy Did at School, by Susan Coolidge
35. What Katy Did Next, by Susan Collidge
36. The Collectors, by Jacqueline West
37. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
38. The Gospel Comes With a House Key, by Rosaria Butterfield
39. All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr


Read Aloud w/ the Kids:

40. The Railroad Children, by E. Nesbit
41. Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall (Tumtum and Nutmeg Books 1-3), by Emily Bearn (re-read)
42. The Rose Cottage Tales (Tumtum and Nutmeg Books 4 - 6), by Emily Bearn (re-read)
43. Trouble at Rose Cottage (Tumtum and Nutmeg Book 7), by Emily Bearn
44. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis (re-read)
45. Scottish Fairy Tales, by Donald A. Mackenzie
46. Viking Tales, by Jennie Hall (re-read)
47. The Little Book of the Hidden People, by Alda Sigmundsdóttir
48. The Adventures of Hamish and Mirren, by Moira Miller
49. Along Came a Dog, by Meindert Dejong
50. The Door in the Wall, by Marguerite de Angeli
51. The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic
52. Christmas Tales, by Enid Blyton