Wednesday, January 01, 2020

December What I Read

Just under the wire, I read 201 books this year!  None of these made my top 10, and very few books from 2019 made my books of the decade list, but still, the top 4 here are worth your time.

19. Styling for Instagram by Leela Cyd: Such a pretty book!

18. Luisa Capetillo: Pioneer Puerto Rican Feminist by Norma Valle-Ferrer: One of the students in my large lecture class read this for his book review assignment and loved it so much, he gave me his library copy to read.  Fascinating!

17. Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes:  This is pretty schlocky.  I think if I could have sat down and just binged it, I would have liked it better.  I read it in little fits and starts, though, and I couldn't fall in love with any of the characters, which was a total disappointment.  But, to be fair, they are pretty broad-stroke gals.

16. Quantum by Patricia Cornwell:  DID NOT LIKE, but I wanted to and will probably keep reading

15. Sontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser:  Kind of meh on this one, you guys.

14. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh: LOVED this.

13. Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane:  I could not even with this book.  IO checked it out 3 separate times to try to read it because the reviews were good, but, finally, I had to say NOT FOR ME.

12. Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce: A good thriller, but the reviews are a bit of an over-hype IMO

11. Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen:  Meh-- I loved that the characters were based on real people, and this is a great historical moment, but this book was just OK for me.


10. Pretty Revenge by Emily Liebert: trashy, well-plotted, pretty unbelievable.  SIGN ME UP.

9. Whose Story Is This by Rebecca Solnit: Ambitious.

8. Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells
:  Omg.

7. Internment by Samira Ahmed: I forgot to bring a book to hockey, so I grabbed one out of Harry's backpack. I will say this book is really predictable, and there are more unanswered questions than I like, even allowing for the teenage narrator, but still!  What a gripping read, and I cried a little.  Also, it was perfect for an evening at the rink when you are behind on your reading challenge,.  Ahem.

5 and 6. Ramona and Her Mother and Ramona and her Father by Beverly Cleary: I counted these because otherwise, I would be stalled at 199 books and also because I have never read them before reading them aloud to Dorothy and Cooper.  Cheating?  MAYBE. 

4. Parkland by Dave Cullen: THIS IS GREAT

3. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo:  This book has some flaws, and it was a slow read.  BUT! I fell in love with characters, and I am sad the story is over.

2. My Time Among the Whites by Jennine Capo Crucet:  READ THIS ONE.

1. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware:  SO SCARY and great.  Yes, yes, yes!

1 comment:

  1. I always count my read-a-louds to the kids! Well, the chapter books. 😊

    ReplyDelete