Last year was a big year for me and books. I was inspired by a friend who had put her reading challenge at 52 books – basically a book a week. I usually would set mine a bit lower, say in the 20’s or 30’s. What really changed last year was my embrace of the audiobook.
I have an hour commute to and from work (not currently during this worldwide pandemic) and I had really gotten into plenty of podcasts and would always be too tired to read much before bed after a long day of staring at computer screens. I would contemplate the idea of an audiobook, but always debated if that was cheating by not reading a physical book, but boy, was I wrong! I have gotten through more audiobooks in the last year than physical books in probably the last five!
The one thing that helps me get through so many audiobooks are the narrators. A narrator can make or break the reading! Jim Dale does a fantastic job reading through the Harry Potter series because of his range of voices. Another favorite has become Michael Sheen; he is reading The Book of Dust series by Philip Pullman.
I ended up pushing my own goal to 52 and making it (just barely) by the end of 2019! I am currently trying to keep that up now (having actually finished 2 audiobooks and 2 paperbacks in the last month – usually with a cat lounging with me for better ambience). I am over a year overdue on a post, so, here in one giant post, are all of my books read/listened to in 2019.
If anyone should have any recommendations for books to read, I am open and ready to add to my list – don’t be shy!
Here is my year in review:
March:
April:
And there you have it: my year in books! Hoping to get through at least 52 again this year as well. I have already finished 18 books this year, but I am sure you’ve seen enough screenshots at this point. I will update soon with all of those books as well!