2019 in Summary

I’m a little late to the party to summarise my book-filled reads and adventures of the last year, but here goes.

Firstly, I have to say that I hope that you had a wonderful year. Looking back a lot happened for me, including obtaining my job as a library officer (which I still feel amazed to hold and absolutely love the work that I get to do) and a milestone birthday celebration. Unfortunately, both mean I can no longer deny that adulthood is well and truly upon me... scary.

On the whole I read 55 books for the year. I totally understand that some people don’t like a reading challenge, but last year for me it became a nice benchmark to ensure that I was getting to read new material and was able to move onto something new each week. Whether or not you read a lot last year, or only got through a few books, I have to say, be proud of what you accomplished. If you read 1 book or you read 100, it makes me so glad to hear that people still engage so eagerly with the written word.

My top 5 books for the year included:

- The Boy Who Steals Houses by C. G. Drews

- The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers by Kerri Turner

- A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

- A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

- Lovely War by Julie Berry

Additionally, this was the year that I finally ventured into the world of graphic novels. I particularly want to thank some of the librarians at work who managed to lure me into this new realm of fiction. I didn’t get to read anywhere near as many as I had hoped, but one series that stands out in particular was Fence by C.S. Pacat.

On the whole 2019 was amazingly literally-filled. Including the chance to meet phenomenal authors, to have been a member of the Melbourne bookstore Readings teen advisory board, and to have been welcomed into an amazing workplace, it was a year that I won’t forget. It certainly came with its challenges but I am so thankful to have had the first year in a really long time where I felt I could be somewhat myself.

So here‘s to the year that was, and the new decade that we are welcoming. Hoping that for all the booklovers it continues to produce amazing worlds which we can dive into, but that it brings health, happiness, success and many reasons that can provoke a smile.