2019 mid year check in

[abs]

It's crazy but the year is almost half way over!  

What's been your favorite read of 2019 so far?

Least favorite?

Any goals you have hit or are still working on?

[abs]

Favorite read so far: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Least favorite: Verity by Colleen Hoover

I'm at 37 books for the year so far....I am pretty sure I have already more this year than last!

[krystee]

Goodreads says 22, but I think I missed a few. My goal for the year was 40, so I am on track.

It has been a good year! Loved Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, and Where the Crawdads Sing. .

[msmerymac]

My favorites have been:

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Educated by Tara Westover
My Life As a Goddess by Guy Branum

Least Favorite:
Belleweather by Susanna Kearsley really didn't live up to my expectations for her work.

I'm currently 3 books ahead of schedule at 27/52 for the year. If I can hit 30 by the end of the month (which is possible, since I'm in the middle of several) I'll be on track for 60 for the year.

[tacokick]

I’ve read 102 books so far and haven’t loved loved any. I’ve liked a lot but no clear faves. Standouts:

Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Save Me the Plums Ruth Reichl

Daisy Jones & The Six Taylor Jenkins Reid

[travella]

Favorite:
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Least favorite:
A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold

I'm 64% of my way to my 2019 reading goal of 45 books. The other goals I set for the year were easier to accomplish more quickly and I already met those.

[ufcasey]

I've read 72 books this year so far (not including novellas, graphic novels, or books under 150 pages)

Favorites (sorry can't pick one):
The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy, #3) by Katherine Arden
A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
Becoming by Michelle Obama

Worst (again, couldn't pick one):
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
The Night Before by Wendy Walker
The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2) by Holly Black

[dontlook]

I’m at 42/52

I’ve read a lot of great books this year:
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
One of us is lying by Karen M McNanus
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston
A ladder to the sky and leave no trace

Least favorite:
A reliable wife.

[meowmaps]

Favorite so far:
A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

Least Favorite:
No Exit by Taylor Adams

My goal for the year is 60 but I'm already 7 books ahead. 35 in so far.

ufcasey I loved The Lost Man too!

[Gato]

I have read 26 this year, more than halfway to my goal of 50.

My favorites have been:
Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
Normal People by Sally Rooney
An American Summer by Alex Kotlowitz

She Has Her Mother’s Laugh was a disappointment.

[just]

Came in here mostly to wax lyrical about Heavy: An American Memoir. It was poetry in its writing and heartbreaking in its story and weight. Immediately did a search to see if there was a discussion on it and saw that Gato had given it some love too!

[minzy]

Top pick so far of the year is What The Eyes Don’t See - A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City by Mona Hanna-Attisha. I don’t have a least favorite.

I’m at 27 for the year so far, with 28 and 29 in progress. Still plan to hit at least 52 but the pace is slower than last year because volunteer stuff has taken priority and my one challenge group faded off a bit.

[bookchick]

Hi! 

Favorite read: Verity, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Life Intended, Behind Closed Doors, The Woman in the Window, Auschwitz.   
Least favorite: The Silent Patient. Watch me Disappear...both Left me with a bunch of questions. LOL!
Goals: Well, I have read 42 out of 60 books for my Goodreads goal, so I am ahead of schedule! 

[meowmaps]

Jun 25, 2019 5:16:29 GMT -5 minzy said:

Top pick so far of the year is What The Eyes Don’t See - A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City by Mona Hanna-Attisha. I don’t have a least favorite.

I’m at 27 for the year so far, with 28 and 29 in progress. Still plan to hit at least 52 but the pace is slower than last year because volunteer stuff has taken priority and my one challenge group faded off a bit.

I loved it too!  I'm pretty sure I read it based on your recommendation.  

[Vespasia]

Favorites:
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Daisy Jones & the Six
Dark Matter

Biggest disappointment:
Daughter of Smoke and Bone - It started out SO GOOD and then devolved into angsty teen romance. "I love your soul!!!" Blech

[Nonny]

I'm at 24/60 books for the year per Goodreads, which puts me 4 books behind schedule.  Although really I'm 5 books behind schedule because I stopped reading New York 2140 because of how awful it was.

Best so far is What it Means When a Man Falls from the Sky (5 stars). Looking back through what I've read, I've actually rated 10 books as four stars this year, which is incredibly generous of me.  LOL!

[Gato]

Jun 24, 2019 22:43:07 GMT -5 just said:

Came in here mostly to wax lyrical about Heavy: An American Memoir. It was poetry in its writing and heartbreaking in its story and weight. Immediately did a search to see if there was a discussion on it and saw that Gato had given it some love too!

Yes, I really, really loved Heavy!  Everything about it is great: the gorgeous writing, the vivid cast of supporting characters, the author's brutal honesty about his own life, and the hard truths about American life.  I wish it had gotten more attention in the press, because to me it was definitely worthy of being on all the 'Best of' lists.

[rainbowchip]

My favorites so far are Dark Matter by Blake Crouch and The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon.

Least Favorites were Getting Hot with the Scot by Melonie Johnson and Chasing The Dragon by T.K. Leigh.

I'm at 21/52 for the year. I'm 4 books behind schedule.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I've had a lot of 4 stars books so far this year, but no 5 star ones yet.
The ones that still stand out to me are:
The Cabin at the End of the World
Left Neglected
Bird Box

Worst so far was the one I just finished, The Couple Next Door.

I also forced myself to read and finish The Bonfire of the Vanities, and I've never hated a book that was so well-written before.

I'm at 61/82 books so far, so ahead of schedule.

[mrspez07]

I am at 33 of 65 so right on track. Since vacation a few weeks back I’ve really been burning through some good books. I love it.

Favorite: Big Little Lies, Harry Potter #4 and #5
Least Favorite: 4321

[scribellesam]

I’ve read 38 books so far this year. I’m struggling to find books that really grab my attention so I’ve been reading less than usual.

My favorite of the year so far is The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden. I also really enjoyed King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo and The Simple Wild by KA Tucker.

Least favorite book that I finished was Smoke and Summons by Charlie Holmberg. I believe it was a free Kindle book from early in the year.

[wildrice]

I'm about halfway through my 19th book. My goal is 45, so I'm about 4 books behind.

This is largely because I've had a rough time with some of the books I've read. It's taken me entirely too long to get through some of them.

Favorites:
Americanah
The Great Believers (I'm halfway through this but having a hard time putting it down.)
Where the Crawdads Sing

Least favorites:
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Nine Perfect Strangers
Bridge of Clay
And a self published novel that my FIL wrote. It took me over a month to read that one.

[krystee]

I need to add a worst book. I Know Her by Alice Feeney was terrible. I gave it two stars, but I should go back and edit it to 1.

[wesleycrusher]

I've read 117 so far.

5 stars:
-Normal People by Sally Rooney (contemporary fiction)
-Beastie Boys Book by Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz (memoir)
-A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne (contemporary fiction)
-You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld (short stories)
-Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (non-fiction)
-The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker (contemporary romance)
-How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS by David France (non-fiction)

Most Disliked:
-Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann (audio)
-The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (audio)
-One Heart at a Time by Delilah
-The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore
-Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer
-Eminent Outlaws: The Gay Writers Who Changed America by Christopher Bram (started in Dec 2018 and finally marked as did not finish)

[intheden]

Can I play?!
I've finished 16 out of my goal of 35 on Goodreads, so I'm one behind.

Favorites this year:

Becoming - Michelle Obama
All Your Perfects - Colleen Hoover
The Hate You Give -Angie Thomas
The Tatooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris

Disappointing:
The Wedding Date - Jasmine Guillory
Nine Perfect Strangers - Liane Moriarty
Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens (so mad at myself that I believed the hype and bought this book instead of waiting for it at the library!)

[sarahswim]

I've read 47 as of June 30. I'm behind on my goal of 110 for the year.
Favorites:
Words on Bathroom Walls (Julia Walton)
All of the Harry Potter books (we've read through Goblet of Fire)
Dear Martin (Nic Stone)
Little Deaths (Emma Flint)

Least Favorites:
Imperfect Birds (Anne Lamott) I wanted to like this but I just didn't.
Class Mom (Laurie Gelman) tried way too hard to be snarky & funny
Among the Hidden series (Margaret Peterson Haddix) I only finished this series because I started them with my students and I didn't want to abandon them.
Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of Your Fist (Sunil Yapa)-I'm trying so hard with this book but I read a little and I have to convince myself to pick it up again. I just can't get through it.

[secretlyevil]

I have read 56 of my 60 book goal for the year. I may have to up that, who knows.

My favorite so far: It's a toss up between Secrets of Nanreath Hall by Alix Rickloff or Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Both are very good in their own way.

Least favorite: Midnight Assassin by Patricia Bryan - that was just so bad, I couldn't even finish it.

ETA: I forgot I read Michelle Obama's Becoming this year. It feels like last year. That is definitely high on the list.