WHAT I'VE BEEN READING SO FAR IN 2019.
As we’ve made it to July and officially half way through 2019, I thought I’d share a little reading update with you and recommend you some of the books I’ve loved this year. I’ve been meaning to sit down and write this post for a little while but wanted to hang on until I had finished reading one of these books which is definitely a new favourite of mine, so that I could share a few of my thoughts with you. So if you’re interested in knowing which books I’ve been reading and which books I’ve been loving, look no further…
I started out the year by picking up Useless Magic by Florence Welch which is a beautifully presented book of poetry, song lyrics and art all by Florence of Florence and the Machine. Definitely worth picking up if you’re a fan! At the same time I started my first fiction of the year and the first book I want to talk about which was…
I read this one right at the beginning of January and I can still remember just how vivid and beautifully written the story was. It’s set in Iceland in 1829 and tells the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir after she has been accused of murder. I loved it especially for it’s interesting setting (I don’t think I’ve ever read anything set in Iceland before) and lyrical writing. Burial Rites is definitely a slow burn but if you can make the time for it, it’s worth it!
The next couple of books I picked up where ones I had been wanting to read for a while; Wild by Cheryl Strayed & The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, both of which were solid four star reads, that I really enjoyed and after really enjoying Cheryl Strayed’s memoir I decided to pick up another memoir…
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
I would definitely say that this is my favourite read of the year and it actually has become one of my all time favourites– The Glass Castle is an honest and moving memoir, that to me read just so vividly a lot of the time I felt like I was there in the room, the car or out in the desert. In her memoir Jeannette Walls talk about her childhood and growing up with dysfunctional, flawed family that gave her the determination to make her adult life as successful as possible– it’s a real story that will stick with me for a long time.
This year I kind of had it as a goal to read some of the shorter books on my to be read shelf including some of the graphic novels and poetry I’ve been wanting to read for a while so after reading The Glass Castle I picked up Wires and Nerve by Marissa Meyer, The Sculptor by Scott McCloud and In Real Life by Cory Doctorow & Jen Wang– my favourite of these was definitely The Sculptor, the art style was beautiful!
I’ve also read one book of poetry so far this year– Flux by Orion Carloto. I’ve been a big fan of Orion’s Instagram for such a long time so I was really interested to read her writing and poetry & again it was a good solid four star read, a few of the poems have stuck with me more than others.
In between the graphic novels and poetry I reread Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi and then read the new releases in the Shatter Me series– Shadow Me, the novella between books four and five and Defy Me. This is one of the few YA dystopian series that I started reading years ago that has kept me interested, mainly because of how well the characters are written, I’m definitely invested in finding out what happens to them next!
After reading all those I received a very exciting proof copy of book which I had been anticipating for a very long time & I feel very fortunate to have been able to get my hands on and read…
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
I’m not going to give too much away about this book and what I though quite yet as it’s not released until the autumn (put the 5th of November in your diaries!) but as The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern’s first novel) is my favourite book I was more than excited to read it and maybe just a little apprehensive as to whether I’d enjoy it or whether I constantly be comparing the two books. The Starless Sea is everything and nothing like The Night Circus, it’s whimsical and mysterious and so well written but at the same time it holds up completely on it’s own and has a completely different vibe. Erin Morgenstern is a genius storyteller and this is book written for people who love stories.
And that’s a little rundown of everything I’ve read this year so far, I am in the middle of another book but I’ll save my thoughts on that until later. If you want to keep update with what I’m reading and what I want to read next then head over to my Goodreads and follow along with me there! Have we read any of the same books this year? What’s been your favourite? Let’s have a chat in the comments!