I am three months into my year of Create. One of the goals I set for myself this year was to read more books. I logged into my Goodreads account for the first time in years and started making a list. I set a goal to read 52 books this year – at least a book a week.
It quickly became clear that I sandbagged that goal. I’ve read 50 books so far this year. 30 were physical books; 20 I listened to the audio versions. I haven’t read at this pace since high school (though really all I’ve done is replace fanfiction hours with published works). A few books have been bad, most of them average and entertaining, a few amazing.
Goodreads has been an instrumental tool in tracking what I’m reading, want to read, and have read. It’s also helped me get recommendations from friends who are also using the site to track their reading. Scanning back through my 2019 read list, here are my top 5 picks so far this year:
When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore: Young-Adult. Magical Realism. Queer. A story about best friends Miel and Sam. Miel grows roses from her wrist. Sam hangs moons from the trees. There are witches and secrets and love. The prose is devastatingly beautiful. This book was a gorgeous and powerful read.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed: Adult. Non-Fiction. The autobiographical story of a woman’s journey hiking the Pacific Coast Trail. (Later turned into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon that I haven’t yet watched). Strayed’s vulnerability, honesty, and punch makes this story sing. It’s a wilderness story, but mostly a human story as she faces the challenges of being unprepared, on her own, and grieving the loss of her mother.
The Whispers by Greg Howard. Middle-grade fiction. Queer. The story of a young boy looking for his mother who has disappeared. There are Whispers in the woods giving this story a haunting and magical thread grounded in the reality of navigating family, friends, and identity. This book took my breath away. Read it.
The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg. Young-Adult. Queer. Two high school boys partner to run a food truck in the Arizona heat. It has all the setup of a cute summer romance but this story hits what so many other YA books miss: heart, trauma, healing. It gets real and handles tough subjects with grace. I loved it.
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Makenzie Lee. Young-Adult. Historical Fiction. Queer. The sequel to the fabulous romp The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue,this book delivered. Set a year after the first adventure, we follow Felicity Montague across Europe on her quest to become a doctor in a time where education for women meant finishing school, not a medical degree. Like the first, there is plenty of action, friendship, and an exploration of queer identity in the mix. And Monty and Percy are there too – excellent.
It was hard to pick 5. I’ve loved many of the books I’ve read these last few months. It fills me with energy to keep discovering new books this year.
Happy reading.
With Love,
Natalie