We’re halfway through 2019; time for another reading challenge update. As you know, I sandbagged my original goal to read 52 books this year, so I ended up changing that goal to 150 a few months ago.
I’m still using Goodreads to track, and as of this morning, I’ve completed 92 books this year, 42 of them over the last quarter (March-June).
Of the 42:
- 23 Fiction / 19 Non-Fiction
- 20 Paper Books / 22 Audiobooks
- 34 New Books / 8 Rereads
Here are the highlights from the past few months:
Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: The best stand-alone queer fiction I’ve read this year (I would say ever, but Carry On exists). The first son of the United States and the Prince of Wales fall in love. And as perfectly fanfiction-y as that sounds, the story and prose far exceeded my expectations. This book gives you what you want. Exactly what you want. And it’s worth crying over.
Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and The Olympians & The Heroes of Olympus: A big bucket here for two related young adult series by Rick Riordan that bring Greek and Roman myths into the modern age. I reread Percy Jackson for something light and then dove into the sequel series (The Heroes of Olympus) for the first time to discover a diverse set of characters, a kick-ass team-as-family vibe, and some pretty half-hearted queer rep . . . but we’ll work on it.
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski: I gave this book its own post a few months ago. An amazing feminist self-care book that discusses stress and burnout without ignoring who the real enemy is: the patriarchy (ugh).
Roxane Gay – Bad Feminist & Hunger: I read Roxane Gay for the first time! Bad Feminist is a series of essays and Hunger is the memoir of her body. I’m behind the pack on this one, but she is definitely worth reading.
Dan Savage – The Kid & The Commitment: Dan Savage tells his own story of adopting a kid with his boyfriend and then in his second book tells the story of his boyfriend and him wrestling with the decision of whether or not to get married. These books came out in 1999 and 2005 respectively, when gay marriage was not legalized, and the biggest dissenter to their union at the time was actually their five-year-old adopted son. Both books were hilarious, honest, and loving.
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert: Gilbert discusses creativity and writing — the supernatural, frustrating, and courageous. A short, magical book on inspiration and the creative process.
As you can see, I had a hard time narrowing my list — I’ve read some great books lately!
With Love,
Natalie