Like 2018 and 2017, it’s been a mixed bag; but I must say that by challenging myself I am reading books that I never would otherwise, like reading Lolita in Tehran and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It’s also given my the opportunity to tackle those I was thinking about reading but never have, like The Years of Rice and Salt. Have I learned much for my own writing? Hell yes.
All the books I’ve read for my 2019 Reading Challenge with ratings and links.
4. What you will read to your grandchildren: A children’s book (middle grade or younger).
A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeleine L’engle.
5. East meets West: A book taking place in Asia (Turkey to Japan, Siberia to Vietnam)
The Last Samurai, the Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori, by Mark Ravina.
6. Just the (alternative) facts, Ma’am: An alternate history.
The Years of Rice and Salt, by Kim Stanley Robinson.
9. Best friend: A book with a dog on the cover.
Being a Dog, by Alexandra Horowitz.
14. Crossing the (color) lines: A book about a person of color (PoC), any variety, written by an author of the same variety.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, by N.K. Jemison.
17. Back in the day: A historical of any genre.
A Murder in Thebes, by Anna Apostolou.
18. Do you deliver?: A book where food, cooking, restaurants, chefs, etc. play a major role.
Apples of Uncommon Character: 123 Heirlooms, Classics, & Little Known Wonders, by Rowan Jacobsen.
25. Flights of fancy: A book in which airplanes figure prominently.
Jet Age, by Sam Howe Verhovek.
28. Keep up with the Joneses: A book everyone else seems to have read but you have not.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson.
39. Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character.
Tales from Watership Down,by Richard Adams.
48. Matryoshka books: A book mentioned or discussed inside another book.
Reading Lolita in Teheran, by Azar Nafisi.
49. What you read: A book you loved as a child.
A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin
EXTRA CREDIT:
Tales from La Vida, a LatinX Comics Anthology, edited by Frederick Luis Aldama
