We close on 2019

Turns out I overmet my book goal of 45 books. I finished book 50 on NYE, right before midnight.

I've noticed some debates going in the Goodreads FB posts about whether audiobooks count as books read. Some folks are vehement they should not count since you didn't read the books with your eyeballs. Vehement to the point it makes me wonder, why? If someone is reading a book by e-book, hardback, paperback, braille, or audio, what affect is that on that other person? Some posters were downright angry that it was GoodREADS and not GoodLISTENS (I hope their resolution is to calm themselves down in 2020).

I count every book I absorb, be it audio or paper or electronic. I count comic books and graphic novels. I count short story collections and novellas.  In the end, I think it's just the reading that is important. Don't read books? How about magazines or newspapers? Podcasts? Just absorb something new that you didn't know before. Learn. And don't listen to the angry people writing in all CAPS that what you read didn't count. It did.

Maybe skip reading comments on the interwebz. They are full of angry people.

Onward!

My recap of my last books of 2019 and my goals for 2020.

Queenie  by Candice Carty-Williams - Not quite what I expected from such a talked about book. I didn't dislike it, although Queenie made me want to shake her to pieces at times.

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan - My nephew finished this series WAY before me. I actually really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series quite a bit. It is YA but a good series.

Lou Reed: The Last Interview and Other Conversations by Lou Reed - I think Lou was an asshole. But he was an interesting asshole.

The Alibi Man by Tami Hoag - Decent mystery involving Russians, polo and rich people!

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Another book for the IRL book club that I missed. Highly recommend the audiobook for the character voices and accents. Stick with it. I found it a bit slow in the beginning then got caught up in the story.

Match Up Edited by Lee Child - I'm getting more into mystery/thrillers lately and I was lent this book of short story collaborations. I think I found some new authors I want to read!

The War of the Worlds by HG Wells - My Big Damn Classic of 2019! I listened via Librivox and was very happy that this was the pick of the year.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - Read via Craftlit this turned out to be another big damn classic in 2019. Long John Silver is most complex, not the cartoony pirate we think of now.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean - My last postal book club book of 2019. I wish I had pursued becoming a librarian earlier in life but alas, I'm a data developer. Great book that reminds you how important libraries and librarians are.

Deadpool Complete Collection #1 - Not ashamed :) This was my last read of 2019. I had finished watching Deadpool 2 and dug this collection out of my stacks.

For 2020, I won't be doing a Big Damn Classic poll. I decided to read Les Mis by Victor Hugo (most likely on audio so I really get a feel of the French) and Roots by Alex Haley. I have on my Goodreads challenge to read 50 books in 2020 (AUDIO AND EVERYTHING).

Here's to a fruitful year of good books to keep you busy!