The Reading Edge: Books Read in 2019
In 2019, I read 124 books, beating my 2018 total of 109. In 2017, I read 126.
January
James Clear Atomic Habits
Lilia Momple Neighbours, the Story of a Murder Anna Burns Milkman (CD) Jordan B. Peterson Twelve Rules for Life (CD) PM Forni Choosing Civility (skimmed and made notes) Mark Cote That Lucky Old Son Alexander McCall Smith The House of Unexpected Sisters Kagise Lesogo Molope This Book Betrays my Brother (re-read in order to teach at SFU)
February
Alexander McCall Smith The Colors of All the Cattle Derek B. Miller The Girl in Green Diana Athill Alive, Alive Oh! and other Important Matters Tana French The Likeness (CD) Diana Athill Midsummer Night at the Workhouse and other Stories Iain Reid Foe
March
Tana French The Trespasser (CD) Diana Athill Somewhere towards the end Lisa See Dragon Bones Donna Leon Through a Glass Darkly (relistened for SFU course) Sue Grafton X (relistened, for SFU course) Jack Knox On the Rocks with Jack Knox Charles Cumming The Moroccan Girl Alan Bradley The Golden Tresses of the Dead (CD) Ian Rankin Watchman (quit partway through) Diana Athill Instead of a Book Diana Athill Stet Tana French The Secret Place Gloria Steinem My Life on the Road (Audio) Ross Macdonald The Ivory Grin (a Lew Archer novel) (Audio) Henning Mankell Chronicler of the Winds (skimmed last of this tragic allegory) Sarah Waters The Night Watch (Audio)
April
Michael Kluckner Julia (graphic novel about Julia Henshaw) Lisa See The Island of Sea Women (CD) Sally Rooney Normal People (audio) Sheila Kohler Once we were Sisters Alexander McCall Smith The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse Abir Mukherjee A Necessary Evil Jhumpa Lahiri The Namesake (audio) Val McDermid Forensics Jhumpa Lahiri Unaccustomed Earth (audio) Abir Mukherjee A Rising Man
May
Ann Patchett State of Wonder (CD) Anne-Marie Drosso Hookah Nights Anne-Marie Drosso Cairo Stories Jhumpa Lahiri The Lowland Nathaniel Brandon The Six Pillars of Self-esteem Alain de Botton The Course of Love Ovidia Yu The Frangipani Tree Mystery Victoria Zackheim ed. Faith: essays from believers, agnostics and atheists Peter Robinson Careless Love Daniel Kahneman Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow (audio) Abir Mukherjee Smoke and Ashes (audio)
June
Diana Athill Instead of a Letter Elif Shafak Black Milk Maureen Medved Black Star Gail Honeyman Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine (skipped over last bit) Alain de Botton A Week at the Airport Alain de Botton Status Anxiety CS Lewis The Silver Chair CD Graeme Simsion The Rosie Result Val McDermid Insidious Intent Val McDermid Trick of the Dark Josephine Tey The Daughter of Time Rupert Sheldrake Science and Spiritual Practices Peter May The Blackhouse Fred Vargas Wash this Blood Clean from my Hand Colin Cotterill Six and a Half Deadly Sins (CD)
July
Ariana Dagnino The Afrikaner Jennifer Robson The Gown (CD) Edna O’Brien The Little Red Chairs (Audio) Manuel Matas MD The Borders of Normal Rachel McMillan The White Feather Murders (didn't finish) Mike Simmons Episodes from Iceworld Terry Fong Princeton: a Love Story Edna O’Brien The Love Object (CD) [heard first 8 CDs only] Iona Whishaw Death in a Darkening Mist Edward Gibbon The Rise & Fall of the Roman Empire I (Audio) Gianrico Carofilio The Past is a Foreign Country Gianrico Carofilio Involuntary Witness Ian Hamilton The Disciple of Las Vegas Derek B. Miller Norwegian by Night Josephine Tey Sands of Time Kate Atkinson Big Sky
Ann Shortell Celtic Knot
August
Qiu Xiaolong Shanghai Redemption Jess Kidd Himself Peter Carey True History of The Kelly Gang
September
Peter Carey Illywhacker (finished at home in October) Chris Cleave Incendiary Jane Harper The Dry Jane Harper Force of Nature (CD) Dervla McTiernan The Ruin Adrian McKinty The Chain Adrian McKinty The Cold, Cold Ground Ovidia Yu The Betel Nut Tree Mystery Iona Whishaw A Killer in King’s Cove
October
Elly Griffiths The Dark Angel Iona Whishaw It Begins in Betrayal Iona Whishaw An Old Cold Grave Iona Whishaw It Begins in Betrayal Iona Whishaw A Deceptive Devotion Shelley Wood Quintland Sisters (Audio file) Peter May The Chessmen (CD) Adrian McKinty Police at the Station and They don’t Look Friendly (CD) Richard van Camp Moccasin Square Garden Maude Barlow Whose Water is it Anyway? JoJo Moyes Still Me (CD) Adrian McKinty Police at the Station and they Don’t Look Friendly (CD) Adrian McKinty I Hear Sirens in the Street (2 of Troubles Trilogy) Adrian McKinty In the Morning I’ll be Gone Adrian McKinty Gun Street Girl
November
Adrian McKinty Rain Dogs (CD) Jakob Arjouni Brother Kemal Jane Harper The Lost Man Kate Atkinson Transcription Adrian McKinty Hidden River Nicola Upson An Expert in Murder (first one featuring Josephine Tey) Jacqueline Carmichael Tweets from the Trenches Dervla McTiernan The Scholar (CD) Ben Macintyre Operation Mincemeat (CD) Jennifer Egan Manhattan Beach
December
Derek B. Miller American by Day Renee Knight Disclaimer Mark Manson Everything is Fucked: a Book about Hope
Kevin Barry Night Boat to Tangier
Naomi Wood Mrs. Hemingway (didn't finish)