2019 Reading Wrap Up

Hey, guys!

It's that time of the year! I know that a lot of you enjoy these massive conglomerate posts where I list every book, but if you're interested in my full thoughts and feelings surrounding each book, please check out the monthly wrap up listed below each month's list. I'm so happy with my reading choices. Surprisingly, this year was the worst for blogging (Hooray for being a senior in college!), but I was able to stress read so many books too. I've read the most I've ever read and I even broke my reading record of 138 from 2015. 

This year, I was able to read 153 books, graphic novels, comics, short stories, and essay collections. I'm so jazzed to share all of these books with you! 

**Full disclosure, I've also had a wonderful year of unhauling, donating, and gifting books. When it comes to keeping the books I didn't really enjoy -- I don't. If the book is going to take up space on my shelves and I don't plan on reading them again, I give it to one of my friends, trade it online for another book I'm interested in, I donate it to book drives/used bookstores/etc., or I just donate them to Goodwill if no one will take them. 

I also did not read as many books as I acquired this year. That goal will be addressed in another future post that will discuss my bookish goals for 2020. 

Here are the books I read in 2019!

*audiobook
~ebook
**ARC/review copy
+school

January

1. Prince's Gambit (Captive Prince #2) by C.S. Pacat
2. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Gods of Olympus #1) by Rick Riordan
3. King's Rising (Captive Prince #3) by C.S. Pacat
4. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal*
5. The Wicked King by Holly Black
6. The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston
7.  Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith**
8. Steven Universe Volume 1 by Rebecca Sugar, Jeremy Sorese, Coleman Engle~
9. Steven Universe Volume 2 by Jeremy Sorese~
10. Steven Universe Volume 3 by Grace Kraft, Rebecca Sugar, Rii Abrego~
11. Steven Universe Warp Tour Volume 1 by Melanie Gillman, Rebecca Sugar, Katy Farina, Whitney Cogar~
12. Steven Universe (2017-) #6 by Grace Kraft, Rii Abrego~
13. Green But For A Season (Captive Prince #2.5) by C.S. Pacat
14. Pet (Captive Prince #1.5) by C.S. Pacat
15. The Adventures of Charls the Veretian Cloth Merchant (Captive Prince #3.6) by C.S. Pacat
16. The Summer Palace (Captive Prince #3.5) by C.S. Pacat
17. Galatea by Madeline Miller~

{January Reading Wrap Up}

February

1. A Curse So Dark & Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
2. Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau
3. Bingo Love Volume 1: Jackpot Edition by Tee Franklin, Marguerite Bennett, Gail Simone, Shawn Pryor, Jenn St. Onge, Sara Alfageeh, Paulina Ganucheau, Beverly Johnson, and Ariela Kristantina
4. Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
5. Radio Silence by Alice Oseman*
6. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang~**

{February Wrap Up}

March

1. Roomies by Christina Lauren
2. Bee & Puppycat Volume 1 by Patrick Seery, Natasha Allegri, and Ji In Kim~
3. Bee & Puppycat Volumes 2 by Patrick Seery, Natasha Allegri, and Ji In Kim~
4. Bee & Puppycat Volumes 3 by Patrick Seery, Natasha Allegri, and Ji In Kim~
5. Solitaire by Alice Oseman*
6. Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer
7. Snotgirl Volume 1 by Bryan Lee O'Malley, Leslie Hung, Mickey Quinn, and Mare Odomo~
8. Snotgirl Volume 2 by Bryan Lee O'Malley, Leslie Hung, Mickey Quinn, and Mare Odomo~
9. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo *
10. The Wicked + The Divine Volume 8: The Old is the New by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, Andre Lima Araujo, Matt Wilson, Kris Anka, and Jen Bartel~
11. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
12. In Real Life by Jen Wang and Cory Doctorow
13. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
14. Fight or Flight by Samantha Young

{March Wrap Up}

April 

1. On the Pulse of the Morning by Maya Angelou
2. Book Love by Debbie Tung~
3. [reread] The Selection by Kiera Cass
4. Moonstruck Volume 2: Some Enchanted Evening by Grace Ellis and Shae Beagle~
5. Unnatural Volumes 1 by Mirka Andolfo~
6. Unnatural Volumes 2 by Mirka Andolfo~
7. Taproot by Keezy Young~
8. [reread] The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
9. [reread] Cinder by Marissa Meyer
10. [reread] The Elite by Kiera Cass

{April Reading Wrap Up}

May

1. The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass 
2. Where Are They Now? (The Selection #5.2) by Kiera Cass 
3. The Backstagers Volume 1 by James Tynion IV and Rian Sygh~ 
4. Meet Cute by Helena Hunting 
5. {DNF} Lost Boys by Riley Quinn**
6. The Chupacabras of the Rio Grande (The Unicorn Rescue Society #4) by Adam Gidwitz and David Bowles**
7. Steven Universe 2016 Special by Shannon Watters (Editor), Whitney Leopard (Associate Editor), Chris Rosa (Associate Editor), Ayme Sotuyo (Illustrator), Grace Park (Designer), Rebecca Sugar (Creator)~
8. Check Please: #Hockey, Volume 1 by Ngozi Ukazu 
9. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
10. Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer *
11. Aquicorn Cove by Katie O'Neill
12. Fae's Captive (#1) by Lily Archer ~
13. Road to Winter (Fae's Captive #2) by Lily Archer~
14. Bite of Winter (Fae's Captive #3) by Lily Archer ~
15. Beyond the Mountain (Fae's Captive #4) by Lily Archer ~
16. Waiting on Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey**
17. On Dublin Street by Samantha Young~
18. With the Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo *
19. Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
20. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
21. The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad
22. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

{May Wrap Up}

June

1. Circe by Madeline Miller*
2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
3. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
4. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
5. Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
6. Saga #54 by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan~
7. Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer*
8. Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5) by Marissa Meyer*
9. How to Read a Book by Kwame Alexander and Melissa Sweet~**
10. {DNF} The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
11. 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne
12. Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer**
13. Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems #1-4 by Josceline Fenton, Rebecca Sugar, and Chrystin Garland~
14. Wundersmith the Trials of Morrigan Crowe (Nevermoor #2) by Jessica Townsend
15. Memento by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman 
16. Steven Universe: The Ultimate Dough Down by Talya Perpa, Rebecca Sugar, Meg Omac, and Lorena Alvarez Gomez~
17. Steven Universe: Camp Pining Play by Rebecca Sugar~
18. Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems (#1-4) by Josceline Fenton, Rebecca Sugar, and Chrystin Garland~
19. The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O'Neill~**
20. Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer
21. More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer
22. Go the Fuck to Sleep by Adam Mansbach (narrated by Samuel L. Jackson)*

{June Wrap Up}

July

1. Stars Above (The Lunar Chronicles #0.5, 0.6, 3.1, 4.5) by Marissa Meyer*
2. Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer
3. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston
4. Teen Titans: Raven by Gabriel Picolo and Kami Garcia
5. Autoboyography by Christina Lauren
6.  The Steel Prince (Shades of Magic #1-4) by V.E. Schwab and Andrea Olimpieri~
7. Night of Knives #1 (Shades of Magic #5) & Night of Knives #2 (Shades of Magic #6) by V.E. Schwab and Andrea Olimpieri~
8. Night of Knives #3 (Shades of Magic #7) by V.E. Schwab and Andrea Olimpieri~
9. Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey
10. Heartless by Marissa Meyer*
11. DNF: The Cactus by Sarah Haywood*~
12. King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo
13. Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu**~
14. The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre (The Two Princesses of Bamarre #0.5) by Gail Carson Levine*
15. DNF: The Spring Girls by Anna Todd*~
16. Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
17. Freya by Christopher E. Long & Mike Dubisch 
18. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell
19. Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid~
20. Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid*

{July Wrap Up}

August

1. Caraval by Stephanie Garber*
2. Ziggy Stardust & Me by James Brandon
3. Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston*
4. Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
5. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen*
6. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab 
7. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman*
8. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater*
9. Dinosnores by Sandra Boynton**
10. Night of Knives (Shades of Magic Graphic Novels #8) by V.E. Schwab, Andrea Olimpieri, and Budi Setiawan ~

{August Reading Wrap Up}

September

1. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
2. Tunnel of Bones (Cassidy Blake #2) by V.E. Schwab*
3. Unnatural, Vol. 3: Rebirth by Mirka Andolfo~
4. Storm (The Elementals #1) by Brigid Kemmerer~
5. Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall**
6. Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh~
7. Middlesex by Jeffrey Euginides 
8. The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1) by Rick Riordan~

{September Reading Wrap Up}

October

1. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams**~
2. "Okay" (The Wicked + The Divine #9) by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson~
3. The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch~
4. Roar Like a Dandelion by Ruth Krauss and Sergio Ruzzier**
5. Dewdrop by Katie O'Neill**~
6. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
7. I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day**

{October Reading Wrap Up}

November

1. The Last Namsara (Iskari #1) by Kristen Ciccarelli***
2. The Caged Queen (Iskari #2) by Kristen Ciccarelli***
3. Zodiac Starforce Volume 1: By the Power of Astra by Kevin Panetta and Paulina Ganucheau
4. Zodiac Starforce Volume 2: Cries of the Fire Prince by Kevin Panetta and Paulina Ganucheau
5. Ophiuchus by Alexis Leriger de la Plante and Natasha Tara Petrovic
6. The Queen of Nothing (Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black
7. Bring Me Their Hearts (Bring Me Their Hearts #1) by Sara Wolf

{November Wrap Up}

December

1. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie+
2. Wonder Twins Vol. 1: Activate! by Mark Russell and Stephen Byrne~
3. Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi*~
4. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert *
5. The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert*
6. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
7. Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert~
8. Odd Dog Out by Rob Biddulph**
9. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott*
10. This Winter (Solitaire #.5) by Alice Oseman
11. The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard**
12. Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

{December Reading Wrap Up}

What did you read this year! Let's discuss in the comments! I'd love to hear about your favorites! Did you read any of the books that I read? What did you think? 

Stay tuned for my 2019 favorites and fall/winter book haul!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~Liv the Book Nerd~

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My Dream Book Conference Panel

Hey, guys!

      I was contacted by Eventbrite to share my dream author panel and answer a few questions pertaining to this cool project. Eventbrite is the largest self-service ticketing platform in the world that helps people find and plan events. Eventbrite has been working on a project where they encourage bloggers and online writers to share their favorite authors and create their own panels.

      If you would like to create your own panel, then there's no need to wait to be contacted by Eventbrite! You can create your own panel! This was such a fun prompt and this was so fun to write.

      I've actually created a panel that is separated into 5 genres that include 2 authors for each genre. I suppose it's a huge panel of authors that would be separated into 5 smaller panels where the authors would talk about their writing processes, their favorite characters, etc.

For this genre, I had to choose two of my favorite high fantasy authors. These two authors have taken over the literary world with their addicting writing and intriguing characters. I had to choose J.K. Rowling & Sarah J. Maas! 

Of course, I've read all of J.K.'s writing, but I've yet to finish all of Maas's released work. I'm totally obsessed with the Harry Potter series if you couldn't tell from my previous blog posts.

I had read some of Sarah J. Maas's writing a few years ago, but I hadn't kept up with her Throne of Glass series because I'm going to wait to binge-read the series once it's finished. I did start her Court of Thorns and Roses series this past year and I've totally fallen in love with it. The installments to this series are definitely going to be my most anticipated releases for the next few years. I'm so excited that this series is being extended to 6 books!

J.K. Rowling Reviews {click here}

Sarah J. Maas Reviews: {click here}

If you've followed my blog for very long then you probably know of my deep love for contemporary and romance novels. I have select few authors that I will always read, but these two authors are just wonderful and I would love to listen to them speak about their writing. I had to pick Morgan Matson & Rainbow Rowell.

Granted, Rainbow Rowell's most recent novel was a fantasy novel, but it was the fanfiction from her amazing novel Fangirl. Fangirl is probably one of my all-time favorite books. I relate to Cath so much and I just adore Rainbow's writing. I can't wait to see what she comes out with next. I'm dying for my fix.

Now let's talk about the lovely Morgan Matson. She is such a fantastic writer. She writes these amazing contemporary novels that have the perfect amount of romance, family, and friendship that leave you dying for more. Her latest novel, The Unexpected Everything, was absolutely fantastic. I couldn't handle how cute that book was. I can't wait for her next book. 

Morgan Matson Reviews {click here}

Rainbow Rowell Reviews {click here}

A good chunk of my middle school years was taken over by the dystopian genre after The Hunger Games trilogy became so popular. I had to pick Kiera Cass and Tahereh Mafi for this catagory. They aren't necessarily the typical dystopian writers, but they do write some of the best dystopian YA fictiona around. I'm absolutely obsessed with Kiera Cass's Selection series and Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me trilogy. I can't wait to read more of their books. 

Kiera Cass Reviews
The Selection series #1-3: {click here}
The Selection series #4 {click here}
The Selection series  5: {click here}
The Selection series novellas: {click here}
Tahereh Mafi Reviews
~Shatter Me {click here}
~Unravel Me {click here}
~Ignite Me {click here}
~Unite Me {click here}


   

I couldn't exclude the middle grade genre! I've been reading middle grade for most of my life, and I plan on reading much more of it, even as an adult. I've always been a fan of Michael Buckley and I've recently become a fan of Soman Chainani. Michael Buckley wrote the Sisters Grimm series which I have been reading and rereading for years. During the summer of 2015, I picked up The School For Good and Evil by Soman Chainani and I couldn't put it down. The whole series was fantastic! I can't wait for the final book in the series, Quest for Glory, to be released next year. 

Reviews:

The School For Good & Evil {click here}

A World Without Princes {click here}

The Last Ever After {click here}

These two authors are a couple of my favorites, but they have been deceased for quite some time. However, it would be an absolute pleasure to even listen to them speak, not to mention meeting them. L.M. Montgomery and Louisa May Alcott are probably two of the greatest writers, ever. I mean, that's my opinion, but their books are absolutely wonderful. Their writing styles are fantastic and I love the stories that they have created. 

Questions I Would Ask:

• What inspired you to write your books?
• Do you use real events and real people as inspiration for characters and scenes in your book?
• Do your stories stay prominent in your mind even when you're not writing?
• How do you document ideas when you're not near your laptop/pencil?
• How do you write? Laptop? Paper/pencil? 

I thought this was such a cool concept. I'm really honored to be apart of this project. Comment down below the authors you would love to see on a panel and the questions you would ask! If you feel inspired to make your own dream book conference panel come to life check out Eventbrite's conference management tools to help planning a conference super easy!

Happy reading!
Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~

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@LivTheBookNerd on Books