On this last day of the year, of the decade as well, one last post to catch up my twelve months of reading — I’ll have my official 2019 Reading List up in the next few days, but for now, here are the final titles from that list.
69, 70, and 71 were borrowed from the Vancouver Public Library as e-books, and read as I travelled to and from Paris and Rome this month.
#69 Mick Herron’s Real Tigers
#70 Julie Whelan, My Oxford Year
#71 Ta-Nahesi Coates, The Water Dancer
Not sure where I read about
#72, Melissa Harrison’s All Among the Barley, but I think it was somewhere on Social Media. I’ve had it on hold at the library for several months, and it was ready the day I got home. This will be one I mark with an asterisk on my annual list, I think. . . .
#73, Donna Leon, Falling in Love, also read as an e-book, also borrowed from the library.
#74, Deborah Levy, Hot Milk, was one of the books I bought in Powell’s Books in Portland way back last winter, and somehow hadn’t read yet. (Although Idid readSwimming Home—bought at the same time — back in August).
#75, and it’s probably fair, somewhat exemplary, that my last completed book of the year should happen to be another mystery. Midsummer’s Equation by Keigo Higashino. This is the third I’ve read in his Detective Galileo series, set in Japan, and every one is a gem.
Now I really need to finish this post and join Pater as he prepares our New Year’s Eve meal and we decide what Netflix binge will take us into the new decade. We might do some side-by-side reading as well, and if so, my book will be the wonderful 10 Minutes 28 Seconds In This Strange World, by the Turkish-British writer Elif Shafak. I’m especially happy to be moving from 2019 into 2020 with this book as Dottoressa commented in my last post that she’s just finished the novel and highly recommends it.
I know you won’t have time to comment tonight for all the celebrating — and tomorrow either, what with all the recovery and resolution-making. But soon, I hope. I’d love to know what books you finished 2019 with and/or which ones you have ready to read in 2020. Happy New Year to all of you and see you in the next decade!
Happy New Year to you and many thanks for all the authors I've discovered through your blog this year. Looking forward to more to come! I'm glad you're enjoying Keigo Higashino; he's a fine writer for sure. I've been enjoying a beautiful book on Paris I received for Christmas: "Paris, an Inspiring tour of the city's creative heart." The first half explores some of the out-of-the way attractions in several key arrondissements and the second half describes interesting shops, museum, cafes etc. with an emphasis on art and design. And of course, the photos are gorgeous!
Frances in Sidney
Happy New Year to you as well, Frances! and sorry I somehow missed this comment until now. I'm very grateful to you for introducing me to Higashino, such elegant mysteries and the books entice me to dream of visiting Japan. . I just googled your Christmas book and now I'm imagining you holed up in your comfortable chair, snow piling up outside while you stroll through Paris via the gorgeous pages. Enjoy!