Hello all! I’m back after taking a break over Christmas week, and I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. 2019 is already here, and for many bookworms that means it’s time to make reading goals for the year. I don’t like to set a number of books I want to read, because it doesn’t really motivate me. So for this year, I decided to choose types of books or new ways to find books to read, and expand my TBR list (as if it needs to be expanded!) Today I’m sharing a handy infographic so you can join me in my 2019 reading challenge, plus some of my suggestions that fit the categories. Enjoy!
2019 debut authors
There are so many new books coming out this year! Some that I am especially looking forward to are You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn and A Place for Wolves by Kosoko Jackson. Both are YA, and I follow both authors on Twitter so it’s been fun to see them prepare for their debut years!
Books being turned into movies
Several books that have been on my to-be-read list for a while are being turned into movies, which means I need to get a move on to read them in time! Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple has gotten great reviews, and everyone says it’s hilarious. The movie version is scheduled to release on March 22. Nicola Yoon, author of NYT bestselling Everything, Everything, has another book being transformed into a movie. The YA novel The Sun is Also a Star releases in May.
Book about music
I’ve been wanting to read C.G. Drews’ debut novel A Thousand Perfect Notes pretty much since it was released earlier in 2018, but I’m determined to finally do it this year!
Books by a teenager
There are sooo many good books by teens out there! The obvious one is Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle (which…shhh…I still haven’t finished reading!). Other great books include Kat Zhang’s What’s Left of Me and Samantha Shannon’s The Bone Season. Not only was Shannon’s book published when she was 19, she was offered a 7-book deal, which is HUGE.
Written in verse/poetry
There are lots of great poetry collections out there, and Mary Oliver is one of my favorite poets. For something different, though, try Juleah del Rosario’s 500 Words or Less. It’s a YA contemporary novel told entirely in verse, and it’s a powerful way to tell a compelling story.
Books by debut authors older than 40
Lots of fuss is made over young authors, but I think it’s equally amazing to achieve a dream of publishing a book when you’re later in life. Antonia Honeywell published The Ship in 2017, and it was hailed as The Hunger Games meets the London Riots. Lydia Netzer’s Shine Shine Shine has also received critical acclaim, and I’m itching to read it.
(FYI–This post includes affiliate links. I promise to never recommend anything that I haven’t loved and think you should try!)
What are your reading goals for 2019? Do you set a number, or just read whatever you feel like? Let me know in the comments!
If you post about any books you read for the reading challenge, be sure to tag me! I’m @penn.and.paper on Instagram and @chelseap_14 on Twitter.
Featured image by Jason Leung