My 2019 Book-per-Week Challenge

This year, I read 52 books.

Like, I actually read them. No Audible or books on CD here!

Why?

This time last year, I wanted to set an ambitious-for-me goal to achieve in 2019.

Another marathon was out, because I was pregnant (yay!) Something travel-related was out, because we had another cross-continent move on the books for April... our second within 6 months (first we moved out of Alaska to Virginia, then from Va to Ca, all in one year).

So when someone mentioned in passing that they had a friend who read a book every week, it just kind of... stuck. I just knew that was going to be my "stretch goal" for the year!

What?

I'd been really wanting to revisit young adult classics that I somehow missed (or don't remember reading) growing up. Anne of Green Gables. The Bridge to Terabethia. Where the Red Fern Grows. So many more. How had I missed these fabulous books?

So I started scouring cute little used book stores for inexpensive ($1 or $2) copies of the classics. Extra points if the cover art was beautiful, because they're just so much fun to read if they're pretty, too.

How?

Early in my pregnancy, I read on the treadmill while I walked. That got in about an hour per day (bless the amazing gym we had in Virginia with the adorable child care center).

Later, after Matt deployed, I'd read at night instead of watching TV or scrolling social media. The added benefit was I had way less screen time this year! Just don't ask me what happened on The Bachelor, This is Us, The Crown Season 3, etc. I have no idea. I was reading!

The complete list!

Here are all 52 books I read this year, in order...

1. White Fang - Jack London
2. Understanding Temple Covenants
3. Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babit
4. Bambi - Felix Saltan
5. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carrol
6. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkein
7. Madame Chic - Jennifer L. Scott
8. Misty of Chincoteague - Margarete
9. Nancy Drew - Nancy's Mysterious Letter - Carolyn Keene
10. The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis
11. Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls
12. Bringing Up Bebe - Pamela Druckerman
13. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
14. The Giver - Lois Lowry
15. By the Shores of Silver Lake - Laura Ingalls Wilder
16. The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams 
17. Sarah, Plain and Tall - Patricia McLachlan 
18. The Penderwicks - Jeanne Birdsall
19. The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck
20. Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Pearson 
21. The Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown
22. The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
23. A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis
24. The Montessori Toddler - Simone Davies
25. The Long Winter - Laura Ingalls Wilder
26. Black Beauty - Anna Sewell
27. The Wealthy Barber - David Chilton
28. Believing Christ - Stephen E. Robinson 
29. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald 
30. On the Banks of Plumb Creek - Laura Ingalls Wilder
31. Stickeen - John Muir
32. Treasure Island - Robert Lewis Stevenson 
33. The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis
34. Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis
35. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis
36. The Babywise Guide
37. I am Malala - Malala Yousafzai
38. Island of the Blue Dolphins - Scott O'Dell
39. The Four Loves - C.S. Lewis
40. Quiet - Susan Cain 
41. Never Cry Wolf - Farley Mowatt
42. Little Town on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder
43. The Pearl - John Steinbeck
44. Mystery at Lilac Inn - Carolyn Keene
45. The Lord God Made Them All - James Herriot
46. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
47. Christmas on Jane Street - Billy Romp
48. Miracle on 34th Street - Valentine Davies
49. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
50. My Antonia - Willa Cather
51. Gift of the Magi - O. Henry
52. Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery

My favorite books of the year were...

1. Anne of Green Gables
2. The Remains of the Day
3. Black Beauty

The books that I learned the most from this year...

1. The Wealthy Barber
2. Believing Christ
3. I am Malala

But I really enjoyed almost every book! Even if I didn't love every storyline, I was still glad to have read the books and learned what they're about. For example, I didn't really like The Giver. I mean it just kinda gave me the creeps. BUT I'm really glad to have read it and know what it's all about. I feel more informed and well-read. 

The biggest takeaway? Books make you smarter! And there are SO MANY wonderful, fascinating books out there. And there is SO MUCH to learn. And... I really didn't miss anything by skipping out on extra TV and social media time. 

I loved this challenge and am so glad I did it! I feel like a better informed, more well-rounded person. I actually feel smarter! For 2020, I might take some time to tackle the longer books that I couldn't finish in a week. Like another Jane Austen book. Or Watership Down, which Matt has been telling me I should read for like 2 years. :) 

Another takeaway is that this was SO much more doable than it seems!! Just 30 minutes or so before bed really added up. If you're thinking about trying it, just get started by picking out a stack of books that you're really excited about, and see how it goes!