Books Read in 2019

Diane's rating system:

Here is my approximate rating of books I have read or abandoned part way. Whenever I juxtapose items on a list like this I begin to second guess myself and question if the rating is valid on a relative scale. Since my reading tastes are eclectic, I am comparing apples with oranges, fiction with non-fiction, romance with thriller, so relativity on a consistency scale goes out the window.

☆☆☆☆☆          I probably did not even finish it
★☆☆☆☆      Awful but I read most or maybe even all of it
★★☆☆☆      Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished it
★★★☆☆      Better than average; not a waste of time
★★★★☆      Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience
★★★★★      Great! Read it!

I give the star rating soon after I am finished with (i.e., completed or abandoned) the book and blogged about it. The rating is more a reflection of my short term memory and enjoyment level. I have tried very hard not to go back at a later time and change the star rating relative to a different book I have read more recently. Click on the date after the book to see my full review. Comments on a book are allowed and encouraged at the end of the post for that book.

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2019 Books

1. ★★★☆☆      Paris in the Present Tense by Mark Helprin
                             ©2017 (2/8/19)
2. ★★★★★      The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
                             ©2015 (2/19/19)
3. ★★★★★      Spare Parts by Joshua Davis
                             ©2014 (2/22/19)
4. ★★★★★      Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah
                             ©2006 (3/2/19)
5. ★★★★★      The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore
                              ©2016 (3/25/19)
6. ★☆☆☆☆      Outer Order Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin
                              ©2019 (3/26/19)
7. ★★★★☆      Unforgettable You by Brenda Novak
                              ©2019 (5/12/19)
8. ★★★★☆      The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery
                              ©2015 (7/24/19)
9. ★★★☆☆      Waving Girl by J.B. Nicholas
                             ©2004 (8/3/19)
10. ★★★★★      Superpower Dogs by Cosmic
                               ©2019 (8/3/19)
11. ★★★★★      Star Wars: Mix & Match by Harper Benjamin
                              ©2015 (8/3/19)
12. ★★★★★      My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet
                              ©1948 (8/3/19)
13. ★★☆☆☆      The Library Book by Susan Orlean
                              ©2018 (8/8/19)
14. ★☆☆☆☆      Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
                              ©2018 (8/20/19)
15. ★★★★★      The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
                              ©2019 (8/25/19)
16. ★★★★★      Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
                              ©2018 (9/4/19)
17. ★★★★★      Eleanor Oliphant by Gale Honeyman
                              ©2017 (9/7/19)
18. ★☆☆☆☆      What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
                               ©2007 (9/20/19)
19. ★★★★★      The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
                              ©2019 (12/29/19)
20. ★★★☆☆      Trust Me by Brenda Novak
                               ©2008 (1/4/20)
21. ★★★☆☆      Stop Me by Brenda Novak
                               ©2008 (1/4/20)
22. ★★★☆☆      Watch Me by Brenda Novak
                               ©2008 (1/4/20)
23. ★★☆☆☆      When We Touch by Brenda Novak
                               ©2012 (1/4/20)
24. ★★★★☆      Firefly Cove by Davis Bunn
                               ©2018 (1/12/20)
25. ★★☆☆☆      While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax
                               ©2013 (1/13/20)
26. ★★★☆☆      Hanover House by Brenda Novak
                                ©2015 (1/14/20) 
27. ★★★☆☆      Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak
                                ©2016 (1/14/20)