Top 10 Tuesday – Bookish Discoveries I Made In 2019

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

January 14: Bookish Discoveries I Made In 2019 (these could be books, authors, blogs, websites, apps, products, etc.)

This is going to be a fun topic since 2019 was the year I started blogging about books and reading more in general, getting in tune with extremely helpful bookish websites, etc. Most of these entries will be familiar to you but who knows, maybe a few of them will be new and interesting. Though numbered, these are in no particular order of importance-

1.) ARCs – Netgalley and BookishFirst

In 2018 I didn’t know what an ARC was and probably would have been puzzled by why people were excited about reading books that were not complete versions. Oh the naivete of those days, lol. I do have to warn any newer bloggers up front though- don’t request more than you can possibly read. It’s very tempting to overstep your bounds. I’m committed to finishing everything, but it can be overwhelming- especially when/if you go through a slump.

2.) Cheaper new books – BookOutlet

There are several sources for buying books but I’ve found BookOutlet to be the best for getting newer releases in hardcover at really incredible prices (like $8 for a hardcover of Middlegame by Seanan McGuire, still kicking myself at always missing when it’s been in stock multiple times.) One issue though, that availability. Books can run out of stock fast, though there is usually still a vast selection worth choosing from when you’re ready for a haul. Also didn’t know what a book haul was in 2018 vs 2019. :’D Second best by the way is Thriftbooks. The prices are often incredible.

3.) Author – Finally starting to read Stephen King.

It feels funny saying “I discovered Stephen King in 2019.” That’s like saying you discovered The Beatles or Charles Dickens, but nonetheless, I finally read a Stephen King book in 2019 and the results were great. Very happy to find that his writing is up my alley. The book I finished was The Shining. A behemoth of a book that managed to be an engaging pageturner and not come off as overwritten, even if it probably is. I’m looking to read Misery, It, the sequel to The Shining called Doctor Sleep, and others. Honestly for some reason The Tommyknockers stands out most since the movie gave me nightmares for months as a little kid. :’D It’ll be amusing to dive into the book looking to be scared as an adult.

4.) Author – Haruki Murakami.

Actually, just two so far- Wind Up Bird Chronicle and Norwegian Wood. Enjoyed my time with both though in a complex way. Norwegian Wood for example is utterly depressing, but both titles have undeniable personality and depth. Planning to get to Kafka On The Shore this year.

5.) Author – Juliet Marillier

Daughter of the Forest was on my to-read list for years and I just never got around to it. Was shocked to find an ARC for a newer book of hers on Netgalley, even more shocked to have been almost instantly approved for it. The Harp Of Kings was a very nice read. It has a yet-to-be-released sequel called A Dance Of Fate. No cover yet, but it’s supposed to come out in 2020. I should probably circle back to her much larger catalogue though.

6.) Author – Liane Moriarty

It seems Liane Moriarty has a ton of books, each having so many ratings and buzz. Finished Big Little Lies in 2019 and it was definitely the most intense pageturner of all books that year, bar none. Still can’t believe the paperback is almost 500 pages. It felt like 200 and I could have probably read the sequel in quick succession. I’ve heard there may be a sequel, hoping it emerges..

7.) Book Subscription Boxes

Or really just Owlcrate. (Example Box pictured above.) Looking forward to Fairyloot in the future though now that they ship to the US. The items are well worth the price and many of the contents are collectables with re-sale value if you end up not liking a few.

8.) Book Blogs

I don’t want to leave anyone out so I’ll just say here- if you’re reading this and have a blog, I likely already follow it and appreciate all that you do. ❤ So many bloggers put tremendous effort into their blogs, reviews, posts, consistency, creative bookish posts, etc. I’m forever in awe of this community and how much effort and passion is invested into it. Bookblogger Bookmarks is coming back soon.

9.) Bookstagram

Like book blogs, Bookstagram is a visual marvel. I sound like a 5 year old in saying this but I’ll never get tired of rainbow shelves in all of their shiny colorful-ness. *___ *

10.) Libby (aka Overdrive) Library eBook lending.

This applies to just ebooks and just within the US (other countries may have similar services) but Libby saves lives. Seriously, getting such easy access to so many published books- including new releases- for free (and audiobooks which so often cost an arm and a leg) will never cease to amaze me. I use it every day and it’s basically a part of everyday life now, lol.

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And that is it for this list of ten bookish things/authors I discovered in 2019. Except I just remembered reading planners, reading planners are amazing. Just getting any monthly planner and making it reading related, very motivating. There are numerous planners made specifically for readers too, with fillable blanks to track your reading goal.

Not sure if I’m following this week’s theme 100% to the letter but oh well, close enough. 😀 What was your favorite bookish discovery of 2019? Could be an author or service/product/bookish thing in general. Hope you’re having a good week and let me know if you’re doing this TTT, I look forward to checking out your post if so. Thanks for checking out mine and your comments/likes are greatly appreciated. ❤ ~ Kitty