Goodreads tells me I’ve read 14 books this year – which for me is good going! Some bloggers read 200 or even 300 books a year. I’ve no idea how they do it, or what sticks in their mind from their year’s reading. I like to think that with my low numbers I could give a reasonably good account of any book I’ve read in 2019.

2019 Favorites

I’m reading my 15th, Blood of Heirs by Alicia Wanstall-Burke, which is very good so far. It’s also a finalist in this year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off, which means it’s one of ten books chosen as the best from an entry field of 300 novels.

I finished my “16th” book this year on December 31st last year so I’m counting that too: Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. That was a very good read, pleasingly literary without neglecting character or plot.

In between those two reads the high points included Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor, The Golem And The Jinni by Helene Wecker, & A Time of Blood by John Gwynne. I should also give mention to the truly excellent The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft, which I read in 2018 but which was published in 2019.

One of my favourite TV shows this year was The Boys on Amazon, a great grimdarkish take on the superhero genre. I’m sure I saw some other good stuff but nothing is hammering at the doors of my memory right now. In fact I was just about to type that I lacked a Goodreads for films when I remembered that I’ve been a member on IMDB.com for nearly 20 years now. Hold my beer – I’ll go and check what I rated highly recently…

Apparently I gave 9/10 to End of the Fucking World, to After Life, and to Love, Death + Robots. I also had fun watching End Game, and I rewatched and re-enjoyed the old UK sitcom Men Behaving Badly and T2 – Trainspotting 2 was good.

Looking ahead to 2020 

I don’t have any books in particular that I’m expecting & looking forward to next year. I’ll wait and see what happens.

On the Horizon for Mark Lawrence 

As for me, after the 4 books I had out this year, 2020 is going to feel rather quiet with just The Girl and the Stars coming out in April to start my trilogy The Book of the Ice, set in the same world as The Book of the Ancestor.

Mark out. Have great 2020, all.