start over again 2019 recap cambria sunset june 2019
February 20, 2020 • 'riting •

…and start all over again

Let’s start all over again by continuing my recap of 2019.

My #OneWord for 2019 was “regroup,” and for reasons discussed in my previous post, I can’t say I did. All things considered, maybe I should just recycle “regroup” for 2020.

start over again 2019 recap #oneword 2019 regroup candle grouping
2020 may be calling for a “re-do” of “regroup.”

There were some bright spots and distractions from the assorted dramas of last year. Here’s a recap of 2019 highlights to start 2020 here on the blog.

Movies

The ones that stuck with me most:

  • Rocketman (musicals tend to embed themselves in my head, especially when I buy the soundtrack)
  • Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, and
  • Knives Out (my favorite move of 2019, which I saw 3 times).
  • In the “sequels & series” category, I didn’t hate how the Avengers story ended, and I was surprised by how much I was affected by the end of the Star Wars saga. (I shouldn’t have been. I saw the first one during its original theatrical release, when I was 13 years old. Star Wars is part of my generation’s cultural framework.)

Music

I decided that I only needed to subscribe to one music-streaming service. My existing iTunes library (R..I.P.) steered me to pick Apple Music over Spotify…and makes it way too easy to add new songs.

start over again 2019 recap paul mccartney freshen up tour dodger stadium july 2019
Sir Paul McCartney, Dodger Stadium, July 2019

In old-song news, I saw a Beatle…and a surprise Beatles reunion.

Television

It was a year of catching up and binge-watching; In a high-stress year, TV was often the best way for me to take in stories–especially if they were funny. A few standouts among the shows I started (and finished) in 2019:

  • The Good Place (I binged the first three seasons while recovering from my eye surgery, then re-watched them with Paul a few months later)
  • The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (and her equally marvelous outfits!)
  • Veep (all seven seasons) – Its fictional political absurdity was oddly comforting in the midst of 2019’s actual political absurdity

Books

This was a book blog once, wasn’t it?

start over again 2019 recap books read
Books Completed in 2019, via Reading List

I finished 25 books in 2019 (including a couple started in late 2018) That’s a pretty low count by my book-blogger standards of previous years. (But it’s better than the 19 I had before I realized I hadn’t properly tagged six books!) However, considering all the TV I watched and all the podcasts I listened to (between audiobooks), I’m mostly OK with it. I’m glad to have the record of them all, but a few stood out from the rest:

Fiction

  • Daisy Jones and The Six
  • The Testaments
  • Fleishman Is in Trouble

Nonfiction

  • Bad Blood
  • Furious Hours
  • Becoming
  • Heartland

More of my non-audio reading is ebooks these days. My vision is at a stage where being able to tweak font sizes makes my iPad screen easier on my eyes than paper pages. Also, since ebooks tend to be priced comparably with trade paper, I can read the hot new stuff while it’s still new. (It’s not like I see it before it’s new anymore–that’s the cost of a book blog going dormant.) That said, there are still plenty of physical books on my physical bookshelves–I am unwilling to declare I’m done with trade paperbacks for good.

I have taken down my “Book Review Policy” page, though. That phase of this blog’s life probably is done.

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17 comments

    1. To my own shock, I missed it less than I would have expected. Part of that is because I still read plenty…not as many books, but lots of articles and shorter works. And part of it’s because there’s really a lot of good TV out there now.

  3. I hear you about being out of the loop when it comes to new buzzworthy books.
    sounds like you found some new ways to entertain yourself besides reading which is just as fine!

  4. Glad you found some bright spots. I still haven’t seen Knives Out — maybe tomorrow night. You got some good reading in despite everything. I’m still struggling with ebooks — I think it’s because I’m on the computer reading all day long.

    1. Definitely see Knives Out if it’s still playing near you–it’s utterly delightful! And I get you on ebooks–I know that was one reason I struggled with them too, but eventually the ability to switch to large print as needed won out.

  6. I read 29 books last year, so I can relate somewhat, but I read some good books still. I think by reading less books, I was more selective in what I chose to read. I haven’t seen Knives Out, but when it’s available to rent on streaming on Tuesday, Kim and I will be watching it as part of our personal Mardi Gras celebration. It looks like it’s right up our alley.

    I never had a Book Review Policy page. I’m just not a book reviewer, but I’m okay with that. I still enjoy blogging, especially about books, and enjoy the book blogging community, reviewers and non-reviewers alike.

    1. I Really hope you and Kim enjoy Knives Out—let me know! I just loved it, and even more the second time—less mystery, obviously, but I was better able to appreciate how well built it is. So much fun!

      You make a good point about reading more selectively. When I’m reading just according to my own taste, I tend to be more satisfied with what I end up reading.

  7. So great to see you back in my blog feed, Florinda! No shame in recycling 2019’s word for another year. Sounds like it fits. 🙂 Welcome back.

  8. Welcome back! It’s so good to see you blogging again. I’m myself just back to blogging as well after 3 years (yikes) of absence. Similar reasons more of less – stress, life, work.

    Cheers to many more posts!