Goodreads Challenge: 20
Books Finished: 20
Books DNF: 5
I lowered my challenge from 50 books to 20 in 2019, and I think this was a good idea. I’m keeping that same energy in 2020, plus it goes with the number. I still have book reviews from 2018 to write, so the lower number theoretically helps bring that down, too (not…really).
Because I only read 20 books, I’m going to list them all here in no particular order at first then the Top 10 after.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Classic)
You really have to keep your present sensibilities in check in order to garner what Fitzgerald was after. It’s not a bad message about how we treat the very young vs. the very old, but it comes with a whole bunch of yikes.
Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare (Classic)
The question of Cleopatra’s betrayal is still up in the air, and the ruminations on the concept are far more fascinating than the answer.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (Classic)
Oh my fucking god, this was almost laughably bad in so many ways. I’m glad I read it, but it was dry and plodding for so many chapters. The most interesting parts involved the Persian who doesn’t even get a name. Raoul’s character as well as Eric’s were greatly improved by Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical, which greatly improved upon many aspects of Leroux’s work.
