Favorite Books of 2019
My first bookish newsletter!
Hi Friends!!
This is my inagural Bookish Newsletter. I plan to send out monthly letters so don’t be scared that I will inundate you with e-mails. I will do a quick follow up to this one next week, then I will leave you alone till January when I will discuss my reading goals for the year and link to some popular reading challenges. I hope you will stay with me on this bookish journey and please pass along to friends who love to read.
This year I read over 75 books and loved so many!!! Here are my absolute favorite books from this year:
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim This debut novel is one I keep coming back to and thinking about. It has so many components that I loved: it is a terrific courtroom drama, it deals with complex issues including autism and immigration and it has complex but compelling characters. All the way around it is a terrific book. I actually listened to this on audio and could not stop listening. I just had to see what would happen next.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb I read 14 memoirs this year and this one was my favorite. After eyeing it for months at Costco, I snagged it via my local library and tore through it. This is a book about therapy but also about life and learning to live both with others and yourself. It reads like non-fiction and I had trouble putting it down. Gottlieb shares personal insights as she goes through therapy and from her client’s experiences. I found myself totally wrapped up in their personal journeys and I could not wait to find out what happened next. Note: you do not need to be in therapy or have ever participated in therapy to enjoy this book. This is a book about life and people and stuff that happens that is hard.
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. I listened to this nonfiction book about quality of life, facing death and what makes life worth living as people age and I loved it. Having dealt with quality of life issues in my family as a young adult, I have always appreciated trying to balance quality verses quantity of life. This is a hard book about people dealing with difficult struggles but ultimately I found it hopeful. It is an important book that everyone can learn from. Plus, it is well written and fascinating.
The River/Celine both by Peter Heller. These two are a tie because they are both from the same author but they are not a series. I read The River first after hearing a lot of buzz in the spring and I really enjoyed. It is a suspense novel set in the wilderness. It is quick paced and a lot happens but at the same time the characters are expertly drawn and you are rooting for the two protagonists all the way through. After reading The River, I found Celine by the same author. This is a mystery with an amazing older female detective trying to find out what happened to a man who disappeared in the wilderness over 20 years ago. It has an amazing opening scene and is an all around great mystery.
The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth. This is a domestic suspense novel that does not disappoint. The mother-in-law is dead and we don’t know what happened to her. We do know she was difficult and her daughter-in-law did not get along with her. The changing narration and the unpredictability really made this a fun read. Plus the main characters were complex and interesting. While I love mysteries, suspense is not my favorite genre so it says a lot that I enjoyed this book so much.
Honorable Mention: One book with surprising staying power has been The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah I came across a hard copy of this book last year and it has now made the rounds to at least 6 other people who have loved it. This is a great gift for reluctant readers because it is fast passed and has a great setting. Warning it has some tough material (domestic abuse) and is not for the faint-hearted.
So those are my favorite books of 2019. Next, I will send out a list of books I really liked and definitely recommend, they just weren’t my absolute favorites.
Its not too late to give books as gifts this holiday season. E-mail me back if you would like specific recommendations or if you have a favorite you want to share! I can’t wait to hear from you.