Well, this has been a very neglected corner of the internet. And yes, I realize we are almost a whole week into 2020 and I’m over here posting about 2019, but Laura Tremaine just posted her best books of 2019, and she’s my book guru, so if she says it’s ok, then it’s fine by me.
2019 was not a stellar reading year. I abandoned more books than I’d like to admit, a lot of them books that I really liked. And I spent much of December going back and trying to finish many of those books that I, for unknown reasons, could not seem to check off the list. One of them turned out to be on my best of the year list, so the problem was clearly me. I logged in a total of 51 books, which seems like a lot, but for me is a marked decrease. I’m hoping to get over that rut in 2020. We shall see.
At any rate- here was the best of what felt like a dismal year. In no particular order…
Best of Non-Fiction/Memoir
Parkland by Dave Cullen. I loved this look at what happened after the Parkland school shooting. Unlike Cullen’s other book, Columbine, Parkland looks less at the shooting itself and more at the activists that were born in that tragedy. I fell in love with those Parkland kids and found myself renewed again to fight the good fight when it comes to changing our laws for common sense gun control. It also gave me a renewed hope for our future. These kids are more than alright.
Inheritance by Dani Shapiro I could not stop talking about this book. Shapiro discovers her biological father is not her biological father and her cultural Jewish identity is also not what she thought when she does one of those Ancestry.com gene tests. Shapiro is a fantastic writer and I found this story about identity and family fascinating. Shapiro asks good questions about what is handed down to us in nature and nurture and who we belong to at the end of the day.
Tattoos on the Heart by Father Gregory Boyle This book. This is not a new book and it’s one that has lived on my periphery for a long time. It was a top book choice for more than one podcast guest and every time I hear Boyle in an interview I mentally remind myself that I need to read this book. And, thankfully, in August I finally did. It is so good. Father Boyle is a priest in South Central Los Angeles working with current and former gang members. Boyle is a master class in open hearted love, forgiveness and compassion. I want to see the world the way he does. This one is a must read.
How We Fight for our Lives by Saeed Jones Jones is a poet by nature and this memoir about growing up black and gay in the south is beautiful. More than once he wrote a line so devastating and captivating that I had to put the book down and just sit with it. The story is incredible but the writing puts it over the edge. I do need to put in a bit of a disclaimer- there are some pretty graphic descriptions of sex. They are not gratuitous, but some people might need to know this going in.
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me by Adrienne Brodeur When Adrienne is 14 her mother confesses to her that she has just kissed her husband’s best friend and thus begins a decades long affair that Adrienne is forever linked with. She ends up aiding her mother in secret meetings with him and carries their secret for decades. The story gets even crazier and I found this memoir to be fascinating and heartbreaking.
Miracles and Other Reasonable Things by Sarah Bessey. I love Bessey’s work and this may be my favorite of hers. She tells her story of what happened after she suffered long term injuries from a terrible car accident and how did and didn’t show up in miraculous ways. Sarah Bessey writes about faith in a way that gives me hope and encouragement and I finished this one in a matter of days.
I Think You’re Wrong (but I’m Listening) by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers I started this one in February of this year, flew through the first 70% and then inexplicably abandoned it. It was not because I didn’t like it (because I LOVED it). Call it The Great Reading Curse of 2019. Anyway, I picked it back up in December and finished the last bit in no time flat. This book is a MUST read (especially leading up to the 2020 election). We need to get this in the hands of our senators and congress people. I love Sarah and Beth’s podcast and the practical and lovely advice given in this book is so important.
Best of Fiction
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid This was such a fun read. I flew through it and had so much fun casting the movie with my friend Lyra. This is about a fictional band in the sixties and is told as though it were a long form interview with each character telling the story and speaking for themselves. Often times that kind of device falls apart but Reid uses it so well through out the book and I loved the characters and the story. I’ve been told that the audio book is really great- different actors voice each character.
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah This is an important read. I honestly don’t know if I would have put it on my best of the year list after I finished it, but a few months later I’m still thinking about much of that book. It is uncomfortable and devastating. In my previous post about this book I said, “It’s as if a book of short stories dealing with social justice had a baby with a science fiction short story collection. “ That holds true, but I’m realizing the use of the fantastical elements of science fiction enhanced the stakes of the justice elements of the stories in really powerful ways. This one has stuck with me in so many ways.
The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth This was not a ground breaking novel by any means, but the story was captivating. This was not what I expected and I really loved it. (The description makes you think it’s going to be a murder/mystery thriller. The elements are there, but it’s also more than that) Hepworth gives a really good look into relationships and how we can misunderstand people’s intentions via their actions.
Never Have I Ever by Josilyn Jackson This was a psychological thriller and I was definitely here for it. I ate up every second of this read which kept me on my toes and continued to surprise me. Again, not groundbreaking, but really good.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert I loved this book. Gilbert created such a beautiful world with City of Girls and I didn’t want to leave it. I adored the main character and the story takes place in New York City pre and post WWII. There’s sex, love, theater and a self created family, which is pretty much my recipe for a delightful tale. Don’t sleep on this one. It’s as good as everyone says it is.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead I avoided this book at first. This is a fictional story about a real life boarding school/jail for wayward boys in Florida that was later discovered to be the place of some pretty horrific abuse. I had initially avoided this book because I just didn’t think I could handle the descriptions of abuse, but Whitehead is not graphic or gratuitous. Instead it’s a really beautiful character study of friendship and survival and what integrity means in impossible situations. I really liked this one.
The Gifted School by Bruce Holinsinger This had been recommended everywhere and I’m glad I finally put it on my library request list. It is the story of four friends and what happens to their lives and relationships when a new “gifted” charter school comes to their community. I liked the look at what even the closest of friends present to each other compared to what is actually going on and it was super entertaining.
Well, there you have it. My best of 2019 list. Here’s to hoping 2020 has brushed off the curse and I’ve got a long list of really great books ahead of me.
What did you love to read this year?