Books I read in 2019
I had several New Year's resolutions last year that didn't come to fruition, but I did manage to read 21 books (my goal was 20). I went mostly for bestsellers this year and was lucky enough to read several of them because it timed out that they were available on the "Hot Picks" shelf at the library when I was there. Here's the list...
1. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones - I honestly remember nothing about this book, but I think it was good?
2. Beautiful Boy by David Scheff - I haven't seen the Steve Carell movie, but the book was heartbreaking, especially if you have kids.
3. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker - I loved this one. Again, having young children made parts of it difficult to read, but in general, very compelling.
4. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood - Not what I was expecting. I don't recommend.
5. Educated by Tara Westover - I read a couple non-fiction books this year and this one was fascinating.
6. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - It seems like this was the book to read this year and I can see why. Heartbreaking and gripping all at once.
7. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn - They are apparently making this into a movie? I thought it was actually kind of predictable.
8. Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman - A good mystery.
9. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff - Based off real-life accounts of women who operated radios and worked as spies during WWII, it was a good read.
10. The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian - His style has changed a little bit over time, but I don't hate the mystery path he's taken recently.
11. Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk - Typical Palahniuk.
12. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - I found this non-fiction account of Elizabeth Holmes and her company Theranos to be FASCINATING.
13. Run Away by Harlan Conan
14. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead - President Obama recommended this book and I saw it on the bestsellers list, so I decided to check it out. Very sad.
15. Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - This book was so well-written that I was halfway through before I realized that it was a novel and not non-fiction. I loved it and wish the band was real so I could listen to their music!
16. The Institute by Stephen King - I like his recent work and this was a good story with a child protagonist.
17. Range by David Epstein - The big takeaway is that our kids should be well-rounded instead of focused on one particular discipline.
18. Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami - He is such a beautiful writer and these short stories were so poetic.
19. Do you Mind if I Cancel? by Gary Janetti - If you don't follow him on Instagram, start. This book was a hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking autobiography about growing up as a gay man in the 70s and 80s.
20. Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson - A story about 3 women who attended West Point and then followed different paths in the wake of 9/11, it took me awhile to get into this one, but it was great by the end.
21. The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian - This one meandered and took awhile to really get to the climax and it just wasn't my favorite by him.
Happy reading in 2020!
