The 10 Best Books I Read in 2019
2019 was a big year for me as a reader, which feels like a funny thing to say given I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. I joined my first book club, and not one book I read as part of it made it onto this list; turns out, I may not like help picking what to read next! I started another book club with my high school friends, to read classics. We read The Bell Jar, The Poisonwood Bible, and Pillars of the Earth before people lost interest—my only regret there is not finishing Little Women before I see it in theaters the day after Christmas. I started my newsletter! I shared dozens of book recommendations with other people, which made more people as my opinions on books to read, which I absolutely loved. I read 36 books (and might have another one or two in me before the year officially ends!).
Here are my 10 favorite books I read in 2019 (starred if they were published this year) and I’d love to hear what your favorites were in the comments!
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
For fans of 2015’s A Man Called Ove, this feel-good book will leave you at first confused by, then heartfully rooting for, this unlikely heroine. Eleanor Oliphant has had a tough life, which she explains matter-of-factly and without a trace of self pity. As an adorable cast of characters helps her to realize what life could be, we see her triumphantly embrace possibilities she’d never deemed herself worth enough to consider. (I listened to this via Audible, and highly recommend as an audiobook!)
Daisy Jones and the Six*
I know, I know. I'm the 30th person to tell you this book is great. Much of my acclaim is nothing you haven't already heard, but I will say: I'm not a music fanatic, which is why I hesitated for so long before finally reading this one. I was worried I just...wouldn't care or connect. (I mean, before you think I'm an actual monster, of course I love music but just like, am not up on the industry and don't have any singers I hero-worship.) ANYWAY, the style of the book is so unique, the characters so broken yet lovable, that it really didn't matter. It's just an excellent book.
Queenie*
This book has been on my list for ages and I finally picked it up about six months later than I should have. The titular character in Queenie lives in London, is going through a breakup, and struggling with work, friends, sex, and men (hello, twenties!). For the few days it took me to devour it, Queenie was my best friend who drove me absolutely crazy while I continued to root so hard for her. You'll laugh out loud, get frustrated, and maybe even have PTSD from your own disastrous one night stands, entry level jobs, and duds you dated. It’s also a sensitive, empathic, and insightful read on mental health, race, and self worth...the perfect blend of serious and lighthearted.
The Library Book
A book for book lovers. Susan Orlean is an incredible storyteller—astute and descriptive, but never gratuitous; and here she masterfully weaves together the history of the Los Angeles public library system with the story of the fire that nearly destroyed its main branch. She writes: “Our minds and souls contain volumes inscribed by our experiences and emotions; each individual’s consciousness is a collection of memories we’ve catalogued and stored inside us, a private library of life lived. It is something that no one else can entirely share, one that burns down and disappears when we die. But if you can take something from that internal collection and share it—with one person or with the world, on the page or in a story recited—it takes on a life of its own.” (😍)
The Dutch House*
I picked up The Dutch House at the airport in Amsterdam, with 11 hours of my journey home still to go. I got through half of it on that plane ride; I was so enjoying Ann Patchett's writing and found myself desperate for answers in this family drama that feels reminiscent to me of The Goldfinch. The narrator is Danny, and the story chronicles him and his sister Maeve as they get an evil stepmother, who takes away their beloved home and tries her hardest to take away their futures. Patchett writes so beautifully about family in a way we can all relate to—how the people we love the most can, at times, threaten to undo us.
Save Me the Plums*
I had never heard of Ruth Reichl before, but after seeing her memoir on numerous book club lists and friends' Goodreads feeds, I decided to give it a shot, and I loved it! It reads as part Devil Wears Prada and part Gossip Girl, as Reichl finds herself as Editor-in-Chief at Gourmet magazine, making 6x her previous salary with a clothing allowance and a personal driver to boot. She parties with "a young Tony Bordain" and cooks heaps of chili for firefighters at Ground Zero following 9/11, speaking to a very specific moment in time while maintaining a timeless sense of relatability and humor. The cherry on top is that there are recipes scattered throughout!
Calypso
One of my general life recommendations is just to read anything David Sedaris writes. As always, this is dark, inappropriate, and completely laugh out loud funny. His books are the only ones I can consistently listen to via audiobook.
Duped: Double Lives, False Identities, and the Con Man I Almost Married*
Journalist Abby Elin writes about her blissful engagement to The Commander, a highly successful, deeply romantic...liar. After falling for his web of deception, Abby sets out to uncover what she can about how ordinary people become victims of deception and espionage. This book is equal parts fascinating and hilarious, and I highly recommend it to everyone (especially any scam lovers out there).
The Turn of the Key*
I read this book in Bali in a day—if you haven't hopped on the Ruth Ware train yet, I'd suggest coming aboard if you're into modern thrillers. An English writer, most of her books take place in the UK—and when I'm reading fiction, I always love when it takes place in a different country so I feel like I'm picking up the tiniest big of culture, even when it's a beach read ;). In The Turn of the Key, a brand new nanny begins her watch of 3 small girls in their rural smart house. Is the house haunted, or are there just a lot of technological malfunctions? And why is one of the girls so keen to get her new nanny far, far away from the house?
The Chestnut Man
I devoured this Scandinavian thriller about a serial killer in Copenhagen. A government official's daughter is brutally murdered but her body is never found. A year later, her fingerprint begins appearing on chestnut men—small dolls made of chestnuts—left at the crime scenes of more murdered women, leading detectives to wonder if she may still be alive. I've noticed Scandinavian thrillers are far more gruesome than their American counterparts—I slept with the lights on after an evening spent reading this one!
