Favorite Books of 2019

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Okay. So one of the MOST requested posts that I’ve received over the years is a huge repository of all the books I’ve recommended. Believe me, I am working on this! I have a several drafts! The problem is that there’s a ton and I have to figure out how to split them – and to be honest, I’m barely getting my existing work done (and publishing blogs) by the skin of my teeth. BUT I promise that I will be getting around to it. In the meantime, here are my top reads of 2019 – note that these weren’t all published in 2019 but just the best books I read this year. Which are the kind of lists I personally prefer to read. And there were SO MANY great books I read this year anyway! I actually had to parse!

Random Family, by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc: Probably my #1. I loved this. It’s disturbing and beautiful and gripping all at once. Why didn’t I read this book earlier?

Marjorie Morningstar, by Herman Wouk: Another oldie but goodie. Wouk passed away this year, and I decided I would finally read his work. I tried a few (including the Pulitzer winning Caine Mutiny) but this is my favorite. It’s actually kind of sexist (it was written a while ago). But really complex and a great “coming of age”.

Tenth of December: Stories, by George Saunders: Actually a tie between this and Pastoralia, which I also read this year. But Tenth has one of my favorite short stories, “Home”, about a veteran returning home. I’m a recent convert to the short story form and honestly this book is on a whole different level. Saunders is incredible.

Normal People, by Sally Rooney: Oh gosh. So gorgeous and beautiful. Yes it’s very melancholy and yes it’s the sort of book where the top Amazon review is one saying they don’t get it (UGH!!). But actually I kind of agree – you get Rooney or you don’t. Not that one is better than the other but it’s a certain sort of reader who loves Rooney. This is her best book (of her two) in my opinion.

Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout: WOW. This was also the year where I discovered Strout. I love almost everything I’ve read from here so far but yes, Olive Kitteridge deserves all the acclaim (and so does its successor, Olive, Again). Love Strout so much.

Evicted, by Matthew Desmond: Important, engaging, and really impacted how I view the tenant/landlord relationship and the cycle of poverty.

The Smartest Guys In the Room, by Bethany McLean: More engaging than I thought. Enron!! What a complete crazy show. But well written and I understood way more about the players than I thought. I’ve actually read quite a bit non-fiction this year!

Mrs. Kimble, by Jennifer Haigh: Not feel good fiction. But an incredibly written novel, about three wives of a very bad man.

Ask Again, Yes, by Mary Beth Keane: A good, well written family saga which spans generations. Harder to find than you think!

Disappearing Earth, by Julia Phillips. Loved this book, my favorite of all the National Book Award finalists, and I still think about the ending. It has one of the best endings of a book I’ve read recently. It is kind of a novel done in a series of “linked stories” so keep that in mind.

Bad Marie, by Marcy Dermansky. Loved this one. About a “bad” babysitter named Marie, who decides to seduce her ward’s father…and then it gets even worse (awesome) from there. Not for those who dislike “unlikeable” characters. But I LOVE them so I loved this book!

Okay – that’s ten of my favorite books for the year. And there were more! But now I want to hear – what are some favorites that you read? And really please do share, because I know others will be reading for comments and ideas!