Top Ten Books of 2019

Happy Tuesday!! Long time no see!! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) asks us to share the top ten books we read in 2019. I was lucky enough to read many great books in 2019 in a pretty even spread throughout the year. Here are my top ten favorites in the order that I read them:

1. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

I read this memoir for my Postmodern American Fiction class and it is perhaps the most sad, profound, emotional book I had ever read. I cried twice while reading this book–and yes, both times were in public.

My review

2. In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien

I read this wild novel for that same Postmodern American Fiction class and was thoroughly bewildered, boggled, and taken aback by its deceiving intricacy. I absolutely loved discussing this book in class, and that discussion alone was enough to tip this into my top ten list for the year.

My review

3. Becoming by Michelle Obama

I listened to this audiobook over the summer–narrated by Michelle Obama–and it was such an inspiring, moving, thought-provoking, eye-opening read. I read it at a time when I needed some cheering up, and this was the best pep talk I could have asked for.

My review | Michelle Obama on the Importance of Friendships 

4. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

I listened to this book in the peak of the tv series craze (which I still haven’t watched…) and it was fantastic. I’m a huge fan of Neil Gaiman, and this book didn’t disappoint. I really should get around to watching the tv series in 2020…

My review

5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

It used to seem like I was the only person who wasn’t assigned to read this classic novel in high school, so I finally got around to reading it this summer. I cried. And yet, I’m still looking forward to reading more of Steinbeck’s work in the future.

My review

6. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

I love this book. One of my best friends recommended it to me and I read it during the Reading Rush over the summer. I was in a place where I needed some advice on love and life from someone older (but not too much older…) and that’s exactly what this book delivered. Definitely read this book!

My review

7. Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence

I randomly stumbled upon this audiobook while looking for something to listen to this summer and I was completely enthralled right from the beginning. Writing personal letters to books? Count me in! In fact, it has even given me an idea for a little bookish experiment I’m conducting in 2020…

My review

8. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

This book is short, and quaint, and beautiful, and bittersweet, and odd, and so lovely. It’s one of those books that has stuck in the back of my mind for a while. I’m glad that I finally got around to reading it this year. Review to come!

9. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

I picked this audiobook up right at the end of the year and it became a sneaky favorite of mine in 2019. I’d been meaning to read it for ages (once a Nerdfighter, always a Nerdfighter) but it took me quite a while. I enjoyed this book so much more than expected and I can’t wait for the sequel to be released! Review to come!

10. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Wow, a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale!!! Who would have thought?!?! Although I thought the ending of this novel was a bit rushed, overall it was another brilliantly unsettling look at Gilead and the women who live there–and who try to overthrow it. If you’re a fan of The Handmaid’s Tale, then you must read this sequel!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little trip down memory lane! I can’t believe 2019 is coming to a close… Now to plan my reading for 2020!

What were the top ten books you read in 2019? Have you read any of the books on my list? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY