My Top Books of 2019
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Wow. The reading year started off with a bang, and it never stopped. I’ve read 85 books this year, and I kept track of the books that really stood out to me as I finished them. You can find more of the books I loved this year here. This list represents the best of the best for me — and before you say “hey, J.T.” these are not necessarily published in 2019, but books I read in 2019. (Hey, I make the rules here…)
DAISY JONES AND THE SIX by Taylor Jenkins Reid
If you like music, you will LOVE this book about a tempestuous young singer and the band who launched her to stardom. The structure and multiple POVs give it the feel of a Rolling Stone interview. Very unique, very well written, and so good I immediately went to the store and grabbed THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO. Taylor Jenkins Reid is that good.
EDUCATED by Tara Westover
This book spoke to me on a number of levels. I grew up in the mountains, well away from the nearest town, and understand the joy and pain of isolation. But… that’s where our similarities end. This is a fascinating look at the lengths some people have to go to in order to become educated. Beautifully written, Tara Westover has a lovely command of language. Heartbreaking, inspiring, and frighteningly real.
THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides
THE SILENT PATIENT is absolutely superb. And honestly, to say much more will ruin it completely. I expect great things from Alex going forward... Also, this one won the Goodreads Best Mystery/Thriller Book of the Year award, and it’s incredibly well deserved. I loved this book and I appreciate the effort that went into it.
THE STRANGER INSIDE by Laura Benedict
What if you came home to find a stranger living inside your house? An outstanding, ever-twisting, surprise-filled psychological drama (Publishers Weekly, starred review), in the tradition of Shari Lapena and Liane Moriarty, from an Edgar- and Thriller Award-nominated author.
Can you imagine the nightmare of a stranger taking over your house? The terror you would feel? Benedict turns her unique voice in suspense to this elegant scary mystery, where nothing is as it seems and one woman's truth is shattered by the hidden secrets of her past. It is so good!
THE STRANGER INSIDE by Lisa Unger
No, you aren’t seeing things — there were two books called THE STRANGER INSIDE this year, and they were both excellent! I'm a fan of Lisa Unger's work, and especially of how she builds her characters. From the most innocent to the most evil, every one of them has depth that makes them come alive on the page. THE STRANGER INSIDE is no different — a brilliant character study of victims who've survived a terrible event in their childhood and how they've found ways to cope with the aftermath. As always, this is more than a page turner, it is a complex psychological study and thrilling to boot. Her best yet.
OUT EAST by John Glynn
I’ve always been obsessed with the northeastern beach scene, being a Florida beach girl myself. I went in expecting a light read about the Hamptons and WHOA. Glynn’s style is amazingly evocative. This is a wonderful coming-of-age memoir, beautiful, lovely, heartbreaking, and inspiring. I gobbled it up in two days. While John’s day job is editing for Graydon House, I really hope he writes a lot more. He’s a true talent. This was a perfect first read of the summer.
IF SHE WAKES by Michael Koryta
I listened to this amazing title from Michael Koryta on audio. The conceit of IF SHE WAKES—the main character in a coma—scared me off at first, but several people told me Koryta pulled it off, so I dove in. And holy cow. The story rocks along and has one of the scariest villains I’ve read in a long time. Think of a rattlesnake sheathed in the skin of an assassin. His female leads are fantastic, heroic, leap off the page larger than life, and the intricate storyline is A+. There are also multiple points of view, all handled wonderfully. Just a superb book all the way around.
SAVE ME THE PLUMS by Ruth Reichl
What a lovely, fascinating book. I'm lately come to memoir, but each one I read builds on the last like layers in a cake. This slice of Reichl's life chronicles being named editor in chief of Gourmet Magazine to the magazine's eventual close a decade later made me laugh, and made me think. "Brand Ruth" is an excellent cautionary tale to us all, I think.
GIDEON THE NINTH by Tamsyn Muir
Every review you will see about this book starts the same way—I’ve never read anything quite so unique. This is the truth. I mean, you put together space, necromancy, wars and petty grievances, a kick ass heroine (Gideon) with a smart mouth and a longing to prove herself, pair her with a nemesis named Harrow who is the daughter of the Ninth House Leaders and as such in total control of her, and watch the bones fly. I’ve never read anything quite so original in my life. The cover itself gives you a clue about the journey—all those skeletons! Absolutely wonderful, and more to come in this series next year! I can’t wait.
NINTH HOUSE by Leigh Bardugo
Sigh. The evening after I finished Leigh Bardugo’s incredible novel, I sat down to read a new book and experienced an actual moment of grief that I was done with this one. What a brilliant world Bardugo has created. Smart, intricate, fearlessly crafted, this is an intellectual fantasy/horror novel that cements Bardugo firmly in the annals of the best storytellers of this generation. Immediately shot into my top 3 books of 2019. Just incredible. 🐍👻🖤
THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS by Lisa Jewell
I don’t often close a book and say “brilliant”, but that’s exactly what I did when I set down Lisa Jewell's latest. What a story! I read this in one gloriously long evening, captured from page one, and now I’d like to get it on audio and experience it again. A superb, insidious, compelling, compulsive read.
NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro
I found this slim volume when I was looking for boarding school mysteries. I saw the description of the three friends as Hailsham School and bought it without a second though. I had no idea what I was getting into. Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel for Literature in 2017, and I’ve experienced other works of his, but nothing as deeply disturbing as this. The movie of the same name is an excellent adaptation, though it’s more up front about what’s happening than the book is. The slow reveal of Hailsham’s true purpose shocked me, troubled me, and hasn’t let me go. I suppose the title couldn’t be more perfect.
DIGITAL MIMIMALISM by Cal Newport
Cal Newport is always on my best of list when he has a book out, mostly because I admire how he stares into the digital abyss and finds a path for us mere mortals to navigate. I appreciate the thought behind this book—how can we find ways to make the internet work for us, instead of sapping our energy and creating issues? A wonderful quick read and a solid life plan for those of us who struggle with digital addictions.
STRONG IS THE NEW BEAUTIFUL by Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn is one of my heroes, and I thoroughly enjoyed this glimpse into how she keeps her body running at world champion level. If you have been dieting, or exercising, and aren’t seeing results (or are starving to death) read this. It’s a wonderful, simple, straightforward way to look at our health, and how we nourish our bodies.
