I assume it is because my birthday is December 31, but I do not do year wrap-up things before the year has wrapped up. This is clearly a massively unpopular opinion, so I assume my list will be far from relevancy by the time I finally post it.
I read 58 books this year (much less than I assumed I would, grad school + international move +stopped prioritizing reading properly), nine of which were rereads and thus not eligible (by my own rules) for my list. This being said, my list is about 30% of what I read because I love to love.
Expect no ranking because my delicate heart cannot do that, you are getting them in the order I encountered them.
Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard - Published: 02/19/2019, Read: 1/30/2019, Genre: Fantasy, Age: YA (Disclaimer: read as an ARC)
“After all, stories like it were dangerous. They made the hopeless hope and the forgotten dream of being remembered. But the truth was that monsters could not be changed into men, no matter how much honey they gathered.”
Bloodwitch rocked my world. Which was an excellent way to start 2019. Bloodwitch is book three in The Witchlands series (shoutout to book 2.5 Sightwitch), and now is an excellent time to jump into the series while waiting for book 4 (Iseult’s book) in 2021. I won’t summarize Bloodwitch because I wouldn’t want to spoil the earlier books, but The Witchlands series follows Safi and Iseult (and Merik, and Aeduan, and Vivia, and Kullen, and Ryber) two best friends at the center of a magic crisis, a war between three empires, and many mysterious plots. The magic is interesting and varied, the politics of the world are intricate, and the relationships between characters will rock your world.
Verity by Colleen Hoover - Published: 12/07/2018, Read: 02/04/2019, Genre: Thriller/Mystery, Age: Adult
Looking for a mind-fuck? This was my mind-fuck.
Basically unless you have an incredible opposition to Colleen Hoover I think you should read this book. Even if her romance isn’t your jam. I would not dare to spoil a syllable of this book. I cannot wait for Hoover to write another thriller to tear my brain apart.
Sadie by Courtney Summers - Published: 09/04/2018, Read: 02/05/2019, Genre: Mystery, Age: YA
This is a book for podcast lovers. It will speak to any true-crime obsessed soul. You get an intense true crime like podcast, and you get a point of view of the subject of that podcast. It is a genius novel that floored me. I want to read a thousand other books like this but also don’t know if anyone but Courtney Summers could so perfectly execute this concept.
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - Published: 05/14/2019, Read: 03/23/2019, Genre: Romance, Age: NA (Disclaimer: read as an ARC)
By far, the book that made me laugh the most and the hardest. I loved this book. It does kind of seem tailor-made for me to love it, it is full of references to The West Wing, Nate SIlver, Harry Potter, and Hamilton. But even if every reference had gone straight over my head, I would have fallen in love with this love story. It is engaging and heartbreaking and hilarious. I cannot say enough good things about this story. I also particularly loved how the politics of this world were handled; it was a perfect balance between what could have been and the current political landscape. I especially loved the bit of this book that is kind of a love letter to southern (mostly Texas) democrats. It made me sob.
I will read everything Casey McQuiston publishes.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour - Published: 02/14/2017, Read: 03/28/2019, Genre: Contemporary, Age: YA
This is a quiet intense dive into the mind of a lonely college freshman with a severe divide in her past and present. Some people don’t do an understated simmer of a book, but sitting with this book really impacted me.
If you like quiet introspective novel, pick this up. If you need more WLW rep, pick this up. If you are obsessed with Nina LaCour, pick this up.
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - Published: 05/07/2019, Read: 05/09/2019, Genre: Science Fiction, Age: YA
We all know Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff are an incredible team, Illuminae rocked our collective world, and this is their follow up series. After reading book one, I am so ready for book two. There is a thing with plants in this book that the imagery was so strong it literally still freaks me out to this day. Also, I just had so much fun with this story. Band of misfits takes on space? Yes.
A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and its Assult on the American Mins by Harriet A. Washington - Published: 06/23/2019, Read: 05/26/2019, Genre: Nonfiction (Disclaimer: read as an ARC)
Harriet A. Washington has one of my favorite superpowers, the ability to convey science to non-scientists in an engaging manner that makes you understand why this research is essential. Her skill is honed so well you could assume she is just naturally an excellent medium for spreading science to the general public.
You will learn about brain development, asthma, heavy metal poisoning, housing discrimination, systematic racism, and how these things and more intertwine. I definitely learned more in this book than I did in anything else I read this year. I really recommend this to everyone.
The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair - Published: 06/04/2019, Read: 06/15/2019, Genre: Mystery, Age: Adult (Disclaimer: read as an ARC)
Mystery is not my usual bag. I basically only read this book because it takes place in London and I was about to move to London. I am so glad that spurred me to read this book.
This story takes place in post-WW2 London and follows Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge in their matchmaking business. You are certain Sparks has a mysterious past, war stories, and the ability to kill a man ten ways, and Gwen is a widow caught in a very fraught relationship with her in-laws over the custody of her son. Our story starts when a woman they set up is murdered, and the prime suspect is the man they chose for her. They must exonerate this man to save their business (and because Gwen thinks it is the right thing to do). The mystery is fantastic, but the personal relationships will have you in need of the next book just as much as I am.
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan - Published: 11/06/2018, Read: 06/11/2019, Genre: Fantasy, Age: YA
This book has completely taken root in my brain. I think about the world or characters on a pretty regular basis, and it is six months since I read the book (this being said, I need to grab book 2). This world is a pan-Asian fantasy centered on a corrupt court. It focuses on gender, sexuality, magic, and power in an incredibly skillful way. The characters are rich and varied, the world is decadent, and the fear you will feel is real. Also, the romance. This is literally the only book that pitches a “poor girl ends up with a group of other girls presented to the king” where the romance is not the very gross power imbalanced mess you assume will come.
Shortest Way Home by Pete Buttigieg - Published: 02/12/2019, Read: 06/26/2019, Genre: Memoir
Still don’t know who I am voting for in the primary, that is not the point of my inclusion of this book. This is just an incredibly well written, engaging, gut-punch of a memoir. If you are at all interested in politics, especially local politics, you should pick this one up. And if you are a memoir die-hard. I am very into this book.
Far From the Tree by Robin Benway - Published: 10/03/2017, Read: 07/31/2019, Genre: Contemporary, Age: YA
This is probably the book that made me cry the most. But I am very happy about all the crying. Far From the Tree is the story of three children put up for adoption in various stages of their childhood. They are all now teenagers dealing with very different things. Grace became pregnant while in high school and chose a family to adopt her new baby, Maya is worried about her family situation when her adopted parents arguing becomes more and more of a problem, and Joaquin is in the foster-care system dealing with past trauma. This book will make you cry and it will fill you with all of the family feelings. I loved it.
Sorted: A Transgender Memoir by Jackson Bird - Published: 09/24/2019, Read: 08/11/2019, Genre: Memoir (Disclaimer: read as an ARC)
This is a must-read for Harry Potter fans, both because it has wonderful Harry Potter fandom stories and because of the recent very public transphobia J.K. Rowling felt the need to show her ass about.
Bird’s writing is tight and hilarious, the story is so well presented, and the book is incredibly relatable. I recommend this book to everyone; also, Bird has a youtube channel if you are interested in more.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo - Published: 10/08/2019, Read: 11/05/2019, Genre: Fantasy, Age: Adult
I read a TON of Leigh Bardugo this year, and it was hard keeping it to only one of her books. But when you come out swinging in a new market, I must recognize the badassery.
Magic, ghosts, Yale, murder. That’s kind of what’s up in this book. Bardugo tackles inequality in many forms while we sprint through this magical mystery. I am itching for book two, maybe even more than I am itching for the King of Scars sequel.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - Published: 11/05/2019, Read: 12/09/2019, Genre: Fantasy, Age: Adult
This is the only book on the list I didn’t properly review; this will hopefully change soon. I didn’t review it partly because it was the end of my grad school semester, and partly because I was so incredibly full of feeling, I could not figure out how to write it down. I am still not sure I can express how this book makes me feel.
It filled my head with a thousand stories and iterations of stories I was being told, made me really really want to explore every avenue my mind could come up with but also had me so excited to reread from the very beginning. I love Erin Morgenstern on a whole different level. Her London book event rocked my world.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert - Published: 11/5/2019, Read: 12/31/2019, Genre: Romance, Age: Adult (Disclaimer: read as an ARC)
I tend to feel weird saying I had so much fun reading a book that deals with serious topics, but this book deals incredibly well with those serious topics (past abuse, chronic pain, race, class) and is an amazing fun romance. I really enjoyed reading this book. If adult romance is your bag, then I would recommend you read this book. 2020 is going to see me reading more Talia Hibbert, her authorial thesis statement (“She writes sexy, diverse romance because she believes that people of marginalized identities need honest and positive representation”) is kick-ass. I am ready to dive in headfirst.
These have been my favorite reads of 2019! I can only hope I have as much trouble deciding on only 15 books in 2020.
