The Best of What I Read in 2019
Firstly, I’m appalled that I didn’t publish this list last year. 2018 was the year of my epic commute (nearly 3 hours a day) so I read more books than I had at any other recent point in history. I should do a belated 2018 post at some point…
In 2019, I read just under 50 new books (and reread some old favorites, like Persuasion and Name of the Wind countless times).
This list was a bit hard to make, as there were a few that just missed the cut. If you’re curious about which were just below the line, it was Three Women and Hillbill Elegy.
Without further ado, my top reads of 2019:
10. The Last Whalers: Three Years in the Far Pacific with a Courageous Tribe and a Vanishing Way of Life
I’d recommend to: people who are curious about other ways of living and who enjoy thinking about modernization in all of its perils
This book follows several members of the last subsistence whaling community as they adapt to changes caused by the modernization of Indonesia and global warming. Following along with the trials and tribulations of the local families through death, love affairs, and bad luck reminded me of 100 Years of Solitude, even though this is non-fiction. Although this is a tale of caution, the author also avoids overglamorizing any parts of their lives or personalities. There are no easy answers, but it’s clear we lose a part of ourselves the more we disconnect ourselves from those who came before us.
9. Know My Name
I’d recommend to: everyone, but especially straight white cis males
As a woman and a Stanford alumni, I still can remember how horrified I was to hear of this case of sexual assault on campus. Chanel is an incredible writer and it’s such an honor to read her journey to reclaim her life and story.
8. The Missing of Clairdelune: Book Two of The Mirror Visitor Quartet
I’d recommend to: people who enjoy quirky fiction and interesting world-building
The second book came out this year and both my mom and I read it almost immediately. The author keeps the same level of pacing and interesting twists coming as she did in the first and I continue to look forward to the next one getting translated to English.
7. Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Social Upheaval
I’d recommend to: people interested in better understanding how history continues to shape the current world
Not only was this book an eye-opening read for me, covering the lives of black women who moved to the city in the early 1900s, making their way in a hostile world, it was also very beautifully written. I learned a lot along the way and it’s helped me empathize more deeply with the unique challenges black women face in our society still.
I’d recommend to: people who like unique science fiction
This book was recommended to me by a coworker (thanks, Howard!) and was one of those gripping tales that’s hard to put down. It blends mystery with compelling characters, never sacrificing the depth of its characters for scifi thrills.
5. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
I’d recommend to: anyone who likes to learn about specific, under-shared parts of history and/or people with an interest in Native issues
A friend introduced me to this book at my 2018 white elephant book exchange (thanks, Shrey!) and although it was hard for me to read without thinking at times, it was 100% worth it. Although it’s a completely different tribe from my own, with their own sharply contrasting challenges, parts of it were too close to home.
4. Sympathy
I’d recommend to: people who enjoy thinking about social media and their usage of it, anyone who likes dark and winding tales told by unreliable narrators
This book has been called the first great Instagram book and I can see why. Instead of making social media a gimmick or oversimplifying it, Sympathy weaves Instagram into the very core of its premise. Told by an unreliable (and unsympathetic) narrator, there were moments of pure poetry sprinkled throughout that I had to stop and admire.
I’d recommend to: people who love Philip Pullman and his novels
The second book of Philip Pullman’s new trilogy came out near the end of this year and I quickly snapped it up (an actual physical copy, even!), which ended up being a bit funny because my local bookstore had put it in the “Advanced Readers” section 😅 As with all Philip Pullman, this book meanders quite a bit but I really enjoyed seeing his depiction of a young adult Lyra.
2. The Way through the Woods: On Mushrooms and Mourning
I’d recommend to: people thinking about or dealing with loss and grieving, people who are interested in mushrooms and foraging
I loved everything about this book. I loved the way she treated the grief of suddenly losing her husband both matter-of-factedly but also poignantly. I loved the way she described how she threw herself into a new hobby as she questioned her place in the world. And of course, I love mushrooms and foraging, so I enjoyed all of her various descriptions of mushrooming and the mushroom community.
I’d recommend to: anyone who grew up in a relatively normal home
I usually don’t read many memoirs (or biographies) but on a whim, decided to read 3 recent ones in a row: Hillbill Elegy, Educated, and Maid (in that order). Hillbill Elegy was just as fascinating as it’s been made out to be, but Educated blew it out of the water. Her courage and strength, her articulate voice, and her vulnerability pushed me through waves of emotions as I read. Maid, by the way, was a letdown for me — I found the narrator a bit too victim-y and ready to call out anyone and everyone who’d kicked her while she was down.
What I’m looking forward to in 2020
This will be the first year I host a white elephant book exchange in New York (!) and so will likely be a relatively different crowd from my former SF ones.
I’m excited to read The Testaments (I own a hardcover copy of it but haven’t yet started!), Where the Crawdads Sing (I heard about it earlier this year but only recently found myself convinced to read it), and The Ninth House.
