Books of 2019

Happy new year! Hope you had time to relax, rejuvenate and read. Maybe Santa left a book or two under your tree?

As we start a new year, I’d like to look back at the books I read in 2019. Much to my surprise, I was able to read over 50 books last year. That’s about 50 less than I wish I’d had time for, but still, it’s more than the year before. This doesn’t include the weird books I read for research or background material for my writing, but don’t worry, I don’t expect anyone to be interested in these so am not even going to mention them. Neither will I bore you with the books I read about writing. It probably doesn’t get any nerdier, but I can get lost in reading about punctuation and grammar. I’m not proud, but there it is.

A few books were started but not finished. Years ago I considered doing this to be some kind of heresy but not anymore. There are far more books than I’ll ever get around to reading, so why continue if you really don’t like it? Life’s too short to waste time on books you don’t enjoy. So without further ado...

My favourite book of the year:
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

The book I recommend most:
The Woefield Poultry Collective by Susan Juby

Below is the full list of books I’ve read last year:
The Ghost Keeper by Natalie Morrill
Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck by Sarah Knight
The Wife by Meg Wolitzer
The Communist’s Daughter by Dennis Bock
The Wayfinders by Wade Davis
Minds of Winter by Ed O’Loughlin
Educated by Tara Westover
The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
French Exit by Patrick deWitt
Loving Che by Ana Menendez
Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
Things I Don’t Want to Know by Deborah Levy
The Bootlegger’s Bride by Jack Carpenter
What Was She Thinking? (Notes on a Scandal) by Zoe Heller
What the Body Remembers by Shauna Singh Baldwin
Transcription by Kate Atkinson
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
Becoming by Michelle Obama
To Capture What We Cannot Keep by Beatrice Colin
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
The Gown by Jennifer Robison
The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
The Cost of These Dreams by Wright Thompson
Perfect Health by Deepak Chopra
Little Bird Stories, selected by Cherie Dimaline
Alban’s Choice by Monica Zwikstra
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey
Into the Abyss by Carol Shaben
The Woefield Poultry Collective by Susan Juby
The Farm by Joanne Ramos
Painting the Dog by Leon Rooke
Rupture by Ragnar Jonasson
Not Dead Yet by Phil Collins
Machine Without Horses by Helen Humphries
The Innocents by Michael Crummey
The Secrets We Keep by Lara Prescott
To Air the Laundry by Krysta MacDonald
Moonglow by Michael Chabon

So what did you read that stood out? And what are you looking forward to in 2020? Here’s to a year filled with books that entertain, enlighten and enliven your life.
Until next time, happy reading.
Joni