Book Lists
Considering how many books I didn’t read in 2019, I have decided that teaching high school full-time is not for me. So I think in 2020 I’m going to become a hermit, have all of my groceries delivered, and not show my face in society until I’ve read all the books I want to read. I’m sure my boss will understand, right?
Anyway, I read only 97 books this year. (I know that a lot of people see that as an accomplishment, but for me it’s the equivalent of a marathon runner saying “I ran only 10 miles this year.” It’s still good, but it’s way below what you’re capable of.) Overall, I didn’t really love too many books this year, and even struggled a bit to make my list. However, I’ve been doing this since 2015, so I figure I shouldn’t stop now. So without further ado, here are my favorite books that I read in 2019. 1. How to Make Friends With the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow This is one of those books that came into my life at the exact right time. Those of you who know me in real life, or have read this blog post, know that my 8-year-old niece died suddenly in 2017. And I still haven’t really found a way to deal with my grief. So I absolutely fell in love with this book about a teenage girl whose mother dies suddenly, leaving her to navigate the world and her grief without the person she loved the most. Almost every chapter in this book left me in tears and I had to set it aside several times because I was crying too hard to keep reading. Now, reliving your own heartache through the sorrow of a fictional character isn’t for everyone, but it was extremely cathartic for me. 2. The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo I’m a sucker for a fairy-tale retelling, and this book is full of them. It’s a series of short stories, each one giving a new spin to a well-known tale. And if the stories themselves weren’t amazing enough, the artwork is absolutely stunning. While I loved all of the stories, the Ursula origin story was my favorite. 3. Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark Of the many podcasts I listen to, My Favorite Murder is my favorite. If you’ve never listened to it, it’s Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff talking about true crime and telling jokes. It’s hilarious and horrifying and endlessly fascinating. The best thing I was able to do in 2019 was go to one of their live shows in Denver back in April. This book is a dual memoir where they take turns writing chapters about events in their lives that shaped them into the amazing women they are today. I think fans of the podcast will probably like the book more than non-listeners, but you don’t have to know the podcast to enjoy the book. But seriously, listen to the podcast. It’s the best. 4. Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics This book scared the crap out of me. I don’t want to give away too much, but the main gist is that it’s the story of a young pioneer girl who moves with her family from the mountains to the prairie. Oh, and she might be slightly possessed by some kind of devil. You know, just like Little House on the Prairie. 5. Frog Music by Emma Donoghue If you liked Room by Emma Donoghue, don’t pick up this book thinking it’s going to be similar. It was about as far away from Room as two books by the same author can be. It’s an amazing book and definitely deserves more attention; I just felt the need to throw out a warning that the two books are very different. Frog Music is about two women in the 1870s who are trying to navigate a sweltering summer in San Francisco and their feelings for each other. 6. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo I will never turn down a novel that’s written in poetry, and this is one of my favorites in that style. The main character’s voice is so strong and her poems hit me right in the part of your heart that makes you tear up a little. 7. Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson This was another book told through poetry, but this one was about Laurie Halse Anderson’s actual experiences. And if you’ve read this blog post, you know that I have a special place in my heart for Laurie Halse Anderson and everything she writes. 8. Chase Darkness with Me by Billy Jensen Full disclosure: Billy Jensen is the love of my life. So that might have influenced my ranking of this book. He’s also a co-host on another favorite podcast of mine, Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad. Billy Jensen is an investigative journalist who uses social media to solve cold cases, and this book tells about some of the cases he’s solved and some that he’s still working on. He also talks a bit about his friendship with Michelle McNamara, who wrote my favorite book of 2018, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer. 9. Sadie by Courtney Summers I have loved all of Courtney Summers’ books so far, but I especially liked her writing style in this one. It tells the story of a murdered teenager and her older sister who has gone missing. The chapters alternate between past and present, and several of them are written as the script of a podcast about the girls. Someone also made an actual podcast based off the book, but I haven’t listened to it yet. 10. Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash This graphic memoir tells about the summer camp Maggie Thrash attended when she was 15. The main conflict in the story centers around the feelings Maggie develops for one of her female counselors. Though I wasn’t a huge fan of the artwork style, the story itself kept me reading and I didn’t want to leave the characters when the book ended. 11. Educated by Tara Westover This book made me cry and pissed me off with almost every chapter. It’s a memoir of Tara Westover’s upbringing in a survivalist family. Despite receiving no formal education until she was 17, she managed to succeed in college and make her own way in the world. But the majority of the book is about the abuse she endured at the hands of her father and oldest brother, most of which they inflicted upon her because she dared to want more out of life than living on the farm and preparing to fight against the government. 12. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas If I had to guess, I would say that most of the negative reviews on this book are from extreme right-wingers who haven’t actually read it. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet. As someone who sits pretty much in the center politically, I was able to go into this book with an open mind. And if you can read the whole novel and still walk away thinking that we don’t have a serious problem in our country, then I’m concerned about your reading comprehension skills. 13. The Wilds by Julia Elliott I’ve been trying to read more short story collections and I am so glad I stumbled upon this one. Every single story is super weird and I honestly don’t know that many people I can recommend them to. Because they’re just really strange. Good, but strange. 14. Lighter Than My Shadow by Katie Green This graphic memoir hit so close to home and made me cry quite a few times. It tells about Katie Green’s struggles with an eating disorder that slowly takes over her whole life. The artwork is simple, but very effective. 15. Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes One of my friends said that this book was a rip-off of the first season of True Detective and refused to read past the first couple chapters. But I’ve never seen any season of True Detective, so I did not care. This book was super weird and super creepy and I absolutely loved it. The rest of these aren’t getting blurbs. If you want more information about any of them, feel free to ask. 16. In West Mills by De’Shawn Charles Winslow 17. The Beauty, Volume 1 by Jeremy Haun, Jason Hurley, & John Rauch 18. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 19. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh 20. The Grace of Enough by Haley Stewart 21. Uprooted by Naomi Novik 22. Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol 23. The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge 24. The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi 25. Postal, Volume 1 by Matt Hawkins & Bryan Hill 26. Habibi by Craig Thompson 27. DeadEndia by Hamish Steele
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Jacinta M. CarterProfessional Book Nerd Archives
December 2018
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