Pst! If you haven’t read my Disappointing Books of 2019 post go read that one first. I mean, if you care about why I haven’t been around. If not, continue as planned.
For the 10 favorite reads of 2019 I’ve decided the reviews won’t be terribly in depth, but a quick overall feeling of each. They’ll go from somewhat great to best. And before anyone gets their undies in a knot these are my opinions. If you disliked any of these that’s fine. It’s okay your experience was different than mine.
10. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
- An all female cast exploring a strange yet intriguing world that makes readers wonder and ponder what it all means. While part of a trilogy this can certainly be read as a stand alone.
9. Blue Is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh
- A graphic novel about coming out and learning to love in an angry world that doesn’t know how.
8. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter
- Not for the faint of heart these reimagined classic fairy tales breathe new life into mysteriously enchanting and dangerous characters.
7. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch
- Anything but an easy read Gourevitch educates readers about the horrific 1994 Rwanda genocide against the Tutsis people. A vivid account of how it all began and what surviving actually means.
6. The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
- With a fine sense of humor Jon Ronson explores the meaning and actuality of psychopaths. This oddly entertaining book will take readers on a journey through an industry one probably didn’t think even existed.
5. Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip
- Full of mystery surrounding a book written in the language of thorns it takes readers above and beyond conventional fantasy. A unique story of destiny and desire it isn’t easy to put down.
4. The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg
- This beautifully illustrated graphic novel, which is a retelling of Arabian Nights, is about the love story between two brave women who will do anything to stay together and won’t take shit from anyone.
3. Lie With Me by Philippe Besson
- A poetic look at the hidden romance between two boys during the 1980s and the impact it has on both their lives in ways neither could have seen coming.
2. Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins by Emma Donoghue
- 13 tales linked together, each answering a question, these feminist retellings of fairy tales shed new light on what it means to be a princess, a mother, a witch, and so much more.
1. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
- An achingly raw love story about two women who defy the limits of time. Red and Blue are a pair of star-crossed lovers that will not be easily forgotten.
the secret life of a bibliophile 