Part Four of my 2019 Year In Books
Last round up of my 2019 year in books. (Find Part One here., Part Two, + Part Three) For 2019, I set a goal for myself to make the time to read more, and I did!
I’ve compiled a list of the books I read and liked, which I’ve broken up into four parts, because, well, there are a lot of them. Included below are most of the books I read this year in October, November and December. And at the very end I’m including a round up of my favorite ten from the whole year, from all four parts. I love getting book recommendations, so I’m sharing mine here, and I’d love to hear some of yours. If you’ve got any great books you want to share, leave them in the comments below.
*a note, I’m only including books here that I recommend, which is most of the books that I read. I tend to not finish books that I don’t like. Also, I get most books from the library, libraries are amazing! I also enjoy listening to audio books when I’m working in the studio, which definitely helps me get through more books.
The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott - A fun spy mystery, bouncing between the US and Russia in the fifties, as US agents try to get their hands on a copy of Boris Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago.
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland - Beautifully written, and at times intense, each chapter begins with a new flower that ties into the storyline.
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams - Loved this book! Sonia and I listened to this on a road trip, and we also loved the narrator’s voice, which goes a long way.
Plant Love by Alys Fowler - I read Alys Fowler’s memior Hidden Nature earlier this year and decided to check out some of her gardening books, as I can definitely use some help in that department.
Treacherous Strand / The Well of Ice / Murder at Greysbridge by Andrea Carter - Obviously I’ve been enjoying this Irish mystery series.
Paddling My Own Canoe by Audrey Sutherland - This woman is amazing. Originally published in 1978, this adventure story chronicles Sutherland’s solo trips to the coast of Moloka’i in Hawaii. I was also really fascinated with her gear as it was like going into a time warp before there was water proof everything. Did you know that there was canned wine in the 60s? But then it went out of fashion and nobody wanted it but Sutherland? (Perfect for backpackers as she writes…)
She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey - Everyone should read this book! Detailing Kantor and Twohey’s investigation into Harvey Weinstein for the New York Times, it was a fascinating story about both journalism today and the #metoo movement. Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey are my heros.
Depression in a Digital Age by Fiona Thomas - This book sounds just like it’s title. About how amazing and awful the digital world can be. After listening to it, I started to give myself permission to not be on social media as much, and deleted email from my phone. I’m still on Instagram a lot, but it’s more enjoyable and less stressful.
The Way of the Woodshop by Aleksandra Zee - While I have worked my way around a woodshop before, it’s been a while. This book has some fun ideas along with step by step instructions for how to build them. I have a few ideas, but have yet to make them come to life.
The Weil Conjectures by Karen Olsson - I really enjoyed this math memoir - is that a term? If not, here it is anyway. In addition to chronicling the author’s previous math studies, it also tells the story of the brilliant Weil siblings - Simone and André. Simone was a philosopher and activist and André was a mathematian.
A Tree In the House by Annabelle Thomas - Sometimes you just need a beautiful and inspiring flower book. Here is one that I loved. Also I now would like to live on a farm in the country.
Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow - This book also focusses on the Weinstein investigation, but from a different angle, at NBC with Ronan Farrow. I listened to it right after finishing She Said, which was a bit too much Weinstein all at once, but the stories are quite different and both are worth reading. Especially now, as his New York trial is underway.
The Long Call by Ann Cleeves - I loved Cleeves’ Shetland books, so was happy to read this new book in a new series. This is also set on the coast and keeps that windswept and moody feel that the other books have.
The Ruin and The Scholar by Dervla McTiernen - Can you tell I like Irish mysteries? Or just mysteries in general? Here are two more that I enjoyed reading this year.
The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh - This was on my to read list forever, so I was happy to finally sit down with it. It’s a disturbing, weird and dystopian tale of an isolated family, and what happens when visitors show up.
To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins - A fun (though not always for Jenkins) adventure book, Jenkins writes of his two year bicycle trip from Oregon to Patagonia.
HausMagick by Erica Feldmann - I follow the Salem Massachusettes store HausWitch on instagram, and really want to visit some day. Feldmann’s book HausMagick talks about the store and how it came about, and is a magical primer for your home.
My Year of Less by Cait Flanders - Flanders’ book details her two year shopping ban. I’ve been thinking of doing my own version so it was helpful to read this.
Jog On by Bella Mackie - I picked this up after hearing Mackie on a few podcasts. After running the marathon and having a minor injury that kept me from running for a few weeks, I needed some motivation to start running again. Part running memoir, part running and mental health book, I found that it echoed a lot of things that I’d been feeling about running.
H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald - I started this book a few years ago, but didn’t finish it till now. It’s a beatifully written story of training a new hawk and struggling with the death of her father.
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo - A powerful book about three different women, their lives and desires. Told with exquisite and nerve wracking detail, almost like a novel, the stories are all true, though some of the names were changed.
The Foraged Home by Joanna and Oliver Maclennan - Because I also like home books and beauitful photography, and this one encourages finding and foraging treasures from everywhere.
The Undying by Anne Boyer - Technically I finished this book in 2020, but I started it over the holidays, and it’s one of the best books I’ve read this past year, so I’m including it here. Beautifully written, this book is first off a book about cancer, and surviving it, but it’s written by a poet and it’s also about art, culture, pain, social constructs, the medical capitalist machine, exhaustion, loneliness and so much more.
I thought I’d also include my top ten from the year - the books that I am still thinking about. Here they are in no particular order:
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
All at Sea by Decca Aitkinson
The Undying by Anne Boyer
My Sister The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Educated by Tara Westover
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Otessa Moshfegh
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss
She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
If you have any book recommendations for 2020, send them my way! Leave a comment below.
Read 2019 In Books Part One , 2019 In Books Part Two , 2019 In Books, Part Three