Well, friends, I failed. I had set a goal for myself via my Goodreads profile to read 60 books in 2019. And after 4 years of successfully nailing my annual reading challenge, this year I reached too high. Like an Icarus to the sun…but a person to an Internet reading challenge…it’s a thing.
I still am not too embarrassed, though. I managed to read 54 books (although two, I admit, I decided not to finish).
I say that with starting a new fulltime job and moving the family out of state, I am OK with my success masked as a failure.
That said, not every book I read was equal. I encourage you to follow me on Goodreads, but here is my breakdown of best reads from my past year. By the way, I managed to narrow my list down to 10. Thank me for that, otherwise we all would have been here all day.
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The 10 best books I read in 2019:
The Princess Saves Herself in this One
By Amanda Lovelace
Poetry!! I loved this book. Lovelace gets mixed reviews from the public (and certainly critics) but I find this poetry very accessible…and I don’t usually enjoy poetry.
The Longest Way Home: One Man’s Quest for the Courage to Settle Down
By Andrew McCarthy
Yup, from Pretty in Pink. THAT guy. When travel literature crosses over into something soul-searching, life changing and meaningful, I am IN.
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
By Bryan Stevenson
I honestly believe that every American should read this book. This was a beautiful and honest assessment of the death penalty and the American justice system. But this isn’t a “dead man walking” kind of thing – it is far more nuanced than that – and, I believe, more impactful.
Leadership: In Turbulent Times
By Doris Kearns Goodwin
While this book isn’t new, it is completely relevant. Goodwin looks at four remarkable presidencies, men (no women yet, but the women behind the men in this book are lauded and noticed and would have been great presidents) who pulled America through some extraordinarily hard times. She assesses what it took to unite a divided America and finds similarities between the presidents’ backgrounds, personalities and history that are interesting.
The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country
By Helen Russell
I loved this book. This is a fabulous look at the decisions a culture makes collectively and how society affects us more than we think, written by a British writer who moves with her husband to Denmark for one year. This book has me thoroughly convinced I am Danish.
Ali: A Life
By Jonathan Eig
An epic biography on the man who called himself Muhammad Ali. I didn’t know too much about him, and probably wouldn’t have picked this up were it not for a book club pick, but I loved it. The author places Ali in historical context and provides all sides of this complex, contradictory and HUGE personality.
Joy Enough: A Memoir
By Sarah McColl
I don’t think anyone has done a great job of adequately describing this book, it’s just too hard to capture what this is and why it is worth devouring. It was a surprise to me with its power and beauty and also joy, the layers of grief.
Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel
By Taylor Jenkins Reid
Of course, there has to be one popular fiction piece in here! This was the one that stood out most (and yes, I did read the “Crawdads book”). I found the format so refreshingly different from other pop fictions, with the untrustworthy narrators and sly perspective shifts.
The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling
By Stephen Cope
I mentioned this book before, which I read for my yoga teacher training, but this book is so valuable. My 10 year old asked me “What is the purpose of life, and what is my role in it?” the other night, and I may give him this to read. (kidding. kind of.)
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know
By Malcolm Gladwell
Warning that this book deals with some DARK topics, some really seedy human behavior. So parts were a little disturbing. But I honestly couldn’t stop talking about this to anyone who would listen (which is NOT the recommended way to talk to strangers). This book is a wonderful look at what we see in others, why we see it, assumptions we bring to human interactions, and why we can’t all just get along.
If you read a great book that must be shared from 2019, drop it below! And tell me if you think making a stretch goal for reading was wise… or not.
pst: want to see my 2018 best book picks? click here.