Elizabeth: Top Reads of 2019

According to Goodreads, I have read 121 books this year, so narrowing it down to a reasonable number that I could use as my favorite reads of 2019 was not easy, friends! I aimed for ten, ended up with 12 (and a few that were very close to making the list), and I’m not mad about that.

2019 was a hard year for me, personally, and so most of the books that I loved took me out of myself — they had some element of the fantastic, whether that be setting, or characters, or plot. Books were an escape for me this year, and I consider myself lucky that I had that option. These may not have all been 5 star reads, even when I ranked them, but they are books that I find myself continually thinking about, recommending, or sharing with friends — not only that, there are several I want to re-read, which is a high form of praise from this comfort re-reader.

Fair warning, I have already reviewed a good number of these on the blog (or Moira or Shannon did), so I’m linking to those reviews, if you want more in-depth info. Below is just brief thoughts, otherwise this post might be a book of its own.

So below, my top reads of 2019, in no particular order — I promise!

“Miracle Creek” by Angie Kim (my review here!) - I was so pleasantly surprised by this book; it was an engrossing and quick courtroom thriller that had me guessing until the last chapter. Angie Kim is a treasure (and so nice on social media!), and I can’t believe this is only her first book. It makes me so excited about what will be coming next from her.

“The Dinner List” by Rebecca Serle - The conceit of this book is so brilliant; everyone has been asked at some point a version of the question: “What people, living or dead, would you invite to dinner if you could?” Well, at Sabrina’s birthday dinner, that actually happens. This book is mostly sweet but a little bitter at times, just like life, and the ending made me laugh and cry. And yes, I’ve already preordered her new book “In Five Years", which comes out next spring. It’s a gift to future me.

“Recursion” by Blake Crouch (my review here!) - “Recursion” is a book that’s out of my normal reading pattern, but I am so glad that I read it. It’s twisty, it’s a parable about humans intervening where we shouldn’t, it’s a mystery, and it’s a love story. Blake Crouch created a remarkably believable apocalyptic-adjacent future, and every so often, I find myself thinking, what if this could actually happen?

“The Great Believers” by Rebecca Makkai (Shannon’s review here!) - I read this book in January, and it wrecked me. Just abolsutely destroyed me. I used to work in HIV/AIDS globally, but one of my jobs there was creating an HIV 101 for the incoming Administration during transition, so I’ve delved pretty far into the domestic epidemic. Makkai captured the feelings of the 1980s so well, and while I didn’t really need the modern timeline in Paris story, it didn’t detract from the book at all.

“The Gown” by Jennifer Robson (my review here!) - If you’ve read my reviews this year, you know I love historical fiction and happy endings and strong women and slight familial mysteries, so this book (one of the first I reviewed here at SFOL!) was right up my alley. It’s compelling, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s an incredible glimpse into an often overlooked time.

“Who Thought this was a Good Idea?” by Alyssa Mastromonaco - Part political memoir, part insider look at life inside and around the White House, part self-help book, and all around a joy. I love Alyssa Mastromonaco (I found her via the Hysteria podcast), and I so enjoyed this book. It’s her story from somewhat lost college girl to Deputy White House Chief of Staff, and each of the chapters are pretty short, so it’s a great commuter book. It reminded me of Mindy Kaling and Tina Fey’s memoirs, so high praise from me.

“The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead (my review here!) - Not every book I loved was happy, and the next few really characterize that. While I admittedly enjoyed “The Underground Railroad” more than this one, “The Nickel Boys” is a literary tour de force. It’s not easy to read (at all), but it’s so important. Just trust me on this one.

“Ninth House” by Leigh Bardugo (my review here!) - Every person that I have recommended “Ninth House” to has absolutely loved it, so I’m not sure what else I need to say about this one. It’s a book that I had extremely high expectations for, and they were surpassed — my only quibble is a slightly slow start and the fact that I have to wait a year for Alex Stern’s next adventure.

“Know My Name” by Chanel Miller (my review here! | Shannon’s review here!) - Like the biggest Chanel Miller fans wouldn’t have this one on the list. Don’t even act surprised.

“Save Me the Plums” by Ruth Reichl (Shannon’s review here!) - I read this one in one sitting this summer, and I honestly wish I could tell past Elizabeth to slow down and savor it a little bit more. Ruth Reichl is an amazing writer, and her time as editor of “Gourmet” saw so many changes in the publishing industry. I loved her insider views, but I really enjoyed learning more about her and her life (I also really liked “Garlic and Sapphires,” and I know Shannon felt the same about “Tender at the Bone”, so any of her books are a good choice in our opinion).

“Catch and Kill” by Ronan Farrow (my review here!) - This is a non-fiction book that actually reads almost like a spy thriller (one of my guilty pleasures tbh) about Ronan Farrow’s reporting on the Harvey Weinstein story. This was the last in a line of “men are trash” books that I read, and it was a great one to end my mini-series on. The writing is so engaging, and Ronan is a charming narrator.

“The Only Plane in the Sky” by Garrett M. Graff (my review here!) - This oral history of 9/11 is such a compelling portrait of a day that changed the world as we know it - I feel confident in recommending it to everyone that wants to understand how we got to 2019. Beyond that, it’s an amazing book of resilience and hope and love — values that we all need to remember and treasure. This is one that I continually think about, and I have even listened to the audiobook this fall, just to revisit this story.

These were so close to making the list — I loved them, but I had to make a few cuts. Silly authors, continuing to write great and engaging and escapist books.

“The Book of Essie” by Meghan Maclain Weir | “Red, White, and Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston (Moira’s review here!) | “The Gifted School” by Bruce Holsinger (my review here!) | “American Royals” by Katharine McGee (my review here!) | “Nothing is Forgotten” by Peter Golden | “Things You Save in a Fire” by Katherine Center (my review here!)

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