2019 Books!
According to Goodreads, I’ve read 75 books in 2019. These are the ones that will stay with me for a long long time.
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane. If there’s a book that could break your heart and comfort you about it, this is the book to read. It’s a drama that follows a family involving an unexpected tragic incident and follows the family and the tragedy to the next generation. It was hard to read, it has topics of stillbirth, abuse, abandonment, and all the uncomfortable things but Keane manages to give these topics grace and forgiveness.
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker. I loved Walker’s last novel, it was dreamy, weird and read like an apocalyptic poem. The Dreamers was just as lovely, tragic and human as I could imagine Walker to write. It’s about a town and the individuals living in it fighting off a virus that makes them sleep. Even if they are not awake, their brain activity is as active as if they were awake. The dreams are sad, joyful, but overall Walker writes another great story about survival in all the aspects humans struggle with.
Red, White and Royal Blue by Cassie McQuiston. This book is a big swoon. It’s royal romance between a British prince and a son of the American president (who is a WOC, bonus). It’s a hate to love romance and sweet without the tooth decay. What I liked best about this was how fun McQuiston wrote the book. I normally associate romance books with cheesiness, but this is fun. I actually got a little depressed after I finished the book because I was so sad it was over. I need to remind myself to stop clinging to fictional characters.
Big Dreams, Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Full disclosure, I’ve been following the author on social media for a few years and I’m constantly inspired by her energy and goal setting. So when this book came out, you know I was on it.
I’m the type of person who struggles to open the Amazon package with my bare hands when the scissors are right next to me. This book has taught me how to be aware of the scissors and how to use them. It’s such a simple analogy but when I read this book, I was drowning. This book was a lifesaver. I really think this book deserves it’s own blog post, I have so much to say about this book. I was going to wait to see if this book was a novelty like most books on goal setting I’ve read. They make me feel motivated for a couple weeks but I miss the mark and it’s back to my depressive overwhelmed state. This is different. I think it’s different because it’s written from a women’s perspective. I really appreciate what I’ve learned from male authors but not one of them mentioned the daily mundane things like cleaning the bathroom while their partner takes the kids to Costco. I wanted to cry happy tears when I read this because WE DO THE SAME THING. Cripe manages to bring solidarity of doing the daily mundane things and not let that stop her, if anything she manages to allow them to flow with her instrumental process of goal setting. It feels real and I truly believe if you are feeling overwhelmed with goals, a to-do list or just need a good pick up, this is the book to get.
My goal for next year is to reach 75 books again. What book should I read that you loved so much this year?