Reading is without a doubt my favorite hobby. I can spend hours with a book in hand, ignoring the world around me. I have been like this since childhood. I remember many nights when I was supposed to be studying for a test and instead, I was quietly reading. My tests grades were often a reflection of my lack of preparation, but I did not care if I was in the middle of a good book. In fact, 7th grade earth science really took a hit when I was 12. So far, I have read 110 in books in 2019. I will likely add 1 or 2 more to that total, but I feel confident in my 2019 favorites and doubt that I will add to that this list. My list is not in any particular order, I had too many to consider favorites.
- Becoming by Michelle Obama – Michelle Obama is an excellent writer. Her book sets the gold standard for autobiographies. I listened to this one and cried more than once. Her descriptions of loss are truly heartbreaking. Don’t go into this one thinking it’s about her husband’s rise in politics, it is not. This book is about her life. It made me miss the Obama presidency more than I thought possible.
- Inheritance by Dani Shapiro – This is another autobiography. 2019 was the year of the autobiography for me. I have read a lot of them this year. Imagine taking a DNA test and finding out that everything you thought you knew about yourself was not true. For this author that is exactly what happened. In the age of at home DNA kits, this is becoming a reality for a lot of people. This one validated by position that somethings in life are best unknown.
- Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens – This book was released in 2018 but I read it in 2019. It was nearly impossible to get at the library for months, it’s that good. This tells the story of girl left to raise herself in the marshes of North Carolina. The descriptions of her natural world transport the reader.
- My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing – This one puts a whole new spin on dysfunctional family. You know the author is talented at her craft when you find yourself hoping that these 2 truly terrible people will get away with their crimes.
- Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid – This book won best historical fiction on Goodreads. It is written as an interview with the band members of Daisy Jones & The Six. I kept picturing Fleetwood Mac and the story behind Rumors when I was reading this one. It was an excellent read and rumor has it will be turned into a limited series, staring Elvis Presley’s granddaughter.
That is my list, I could have gone on. I know that there are at least 5 more books that I could have added as favorites, but it needs to end somewhere. I am really looking forward to what 2020 has to offer in the way of new books.
Life In The Falls 