As we get closer to counting down the end of this year, and ringing in a new one (and a new decade!), I’ve been thinking back on some of the books I read and loved in 2019. It was a transformative year for me on both a personal and professional level. There were relationship changes, hormonal changes, moments of loss and grief, foundational shiftings, and a moving away from old ways of working and doing things and making space for new. But through it all, books sustained me.
I’ve been a voracious reader since childhood. My grandmother always told me that I learned to read when I was two, and shortly thereafter would read to her billboards from the side of the road when she drove us places. I also read books, and she made sure I had plenty of them. Our house was full of books — mostly fiction, but also non-fiction on whatever I was interested in at the time. That was the foundation of a love of reading and being transported to other worlds that only grew stronger as I grew older.
This year I signed up for Goodreads and set a challenge for myself. The goal: to read 75 books in 2019, from January to December. I felt it was something I would be able to accomplish, but not easily. Anyone who works (especially freelance, with unpredictable hours) and raises children (and takes care of the home, and homeschools, etc.) knows just how difficult it can be to make time for yourself.
But I set the goal and not only achieved it, but surpassed it, with 78 books read (or 81 if you count the three books I was hired to edit this year). Some were great, some were not so great, and some really stuck with me.
So, to wrap up 2019 and my Goodreads Challenge, here are the five books (in no particular order) that I enjoyed the most this year. The links will take you to the book descriptions on Amazon. (note: I’m not an Amazon affiliate. I make no money or receive any compensation if you order any of the books.)
1.) The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert — A well-crafted, spooky good YA read. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.
2.) The Enchanted Life: Unlocking Magic of the Everyday by Sharon Blackie — I love Dr. Blackie’s way of seeing myth and magic in the world around us. This book was eye-opening.
3.) Flash Count Diary: Menopause and the Vindication of Natural Life by Darcey Steinke — This powerful book came along at just the right time for me, and it was life-changing. I recommend that every woman read this, whether they’re close to menopause already or not.
4.) Secrets of the Chocolate House (Found Things #2) by Paula Brackston — Paula Brackston is one of my favorite contemporary writers, and this book (a sequel to The Little Shop of Found Things) did not disappoint.
5.) Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw — another great YA read (and my last book of 2019), this novel was quiet and darkly atmospheric. I felt completely immersed and transported to the world that Ernshaw created, and didn’t want to put it down.
I’m looking forward to diving into my to-be-read book stack for 2020! I’ll share a list of what I’m going to be reading in the new year in an upcoming blog post.