If you’ve been around for a while, you know that I love to read. I’m in a book club, I subscribe to the Buzzfeed Books Newsletter, and I follow several Bookstagramers. I usually average a book a month, but this year I managed to work in twenty two books! Yes, several were audio books, but I consider that “reading” as well. If reading is your thing, scroll on through to see if you’ve read the books on my list or if there are a few titles you need to add to your TBR (to be read) list.
Top Seven
Where the Crawdad’s Sing by Delia Owens
This story beautifully broke my heart. It tells of a recluse that lives in the marsh who’s endured a very difficult life. She is incredibly interesting and strange and endearing and about 100 other adjectives. The author is also an expert at describing the landscape. If you’ve never seen an area like that, you needn’t worry. She will paint you the most beautiful picture, and you will feel as if you’re right there with Kya.
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
Next Year in Havana tells the story of Marisol and her late grandmother, Eliza, who had to flee Cuba during the 1950s. Marisol travels to Havana to fulfill her grandmother’s wishes and scatter her ashes. Of course while she’s there, Marisol meets a handsome gentleman that has his own secrets. During her stay, she is faced with so much of her grandmother’s past. I was unbelievably lost in this story and could not wait to read the sequel.
When We Left Cuba- Chanel Cleeton
Which is precisely why I read it next. Dare I say this one was better than the first? It was hard to beat, but ultimately it did. I read the first chapter and was immediately hooked. I didn’t want to put it down and loved every single minute of it. This story follows the sister of Eliza, Beatriz. She is a feisty woman on a mission. One of the things I loved about these two books was how much I learned. I didn’t know too much about the Cold War and all of the turmoil in Cuba. Of course this is a work of fiction, but it does provide many tidbits of history in a very fascinating way. If you’re one of the ones who has not read these two books, please do it this year.
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
One of the best movies ever made is Almost Famous. And if you haven’t seen it, watch it immediately! And if you don’t have it, call me and let’s have a good, old-fashioned DVD watching party. The reason I bring up that movie is because it follows a rock and roll band on the road that’s being followed around by a teenager who’s lied about his age to write for Rolling Stone magazine. Well, Daisy Jones and the Six is about a rock and roll band that is being interviewed after the band has broken up and everyone has gone their separate ways. There’s great stories and all the things you’d think road life would be like. This is one of the ones I listened to in audio book format, and I’m telling you that it’s the way to go. There are so many narrators, and they really commit to their characters. I normally listen to audio books as I’m driving or cleaning house or actually doing something. But this one had me sitting down and only listening. It’s a wonderful story, and I highly recommend it.
City of Girls by Eizabeth Gilbert
So, I’ll be honest, I’ve tried to read Eat, Pray, Love several times. I didn’t even really love the movie like others did. Therefore, I didn’t give any of Elizabeth Gilbert’s books a passing glance. But I saw Hoda and Jenna talk about this one on the Today Show one morning and as soon as I heard the premise, I knew I had to give it a go. This was another audio book, and I have to say, I loved it in this format. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be good to read, but when the narrator is good, well, it’s just hard to not love it. The story of a young girl’s life altered by time spent in a run-down theater in the 40’s was right up my alley, and it did not disappoint. I will say that if theater isn’t your thing, those parts will probably bore you. But if you are a theater nerd and love the art of acting and putting on a show, you’ll enjoy this one.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
How could I not read this book? It has one of my favorite names in it? (My dog’s name is Bernadette.) I read this in the summer with the intention of seeing the movie that came out in August. However, the beginning of school really got the best of me, and I never went to see it. Now that it’s out on video (or however you say it these days), I’ve still yet to rent it or check it out from the library. I do intend to see the film, but the book was such a great read. It is written in the most interesting way, and tells the story of Bernadette, a wife and mother who goes through a few things mentally that cause a series of events that ultimately leads to her disappearance. You’ll have to read the book to discover what happens to her, but I will say it kept me interested and feeling all kinds of feels throughout the whole book.
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Martha Hall Kelly has taken a real WWII heroine and her story and turned it into the most wonderful book. I both read and listened to this one. I tend to like to give the audio book a shot when I know there will be foreign languages spoken, especially German and Polish. I can work out Spanish and bit of French but definitely not German or Polish. However, if that doesn’t bother you, read away. It was just as powerful written as it was spoken. I quite enjoy stories from this time period. I know there are a lot of them out there, but this is one of the ones that’s been done exceptionally well.
Other Books I Read
I’m going to list these books in order of how I enjoyed them. So the top will be my most recommended and the bottom will be the ones I didn’t enjoy as much.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows- Balli Kaur Jaswal (Audio)
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen Read to students.
Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall (Audio)
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware (Audio)
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
The Break Down by B.A. Paris (Audio)
The Last Mrs. Parish by Liv Constantine (Audio)
Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber (Audio)
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (Audio)
Odd 1s Out by James Rallison (Audio) Read to students.
The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger
The Other Woman by Sandie Jones (Audio)
Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Philips (Audio)
Well there you have it. All twenty two books. I should have Little Women on that list, but I still haven’t finished it. We picked a new book for January, The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. I’ve already started that one and love it. I keep picking up Little Women every few days, and it’s like visiting old friends. I think it’s one of the best stories ever written, but I’m taking a long time to get through it. I’ll finish it for sure in 2020 and hopefully twenty two more!
What did you read this past year? Any that you loved? Any that you hated? Did we read any of the same books? I’d love to hear. I love talking about books and adding more to my ever-growing TBR list. Let’s talk about it in the comments.
