Happy New Year! It’s not too late to tell you our best reads of last year is it? If it is, its Amanda’s fault.
Holly–
Beautiful Ruins, Jess Walter: I don’t know why I waited so long to read this. Actually, I do. The description as “set in a remote Italian coastal town in 1962” made me think it would be a snoozefest. That’s because it reminded me of the time I tried to listen to “Under the Tuscan Sun” on audio on a long drive. Anyway, this book was no snoozer – it was smart and funny and lovely.
Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel: You guys 99% of the world’s population dies in a pandemic, and the wold that’s left is haunting. I don’t think I have enough chill to live there.
Kitchens of the Great Midwest, J. Ryan Stradal: All I want to do is go to an exclusive dinner party that ends with Pat Prager’s Peanut Butter Bars. Or maybe I should host one.
The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas: Read.this.book. And then examine your life. I highly recommend the audio.
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo: I threw away most of my socks because they were not bringing me joy. Recently this became a problem because it got cold out, so I have been searching the internet for all the most joy-inducing socks. I’m pretty sure those come from Smartwool (Amanda votes they come from Stance).
Amanda – Yes I cheated and made a few categories. It was a good reading year! I tried to read as few white dudes as possible and loved that. I will definitely continue that goal for 2019.
Half a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She’s brilliant. Read everything this woman writes.
Night and Silence, Seanan McGuire. Have I mentioned I’m obsessed with Seanan’s books? I love October Daye (and all her other series) but these books just get better and better. This urban fantasy series makes me laugh and cry and I could reread them all at any time. I just joined her Patreon and I can’t wait to read all the short stories too!
A Dangerous Crossing, Ausma Zehana Khan – heart wrenching but a great mystery. Maddening when you think about the tragedies in Syria and immigration in general. I loved the growth of the characters over this series. Honorable mention: The Dry, Jane Harper -I’m enjoying this series and eager for #3.
Whiskey and Ribbons, Leesa Cross-Smith. This story of a woman who is widowed while pregnant is one I can’t stop thinking about. This gave me a lot to consider about grief and motherhood, but was also just a great story.
The Dinner List, Rebecca Serle. Another book about love and loss that stayed with me all year (link to my review.
YA: Sadie, Courtney Summers – A brutal mystery about the things that can happen to young women (link to my review). Everywhere You Want to Be, Christina June – Read this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood so you can feel summer in January! Get some red sunglasses and let Tilly dance off with your heart. (I need to give a copy of this way soon); Far From the Tree, Robin Benway – This book about siblings and adoption was fantastic. Made me cry and I loved just about every word.
Romance: A Princess in Theory, Alyssa Cole- Long lost princesses are my jam and I don’t even feel a bit of shame. Alyssa Cole was one of my best finds of the year. Read all her kissing books! The Wedding Date, Jasmine Guillory – This romance kicks off with a stopped elevator and a fake date – apparently fake dates are also my jam (See The Kiss Quotient as well) The Proposal was also delightful and I can’t wait for her next book.
Nonfiction: So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo – Things have to get better. Just read this. From the Corner of the Oval, Beck Dorey-Stein – – This was a such a happy read even if it made me miss Obama terribly. I would never have thought being a White House stenographer brought along so much personal drama.
Now to kick off 2019 by finishing my 2018 library books including: Daughters of the Winter Queen, Of Blood and Bone, My Sister the Serial Killer and For Muse of Fire before I get all the fines. I can ignore my children to read right? Then I am going to dive into my first ARC of the year, The Ruin of Kings– a long last prince and dragons sounds like just the thing for January.
Gun In Act One 