2019 Book Round Up
It’s February, so naturally I’m just now getting around to reflecting on 2019, and I thought I’d go over the 13 books I read this year and share my thoughts. I made it my goal to read 15 books in 2019, which I evidently did not accomplish, but I liked the challenge and I’m going to try again and hit 15 in 2020.
By Celeste Ng
Everyone and their mother was reading this book, so I read this book. Hot take: I didn’t love it and I thought it was depressing. To be fair, I had just gotten to Lyon, France for my semester abroad, I was probably experiencing a bit of culture shock, and I was reading this book by flickering lamplight in my box of an apartment where I lived alone. Things just kept getting worse for the characters and reading this stressed me out. The book was still entertaining and well-written, but I didn’t get the hype.
2. Sweetbitter
By Stephanie Danler
This book made me now think (realize?) that everyone working at fancy restaurants does cocaine and has sex with each other. Granted it was the 90’s so who knows if it’s like that now. If this sounds up your alley (you probably know who you are), then read it. It was fun, fast-paced, and definitely intriguing. I sort of hated the main character for being so miserable all the time, but I guess it makes sense since the story is about her ~personal growth~.
By Marisa Silver
I got this book on clearance at a bookstore in Vermont and it shows. I usually love fantasy but this book was beyond weird. I really don’t remember much (not a bad thing) except for the fact that this girl turns into a wolf and then has wolf sex with other wolves. Plus she’s a wolf now so she can’t talk and her thoughts are pretty limited. That’s a no from me dawg.
4. Exit West
By Mohsin Hamid
This book was interesting because I couldn’t exactly place the genre and I haven’t read any other books like it. Think: refugee love story with a magical/metaphorical twist. I’d say read it because it’s different, a quick read, and a totally new, allegorical perspective on the refugee crisis.
5. Circe
By Madeline Miller
If you have fond memories of your Greek mythology unit in sixth grade Language Arts, read this. All your favorite myths are retold through the story of Circe, our badass goddess/nymph/heroine who uses magic, wit, and will to defy the greatest of odds and gods. I loved it.
6. Players
By Matthew Futterman
At this point in my reading journey I’m back from abroad and doing a Maymester at UNC. We read this for my sports marketing class and I surprisingly really liked it. Definitely non-fiction, but this book walks you through the business of sports – from a time when athletes basically played for fun in the 50s to the multi-billion dollar industry it is today.
7. Shoe Dog
By Phil Knight
This was one of the best books I read this year. I never knew a non-fiction memoir could be such a page turner, but I was fully hooked on Phil Knight’s every word about how he created Nike. An inspiring inside look into the blood, (emphasis on) sweat, and tears it takes to start a company.
8. Pachinko
By Min Jin Lee
Despite being one of the New York Times “Best Books of 2017”, Pachinko was probably my least favorite of 2019. In about 500 pages, this loose semblance of a story covers three generations of a Korean family over 100 years. There was so much going on, and yet so little – I didn’t really feel connected to any of the characters. I think it was my competitive edge alone that made me finish the last 200 pages.
9,10,11,12. Outlander Series (Books 1-4)
By Diana Gabaldon
This series is the definition of “watching porn for the plot.” Combat nurse Claire Randall finds herself transported from 1945 to 1743, where she quickly finds herself caught up in the lives of the Scottish clans and in the midst of a steamy romance with a Highlander. Sure, things get a little Fifty Shades, but the story is actually really good. To my defense, I only read four out of the eight books in the series before I decided to rejoin the more literary community. If sexy time traveling historical fiction sounds like the genre for you – read away.
13. Americanah
By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Fitting and satisfying that my favorite book of 2019 was also my last. Adichie talks about race in a way that’s so comprehensive and approachable that you genuinely finish this book feeling more knowledgeable and inspired. Ifemelu’s story is told in part by her blogs where she discusses what it means to be black in the US after leaving her home Nigeria. Her writing style is blunt and lyrical at the same time; something I’m now desperately trying to channel in writing my own blogs.
My tip for reading is to sneak it in whenever you can. Read before bed, before class, on the plane/train/bus, even if it’s just for five minutes you’ll start cranking out books and learn a lot. Here’s to hitting 15 books in 2020, I’m already down two!