Books of 2019
Today someone asked me about my best book of 2019, and I couldn’t give them a straight answer. That made me sad. I usually read nonstop - a couple of titles in rotation on my nightstand, digital books on my iPhone (shoutout to the Libby & Kindle apps), audiobooks in Audible or Libby, and all the comments under your favorite celebrity’s IG post. I’m still insatiably curious, but I haven’t read enough of the books on my to-read list to feel comfortable making a sweeping “Best of 2019” let alone a “Best of the Decade” statement.
However, I will happily share my current rotation of fun reads.
Life is a Squiggly Line by Fallon Ukpe.
With all the self-help, pull yourself up by your bootstraps content out there, I can really appreciate someone saying, “Hey, it doesn’t always work as you’ve planned.” It doesn’t hurt that Fallon is one of my close friends. She practices what she preaches, folks. Also, her book has plenty of space for answering questions and working it out for yourself. You know I love a good worksheet.Write to the Point by Sam Leith.
We could all use a refresher on writing, and this is a great start. This book was haunting me, or maybe it was The Alphabet Group’s algorithms, but I felt like I saw this title recommended everywhere. I put it in my cart on Amazon, then Myleik Teele was reading it in her IG stories the next day. If you know Myleik’s brand of excellence (and how much I stan), then you know that was enough for me to purchase. I’m enjoying the book so far. Who knew plural antecedents and bracketing rules could be interesting? If that’s not your jam, at least read the sample on Amazon. The first two chapters are useful for anyone planning any type of written (or spoken) communication.How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr.
I’ll admit - my recent interest in this topic was sparked by a trip to Cape Town, South Africa. It was easy to identify and talk about European imperialism, but what about the United States? This book opened with facts I didn’t know, and quite frankly, exposed all the gaps in my historical knowledge. I was embarrassed that I didn’t know Guam, the Philippines, and Wake Island were attacked along with Pearl Harbor in 1941. I looked around embarrassingly as I read, hoping no one else could see how little I knew!
Now, the year is over in less that 48 hours, but I’m going to do my best to make some progress on my book list. You’ll find the books right next to me, on my nightstand, listed below.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Drop the Ball by Tiffany Dufu
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Stiff by Mary Roach
If you’ve read any of these, or if you have other book recommendations, please leave them below.
Circle back with me in a couple weeks to see if I’ve made any progress. Hold me to it.