"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

TTT: Favorite books of 2019

Top Ten Tuesday 2019 finale: This year's favorites

1. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai---my favorite of the favorites. It is about the AIDS epidemic from the beginning to current time and about the caretakers of the sick men.
2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens---beautiful prose and poetry; a mystery and a love story. This book has it all.
3. Becoming by Michelle Obama---I saw her in person on her book tour. It made the book even more special.
4. Circe by Madeline Miller---Greek mythology comes to life. I recommend listening to the audiobook for this book.
5. The Overstory by Richard Powers---seven or eight stories come together as the focus remains on the main characters, the trees. This one won the Pulitzer Prize for 2019.
6. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green---this book fed my desire to read something quirky and "out-there" yet spoke to a generation about our obsession with social media.
7. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom---this is the best book you've probably never heard of. The narrator is music and I loved it from start to finish.
8. The Library Book by Susan Orleans---Who set the fire that consumed the Los Angeles Public Library and much more. Nonfiction.
9. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett---A recent completition. Listen to this one on audiobooks. It is narrated by Tom Hanks.
10. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo---the only YA book on my list. I loved the character development which didn't take the typical trope of a teen mother's life falling apart.
(Click on hyperlinks for my reviews.)

Now I turn the page on 2019 books.
What were your favorites of the year?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
-Anne

8 comments:

  1. Those are some really good books and I like the variety. I have got to read Where the Crawdads Sing in 2020!

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  2. I loved "Circe" "Becoming," and "The Great Believers." I liked "The Dutch House." I wasn't crazy about "Crawdads."

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  3. Didn't manage to read any of these....but it's a great list! :)

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  4. I liked An Absolutely Remarkable Thing too. I’m reading Where The Crawdads Sing right now and love it. Hopefully I’ll get to The Great Believers and The Overstory eventually.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  5. Oooh, you've included some of my own favorites here! I loved Crawdads (and got to interview the author, who was delightful!), Becoming, and Absolutely Remarkable, which I thought was incredibly clever, funny, and thought-provoking & didn't get nearly enough attention. Lucky you to see Michelle Obama in person!!

    Here's to a great reading year in 2020, too!

    Sue

    Book By Book

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  6. I really want to read The Overstory. Circe, Becoming, and With the Fire on High are also ones I want to get to. I liked, but did not love, Crawdads, and I completely loved The Library Book. Great list!

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  7. Good list! I have read 4 of these and liked them. I still want to read The Great Believers which somehow I missed. So I will try to get to it in 2020. I have listed my 2019 favorites on my site www.thecuecard.com

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