I keep track of all the books I read on a spreadsheet, because I'm nerdy that way, and I'm pleased to report that I read 59 books in 2019! I go in streaks with reading - weeks go by with nothing, and then I'll hunker down and binge through a bunch. Sometimes I felt like I didn't read much at all, but the numbers don't lie, and 59 books perhaps explains why I only finished 9 quilts...hmmm...
Here were my Top Ten favorites:
All the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon - 2019 was totally the Year of Outlander for me. I read all the books, and then watched the TV series, and then read all the books again, and then went down the rabbit hole of Outlander Fan Fiction, and then watched the shows, and then read the books again....well, you get the picture. It was an obsession that will probably continue in 2020, because the 9th book is going to be published soon, and the 5th season of the show starts in February...Je Suis Pres!
The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer - Loved this novel about a shy college freshman who develops a relationship with one of her idols, a leader in the women's movement. We all have an inner spark flickering inside us waiting to be seen and fanned by the right person at the right moment. This book delves into the intoxication, excitement and danger of how it feels when that happens so beautifully.
The Ensemble by Aja Gabel - This story about a string quartet and their experience of wild success and devastating failure, heartbreak, marriage, betrayal and loyalty over the years was really fun for me, especially as a former classical music nerd. Loved all the musical references and insider lingo since I actually knew what they were talking about, and it was fun being back in that world for a little bit.
Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin - A young woman takes a road trip across Texas with the man she suspects murdered her sister. He may or may not have dementia—and may or may not be a serial killer. Is he a liar or a broken old man? Is he a pathological con artist? Or is she? This eerie, suspenseful mystery kept me on the edge of my seat right until the final terrifying twist at the end.
Ashes of Fiery Weather by Kathleen Donohoe - Lovely, absorbing novel about the loves and tragic losses of six generations of Irish women in a family of firefighters, spanning from famine-era Ireland to Brooklyn a decade after 9/11. The stories are beautifully woven together.
Circe by Madeline Miller - I've always loved Greek mythology, and this retelling of Circe, daughter of the mightiest of Titans is powerful and moving. Scorned and rejected, she grows up in the shadows and discovers a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When her gift threatens the gods, she is banished to the island of Aiaia where she hones her craft, casting spells, gathering strange herbs and taming wild beasts. Yet a woman who stands alone will never be left in peace for long – and among her island's guests is an unexpected visitor: the mortal Odysseus, for whom Circe will risk everything. This is one I keep thinking about, months after reading.
The Huntress by Kate Quinn - I'm a sucker for good WWII historical fiction, and I really loved this story about three characters risking their lives to hunt down a Nazi war criminal known as "The Huntress". Spanning across icy Russia to 1950's Boston, this was suspenseful, sexy and absorbing.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert - fun, frothy read about 19 year old Vivian who goes to live with her bohemian aunt in 1940's NYC, and gets swept up in the exotic world of theater, dance, sex and romance. When Vivian makes a personal mistake that results in professional scandal, it turns her new world upside down in ways that it will take her years to fully understand. Ultimately, though, it leads her to a new understanding of the kind of life she craves - and the kind of freedom it takes to pursue it. "At some point in a woman's life, she just gets tired of being ashamed all the time," she muses. "After that, she is free to become whoever she truly is."
In the Days of Rain: A Father, a Daughter, and a Cult by Rebecca Stott - In the Days of Rain is Rebecca Stott’s attempt to make sense of her childhood in the exclusive Brethren cult in England, to understand her father’s role in the cult and in the breaking apart of her family, and to come to be at peace with her relationship with him. A father-daughter story as well as a memoir of growing up in a closed-off community and then finding a way out of it, this is an inspiring and beautiful account of the bonds of family and the power of self-invention. Loved this so much. Finished it, and then started right over again.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood - Amazing sequel to The Handmaid's Tale that was just breathtaking and had me in tears by the end. So satisfying.
