A Look Back on My Books of 2019.

-


Merry Christmas!!  Sending you warm thoughts with wishes of a healthy, happy, and book-filled new year!

Originally I was going to list my favorite books of the year, but that turned out to be an impossible task because all of the books I read this year were excellent. I couldn’t choose a favorite. Having said that, I did put a star by the ones that you might want to float to the top of your list if you are having a hard time deciding which one to read first.   

Historical Fiction:

• ¬The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (historical references to the pack horse program during the 1930s and blue people of Kentucky)
• The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin (Based on a woman who was 2’8” tall)
• The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin (about silent film star Mary Pickford and screenwriter Frances Marion)
• I Always Loved You by Robin Oliveira (about Mary Cassatt’s relationship with Edgar Degas and Berthe Morisot’s relationship with Edouard Manet)
• The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri (refugees from Syria)  

Historical Fiction About WWII:

• ¬Beneath the Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan (based on a true story of Italian resistance and espionage in WWII) 
• We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter (based on a true family’s survival in WWII)
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (based on a true couple who fall in love in Auschwitz)
• The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton (based on the true Kindertransport before WWII)

Fiction:

• ¬A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (destined to be a literary classic)
• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (hilarious)
• Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks (short stories)
• The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal (sister dynamics and the beer industry)
• Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald (a time-traveling romance) 
• The Curse of the Werepenguin by Allan Woodrow (laugh-out-loud kids’ book)
• The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse (slapstick classic)

Memoirs:

• ¬Educated by Tara Westover (despite an oppressive home life, a girl defiantly gets an education) 
• Twenty Chickens for a Saddle by Robyn Scott (a girl growing up in Africa)
• Bill Bryson’s African Diary (from 2002 trip)

Non-Fiction:

• ¬Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart (real letters from a woman in Wyoming in 1900s)
• The Private Lives of the Impressionists by Sue Roe (art) 
• Night Witches by Bruce Myles (about the real female Russian pilots fighting the Germans in WWII)
• The Library Book by Susan Orlean (the L.A. library fire in 1986)
• Bad Girls Throughout History by Ann Shen (compilation of 100 notable women)
• Beneath the Tamarind Tree by Isha Sesay (the abduction of almost 300 girls in Nigeria)
• The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu (self-help book on joy)
• Creepy and True: Mummies Exposed by Kerri Logan Hollihan (kids’ book about mummies)


Happy Reading!

Annette 

Comments

Davida Chazan (The Chocolate Lady) said…
The Kim Michele Richardson book looks good, and I loved Last Train to London - one of my favorite of the year!
December 26, 2019 at 6:51 AM
Reading in the Garden said…
Both books were so good!! The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a best seller at the bookstore where I work. It's always nice to hear from you Davida. All my best for the new year!
December 27, 2019 at 8:49 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Liebster Award

-
Image
Ich Liebe the Liebster Award!   In July Marianne from Let’s Read blog nominated me for the Liebster Award , an award given to smaller blogs.   I was extremely honored, especially coming from Marianne, whose book review blog I just love.   My beautiful mother passed away at the time Marianne nominated me, and although I already had posts scheduled in advanced, I wasn’t in the mood to do much, even the simple rules of the award below…until now.   Rules for the award: 1.    Thank the amazing blogger who nominated you.  (check) 2.    Answer the 11 questions the nominator provided (answer on your blog.) (check, see below) 3.    Nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers. 4.    Post 11 different questions for your nominees to answer on their blogs. (check, see below) 5.    Contact your nominees to let them know that you've nominated them.  (check...
Read more

Short Stories by O. Henry

-
Image
Candy for the Mind O. Henry is pen name of William Sydney Porter, who wrote over 600 short stories in his lifetime. Often funny, sometimes touching, always witty and imaginative, each story ended with a surprising twist. One of his most famous stories is The Gift of the Magi ,   where a young, penniless couple sacrifices something dear to their hearts in order to buy the perfect Christmas present for each other. The ending has a sweet twist to it, kind of like an Oh, Henry! candy bar, which supposedly pays tribute to the beloved author. Read it here: https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/1-the_gift_of_the_magi_0.pdf There is almost an endless selection of books containing his short stories. While there are too many stories to list, below are some of my favorites. Lost on Dress Parade is about a young man who saves his money for ten weeks so he can go out and pretend to be a rich man for one evening.  Outside the restaurant he meets ...
Read more

A Void by Georges Perec

-
Image
The Case of the Missing Man & Letter “E" Author, Georges Perec A Void by Georges Perec is not your ordinary novel.  It’s a lipogram, a literary work that omits a particular letter or word. This book is entirely “void” of the letter “E.” That’s right, you will not find the letter “e” anywhere (except the author’s name).  Imagine not using the letter “e” in even a paragraph, let alone an entire book. In the previous sentences I've already used the letter “e” thirty-five times. But it gets more amazing than that.  This book was originally written in French then translated to English!  I’ll say it again. It’s amazing!  The story is about a group of friends who try to solve the disappearance of their friend, Anton Vowl.  I grant you, it can be a tad confusing and hard to follow at times. But the book itself is such an accomplishment, I think it’s worth checking out.  Do you have to be crazy to write a book like this? Probably not, but may...
Read more