Happy Tuesday, everyone! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
Hey, all. Wow, I dropped off the face of the earth for a hot second. Christmas came and went. I was running around a lot this past week. But no way was I going to miss shouting about these, my favorite books of the year 2019. It’s the final year of this decade, everyone–it’s the start of a new page. Before I get too choked up, here are my best books of the year.
The Diviners by Libba Bray
I could tell you for the hundredth time that I should have read this book sooner (I guess I just did) since it’s right up my alley: history and the supernatural all rolled into one, but I’m glad I did since the final book comes out in early 2020. No long waits for me!
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Was this book a wonder. It’s written like a fairy tale, complete with a gorgeous Welsh setting. Not to mention that its simple story was so touching that it made me cry. I just loved The Bone Houses. (Also, there’s a goat in here that’s a scene stealer).Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
I liked the way Other Words for Home used verse. It made its young narrator’s story engaging. I read this one in a few hours and can’t recommend it enough.Long Bright River by Liz Moore
This one comes out in January and is receiving lots of buzz. The subject matter is hard to read about sometimes, yet the mesmerizing writing and the twists (so many unexpected twists!) had me flying through the pages.
A Constellation of Roses by Miranda Asebedo
This book made me feel. I felt rage, sadness, injustice;I also felt hope. A Constellation of Roses has one of the best families. Right now, it’s a very underrated find.Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Where do I start with this book? This book is a mix of science fiction, thriller, Inception-style levels of alternate possibilities of one’s man life. It’s also, at its core, a love story? I still can’t wrap my head around all of what happens in Dark Matter–honestly, WHAT IS ANYTHING?! I highly recommend it though. 😀Forever, or a Long, Long Time by Caela Carter
I will speak this book’s praise any chance I get. Forever, or a Long, Long Time is about family, both blood and found. It’s a sweet little story that touched my heart.The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
In the battle of the graphic novels I read this year, The Prince and the Dressmaker made me smile. The final act with that fashion show is the. Best. Ever.Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
*sigh* Sorcery of Thorns is the ode to book lovers, complete with bookish heroine, broody, sarcastic hero, and the demon of my dreams.All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
If you read the reviews of All the Ugly and Wonderful Things on Goodreads, you’ll see that this is a polarizing book. The entire plot is based on an unconventional (and controversial) romance. I thought it was pretty darn good.NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
The longest book I read this year is also one of the ones I liked the best. NOS4A2 is almost 700 pages long and I flew through the entire tome in a few days. It’s a bizarre coming of age/ supernatural horror tale that had me on the edge of my seat.
What were your favorite books of 2019?
I hope you all have a Happy, Joyous New Year! I’ll see you all in 2020! xo
- {Review} You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson - July 30, 2020
- {Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge} Things on My Bucket List - July 29, 2020
- The Six of Crows Book Tag - July 24, 2020
Twitter: srbetler
I got Forever, or a Long, Long Time and Sorcery of Thorns for Christmas, so I’m excited to see that you liked them so much! I really need to read The Bone Houses, too. I keep seeing wonderful reviews for it!
YAY! I can’t sing the praises of those books enough. Enjoy!
Twitter: Jess C
Oh, The Bone Houses sound like something that would appeal to me. I have The Prince and The Dressmaker on my TBR, I’ll have to move it up. I also didn’t know about the Warga book. I really enjoyed her YA novel Here We Are Now
I just loved each of them so much. Warga’s book was definitely worth the read. I hope you enjoy all those books!
Twitter: ajsterkel
I need to read NOS4A2 for sure. I should pick up The Diviners too. Like you, I know I’ll enjoy it. I’m just procrastinating.
When you’re ready, AJ. 😀
Top ten books of 2019? For me I name a few that came out earlier: Surviving Wonderland : Living with temporal lobe epilepsy by Sharon R. Powell (recommend as it is written by a person with it and I have epilepsy and good rep is appreciated). I didn’t listen to Bee and read Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow, it took me 5 months to finish. It was hard and raw and at times painful to read and if you’ve had mental health issues, it might be best to wait before starting this book and accept it MUST be read SLOWLY. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, highly recommended series. Sad Perfect by Stephanie Elliot, I won the book on this blog and now I have read it. It took a while (due to difficult subject matter but I am glade I read it). Alysha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin is a Muslim retelling of P&P set in Canada. For graphic novels I recommend the Monsteress graphic novel Haven vol3. I got volume 4 for Christmas.
My brother gave me “The Book of Nature” by John Mason Good, printed 1831. It is not a copy, it is a 189 year-old book. I am interesting in learning what questions they were asking back in 1831. New books are great, but sometimes a really old book is good too. But should my bare hands touch a book this old or do you need cotton gloves?
Twitter: ICCO ROSEA
Great list, Leah! Argh, it was so difficult to narrow down to a top 10 this year. Sorcery of Thorns was such a fantastic read and almost made my list. The Bone Houses was one of my last reads for the year and I absolutely loved it as well 🙂 I hope you have a wonderfully bookish 2020! Happy New Year 🥳
My TTT post
Hope you have a wonderfully bookish 2020 as well!
Twitter: 1985
I never did check out Dark Matter, but I’ve been intrigued by it for a whole now. Hope 2020 brings you many more amazing reads. Happy New Year!
I hope 2020 brings good books your way!
Twitter: TorontoLydia
The Bone Houses looks like such a good read.
My TTT.
It is! I think you’d like it.
I FINALLY have a copy of The Diviners so I can jump on this train, and I’m so excited to read it! I also have been meaning to read The Bone Houses for months, so I’ll be doing that soon too. Great list!
My TTT
Yay, I hope you enjoy The Diviners and The Bone Houses!
I’m glad you liked all of these so much. I’m really interested in The Prince and the Dressmaker and I also want to try something by Joe Hill really bad. I hope you have a great last day of the decade (wow) and a lovely 2020 full of amazing books!
The Prince and the Dressmaker is adorable. I’ve read a few of Joe Hill’s books now and NOS4A2 was my favorite. Happy New Year!
Twitter: LASReviews
A Constellation of Roses looks so interesting.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
It’s really good!
Twitter: Lauren Always Me
The Diviners is amazing! I’m not ready for the series to end in 2020!
I know, part of me wants to see how it ends, but also I don’t want it to.
Twitter: ChocolateLady57
Ohh… nice! Happy 2020 reading!
Happy 2020 reading to you as well!
Loved Dark Matter, and I actually like All The Ugly and Wonderful things as well. I thought it was beautifully written. Happy New Year! And thank you for stopping by my TTT!
Happy New Year to you as well!
Twitter: Greg L Hill
Oh I loved Dark Matter SO much. My favorite book by him so far (of the ones I’ve read) and just so twisty!!!
I was blown away by Dark Matter. 😀 Whatever he writes about next, I’m reading it.