What a year 2019 was for reading!
Here are my top 10 reads of the year. These are the books I thought about months after I read them, the ones that most touched, entertained, educated or moved me.
- The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. This book kicked off my 2019 reading and it set a very high bar. It’s a novel about how AIDS ravaged the gay community in 1980s Chicago, with ramifications for decades for those who knew and loved the men who died from the disease. (Review here.)
- Becoming by Michelle Obama. It’s a cliche at this point to gush over Michelle Obama’s memoir, but it’s just really good. I think about Becoming all the time, and I miss the Obamas terribly. (Review here.)
- Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes. This novel about a lonely widow in Maine and the unlikely friendship she strikes up with a pitcher with the yips was the perfect summer read. It is smart, wistful and romantic without a trace of sappiness. I was sad when it ended. (Review here.)
- Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Brodesser-Akner hit a nerve this summer with her novel about modern marriage and divorce, Manhattan-style. Funny, observant and acerbic, the book took a narrative turn 3/4 of the way through that gave it much more depth. (Review here.)
- The Only Plane In The Sky by Garrett Graff. This comprehensive oral history of 9/11 is very difficult to read, but it’s important and very moving. I recommend this book equally for people who lived through 9/11, and those born after it happened. (Review here.)
- In The Pleasure Groove by John Taylor. I loved this memoir by the bassist of Duran Duran, not just because I love DD and anything related to 80s music, but because he was smart and self-deprecating and lived a crazy life in the 80s. (Review here.)
- Forever Is The Worst Long Time by Camille Pagan. This is a bittersweet read about a man who falls in love with his best friend’s girlfriend and pines for her for years. When they eventually get together, will it work out? This book took some unexpected turns and I think back on it often. (Review here.)
- Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane. This story about two families inextricably linked through tragedy will break your heart. (Review here.)
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. I loved this book about a brother and sister who are forced to move from their childhood home after their father dies. Patchett traces their lives over the next few decades, exploring their relationship and how the house looms large in their identities. (Review here.)
- Our Souls At Night by Kent Haruf. This quiet novel about two older people who find each other after their partners died is beautifully simple and moving. This was my first Haruf novel and I can’t wait to read more. (Review here.)