The Best Books Of 2019
In 2019, I’ve read 81 books (and counting). While there are still 26 days left in this year, it’s become clear that I probably won’t find myself a new favorite in these final weeks. It’s a little depressing, but it means I get to look at all of the things I’ve read this year and decide what I consider to be the best of the best. There’s going to be a lot of diversity here, but if you take anything away from this list, hopefully, it’s a new title to add to your TBR.
5. Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Night Film is a cinematic, harrowing novel that tells the story of Scott McGrath, a disgraced journalist who lost his career investigating an elusive film director. McGrath has a bone to pick with Stanislas Cordova, a controversial film director notorious for his disturbing underground horror movies. After McGrath tried to learn the truth about Cordova, his career and marriage were lost. When Ashley Cordova, the daughter of the infamous director, is found dead in a warehouse after an alleged suicide, McGrath finds himself wrapped up in a new mystery to solve— one where the stakes are much higher.
I was completely amazed by this book. No story is perfect, and this novel has its own flaws, but the plot was completely engrossing, and all problems were placed on the back burner. Pessl tells an amazing tale woven with interactive story elements like social media posts. Ultimately, she leaves us wondering what will happen next, what is real, and what to make of the Cordova dynasty. Yes, it was lengthy, but this book is a rollercoaster that sweeps you up and never lets go.
4. The Girls by Emma Cline
The Girls picks up at the end of the 1960s, a tumultuous time for the country and a chaotic era to experience one’s introduction to womanhood. Evie Boyd, the narrator and protagonist, reflects on a time where she fell into deep infatuation with an older girl named Suzanne. Months before a horrible crime is committed, Evie falls in love with a woman, an idea, a cult leader, and a dream. She finds herself wrapped up in a dangerous “family” and evolves in unimaginable ways.
This was a novel I read too young. I picked this up during my freshman year of high school, and almost four years later, I read it again with new eyes. This book is about a fourteen-year-old girl, but it’s written for mature women, who can look back at their own adolescence and learn from it. The first time I read The Girls I had no idea that I would come to love it later. The prose is astounding, genuinely unique, and the story itself resonates.
I didn’t join a cult during my summer break. I didn’t fall in love with an older woman who was a psychopath in disguise. But, I could understand hopelessness, insecurity, and the desire to find a place of belonging. That’s what made Evie such a great protagonist. The best characters are the ones with traits you can find within yourself.
3. A Very Large Expanse Of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
Shirin isn’t your average YA protagonist. She’s a Muslim-American teenager growing up in a post 9-11 world. During the early 2000s, there was a lot of racial tension building up for immigrants and the children of immigrant parents. Shirin holds tight to her values, proudly wearing her hijab as she continues to attend public high school. Over the course of A Very Large Expanse Of Sea, Shirin rediscovers her love for break-dancing and falls for a boy who gives her a new perception.
In case you weren’t already aware, I’m a white girl who comes from a very sheltered background. Reading this novel was a deeply enlightening experience. There’s so much about subconscious racial bias I could only begin to understand through being exposed to other people’s struggles. Shirin was likable because she could relate to me as a teenage girl while also educating me on the struggles of immigrants and Muslims after the tragedy that rattled American society.
Woven with the lyrical prose that makes Tahereh Mafi such a fantastic author, A Very Large Expanse Of Sea is a multi-faceted book that ought to be a must-read for anyone who wants to pick up a good story and learn a little more about underrepresented characters.
2. On Writing by Stephen King
I’ll be stealing this little tidbit from Google because it aptly summarizes this novel in a way I don’t think I could— “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is a memoir by American author Stephen King that describes his experiences as a writer and his advice for aspiring writers.”
As far as I’m concerned, this book is the Bible. Stephen King is a household name, which makes him the most qualified author I could think of to write a book on exactly how to be an effective writer. I found it to be very educational since I’m a writer, and I think every author from hobbyists to professionals should give it a try.
‘Nuff said.
1. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
OKAY LET’S CHAT!!!
This is my favorite book I’ve read all year, which isn’t something I take lightly. I’ve read so many books that the idea of narrowing it down to just one title seems absolutely ridiculous. Somehow, I managed to settle on the story of Daisy Jones.
Daisy Jones & The Six is an oral history of a (fictitious) rock band in the sixties and seventies. It embraces all aspects of musical culture within the day, providing a vivid account of the band’s rise to popularity and the factors that led to it completely falling apart. Deeply immersive, Daisy Jones is one of the greatest historical fiction novels I’ve ever read.
I’m a sucker for music. I love when authors use original lyrics to tell a story, and I think that the manner in which Reid decided to tell this story was absolutely spectacular. It was a bold choice, given how uncommon it is to see a story read much like a telephone conversation, but I would say it definitely paid off in this case. Each character felt like a real person I could meet and talk to in real life, which made for a vivid tale I could follow easily. Since everyone had a distinct voice, no one could be mixed up or lost in the background. It truly is a fantastic read, and I’ll definitely come back to it again and again.
P.S. I love Daisy Jones & The Six so much I took senior photos with it :)
5. Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Night Film is a cinematic, harrowing novel that tells the story of Scott McGrath, a disgraced journalist who lost his career investigating an elusive film director. McGrath has a bone to pick with Stanislas Cordova, a controversial film director notorious for his disturbing underground horror movies. After McGrath tried to learn the truth about Cordova, his career and marriage were lost. When Ashley Cordova, the daughter of the infamous director, is found dead in a warehouse after an alleged suicide, McGrath finds himself wrapped up in a new mystery to solve— one where the stakes are much higher.
I was completely amazed by this book. No story is perfect, and this novel has its own flaws, but the plot was completely engrossing, and all problems were placed on the back burner. Pessl tells an amazing tale woven with interactive story elements like social media posts. Ultimately, she leaves us wondering what will happen next, what is real, and what to make of the Cordova dynasty. Yes, it was lengthy, but this book is a rollercoaster that sweeps you up and never lets go.
4. The Girls by Emma Cline
The Girls picks up at the end of the 1960s, a tumultuous time for the country and a chaotic era to experience one’s introduction to womanhood. Evie Boyd, the narrator and protagonist, reflects on a time where she fell into deep infatuation with an older girl named Suzanne. Months before a horrible crime is committed, Evie falls in love with a woman, an idea, a cult leader, and a dream. She finds herself wrapped up in a dangerous “family” and evolves in unimaginable ways.
This was a novel I read too young. I picked this up during my freshman year of high school, and almost four years later, I read it again with new eyes. This book is about a fourteen-year-old girl, but it’s written for mature women, who can look back at their own adolescence and learn from it. The first time I read The Girls I had no idea that I would come to love it later. The prose is astounding, genuinely unique, and the story itself resonates.
I didn’t join a cult during my summer break. I didn’t fall in love with an older woman who was a psychopath in disguise. But, I could understand hopelessness, insecurity, and the desire to find a place of belonging. That’s what made Evie such a great protagonist. The best characters are the ones with traits you can find within yourself.
3. A Very Large Expanse Of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
Shirin isn’t your average YA protagonist. She’s a Muslim-American teenager growing up in a post 9-11 world. During the early 2000s, there was a lot of racial tension building up for immigrants and the children of immigrant parents. Shirin holds tight to her values, proudly wearing her hijab as she continues to attend public high school. Over the course of A Very Large Expanse Of Sea, Shirin rediscovers her love for break-dancing and falls for a boy who gives her a new perception.
In case you weren’t already aware, I’m a white girl who comes from a very sheltered background. Reading this novel was a deeply enlightening experience. There’s so much about subconscious racial bias I could only begin to understand through being exposed to other people’s struggles. Shirin was likable because she could relate to me as a teenage girl while also educating me on the struggles of immigrants and Muslims after the tragedy that rattled American society.
Woven with the lyrical prose that makes Tahereh Mafi such a fantastic author, A Very Large Expanse Of Sea is a multi-faceted book that ought to be a must-read for anyone who wants to pick up a good story and learn a little more about underrepresented characters.
2. On Writing by Stephen King
I’ll be stealing this little tidbit from Google because it aptly summarizes this novel in a way I don’t think I could— “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is a memoir by American author Stephen King that describes his experiences as a writer and his advice for aspiring writers.”
As far as I’m concerned, this book is the Bible. Stephen King is a household name, which makes him the most qualified author I could think of to write a book on exactly how to be an effective writer. I found it to be very educational since I’m a writer, and I think every author from hobbyists to professionals should give it a try.
‘Nuff said.
1. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
OKAY LET’S CHAT!!!
This is my favorite book I’ve read all year, which isn’t something I take lightly. I’ve read so many books that the idea of narrowing it down to just one title seems absolutely ridiculous. Somehow, I managed to settle on the story of Daisy Jones.
Daisy Jones & The Six is an oral history of a (fictitious) rock band in the sixties and seventies. It embraces all aspects of musical culture within the day, providing a vivid account of the band’s rise to popularity and the factors that led to it completely falling apart. Deeply immersive, Daisy Jones is one of the greatest historical fiction novels I’ve ever read.
I’m a sucker for music. I love when authors use original lyrics to tell a story, and I think that the manner in which Reid decided to tell this story was absolutely spectacular. It was a bold choice, given how uncommon it is to see a story read much like a telephone conversation, but I would say it definitely paid off in this case. Each character felt like a real person I could meet and talk to in real life, which made for a vivid tale I could follow easily. Since everyone had a distinct voice, no one could be mixed up or lost in the background. It truly is a fantastic read, and I’ll definitely come back to it again and again.
P.S. I love Daisy Jones & The Six so much I took senior photos with it :)
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