2019 was the best reading year for me—ever. I read a total of 120 books, something I thought wasn’t humanely possible. Yet, here we are! I’ve fallen off the waggon in terms of blogging, but I’m back with this list. These are the best books I read in 2019, and ones you should probably add to your to-be-read pile as well. Obama, who?
This week’s Nonfiction November prompt encourages us to think of all the nonfiction we’ve read this year. And since I’ve read 30 nonfiction books so far in 2019 (the most I have ever read in a single year), that’s proven to be a hard thing to do!
Week 1: October 28 to November 1 — Your Year in Nonfiction (Julz @ Julz Reads): Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions — What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year? Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year? What nonfiction book have you recommended the most? What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?
Best Nonfiction of the Year
How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr: This was one of the best surprises of the year. It looks at American foreign policies and pieces together an image of the United States as a new imperial power. It’s so interesting, well written, and analyses history in a unique, alternative way. I couldn’t put it down and I still think of it even though it’s been nine months since I finished it.
Dreyer’s English by Benjamin Dreyer: If you like books about (good) writing, you’ll love this one. The author is the chief copy-editor at Penguin Random House and shares, in a series of chapters, advice to newby writers. Words that don’t mean what we think they mean, avoiding repetition, sharpening our writing—you can find it all here. Plus, he coats everything in a dry, sarcastic sense of humor that had me cackling in public.
Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets by Svetlana Aleksievitch: In this book, the Nobel prize-winning author collects dozens of oral histories. She sat down with people who lived the fall of the Soviet Union, be it from Russia or from satellite states, and records what they feel about that “lost” era. It’s one of the most delightful and innovative books I’ve ever read. There are so many points of view, all vastly different, and unique perspectives on life and history. I can’t recommend it more highly.
Favorite Topics in Nonfiction?
Most of the nonfiction I’ve read deals with “social sciences, current affairs, and political issues” according to my reading spreadsheet. Usually, I pick up books about history and politics. Those are the topics I’m most interested in general, so I gravitate toward them the most.
But another sub-genre I’ve been getting more into has been memoirs. Curiously enough, I tend to read female contemporary memoirs. Luckily, I’ve been picking up a lot more WOC memoirs, which has made me super happy.
Hunger by Roxane Gay: In this memoir, the author writes of her (painful) relationship with her own body. As a plus-sized woman, Gay has faced discrimination based on her size and has also harbored negative feelings about her body. She describes the time when she started gaining weight and where she’s at with the body-acceptance movement. Needless to say every chapter is heartfelt and hard to read. Roxane Gay puts so much emotion into her prose and it touched me deeply.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: I’d never heard of Walls, but this memoir broke my heart into a million pieces. She writes about her childhood as the daughter of alcoholics who had a hard time settling down in one place and refused to conform. When their money ran out, when the gas was shut off, when the parents stole from Walls, she always kept such an upbeat and forgiving attitude to it all. It blew my mind and stayed with me.
The Wrong End of the Table by Ayser Salman: The writer was a child when her parents moved the family from Iraq to Ohio. She had a “foreign” name, ate “weird” food, and looked different from everyone else. In this book, she describes some episodes of her childhood, teenage years, and more recent days of her life. She’s always funny without ever dwelling on negative moments (which would have made sense).
Most-Recommended Nonfiction Books
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates: This is by far one of the most endearing, rich, and impactful books I’ve read in 2019, so of course, I have to recommend it all the time. This is a letter the author has written to his son. It reflects on today’s America and, especially, on racial identity and politics. It’s such a beautifully heartbreaking read—and so important, too.
Dopesick by Beth Macy: If you don’t know much about the opioid crisis in the United States, it’s time to pick up this thorough book. Macy is a journalist and you can clearly see that in her writing. She dives deep into the topic from different points of view: the market, the doctors, the pharmaceutical companies, the victims, and the activists turning the tide on the crisis. I can’t stress how well-researched, well-written, and well-structured Dopesick is.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Trans by Brynn Tannehill: I picked this one up at the beginning of January—and I haven’t gotten it out of my mind ever since. It goes over a dozen of misconceptions about the transgender community and dispels myths. And it does everything in such an easy-to-follow and impassioned way. I couldn’t be happier with this book and need to recommend it to anyone who asks for nonfiction recommendations, especially now that transgender rights are being debated in the Supreme Court.
Nonfiction November 2019…
I’m hoping to come back to the blogging community in full force now that this challenge I love has started. Even if that doesn’t work, I know I’ll get amazing recommendations this month!
November is finally here, meaning the leaves are falling and the days are getting wetter and shorter. But most importantly, it’s nonfiction season. I’m officially signing up for Nonfiction November (hosted by Katie, Rennie, Julie, and Leann, and Sarah). Come look at my to-be-read pile and let me know what are your picks for this month!
Yesterday was the first rainy and not painfully hot day here, which means I’m getting all into fall. Just like most people on my Instagram feed, I’m breaking out some light sweaters and cozy cardigans and praying for the weather to cool down. In the meantime, I’m putting together a fall-inspired to-be-read pile!
Continue reading “A Very Cozy and Optimistic Fall TBR”
Do you ever read books you think are fantastic and then realize not everyone thinks like you do? I know, shocker. Lately, I’ve noticed this more and more, so I went to my Goodreads “read” shelf and sorted books from lowest ratings to highest ratings. Imagine my surprise when I found that some of my favorite books aren’t as well-liked by other people! Today, I’m sharing my list with you.
Continue reading “5 Books I Love with a Low(er) Rating on Goodreads”
It’s not every day I find myself nodding in agreement with most thing written in a book. Yet, here we are, with me writing a glowing review of It’s Not You, It’s the Workplace and asking you to read it with a group of girlfriends.
Title: It’s Not You, It’s the Workplace
Authors: Andrea S. Kramer and Alton B. Harris
Genre: Adult Nonfiction, Business
Published on August 27th, 2019 by Nicholas Brealey
Women’s relationships with other women in the workplace are a nuanced subject. Yet, that hasn’t stopped sensationalist news articles and misguided studies from being published. Women are commonly portrayed as being bitchy, back-stabbers, and hostile toward other women. But the reality is far more complex.
Andrea S. Kramer and Alton B. Harris are here to dispell the myths surrounding this topic. With their data-driven account of female relationships in the workplace, the reader gets a far more substantial and accurate portrayal of the issue at hand.
Disclaimer: I have received a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. However, this has not changed my opinions.
Continue reading “Review: It’s Not You, It’s the Workplace • a look at women’s relationships at work”
Title: Opioid, Indiana
Author: Brian Allen Carr
Genre: Young adult contemporary fiction
Published on: September 17, 2019 by Soho Press
Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This has not changed my rating or review. Thank you to the publisher for access to the galley.
“During a week-long suspension from school, a teenage transplant to impoverished rural Indiana searches for a job, the whereabouts of his vanished drug-addicted guardian, and meaning in the America of the Trump years.“
Continue reading “Review: Opioid, Indiana • A week in Trump’s rural America through a teen’s eyes”Hi, friends! Readathon week is creeping up—fast. It’s time for me to announce my reading pile and snoop through yours. Don’t you just love this time of year?
You may be thinking, why would you pick up a book you aren’t expecting to love? Listen, I wonder the same thing, too. Sometimes I read books just for the hype. Other times I read them because my brain wants a break and I know they won’t be hard to get through. Other times…I don’t know what happens!
But fortunately, sometimes that pays off. Today I’ll be sharing with you the books I wasn’t expecting to love and did… Pleasant surprises for once!
Lately, I’ve been wondering what our responsibilities as book bloggers are. They go so much deeper than posting on time and blog hopping. Given that so many readers worldwide follow at least a handful of bloggers, our opinions and reviews end up swaying their book-buying habits. So how does that affect the way we read and talk about books?
Bookish Rita 