Happy New Year, Readers! In 2019 I far surpassed my original reading goal of 52 books ending the year with a total of 68 books read. After going through my list, I decided doing a “Top 10” post just wasn’t going to cut it. I really enjoyed most of the books that I read in 2019 and to narrow it down would mean leaving others out that left a lasting impression on me.

So, instead here is my “Favorite Books” list in no particular order. These might not make everyone’s favorite book list but for one reason or another these titles made me sit and think, cry, laugh out loud, kept me up well past my bedtime or left me sinking into end of book depression after the last page. I would love to know if you have read any of these, what your thoughts are, if you had a “favorite” of 2019 or if you have suggestions of a book I should add to my must-read list for 2020. Happy reading my friends!

Memoirs

“Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After” by Heather Harpham

Heather, a California girl at heart, and Brian, a New York City professor have a beautiful albeit unconventional relationship. When Heather discovers she is pregnant Brian sticks firm to his decision that he does not want to be a father. Heather chooses to return back to California to be near her mom. The next five months are filled with the support and love of lifelong friends and her sidekick dog, Lulu. Then Gracie is born. Just days after she enters the world something is noticeably wrong with Amelia-Grace. Doctors realize Gracie needs a blood transfusion immediately and they get sent via ambulance across the Golden Gate Bridge to the larger hospital in the city. This journey begins their family’s whirl-wind story of reconciliation, determination, defying the odds and conquering life’s scariest situation for any parent. How do you go on when your child is gravely ill and her fate is out of your hands? Heather Harpham has written the most beautiful memoir (the confetti scene had me in tears) that you won’t want to put down. Gracie’s battle to overcome the illness that is threatening to take her life is one that will touch your heart and make you squeeze your own children a little longer. Click here to purchase.

“Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood” by Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, takes you back to his childhood while growing up as a biracial child in South Africa during apartheid. Being born a literal crime, Trevor had to live most of his young life in the shadows away from questioning eyes. The comedian uses his witty voice to share his family’s story including his mother’s upbringing, her strong-willed approach of raising Trevor alone and her survival through the most extreme domestic violence. Though Noah has a strong political voice on his television show, this book does not delve into American politics or his rise to fame in comedy. “Born a Crime” is a lighthearted first-hand account of a nation’s dark history as well as a master class in making your way in a world that is against your very existence. Trevor Noah’s ability to meet extreme challenges with humor and positivity is a lesson to us all. This memoir can also be purchased in a “junior” version adapted for a younger audience. Click here to purchase.

“Educated” by Tara Westover

Tara Westover grew up on secluded mountain in Idaho the youngest of seven in a family that practiced an extreme form of Mormonism. However, religion wasn’t the only thing that controlled the lives of the Westover family. Tara’s survivalist parents also believed strongly in government conspiracies, that the “Feds” could come and harm them at any time absorbing the conflict at Ruby Ridge into their own family’s narrative. They were opposed to traditional medicine treating everything from simple sore throats to 3rd degree burns at home with only oils and herbal remedies concocted by their mother. Public schools were also banned. The Westover children’s education was left up to them. More often than not their father would impede their learning by requiring his children to work on the property in extremely dangerous conditions. Any lessons they learned were done on their own time, Tara teaching herself Algebra in the hopes of passing the ACT after long days in the scrap yard. All of these things combined would be a lot for any young child to handle but their challenges didn’t stop there. Several family members suffered from a handful of mental illnesses that led to the rest of them dealing with control issues, physical and emotional abuse and a laundry list of other traumas. The strength Tara Westover acquired from her past has led her to lead an exceptionally remarkable life. Her memoir “Educated” is one of the best books I have ever read. At times you have to keep reminding yourself this is not a work of fiction but something a very young, very brave girl lived through. Click here to purchase.

Sci-fi/Fantasy

“Recursion” by Blake Crouch

 In 2018, Helena Smith’s mother is living with Alzheimer’s. She is increasingly losing her memories and Helena is working non-stop to find a way to stop this from happening. A brilliant neuroscientist on the verge of an incredible breakthrough, Helena is quickly running out of time and money. Her invention, a memory chair with the ability to map a person’s memory and return them to someone like Helena’s mother is still years away from trials. When Helena is approached by an investor who is willing to give her unlimited funding to create her chair she is desperate to say yes but at what cost will this be to her in the long run? Barry, living in 2007, is a New York City policeman heading towards a call to help talk down woman on top of a building. She is convinced she is suffering from False Memory Syndrome. This “illness” has started to pop up all over the city but no one knows what is causing it, whether or not it’s contagious or how to treat those inflicted. Though it’s not exactly his job to investigate the FMS outbreak, Barry follows a lead not knowing that he will be altering everything he knows to be true as well as those he loves most. Blake Crouch has written an absolutely genius, twisting and complex story involving multiple timelines, memory and a race to undo the end of time. Click here to purchase.

Mystery/Thriller

“The Perfect Couple” by Elin Hilderbrand

The wedding of the year is about to happen on Nantucket. Greer Garrison Winbury has planned the most perfect weekend down to the very last detail for her son Benji’s wedding. His bride, Celeste Otis, has let her take the lead due to her mother’s recent cancer relapse, even moving the wedding date to early July to be sure that Karen Otis would be able to attend. Friday night’s wedding rehearsal had to be canceled due to the Reverend getting stuck but the clam bake rehearsal dinner went on without a hitch. Speeches were said, cocktails were consumed and as the night was coming to a close the wedding party headed into town to keep the party going. The next morning, the wedding planner arrived early to the Winbury estate to supervise a delivery for the Big Day to find Celeste down by the shore, hysterical and trying to pull her maid of honor, Merritt Monaco, out of the water. Merritt is dead. Everyone at the Winbury estate is a suspect and needs to be questioned. The secrets that will be uncovered will tear the “perfect” Winbury family to pieces. “The Perfect Couple” is an intriguing whodunit. The story skips between multiple POVs while transporting the reader between present day and flashing back to the early dating days of Celeste and Benji. Click here to purchase.

“The Breakdown” by B.A. Paris

Cass is out with her co-workers celebrating the end of school year when a huge storm begins to brew. She decides to head for home promising her husband, Matthew, that she won’t take the shortcut through the woods. Driving conditions are terrible on the main roads so she decides to make a break for it and head in the direction she said she wouldn’t. She’d get there faster this way anyway. Sheets of rain are coming down as she nears the end of the lane. She can finally see another set of lights ahead of her and hurries on to catch up so they can share the use of headlights for the remainder of the drive but as she gets closer she sees that the car isn’t moving but instead is parked in the lay-by. Annoyed that she now has to squeeze past she flashes the woman inside a dirty look as she passes. Realizing this woman might be in trouble out here all alone in the woods, Cass decides to pull over as well. When the woman makes no effort to get out or signal for help, Cass decides to continue on and call the police when she regains cell service once she clears the woods…something she ultimately forgets to do. When she wakes the next morning, Matthew informs her there has been a murder not 5 minutes from their home. A woman in the woods was found dead in her car. Knowing Matthew would be furious with her if she told him she returned that way last night she keeps her run-in with the woman to herself but when the silent phone calls starting coming, Cass begins to wonder did Jane’s killer see her that night? Does he know who she is? When an author keeps you up until 1 a.m. you know you’ve found a gem. Click here to purchase.

“The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” by Stuart Turton

A man wakes in the forrest at dawn with no memory except for the name, Anna. While still confused and uncertain of where or who he is, he makes his way towards Blackheath Manor. What he doesn’t yet know is that he will be forced to repeat this same day over and over again until he can solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle, the only way out of this game. Each morning he wakes in the body of a different guest staying at Blackheath, bringing pieces of his days inside his other hosts with him. Peter & Helena Hardcastle have invited everyone to the Manor to welcome their daughter, Evelyn back home from Paris after 19 years. The Hardcastle family have been at odds since the death of young Thomas that day by the lake and morbidly this party falls on the anniversary of his murder. Can the man piece together what becomes of Evelyn Hardcastle and escape the endless trap that his Blackheath before someone else beats him to it? This original, creative and clever mystery gave me a Clue meets Groundhog Day meets a sci-fi feels. It was so intriguing to see where author, Stuart Turton, was taking the reader next it made the book hard to put down. There are so many twists, turns and time jumps it will keep you on your toes. “The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” was really unlike anything I’ve read before, really creative. Click here to purchase.

“A House of Ghosts” by W.C. Ryan

With England deep into the First World War the Highmounts, like many other families, are reeling from the loss of their two sons. Wishing to hear from them one more time, Lord & Lady Highmount have invited a specially selected group of people to their isolated island off the coast of Devon for a unique gathering. Their home, Blackwater Abbey is unlike any place you have been before. The estate is known to be haunted by ghosts from long ago, a setting perfect for the weekend’s planned seances. Kate Cartwright, a long time friend of the family has been convinced to accept her invitation to attend by her boss in the intelligence service. Accompanying her will be another member of the military, undercover as a manservant. Plans for top secret weapons designed by Lord Highmount’s company have fallen into the German’s hands and Kate’s boss believes that the guilty party will be in attendance this weekend. Kate and Donovan have been tasked to figure out who has betrayed their country. The mediums the Highmounts have hired for the seance aren’t the only ones that are able to contact the spirit world. Kate has a secret gift of her own, one that will come in handy as she attempts to solve the mysteries that Blackwater holds within its walls. W.C. Ryan has written an absolute page-turner! A murder-mystery at its core, “A House of Ghosts”, is told from multi-POVs so the reader doesn’t miss a beat of what is happening while the living are stranded for the weekend in the company of the dead. Click here to purchase.

“Something in the Water” by Catherine Steadman

Someone is dead. Someone is digging a grave. In order to find out what led to this, you are transported back a few months to a time when Erin & Mark are about to walk down the aisle. Erin, a documentary filmmaker is hard at work on her first solo film and Mark, a hot-shot investment banker with big ambitions jet off on their honeymoon to Bora Bora. The newlyweds, having cut their trip short due to Mark recently losing his job, plan on enjoying the sun and each other for two full weeks. After spending the day scuba diving the couple come across an unusual scene in the middle of the ocean. Papers. Pieces of paper are scattered everywhere. Stopping the boat to get a better look the two discover something in the water that will change their lives forever. This debut novel by Catherine Steadman (yay Downton Abbey!) was filled with page-turning suspense and has the reader contemplating what would you do in Erin & Mark’s shoes. The opening chapter has you hooked right from the start. My only issue was that the book ended so abruptly leaving too many unanswered questions. I really hope that Steadman is planning to revisit Erin’s story and give us a sequel. I need to know more! Click here to purchase.

“Strangers at the Gate” by Catriona McPherson

Paddy & Finnie have just been offered the jobs they have always dreamed of, a partnership for Paddy at a small law firm and a full-time deaconship for Finnie. Along with the jobs, Paddy has been offered a small cottage on the property of his new boss, Lovett Dudgeon, rent free. After settling in, Finnie begins to question the decision they made moving to Simmerton. Their new home is dark and isolated and she has been hearing things in the woods. On Monday evening Paddy and Finnie are invited up to the Dudgeon’s home for dinner. Despite willing herself not to enjoy Tuft Dudgeon’s company she finds the woman engaging and Finn decides she is looking forward to the new start after all. The young couple start their short walk down the path back to their cottage when Finn realizes she has left her purse behind. Turning back Finn & Paddy discover the front door open and what they discover inside will upend everything they believe to be true. Catriona McPherson has written a wicked page-turner! For all of you armchair detectives out there, I challenge you try and figure this one out. McPherson kept me guessing right through to the last page. Click here to purchase.

Fiction

“Small Great Things” by Jodi Picoult

Ruth Jefferies, has been working as a Labor and Delivery Nurse at a New Haven hospital for over 20 years. She is the best there is, mentoring all of the ward’s nurses including the woman who is now her supervisor. At the start of her shift, Ruth enters the room of a new mother to do a routine examination of a baby born the night before. Brittany & Turk Bauer are not welcoming to Ruth, she can feel a tension in the room the moment she enters but goes about her job. Baby Davis’ father finally speaks and tells Ruth that he wants to speak to her supervisor. Unsure what she did wrong she waits to hear what the issue is. Ruth is told she is no longer allowed to have any contact with the Bauers per the family’s wishes. You see, the Bauers are White Supremacists and they don’t want a black nurse treating their son. Things spiral downward after this and Ruth’s job, future and freedom are all put on the line. Active and passive racism are heavily debated throughout Jodi Picoult’s exemplary story. “Small Great Things” alternates perspective between Ruth, Turk and Ruth’s white female public defender, Kennedy. All three providing eye-opening perspectives on the same events. By having such polarizing characters Picoult has provided the reader many thought provoking moments to sit with, digest and question their own prejudice and preconceptions. Click here to purchase.

“The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” by Gabrielle Zevin

Having lost the love of his life, A.J. Fikry is lonely and closed-off. Living above the bookstore he opened with Nik on isolated Alice Island, surrounded by his wife’s memory, he has become the shell of a man craving isolation and ending most of his days at the bottom of a bottle. When one evening’s drunken stupor causes his retirement plan to unravel, A.J. almost gives up on life entirely. He sets out on a run after closing one evening and deciding there is nothing left for him to lose leaves the bookstore unlocked. Upon his return he notices the front door is ajar. Creeping around the store expecting to find an intruder, A.J. discovers in the children’s section an abandoned two-year old little girl with a note asking the bookstore’s owner to take care of her. Much to the surprise of everyone, A.J. decides to oblige her mother’s final wishes forcing A.J. to open up his heart in ways he thought were gone forever. Each chapter of this heartwarming book begins with a book recommendation from A.J. to Maya and little notes advising her on life and as a writer. Gabrielle Zevin has created a home in Island Books that any book worm would love to call their own. I dare you to read this book and not have this storied life warm your soul. Click here to purchase.

“The Overdue Life of Amy Byler” by Kelly Harms

Amy Byler has been a single mother for the past three years to her teenage daughter, Cori and her tween son, Joe. Her husband, John, called from a business trip to China and announced that he wasn’t coming home leaving Amy with no income as a stay-at-home mom. She kicks into supermom mode and finds a job as a librarian at Joe and Cori’s private school, a way for them to stay in their home and keeps her children’s lives moving no thanks to their father’s mid-life crisis. Then, out of the blue, John decides to come back into their lives without warning. He asks if he can have the children for the first week of summer giving Amy some alone time she has rightfully earned. Amy wonders, what does a mom do with an entire week alone with no responsibilities when you have been living in survival mode for three years? She decides to head to New York City for a few days at a Literary Conference and a visit with her college roommate, Talia. Amy plans to do nothing but sit her in yoga pants, eat pizza and read books (who doesn’t want to do that?) but the best plans are meant to be broken. What awaits Amy in the city that never sleeps will open her eyes to what she has been overlooking for so long. I absolutely loved this book. Kelly Harms has created a movement in “momspringa!” that every parent can relate to. What would you do with a solo week off from all responsibilities? (Other than call home a dozen times a day to make sure everything was still standing.) Click here to purchase.

“Marley” by Jon Clinch

Ever wonder how Ebenezer Scrooge turned into the man we all met in Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol”? What could make a man become such a cold-hearted miser? Who exactly was his partner Jacob Marley in life before he warns Scrooge of his coming fate should he not change his ways? In Jon Clinch’s “Marley” you find the answers to these questions and more. Ebenezer meets Jacob as young boy at boarding school where Jacob has already began deceiving the naive with his schemes. As young men in London the two begin their infamous partnership, Ebenezer solely dealing with the accounting leaving Jacob to maneuver their dealings. Unbeknownst to Scrooge, their firm is expanding rapidly thanks in large part to slave trade something Belle’s family is firmly against. When Scrooge is given an ultimatum to remove himself from this business or not receive Belle’s father’s blessing in their marriage, Ebenezer decides he must convince Jacob to find another way for their firm to make a profit. Jacob, however, is too far gone to live an honest life even if that means risking the only person he has ever loved, Fan Scrooge. “Marley” is a must read for fans of the Christmas classic. While reading this it reminded me of Gregory Macguire’s book “Wicked” and how misunderstood the Wicked Witch was when you learned of what came before Dorothy landed in Oz. If you enjoy this concept, Clinch has also written a prequel to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” which is simply titled “Finn”. Click here to purchase.

Contemporary Fiction/Romance

“The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren

Olive and her twin sister Ami are polar opposites. Where Ami leads a charmed life full of love and luck, Olive has a black cloud of mishaps following her everywhere she goes. Having recently lost a roommate and her job, Olive is facing another daunting scenario – being Maid of Honor at her bridezilla sister’s wedding. On the big day Olive is given a to-do list with over 70+ items, the worst of which involves being in charge of keeping the Groom’s brother, Ethan, or as Olive refers to him Satan, in line. When a newsworthy catastrophe happens at the reception Olive & Ethan are forced into impersonating their siblings on their honeymoon, a trip (lucky) Ami won. Only one glitch, due to the contest rules if they are caught in their lie all expenses will fall on them. Spending 10 days in Maui doing their own thing would be easy but having to pretend to be a newly-married couple could be mission:impossible for two people who can’t stand one another. The hilarious misadventures that begin after Olive and Ethan land in paradise will make it hard for you to put this one down without a smile on your face. After turning the last page I had one thought: what a perfect rom-com movie this would make! Gina Rodriguez as Olive would be the absolute perfect casting. For me, “The Unhoneymooners”, written by Christina Lauren (a writing duo whose combined names, Christina Hobbs & Lauren Billings, make up the pen name) is THE perfect guilty beach book of 2019. Click here to purchase.

“My (Not So) Perfect Life” by Sophie Kinsella

Cat Brenner is longing for the life she has always dreamed of. She left her country farm life and her real name, Katie, behind her and ventured to London to try and pursue a career in design at the branding firm of Cooper Clemmow. The position she lands isn’t exactly her dream job but Cat is willing to work her way up and attempts to get her designs in front of her boss, Demeter, whenever she gets the chance. Though Demeter may be the most scatter brained person she’s ever met, Cat thinks she has the most perfect life – stunning home, kids, handsome husband, ritzy parties with celebrities and the job of all jobs. When one day Cat’s dreams for her future come to a crashing halt she is forced to return to her family’s farm and revaluate who Cat/Katie is meant to be. All is well until her London life shows up in Somerset. “My (Not So) Perfect Life” is a great reminder that even though we may share a picture perfect existence on social media…all is not always what it seems. Finding acceptance in her day to day flaws and realizing that being real is better than pretending to be perfect is extremely freeing to Katie, a wonderful resolution for all. Click here to purchase.

Historical Fiction

“The Lost Girls of Paris” by Pam Jenoff

Grace is late to work…again. Making matters worse her route to the office is blocked by a fatal car accident forcing her to have to cut through Grand Central Station. Grace hasn’t set foot in Grand Central since that fateful day Tom failed to meet her. With no other options she sets off on a quick sprint. Mid-dash she catches her leg on an object, an abandoned suitcase. She surveys the area for an owner but when she spies no one she decides to take a look inside. Its contents point to a female owner but the thing that really catches Grace’s eye is an envelope containing twelve photographs of women, some in uniform. Without explanation, Grace decides to replace the suitcase but pockets the envelope of the girls and goes on her way. Unbeknownst to Grace, this simple act will involve her in an adventure that takes her and the reader back in time two years and across the ocean to uncover the secrets of the women of British SOE during WWII. “The Lost Girls of Paris” is a multi-POV/dual-timeline story that gives a voice to the many brave civilian men and women who were willing to anonymously risk their lives in order to help the Allies defeat the Germans. Click here to purchase.

“The Huntress” by Kate Quinn

Calling all “Alice Network” fans!! Kate Quinn has done it again. This multi-POV story seamlessly weaves three narrators and two timelines together to create one of the best historical fiction books I’ve read this year. Nina’s storyline takes place during the height of World War II as she fights alongside the other Night Witches as a pilot with the Russian Army. Having survived a brutal childhood by the lake, Nina finds her true calling in life up in the sky. Ian & Jordan’s perspectives both take place post-war. Ian, a British former journalist, is searching for a Nazi known only as die jägerin hoping to bring her to justice for brutal crimes she committed during the war, one in particular Ian carries close to his heart. The Huntress has evaded Ian and his partner Tony for years but could this new lead be the one they have been waiting for? Jordan is an all-American girl living in Boston who has dreamt of being a photographer for as long as she can remember. Her widowed father has recently fallen in love with an immigrant woman with a young daughter. After witnessing a few strange moments, Jordan now has serious suspicions about the true identity of her new step-mother. At 560 pages, this isn’t a quick read and some chapters are slower moving but when Quinn’s characters eventually cross paths you will not be able to put “The Huntress” down. Click here to purchase.

“A Hundred Summers” by Beatriz Williams

Budgie Byrne is the life of the party, the girl that all the boys fawn over. Her life-long best friend Lily Dane, however, feels she is the complete opposite. In the fall of 1931, Lily & Budgie make the drive from Smith College up to Dartmouth to see Budgie’s latest boyfriend play in a football game. While she’s there Lily meets Nick Greenwald, the superstar quarterback. Lily and Nick begin a whirlwind romance promising each other forever. Fast forward to 1938, Lily is back at her family’s summer home in Rhode Island when Budgie and her now husband Nick breeze into town. Budgie begs Lily to pick up their friendship where they left off before she married her ex-fiance. Spending time with Nick again becomes difficult for Lily who is still unsure what really happened between them all those years ago. When a tremendous storm blows into their seaside paradise buried truths will be unearthed and Lily will discover the lies that have altered the course of her life. Beatriz Williams has written a gorgeous historically set story filled with love, friendship, betrayal, romance and suspense. Click here to purchase.