It’s that time of year – when I’m printing up my “gift list” spreadsheet and brainstorming ideas for friends and family. “Gift giving” is not my love language, and I need all the help I can get, especially when there are so many people I want to show love to at Christmas.
I’m asking you, my fellow Word Nerds, for assistance. It’s a win/ win for all of us. Will you please tell me the best book you read this year? (You could even share more than one, if you have lots of ideas!) I will compile a list of all the suggestions and share them on the blog December 16. Then we will all have ideas to guide us with holiday shopping (or provide a little bookish escape for ourselves at this busy time of year). As a BONUS, I will randomly pick the name of one person who contributes to the favorites list, and that person will win a Barnes and Noble gift card! I like to call this my annual Favorite Books Giveaway.
Here are the details for 2019’s Favorite Books Giveaway
- You may enter the giveaway by commenting here on the blog, my Facebook profile, my Twitter feed, or my Instagram Favorite Book post by Friday, December 13, 2019.
- Your comment should include your favorite book from 2019 and a short explanation of why you recommend it. All genres welcome.
- The book doesn’t have to be published in 2019, just read in 2019.
- I will announce the winner on Monday, December 16 with the full list of favorites. That will give you plenty of shopping time. 😉
- The giveaway winner must provide a mailing address for the gift card.
Questions? Comments? Time to share our favorite titles! I’ll go first.
2019 Recommendations
One of my favorite books this year is a recent YA release from Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, but his novel has great appeal for adults too.
Bridge of Clay is a complicated study of family, loss, and the power of memories. Zusak writes with a distinct staccato style, and his language is arresting, beautiful, and heart breaking. This book made me cry. But I also often laughed at Zusak’s main characters- a rowdy family of five boys – young teens and young men- who are quirky and endearing, with only a mule named Achilles to watch over them.
Are you curious? You should be! You can read my full review of Bridge of Clay here. Next week I’ll add a few more recommendations, three fabulous memoirs I’ve read in recent months.
Until then, start sharing your suggestions!
You say you wanted more books for 2019 but I suppose you didn’t want more from the same person. However, I’ll add a couple in the crime genre that I like and read a lot. One, I imagine you’ll know, the other may not be so familiar.
So, “The Lost Man” by Jane Harper. It’s her third mystery; this one is set in Queensland. Her first, “The Dry”, was set in Victoria. I liked that one as well, but my companion was less enthusiastic. She hasn’t read “The Lost Man” yet.
The other, and I’m sure you know this one, is “The Night Fire” by Michael Connelly. It has Harry Bosch, Renée Ballard and even Micky Haller. It’s one of his best.
Thanks!
The two books of 2019 that I really liked, and think of as outstanding are, “The Electric Hotel” by Dominic Smith, and “The Rosie Result” by Graeme Simsion. This is the third book in the “Rosie” series, and it’s back to the quality of “The Rosie Project” (the first one).
I can’t recommend the second one in the series.
Thanks Peter! I also enjoyed The Rosie Project, but I’ve never read the second or third. Sounds like I can skip the second one. Thanks for the tip and for contributing more reading titles!
I haven’t been reading a lot this year! Not sure why, but I really liked The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Thanks Judy — sorry you haven’t been reading as much. You aren’t the first person to recommend The Great Alone to me recently. Guess I should check it out. Thanks for the suggestion!
Hmmm…I think it would be The Sea Women by Lisa See. SO GOOD!
A few ladies in town have recommended that to me! Thanks!
I had to go to GoodReads to see what I had read this year. It seemed like so many of the books were okay but not great. And then there were a few. But my all time favorite for the year – one I have recommended many many times is Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. A hands down favorite.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Julia!
I really enjoyed that one too. Merry Christmas to you as well, Carol. Thanks for contributing!
I’ve fallen off the blog landscape, but not the reading one! Love these posts each year. Bridge of Clay sounds intriguing – looking forward to your review.
One of my favorite books of 2019 is The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. It’s an honest, layered exploration of one family, spanning five decades. I loved it because each character and each relationship is complex, and I found a bit of myself in each one.
This sounds great… I love good family exploration. (That’s kind of what Bridge of Clay is about too!) Thanks for the suggestion!