Kathy Hamilton Who doesn’t love a good reading roundup? I read some fantastic books in 2019 I want to share my best books of 2019 with you today, since I’ve read some great books
In 2019 I set the lofty goal of reading 50 books in one year (more on that in another post). One of the biggest things trying to read a book a week taught me is that sometimes thinking outside of the box is the key to keeping my reading life interesting. This is definitely reflected in my best books of 2019 reading roundup, as you’ll see it’s mostly a mixture of new to me authors, best sellers and award winners peppered with some topics I never thought I’d enjoy.
Milkman by Anna Burns
Without a shadow of a doubt, this was the hardest book I read in 2019. Both in terms of form and topic, it was challenging from beginning to end. But that’s partly why Milkman by Anna Burns makes my best books of 2019 list at all.
Living in Belfast, the shadow of The Troubles is ever-present. Not too far away from me there’s a “Peace Wall”. It slithers through the community like scar tissue which serves as a constant reminder. So reading this book gave me an even deeper understanding of the journey my adopted home has been through. Heavy-going but so worthwhile.
Lowborn by Kerry Hudson
Another tough but vital read. This year I started to re-evaluate the established order of things. Why do “have’s” and “have nots” still exist in society? Where do I fit within the complicated strata of social standing? As someone with very proud working-class roots, these have sometimes been uncomfortable questions to ask myself. Lowborn by Kerry Hudson was, at times, a heavy read. But one that shook me by the shoulders and made me ask myself, “What are you going to do to make things better?”
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
In the summer, my brother and I took Paris by storm. And by storm I mean, we ate as many croissants as possible and got lost a few times! Of course, I couldn’t go to Paris without a book set in that city could I?
I picked up The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George expecting a light and fluffy read. Instead it was a life affirming tale about stepping outside your comfort zone and learning to love life after loss. Like Paris itself this book revealed multitudes beneath a seemingly glossy exterior.
Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner
2019 was the year I discovered Anita Brookner. During a perusal of past Booker Prize winners I was intrigued by the fact that Hotel du Lac beat Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard in 1984. Apparently this ‘shocking’ oversight enraged critics at the time, and still does. Call me a sucker for the underdog. This immediately gave me a soft spot for Anita Brookner’s subtle book about the pressures and expectations of being a single woman.
I found this short, ruminative, quiet book really spoke to me. Far more so than I expect Empire of the Sun would. Is this a case of an industry focus on rewarding men over women, like the Best Directors category in any awards show? I’m not sure. But Hotel du Lac got under my skin. And has stayed there, which earned it a place on my best books of 2019 reading roundup.
The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson
After almost two months of not wanting to read anything, this book was forcefully placed into my hands by my sister. With an added, read this I know you’ll love it. She was right- as she usually is! The Morning Gift turned out to be one of the best books of 2019. I hate to say that I’d dismissed Eva Ibbotson as a Children’s author, but that’s the case.
Yet, The Morning Gift doesn’t read as a YA or Children’s novel. It could easily be published as an Adult WWII novel and no one would quibble it. I learned a lot about Austrian Jewish refugees from this book, including how many refugees who were not culturally Jewish had to learn the details of their religion after the fact. Couple this with some truly moving, descriptive passages where Ibbotson’s love for the natural world shines through. I have a feeling I’ll be reading more Eva Ibbotson in 2020.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by
If you’re sensing a them of strong female led narratives in this best books of 2019 reading roundup you’re on to something! Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman is, to my mind, the fictional equivalent of Lowborn by Kerry Hudson. In the way it examines how the Care System can allow vulnerable people to fall through the cracks. But also how, given just a little encouragement, people can blossom and begin to shine.
This is one of the few books that really made me cry in 2019. It’s hard not to root for Eleanor as she begins to realise there is so much more to life than simply getting through the day. It took the world by storm in 2017, so I was a little late to the Eleanor party but better late than never, right?
Circe by Madeline Miller
Circe by Madeline Miller is a feminist retelling of the Odyssey. Ttold from the perspective of the Circe, an outcast amongst the powerful Greek Gods who is exiled to an island by her father as a punishment. Left alone, she develops a magic of her own- witchcraft and comes to recognise her own distinct power. Madeline Miller has such a way with words. So that Circe becomes more than a book about finding yourself and is transformed into a pièce de résistance on human fallibility.
Funnily enough I almost never read this book. In fact, it wasn’t until my friend signed me up to Books That Matter as a birthday gift that I even thought about reading it at all. As you can tell by its inclusion in this reading roundup, I’m so glad I did read it in 2019.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The only book by a man to make it onto my best books of 2019 list. I suppose it’s no secret by now that I am an advocate of women’s writing here at The Female Scriblerian. So this isn’t exactly a surprise! A Man Called Ove is the second book by Fredrik Backman I’ve read. And I have fallen in love with his style.
On the surface, gruff, irascible Ove is not good protagonist material. But in Fredrik Backmans deft hands he becomes one of the best. An anti hero of sorts, Ove, like Eleanor Oliphant, is coaxed into discovering that life is about more than just getting through the days by a network of neighbours that refuse to leave him in his own self pity. I’ve noticed a strong theme in Backman’s writing about the power of community which I love. Another weepy, this book had me bawling my eyes out in the wee hours of the morning. In the best kind of way.
The Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell
It’s impossible to set down in words the effect At The Existent Café has had on me. If you’d asked me to guess at the start of the year than one of my best books of 2019 would be a whirlwind tour of existentialism in France I would not have believed you. Yet, it also feels right. After a long period of feeling no inclination to read at all, this book picked me up and viscerally shook me by the shoulders. Whilst I was reading it I felt something in my core shift, as I recognised some implicit message within its pages. Funny to say this book left me hopeful at the end of a trying year. But it did. Hopeful and with renewed energy to tackle the obstacles ahead.
