Rebecca's Book List of Recent Reads
2019 is almost over and I’m happy to share my book list from the year.
Not only did some epic debuts come out (Gideon the Ninth), there were short story collections (Exhalation and Out of Water) and a whole list of much anticipated books from established authors (Anyone, Wanderers, The Light Brigade, The Winter of the Witch).
Additionally, indie bookstores are back, movies based on books continued to pour into theaters, and, over here in my neck of the woods, my bookshelves are finally alphabetized the way I like them.
I’m going to post my reading list from 2019 below (minus a few I probably forgot). I read 44+ books; about a book a week which is a comfortable pace for me. I’ve never counted up the books I’ve read in a year before but I finally signed up for Goodreads, so next year should be more complete if I log correctly. I’ve also never set reading goals; it’s not a chore for me and I keep my TBR pile fun and manageable. Since having kids, I don’t force myself to finish books I dislike–there’s not enough time to spend on something that doesn’t excite me.
Let me know what ended up on our book list. If some of our tastes line up, you might find a few more you’d like. I’ll put an * by the ones Nicole and I reviewed on our YouTube channel.
Science Fiction
Anyone by Charles Soule* (WILL REVIEW FOR YOUTUBE THIS MONTH)
Papergirls by Brian K Vaughn and Cliff Chiang*
Exhalation by Ted Chiang*
The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley*
The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley
Imminent Dawn by RR Campbell
Fall, or Dodge in Hell by Neil Stephenson*
Fantasy
The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie*
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman*
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir*
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James*
Blood Calling by Joshua Grover-David Patterson
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
Harry Potter 1-4 by JK Rowling and Jim Kay (I’M COLLECTING THE ILLUSTRATED VERSIONS NOW)
Speculative Fiction
After the Flood by Kassandra Montag
Green Valley by Louis Greenberg*
Wanderers by Chuck Wendig* (MY FAVORITE BOOK THIS YEAR!)
Horror
Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (GAVE ME & NICOLE NIGHTMARES)
The Bone Weaver’s Orchard by Sarah Read
Out of Water by Sarah Read
Other Fiction
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms (I MET THE AUTHOR)
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
The Mutual Admiration Society by Lesley Kagen
The Waco Variations by Rhonda Rizzo
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
Truly Madly Guilty Liane Moriarty
Business
The kick-ass writer: 1001 ways to write great fiction, get published, and earn your audience by Chuck Wendig
The Craft & Business of Writing: essential tools for writing success from the editors of Writer’s Digest Books* (HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR WRITERS)
Essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less by Greg McKeown
Rich20something: ditch your average job, start an epic business, and score the life you want by Daniel DiPiazza
Be a free range human: escape the 9 to 5, create a life you love and still pay the bills by Marianne Cantwell
Other Nonfiction
The Latehomecomer: a Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang (MY CITY’S BOOK CHOICE FOR 2020)
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations by Chad Lewis & Terry Fisk
Midwestern Strange: hunting monsters, Martians, and the weird in flyover country by BJ Hollars
A Settler’s Year: pioneer life through the seasons by Kathleen Ernst
///You can purchase these titles and more from our affiliate partner, Bookshop.org. A portion of your purchase will support Conquer Books. Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores.///
