2019 TOP READS
In 2019 I read 103 books (104 if you count my annual holiday re-reading of Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather). The majority were YA, but a dozen were middle grade, and another handful were picture books (I didn’t count the picture books I heard every week while I volunteered in the local school library). Also on the list: graphic novels, non-fiction, and a few works of fiction for the adult market.
Not many books blow me away anymore, but the 7 that follow did. The one thing they have in common in strong writing intertwined with plots that made me marvel, that surprised me, that did something different and did it well.
1. Once and Future. Amy Rose Capetta, and Cori McCarthy. Jimmy Patterson Books—Little, Brown & Company. This fabulous, widely diverse reimagining of T.H. White’s Once and Future King was my 50th book read in 2019 and the well-deserved first to reach Top Read status. I loved this novel and I know teen me would have.
image: http://www.corimccarthy.com
1. Me, Myself, and Him. Chris Tebbetts. Delacorte—Random. A fun and deep look at the alternate realities that result after fictional Chris falls and breaks his nose doing whippets after work. What I most loved about this was the interplay between the two realities.
image: Katherine Quimby
2. Pride. Ibi Zoboi,. New York: Balzer + Bray. Yes, this book came out in 2018. But it was on the 2019-20 Green Mountain Book Award List. Not only was this a fabulous twist on one of my favorite titles of all time (for years I read Pride and Prejudice annually), but it’s an excellent look at the effects of gentrification on established city neighborhoods.
image: http://ibizoboi.net/books/pride
3. Opposite of Always. Justin A. Reynolds. Katherine Tegen Books. Groundhog Day/Russian Doll to save True Love. Add beautiful writing and a cast of memorable, well-drawn characters and this one had to be a winner. It was also lovely to find parents like Our Hero’s who are embarrassingly in love with each other.
image: https://www.justinareynolds.com/books-1
4. The Weight of the Stars. K. Ancrum. Macmillan, 2019. Print. “Wow.” That’s what I wrote in my notes. Strong writing and a story like nothing else: Ryann tries to take care of everyone, from her mute brother and his baby son to Alexandria, the new girl in school. Ryann dreams of being an astronaut, Alexandria’s mom is on a one-way trip through the universe, and their relationship is as complicated as real life. Unique.
image: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250101631
5. The Beauty that Remains. Ashley Woodfolk. Penguin Random Audiobook. This one is also from 2018. Three grieving teens all living in Queens, all following the same band: Unraveling Lovely. The result is knit together without a dropped stitch anywhere. The result is a beautiful, beautiful look at the many ways grief can hit, how and from whom comfort can be found, and the whole process of moving forward without letting go fully of the past.
image: https://images3.penguinrandomhouse.com/cover/9781524715908
6. Shout: A Poetry Memoir. Laurie Halse Anderson. Viking, 2019. A powerful story told in powerful poetry.
image: http://madwomanintheforest.com/book/shout/
7. Hotdog Girl. Jennifer Dugan. Penguin-Random. Audiobook. This satisfying, unusual, quirky YA offers excellent writing, plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and a realistic plot that takes a good look at the friendship-romance spectrum. I can’t remember the last time a book was this much pure fun.
image: https://jldugan.com/
Bonus:
DC Women of Action. Shea Fontana. Chronicle Books, 2019. I totally geeked out over this compendium, which I think does for books about superheroes what Wonder Woman did for movies. With clear, concise bios of the major and many minor DC women and a section highlighting the women who created and continue their stories, this was pure delight.
image: Katherine Quimby