Top 12 Books I Read in 2019
Posted On December 25, 2019
Hi Readers!
As promised, here is the list of 12 books that I read this year 7 absolutely LOVED. These are not all published this year, but just the ones that I happened to read this year. From the 40 books that I read (never going to NOT MENTION this), these 12 are the top ones!
As the title suggests, ‘Maybe You Should Talk to Someone’ is about therapy. Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist & talks about her different patients who see her for a lot of different reasons. Their therapy journey is beautifully showcased from start till end. We also get to see Lori’s therapist & their sessions. Throughout the book, there is SO MUCH character development from all these characters that is nothing but inspiring. Lori, her patients, her therapist! It’s brilliantly written & after reading it, even you will take something from it in the form of therapy.
The Moment of Lift is a book reflecting on how empowering women changes the world. It has topics such as Maternal & Newborn Health, Family Planning, Girls in Schools, Unpaid Work, Child Marriage, Women in Agriculture, Women in the Workplace & the last chapter ‘ Let Your Heart Break: The Lift of Coming Together. It is now the BEST BOOK I HAVE READ IN MY LIFE. Not just this year, not just in non-fiction, but from all of the 200 some books I have read in my life, this is the best one.
‘Daisy Jones And The Six’ is what you can call historical fiction but in the most intriguing fashion possible. It’s like reading a documentary about the best band there ever was. Daisy Jones is someone who is popular for nothing in particular, until she finally starts singing & writing songs. The Six consists of 6 members of the band. They have a lot of talent, but not as much fame as Daisy. So, together, they become a perfect combo.
It starts off with different chapters wherein there are story lines happening for Daisy & The Six parallely until the stories finally merge & the outcome is a beautiful song named ‘Honeycomb’.
Thereon after, they realise, one is not complete without the other. They need their combined talent to create something really epic. This is how ‘Daisy Jones And The Six’ come into existence. From the beginning of the novel, as individual musicians until the end as a Band, it’s an extraordinary story which will make you want to come back for more.
It is simple. It is intense. It is glorified. It is magic. It is 70s rock n roll!
Whisper Network is a story focusing on women in the workplace; how they are treated as against men, how their promotions are held off, how one mistake costs their career, how cases of sexual harassment filed by them are not believed or taken seriously. From being judged either as a working mother or a stay-at-home mother to deciding whether women were really harassed by men in power or is it just for attention, this story has it all. It’s also a story where we learn that despite all the injustice against these women, incredible things can happen when women have each other’s’ backs.
In ‘My Lovely Wife’, the protagonists are a couple who are married for fourteen years with 2 kids, who live in a nice neighborhood & have decent jobs. It’s almost another too boring of a family. But, not quite, because they have their own dirty little secret. Their hobby involves kidnapping women, torturing them & then murdering them. With such an interesting story line, it is impossible to put the book down. But when you read such a riveting novel in such a short span of time, it’s pretty much like watching a murder documentary, only it’s way more intense. At times, you do need to pause to gasp for breath because of the intensity of it all.
‘The Hate U Give’ is what I would call modern revolutionary novel that will be termed as a ‘classic’ few decades down the line. Its focus is on why Black Lives Matter. It is all about how, even in the 21st century, there is still discrimination against people of colour, how they are treated by the police & how there is still so much prejudice involved. It really shows how much needs to change & after reading the novel, it feels like it will still take decades for things to change.
This novel will leave you with something to think about. As I am neither a black or a white person, I can never fully understand how people of colour actually feel about the discrimination, but this book got it real close. What’s wrong is wrong & it doesn’t take race to understand that.
‘Force of Nature’ is a mystery thriller fictional novel written by Jane Harper. This is the second book she has written with Aaron Falk as one of the main detectives. The base story is set in the Giralang Ranges, which is basically a forest. A group of ladies & another group of men who work at BaileyTennants are supposed to take this particular corporate retreat with the motto of team building, working under pressure & what not.
Interestingly, 5 ladies start their journey in the forest, but after a few days, only 4 ladies come out. To quote the book, “It wasn’t any one thing that went wrong, it was a hundred little things.”
The Dry is a mystery thriller by Jane Harper. After I read her book ‘Force of Nature’, I was obviously going to read all of her books! Her writing is wonderful & always leaves you wanting for more. With Aaron Falk as the main detective, the novel is about solving a homicide. In a family of four, the father (Luke Hadler) kills his wife, his young son & then himself. Or does he?
It is the story of Bernadette Fox; how her crazed past & her anti-social present ultimately led to her mysterious disappearance. Once you start this & get completely in the groove of it, it will be impossible to put the book down.
You will love the characters & their development throughout the story. The beginning, end & past flashbacks, everything is nail-bitingly interesting to read. It is an amazingly well-written character-focused story with a great end as well.
A Wild Sheep Chase is exactly what the title suggests. It is the story of a man who goes on an adventure in search of one particular sheep. The novel is a mix between a mystery and philosophical story. There are so many things in it which make it a lot weird, but the weird part is the beauty of it which makes you not stop reading it.
The Shooting Star
The Shooting Star is a travel book written by Shivya. It talks about her preferred way of travel, how freeing it is. She is a digital nomad with the world as her home. For travellers, it is truly inspiring.
So, those are the Top 12 books I read this year! Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments below & as always, I’d love some book recommendations!!
Until next time,
About The Author
Aishwarya Shenolikar
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content. I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.