Best Books of 2019
We did a lot of reading in 2019. “Reading More” was actually something that we both put on our yearly goals. And we really tried to hold ourselves accountable to that goal. Shelby wanted to get back into reading after reading mostly text books for the last couple of years. And I (Katie) wanted to try and expand or broaden my reading list. Before we jump into our TBR (To Be Read) lists for 2020, we wanted to break down the best books we read in 2019. Hopefully if one of your resolutions is to add more books to your life in 2020 this list will give you some inspiration!
Katie’s Picks
My reading goal for 2019 was to step out of my “comfort zone” of books. I realized that I kept sticking to the same genre, style of writing, and even theme of story. And man was I getting bored and literally had stopped reading. Which was so sad because it might be one of my favorite things to do. I also wanted to add more variety of author to my reading list. Because I feel like if you are only reading and learning from people who are like you, then no growth is happening, and your World remains small. Below I present my best books of 2019.
1- Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges / Amy Cuddy
I was first introduced to Amy Cuddy while watching her very popular TED Talk about body language. I highly recommend you watch her speak before reading the book because it puts her story into more context. The whole purpose of her book was how to be fully present in a moment and what that means in your life. She talks about the little moments that people have and how often we are not truly “there”. And what happens when you stop thinking ahead of what you are doing or getting in your own way. I found it to be an interesting read and something that I know that I am bad at in my own life. It made me start to notice the moments daily when I am not fully in a moment. You really will start to consciously be more aware of your day, the conversations you are having, and even the moments you have with people. Highly recommend if you want to self-audit and maybe change the way you are approaching things.
2- The Proposal / Jasmine Guillory
I feel like you could not go anywhere without hearing about this book in 2019. It was a Book of The Month selection, Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, and on literally every “Best Book of 2019” list. All for a good reason…this book is AMAZING! I am not a “romance” novel person. I always feel like the characters are flat, the story line is lame, and the dialogue is beyond cheesy. Luckily Jasmine Guillory is not that type of romance author. Her main characters were well rounded, full of drive, opinions, emotion, and had these beautiful stories. The story begins with a failed proposal on a jumbo-tron at a Dodgers game in front of over 45,000 people. If that is not a way to kick off a book! I could not put this one down and literally read the whole thing in one weekend. Read this you will love it!
3- Shoe Dog / Phil Knight
This was one of the “outside my comfort zone” books. I do not really read autobiographies nor am I a sports fan. But, this was recommended to me by a fellow book-addict so I decided to give it a try. This book hit my soul in a way I was not expecting. Even thinking about how beautiful Phil wrote the story of living out your dreams makes me get teary. I feel like he laid out a road-map that anyone could use in life. He talks about having passion for what you are doing, fighting for what you want, and not being afraid to fail. He also discussed the impact of surrounding yourself with people who are strong in areas you are weak and how that can change your life. It’s the story of a man who believed that he could “just do it” and then did.
4- Things You Save in a Fire / Katherine Center
Katherine’s books are just downright good. This was the second one I have read from her and might have loved it more than the first. Her novels always start off with tragedy and then what happens afterward. The messy parts of life and how people deal with the messy. Don’t worry the stories are not depressing. She mixes in growth, redemption, love and at times mystery to the story that make you want to keep reading. Her books are just so well written that I feel like anyone would enjoy the story. So pick this one up if you want a different type of story.
Shelby’s Picks
Shelby has spent the last two years working toward her Master’s in Finance and Accounting. So reading “fun” books was not really high on her list. If it was not full of numbers, rules, and accounting things she did not have time for it. Ha! All that changed when she graduated in May of 2019. For the first time in years she actually wanted to read. Below our her picks for best books of 2019.
1- Again, But Better / Christine Riccio
Riccio is a well known YouTube book reviewer under the handle PolandBannasBOOKS. She noticed a gap in the stories being written for women and about women. They either were teens or career women. There was not a lot written for women in the early 20’s, in college, and still trying to figure out life after high school. So she decided to write one herself! Yes, this book had some cheese factor and some soapy “teen” type drama. But, it also had an amazing and completely unexpected twist just when you thought it was all over. A girl decides to study abroad in London and her whole life changes. I don’t want to spoil anything so read it and then we can talk!
2- Daisy Jones & The Six / Taylor Jenkins Reid
If you are a fan of 1970’s rock&roll, Stevie Nicks, or Almost Famous. You will 100% love this book. It tells the tale of a talented female singer/songwriter and her rise through the music scene of southern-California. The story is so well written that it will have you wondering if this was a real band that no one has heard about! Sadly, this was fictional. Taylor even wrote original songs that are featured through out the book. Now that this is likely being made into a series by Reese Witherspoon (she can do it all!) we will be able to hear what Daisy &The Six actually sounded like. Taylor is such a beautiful writer and look forward to many more books from her.
3- The Last Time I Lied / Riley Sager
I actually gave this to Shelby to read after devouring this in one night. We both watch a lot of crime dramas, mysteries, and our mother raised us on Law&Order reruns. So I would say that we could likely solve a murder if needed. Ha! But, neither one of us figured out the ending until, well the literal ending. Now an adult, the main character returns to the place her friends died when she was young. A summer camp that is being re-opened after all these years. The scene is the same, the people are the same, but she has changed. Will she be able to handle the situation and finally figure out what actually happened to her friends?
Hope that our list of the best books of 2019 inspired you to pick up something to read this weekend. Winter reading in my opinion is always better than beach reading. No sand and more hot chocolate!
Our January 2020 Book List
We are taking on some social heavy hitters, timeless classics, new romance, something that I am hoping is very Hustlers-ish, and a long anticipated follow-up. Check back on January 31st to see how many we got through, what we loved, and what we shred!
