2019 Books

I set a goal of reading 12 books in 2019 and I read 19—how about that! There's a shelf view, then some ramblings on what I liked, then a list view and lastly, a how-to, if you want to make a book page, too.

See here for 2021, here for 2020

2019 Shelf

Some Highlights

I read more Fiction than I have in many years combined! I enjoyed it, too. I really liked Sally Rooney's Normal People; I was sucked into the world she built and learned some handy Irish slang. Fleishman Is in Trouble, ruined me emotionally for two days (worth it).

Despite venturing away from Non-Fiction more often this year I still enjoyed some great tales of history: The Professor and the Madman is the story of how the Oxford English Dictionary came to be and goes places you wouldn't expect; King Cnut and the Viking Conquest of England is about Cnut, the first Danish King of England, and with this book I started the year true to my love for all this story touches (Denmark! Vikings! Medieval England!); the last book I read this year, The Library Book, tells the story of 1986 fire to the Los Angeles Public Library, the investigation, the restoration and the incredible and inner workings of a library.

I loved The Art Detective because I love the BBC show Fake or Fortune and this book, by one of the hosts, Philip Mould, is the same sort of detective, restoration, and history tales as the show—which, tragically, I wasn't able to find the latest season of unofficially on YouTube this year.

I read my first Science Fiction books this year! Exhalation was beautiful and thought provoking. Ancillary Justice created an atmosphere that spilled into real life and merged with the music I was listening to on my commutes at the time.

I re-read The Course of Love by School of Life's Alain de Botton. And I'd read it again! It uses the story of a fictional couple's marriage over the years to talk about the psychology of relationships and ourselves. Love is a service. I read a few more books from the School of Life, too. And I'll read more!

2019 List