Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week, she posts an idea relating to books and encourages other book bloggers to respond with their own top ten lists.
This week’s topic is “top ten favourite books I read in 2019.” Normally, it would be quite hard for me to narrow this down, but because I only read 26 books in 2019, this wasn’t too difficult to compile!
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
As the much-awaited followup to The Night Circus, this was easily my most anticipated read of the year. It was just as beautifully-written, lyrical, and magical; a book that I plan to revisit time and time again. I was also lucky enough to attend the Toronto stop of the book tour, where I got my copy signed.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I picked up a copy of The Little Prince when I was in Paris last year and fully intended to read it in the Luxembourg Gardens. That, of course, didn’t happen, and this book sat unread on my shelves for months. I wish I had read it earlier – it’s charming and filled with hope.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
In I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, the author’s obsession with the case and her in-depth investigative journalism is interwoven with the case itself, and this made for one of the most intriguing true crime novels I’ve ever read.
The Cruel Prince & The Wicked King by Holly Black
I had seen so many glowing reviews of this series that, despite having not read anything about faeries in years, I knew I had to give it a read. The dark, compelling story drew me in from the start – I finished The Cruel Prince in a day and immediately placed a hold on the sequel.
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
In Conversations with Friends, the characters are flawed and real, not necessarily “likeable” but very much compelling. It’s a quiet yet impactful story; the notion of needing to open yourself up to others to fully be loved is something that still lingers in the back of my mind, even though it has been weeks since I finished the book.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
This is another quiet, character-driven story. The characters’ lives weave together and impact one another in both profound and subtle ways, and their complicated relationships made this an engrossing read.
Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig | Review
As a social media marketer, I feel like I’m never Offline, and this has, understandably, caused me some stress. Notes on a Nervous Planet was the perfect antidote: a thoughtful and honest examination of how important it is to be intentional about social media usage in this digital age.
Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab
City of Ghosts was one of my favourite Middle-Grade titles last year, and the sequel was just as charming. It also gets bonus love for the Parisian setting – I felt like I was back in my old neighbourhood.
Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber by Mike Isaac
As a former startup founder and tech enthusiast, I will read absolutely anything about Silicon Valley drama. It was really interesting to see the lengths to which companies will go to achieve Growth At All Costs, and how that impacts their funding trajectory.
What were some of your favourite 2019 reads? Have you read any of the ones on my list?
I’ve heard such great things about Little Fires Everywhere–and of course, The Starless Sea! Happy New Year! 🙂
The Starless Sea is such a beautifully-written read, highly recommend it! Happy New Year! 🙂
Le Petit Prince is probably my favorite book! I always recommend people read it. <3 I've got City of Bones sitting on the desk next to me, and I've just been waiting for a good time to read it. I need to pick up a copy of Tunnel of Bones, too. I'm glad to see that you enjoyed The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King! I love that series, and I can't wait to get my hands on Queen of Nothing.
Sammie @ The Writerly Way recently posted…5-Star Reads of 2019 || Ft. Endless Fangirl Gushing
I’m so glad you loved The Cruel Prince! The waitlist at my library for Queen of Nothing is ridiculously long, so I might have to cave and buy a copy – I need to know how it ends!
Aww, The Little Prince was such a cute read, too. 🙂
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Lydia recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Books I Read in 2019
it’s one of my new favourites!
I love Celeste Ng, her books are so good. I have Conversations with Friends out from the library. I liked Normal People though didn’t love it. I’ve heard a lot of great things about Holly Black’s books. Thanks for the recommendations!
CurlyGeek recently posted…Best Books Read in 2019
I liked Conversations with Friends more than I liked Normal People, so I hope you enjoy it too!
I loved Little Fires Everywhere, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed I’ll Be Gone in the Dark even though I’m not a true-crime fan. I have The Little Prince on my bookshelf- I really hope to read it next year! I hadn’t heard of Notes on a Nervous Planet, I’ll have to check it out.
The Little Prince was such a lovely read – I hope you’re able to get around to it!
I read and really enjoyed City of Ghosts this year, so I need to get Tunnel of Bones. And I LOVED I’ll Be Gone in the Dark when I read it.
-Lauren
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Currently (January 2020): Happy New Year!
I liked Tunnel of Bones just as much as City of Ghosts, so I really hope you enjoy it too!
I have I’ll Be Gone In The Dark and Little Fires Everywhere sitting on my shelf right now. I’m excited to read them this year!
Aj @ Read All The Things! recently posted…Wrap-Up: December 2019
I hope you love them as much as I did! Happy New Year! 🙂
I finally read Little Fires Everywhere last year too. It was so good. I’m anxious to see if the series lives up to the book. 🙂
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Dedra @ A Book Wanderer recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday/Bookending Winter: My Top Reads From the 2010s
I didn’t know they were adapting it – hopefully it’s just as good as the book!