The Ultimate List Of Books You'll Want To Cozy Up With In 2019
Another year, another opportunity to discover and fall in love with new stories, authors, and characters. 2019 holds renewed potential to pick up a book—something not many of us find time to do—and when armed with a robust reading list, turning page after page until the very end might just be the most fulfilling thing you do this whole year.
So do your mind (and heart and soul) a favor, and find your favorite spot and put up your feet up because you're not going want to put any of the books down once you start.
Book: The Library Book by Susan Orlean
Genre: Non-fiction; crime
Summary: This non-fiction gem recounts the real-life fires that destroyed the LA Public Library in the mid-eighties. An event that remains unresolved up to this day, its story tells the tales of a slew of engaging characters that might or might not have been responsible for the crime, while reminding us about the sacred role that libraries, and reading as a whole, play in our lives.
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Book: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Genre: Fiction; romance
Summary: Girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy—only, girl has Asperger's Syndrome, and boy is an escort she hires to help her learn the art and science of love, flirtation, seduction, and sex. It's an atypical romance to say the least, which begs the question, can they make it work?
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Book: Educated by Tara Westover
Genre: Non-fiction; auto-biographical
Summary: The unquenchable thirst to learn, the will to break away from a repressive family life, and the passion to become the best version you can ever be is put into focus in this memoir written by a woman who was raised in a strictly Mormon household. Tara Westover, who got her first taste of a real education only when she began college and eventually earned a PhD, pays testament to the value of an education and its life-changing powers.
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Book: Where Reasons End by Yiyun Li
Genre: Fiction
Summary: A mother mourns the loss of her child to suicide in this creatively written novel that imagines a fictional conversation between the two individuals. Heartwrenching and hardhitting, Where Reasons End will stay with you for days to come. Aside from the grace in which the subject matter it deals with is tackled, the unconventional way in which the story is presented is also what makes it a great read.
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Book: My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Genre: Fiction
Summary: If quirky, niche comedies are your jam, this book was made for you and will set the tone for the rest of your 2019. This American novel illustrates the multi-faceted relationship between two best friends, both embodying all-too-relatable female archetypes of modern day, and the hilarious weirdness that ensues when one of them attempts to induce a year-long coma to get away from it all—only to get up for pizza and bathroom breaks, of course.
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Book: Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
Genre: Science fiction
Summary: We all wonder what the future will be like in terms of technological and scientific advancements. And in this novel written about the questions we might ask about such a time, our collective musings about the boundaries of life and artificial intelligence as we know them are presented both endearingly and mysteriously. Here is a love story to science, one that prompts us to wonder in awe at the possibilities it holds.
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Book: Becoming by Michelle Obama
Genre: Autobiography
Summary: The former First Lady of the United States and wife to Barack Obama recalls her challenging childhood, what it was like to fall in love, road to political success, and enduring responsibility as a mother in this best-selling book. It's deeply personal and contains everything we love about the great woman; her humor, storytelling talent, and ability to inspire and lead by example.
Book: Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Genre: Adventure; fantasy
Summary: Elements of African culture, mythology, and history come together in a beautifully detailed tale about a mercenary hired to go on a journey to locate a mysterious child that disappeared three years prior. Touted as the potential "African Game of Thrones," this novel takes readers on an unforgettable journey that introduces them to layered characters, dangerous terrains, and ultimately, one that teaches them the lesson of respecting the limits of power and the value of truth.
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Book: I am Behind You by Ajvide Lindqvist
Genre: Horror
Summary: Save the jump scares and obvious plot twists for the cinemas; this gripping novel is all about the slow-burning kind of scary and impending sense of dread that glues your eyes to every letter, word, and chapter. Not written for the reader who's all for instant gratification, this story focuses on the shared journey of four very different kinds of families who inexplicably find themselves walking a seemingly endless field for reasons they learn about when it's likely all too late.
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Book: The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Genre: Fiction
Summary: Lisa See expertly detail the lives of Jeju Island's women divers who know the depths of the sea as well as they know those of their own hearts. She focuses on the friendship of two young island dwellers, girls that course through childhood as best friends but eventually live life as two very different individuals. The uniqueness of female relationships, women empowerment, and the importance of culture are the backbone of this novel.
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Photos from @thebookdarlingblog @pham_faim @betty_books @nycvillegas
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