I am so excited to share with you my 2019 book picks. The books I am suggesting each month are books that I will be reading and I’d love for you to join me! (It’s so much more fun to be able to discuss a book that you are reading.) I have included a mix of genre’s but I also love reading romance novels too. Since I know not everyone is a fan of romance novels, I have included them in a list at the bottom (below our 12 month list.).
How will I be reading these books?
I will be reading them as a mix of audiobooks, Kindle books and paperback books. I love that the Kindle allows me to get my book right away and that I can take it with me wherever I go. You can get a free trial of Audibles here.
I’ve recently started listening to audiobooks and I LOVE it. I can listen to books while my hands are busy with driving, housework or just before bedtime.
But sometimes, you just need to feel that paper in your hands, indulge in the fresh scent of a new book and know exactly how far you are in a book. That’s why I choose a healthy mix between the Kindle, audiobooks and paperback versions.
If you’d like, follow me on Goodreads to see my book reviews as I finish each book.
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2019 Book Picks
Something important and interesting to note is that books are very subjective. What I might end up loving, you may end up hating (or loving)… Feel free to substitute books that don’t interest you out.
January – Born A Crime by Trevor Noah
This is actually a book I started listening to as an audiobook with my husband. Trevor Noah was born and raised during South Africa’s apartheid era. This was a time where people were segregated according to the color of their skin. Bathrooms, restaurants and even your nightly curfew was determined by whether you were considered black, white, colored or indian. This segregation also determined who you could have a relationship with. Mixed color relationships were illegal. Trevor Noah was born to a black mother and a white father, therefore he was mixed and “born a crime”. This book delves further into racism, the use of power, inequalities and yet, his comic nature still manages to get you to laugh hysterically throughout the book. We are listening to the audiobook because his voices, pronunciation and comic timing make it such a pleasant read. Grab this one as an audiobook if you can!
Check out the Goodreads reviews here.
Since I am listening to the Audiobook aloud with my husband, I am also reading another novel myself. I chose a romance novel, It Ends With Us and have already started with it.
February – Becoming by Michelle Obama
An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady Of The United States. Michelle Obama is an iconic and compelling woman. She is the first African American woman to serve as the First Lady of the United States of America. This book gives you a look inside her world, her experiences, her triumphs and disappointments. I plan to get this book as an audiobook.
Get the book here.
March – An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are living the American Dream in the south when suddenly their world is ripped apart. This thought-provoking book will make you think deeply about love, human nature, and marriage. Check out the Goodreads reviews for this book here.
April – The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
April has 2 choices… one, a funny light book that is just for laughs and the other a self help type of book that helps you see how we each love differently and speak a different love language.
Discover your and your spouses love language. We each have preferences, likes/dislikes and unique needs/wants. Different things are important to different people. The five love languages include: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. I can’t wait to read this one.
April Choice 2 – My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Bradi Ashton and Jodi Meadows.
With some of the heavier and more thought-provoking reads from the previous months I wanted to include something more light-hearted and fun. In this light-hearted comedy, My Lady Jane, Edward is the King Of England. He’s also sixteen and dying. Jane is Edward’s cousin and has arranged for her to marry a horse named Gifford Dudley. It is without a doubt, a silly book! But the reviews are so positive that I’m going to give this a go. I heard that it’s a good one to read/hear as an audiobook. Read The Goodreads review here.
Get it here as an audiobook or here as a paperback book.
May – Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens – Mystery/Psychological Thriller
In this heartbreaking coming-of-age story and a surprising tale of possible murder Delia Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were. Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark. With reviews suggesting that this book cannot be put down, this is one you HAVE to read.
Get the book here.
Check out the Goodreads reviews here.
June – Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.
Eleanor Oliphant is a thirty-year-old accounts-receivable clerk. She lives a very monotonous, boring and lonely life. She is brilliant, yet socially awkward. But behind her… there is a story. A story of childhood trauma that has shaped who she is today. It is soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon. Read it before you watch the movie.
Quote from the book: “If someone asks you how you are, you are meant to say FINE. You are not meant to say that you cried yourself to sleep last night because you hadn’t spoken to another person for two consecutive days. FINE is what you say.”
July – I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
Who does light beach reads better than Sophie Kinsella? Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish when some unforeseen events take place. She lost her engagement ring and now her phone is stolen. She finds a phone in a trash can and well, finders keepers! Perfect solution, right? Well, the phone’s owner doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life. It is a hilarious page-turner and perfect for your summer read!
Get it on Amazon here.
If you’ve already read this book, then try The Hating Game: A Novel. It has lovely reviews and is on my to read list.
August – The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Sixteen year old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. It is obviously difficult to find a balance between these worlds. Her life is shattered when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Please note that apparently this book does have a lot of swearing. Check the Goodreads review here. I may likely listen to this one as an audiobook.
Get it here.
September – Educated by Tara Westover
Named one of the best books of the year by The Oprah Magazine, a bestseller in MANY lists, this book is an unforgettable memoir obout a young girl who, kept out of school leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University. This is definitely not the kind of book I would ever reach for but the reviews are overwhelmingly positive! You can check out the Goodreads reviews here.
October – Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewel – Mystery/Psychological Thriller
In this gripping psychological thriller about the disappearance of a 15 year old girl named Ellie Mack. She left to go to the library and never returned. Her mother is a horrible wreck now that she’s disappeared and her life will be forever changed. The police believe she ran away. Check out the Goodreads reviews here.
Get it here.
November – Trust me by Lesley Pearse
I read this book 18 years ago and I loved it. It is 709 pages but it was SO memorable. Dulcie Taylor and her sister May are sent to an orphanage after a tragedy occurs at home. They are shipped off to begin a new life in Australia. It is a heartbreaking but gripping story that I would love to read as an adult. This book is harder to find in the US and therefore the price goes up 3 fold. There are currently 5 left in stock on Amazon at a good price, so if this is a book that interests you.. make sure to grab it now.
Get it here on Amazon.
December – Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Piccoult or Small Great Things by Jodi Piccoult
Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens- until its complacency is shattered by a school shooting. Josie Cormier, the judges daughter, can’t seem to remember what happened before her very own eyes- or can she? This book will make you delve deeper into what it means to be different in society, are people who they really seem to be?
If you have already read this book then check out Small Great Things – You can check out my review here.I read the paperback book and listened to the audiobook. I LOVED the audiobook so much.
More Books To Read
Because of my love for romance novels, I will incorporate random picks into my reading for the year. I have found two so far that look promising and added them to a list below.
Books I plan to incorporate into one of these months when I finish a book early on in the month:
1. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover- Romance – An unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price. Lily feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeoun named Ryle Kincaid and everything in her life now feels too good to be true. But thoughts about her first love and the past she left behind sometimes creep into her thoughts.
“In the future… if by some miracle you ever find yourself in the position to fall in love again… fall in love with me.”
“Just because someone hurts you doesn’t mean you can simply stop loving them. It’s not a person’s actions that hurt the most. It’s the love. If there was no love attached to the action, the pain would be a little easier to bear.
2. One Day in December: A Novel by Josie Silver. Romance. Do you believe in love at first sight? This book follows the trio over 10 years of ups and downs, relationships and heartbreaks.
3. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown – Self Help- “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly…”It will help you understand the difference between sharing vulnerability in ways that lead to connection vs oversharing that leads to disconnection. Get it on Amazon here.
4. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie – Mystery/Thriller – Ten strangers are lured to an isolated island mansion and one by one they are murdered. Who is the killer?
5. Cheaper By The Dozen by Frank Gilbreth Jr.
Substitutes – These are books that I read last year that I enjoyed.
The Read Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie (read my full review here)
How The 7 habits of highly effective families.
How to win friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie – I think everyone should read this book! It is filled with wisdom! Mom’s, get your teens to read this!
What Alice Forgot – a light read that goes by quickly but offers self reflection.
The Couple Next Door – a light psychological thriller that you wont want to put down. A couple leaves their sleeping baby in its crib while they go to their neighbor for dinner… but something happens.
You can also find my recommendation of children’s audiobooks here.
Don’t forget to leave a comment below letting me know your thoughts:
Have you read anything on my list? Did you like it? What are you planning to read?
Tammy
the first book i read this year was “The Hate You Give”. It was amazing! I feel like it should be required reading. I am currently on “Where the Crawdad’s Sing” and love it! I wish i had more time than just the end of the day to read! I also received “Becoming” for Christmas, so that is next on my list. I will have to add your others to my list as well.
Nadia T
For me, audiobooks have been a game changer! I normally read at night before bedtime… but with audiobooks I can listen to them while I walk to school to pick up the kids, or drive in the car. It’s been amazing. I can’t wait to read the two books you mentioned. Becoming seems to be on everyones reading list right now… I might just have to start it a little early.