Best Books of 2019 and Reading Stats

Another year is over and I am back with my best books of the year post. Dec was the worst reading month as I finished just 1 book this month, even though I started multiple books. I read a total of 77 books this year – which is quite less compared to 91 books last year. I also ended up reading many 3 star reads this year. I read way too many non-fiction books this year looks like, which was surprising. I did not read many fantasy books this year, as it looks like sci-fi took precedence.

First for some stats –

My favorite books of 2019 are –

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple – This was a book which was hilarious and quite emotional at the same time. There was also this mystery about where Bernadette really was which kept me turning pages. My mother is my best friend so reading this book about a mom and daughter relationship made it enter my all time favorite books list. If there are similar books about mom-daughter relationship, please let me know.

The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu and translated by Joel Martinsen – I read all the three books from the Three-Body Problem series this year and amongst all the three, this was my favorite book. The ideas in this book are mind-boggling and unlike anything I have ever read before. I have a full review here.

Death’s End by Cixin Liu and translated by Ken Liu – This was my second favorite book from this series and it was again full of so many amazing ideas that I had never even thought of. I have a full review of this book here.
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey – I read this book just before visiting canyons in Arizona and Utah which was the perfect time to read it. Edward Abbey worked as a ranger in Arches National Park and this book is his love letter to the beautiful desert landscape. I never liked deserts in particular but after reading about the wildlife, plants and the sand, I am in love with deserts.
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport – I have been trying to minimize everything this year and one place where I was failing to minimize was the time I spent online idly browsing social media. I am so glad I found and read this book at the right time. The author talks about how social media can be detrimental to our lives and how to minimize social media and the time you spend browsing without any aim. I have been able to implement many of his ideas and I have indeed reduced the time I spend online these days. I recommend this book to every single person who is hooked to their phone.
Erased by Kei Sanbe – I read this entire series this year and it is one of my most favorite manga series ever. It is suspenseful, has time travel, deals with some interesting well developed characters who are all adorable and the plot is really engaging. I have a full review of this series here.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin – The only classic I read this year ended up on my favorites list. The book talks about the time period when it was not acceptable to be a LGBTQ person in the society and the impact those restrictions had on individuals who could not identify themselves as straight. I have full review here.
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo – After reading so many bad cliched YA fantasies, I had sort of given up hope on reading good YA fantasy when I stumbled upon this book. It is a dark retelling of the Little Mermaid story with the witch being Mermaid’s mother herself. I loved how there were sirens in this story, instead of mermaids and how dark and twisted the story was.
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge – Not sure if this book is considered YA or middle grade but it was amazing. The edition I own has illustrations from Chris Riddell which were beautiful. It is about a tree which when fed lies reveals the truth. I got the same feeling that I used to get while reading Enid Blyton’s books when I read this book for some reason.
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman – I read another book by this author which I did not like but this book was great. I loved this book mostly for the message it carried about how one must follow their heart and not just get a degree in something that you are not interested in just to acquire a job. The book has a podcast in it and it is better heard than read. I listened to the audiobook version and would recommend it.
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse – This is a fantasy novel with a kickass heroine who first shoots and then talks. Most female characters in fantasy novels are weak but not the ones in this series. The second part in this series has multiple strong female characters. It is based on native american mythology and reminds me of Mad Max movies. I have a full review here.
Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab – This is the second book in her series about a girl who can see ghosts and I loved this even more than the first book. This is supposed to be a middle grade series but as an adult, I found it quite enjoyable. This one was quite dark and even scary sometimes.