My Favorite Reads 2019 - Fiction Edition




In no particular order, my favorite fiction reads of 2019:

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The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

 “But when someone’s gone and you’re the primary keeper of his memory—letting go would be a kind of murder, wouldn’t it? I had so much love for him, even if it was a complicated love, and where is all that love supposed to go? He was gone, so it couldn’t change, it couldn’t turn to indifference. I was stuck with all that love.”

Who wants to ugly cry? You will read over and over how this is a beautiful, poignant, heart-wrenching book. It is all true, but it is also bigger then that. Set in 1980's Chicago, focused on a group of Gay men in the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic, this novel gives voice to the horrors, the frustration, and the love that was that time. This book makes you think about how badly this community was treated, it makes you realize that they had to pull together
and overcome to take care of each other, because the president, the country,
had forsaken them.

It shows the love and humanity of the era, and it will break your heart.




Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
*read it before it becomes a movie!

 As someone who loves a VH1 behind the music (TLC episode gives me life - "She burned that house DOWN") this book was all that and more.  I listened to the audio version which had an amazing cast of voices - including Judy Greer.  The story tackles a lot of threads, but always with a purpose. The characters are distinct, real, and interesting. The relationships are complex and often explosive. This book has the most realistic take on abortion that I have seen in fiction.  Throughout Daisy Jones is apologetically authentic, and it makes you wish the band was real so you could to go out and buy their album.  



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The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

*This book will be released Feb. 15, 2020

Don't you just love a book that gives you an exquisitely written scene, and then makes you wait to see how it folds into the story?  The Glass Hotel is a meandering story with a Ponzi scheme and a pair of half siblings in the center.  Each chapter is masterfully layered into the book.  Be aware this is nothing like Station Eleven, but it is as atmospheric and intriguing. Every time I picked it up I was excited to see what was going to happen next, and the story and characters stayed with me long after the last page.  






My Sister, the Serial Killer by 


I had quite a big Nigerian reading year this year.  I just seemed drawn to stories told by authors of, or set in Nigeria, and while I enjoyed them all, Braithwaite's story of sisterly love was exceptional.  It is a short, quick read, but there is extreme depth, and dark humor, to the story.  The sisters relationship, the growth of the characters, and the pacing of the story were flawless.  There is a desire to both shake, and to help Korede as she tries to manage her life around Ayoola's messes.  I am excited to read more from Braithwaite. 






Normal People by Sally Rooney

“She believes Marianne lacks ‘warmth’, by which she means the ability to beg for  

love from people who hate her.”
This is an incredibly polarizing book. People seem to love it or are frothing at the mouth angry because they "don't get it" and "cannot relate" - seriously the angry reviews on Goodreads are something to behold.
A story of two people and how they grow together and apart again and again. These are probably not characters that you will relate to, both have their issues, and neither are especially kind. But Rooney's writing and the pull of the story is great. This book received a lot of talk and was nominated for many awards this year, it is not for all people, but if you are like me you will find it so engaging that not only is the book hard to put down, but you find yourself constantly thinking about the character and why on earth they are doing what they are doing, and of how beautiful the writing is.
If you do like character studies and/or are down with reading a book for the writing alone, this 
book is for you - also it gets a bit dirty in the sex so don't be a prude!







  
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The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung

 I loved how this story is one filled with historical reference,   STEM,  identity issues, and feminism. Katherine is a mathematician  who struggles with knowing who she is. This bigger question is the core of an intriquette and engaging story line that carries us through her school years, college, and into adulthood. Focusing on her work, and on how her colleges see her in a male dominated field. This book is about math, but it isn't a math book, and you do not need to be interested in the subject to find Katherine's life
                                                       fascinating.

                                                       Chung has a clear and concise voice, it is not over flowery,
                                                       the message does not get bogged down. The Tenth Muse is a
                                                       well rounded and well written book.



I had a exceptional fiction reading year, and I am so excited to see what 2020 brings!






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