What I Read in 2019
Since I started Philly Bookshelf, I’ve spent so much time with kids books that they overshadow the adult books I’m reading on social media and here on the Philly Bookshelf blog. I want to share the books that I read in 2019 and would love to hear what you read and loved over the last year. Notably, I read more books by diverse authors than I ever have before and picked up books that I would not normally read.
Here are the books I read during 2019:
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
It seems like everyone read this book in 2019 and there are thousands of reviews, but it was GOOD. The story examines the relationship of two sisters: one is level headed and one has a habit of murdering her boyfriends. It was somewhat predictable, but I enjoyed the story and Braithwaite’s use of short chapters to keep the story moving along! I wanted more when it was over. That’s always a good sign.
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates
Admittedly, I’m always skeptical about books written by famous people, but I was pleasantly surprised by The Moment of Lift. The book addresses tough situations faced by women around the world when it comes to maternal choice, genital cutting, education, access to contraceptives, and more. She successfully weaves facts and statistics with human encounters and experiences (her own and others). The Moment of Lift raises awareness about some of the most marginalized people in the world and makes you think about how you can actively get involved in helping others. I recommend reading it.
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
This book had a lot going on - family, friendships, depression, struggling to fit in, the experience of being a teenager and trying to find yourself, and having parents from different cultures. There were times that I didn’t love the writing and had to remind myself that it’s a YA novel and geared toward teens. Yet, the story touched my heart at different points and the way it dealt with the ongoing mental health of Darius helped the book shine. A second book about Darius is in the works.
Of Things Unseen by L. Jaye Morgan
A great first book. I discovered it as a suggestion on Amazon and I *highly* recommend it to anyone who likes a mystery or thriller. The plot: young black women are disappearing in suburban Atlanta and no one is paying attention until Tamara and her friend get involved. The character development is excellent – from the beginning the characters felt real and I almost forgot I was reading a thriller. The suspense throughout the middle of the book is masterfully captivating. I wish there was a bit more explanation of the killer’s motives and relationships to some of the victims…maybe there will be a second book that delves into that or maybe we will never know like in real life. Overall, the book was good and it's a must read if you like mysteries. Don't miss this hidden gem.
The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu
A fun read, the book flashes between each girl at the camp where a tragedy occurs on an overnight kayaking trip and later in life. Each character has some truly wonderful traits and is simultaneously deeply flawed in a very human way. The sad parts of each dysfunctional family and the additional tragedies the girls face are impactful. I still want to know more about all of them and feel like each could have their own book. The story doesn’t go anywhere in particular, which could be frustrating if you need everything wrapped up, but I enjoyed that it had the element of reality where people have experiences together and then move on in their own lives over time. I might read this book again in the future because I got a little confused about the characters as the story progressed and I’d like to parse through them more individually. And how beautiful is the cover?
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This is a backlist book - written in 2013 - that is well worth the read. I wasn’t really captivated by the relationship between the characters, but their experiences as immigrants and observations about race and the way Americans interact was incredibly insightful. While the book is a bit long, the story felt real and relatable. I also enjoyed that part of the book takes place in Philadelphia.
Project Terror by Jamal Lewis
This is without a doubt the most violent book I’ve ever read. Definitely NOT for kids. It’s not something I would normally read, but I picked it up because the story takes place in Philadelphia and I was hoping some of the high school students we provide books to would enjoy it, but the level of violence was too much. That being said, the book is interesting and gritty with lots of plot twists and an inside look at life in some of the neighborhoods. The author wrote this book while serving a prison sentence.
Force of Nature by Jane Harper
I give this book 3.5 stars and say that I liked it, but didn’t have a profound connection to it. The story is about a woman named Alice who goes missing during a wilderness team building retreat and anyone who knows me knows I HATE forced team building activities, so this was right up my alley. Not that much happens in the middle of the book although potential motives of different characters are developed and it feels like it keeps moving because the writing is good and I wanted to know what happened to Alice. I enjoyed that the ending was somewhat unpredictable until the last part of the book. The descriptions of the forest stuck with me and reminded me of the Pacific Northwest even though the book is set in Australia.
The Banished Immortal: A Life of Li Bai by Ha Jin
Ha Jin’s writing is dense and, at times, difficult to parse out, yet simultaneously beautiful. It’s outside of what I regularly read, but I appreciate his different perspective and writing style. The book reconstructs the life of Li Bai, a Chinese poet in the 8th century, who enjoyed wine, writing, and travel while he wanted to become a politician. His life was turbulent and his wanderlust and love of drinking didn’t help. The Banished Immortal is written with a sympathetic tone. It may be more historical fiction than a true biography, but was worth the read.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
I’ve been interested in Russian literature since my college days when I was fortunate to take a really great Russian Literature class during my senior year, so I was excited to read A Gentleman in Moscow. The story begins in 1922 when the main character is sentenced to house arrest in a hotel and focuses on his life thereafter. The book is beautifully written with many great descriptions, but I found it a little slow at times. Do not expect it to be like Russian literate from the first half of the 20th century. It is a work of fiction and I’m not sure which historical tidbits are accurate. Admittedly, I didn’t love this book as much as a lot of people, but I don’t have anything particularly negative to say about it.
The Poison Squad by Deborah Blum
Everyone should read this book. It’s a great in-depth look at consumer protection and the fight to establish food and drug laws in the United States. It’s also an incredible overview of the history of US lawmaking, government funding of research into food safety, and the reason we really need regulations — people died. A few examples from the book: lead in mascara and cake frosting, apples tainted with arsnic, formaldehyde in milk, borax in so many things. So many children died from additives in milk, Halloween candy, birthday cake dyes, etc. The book is very very long. It could be shorter, but the thoroughness of the author really shines. I picked up Poison Squad as part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Go Big Read.
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League by Jeff Hobbs
This book was on my “to be read” list for several years until I finally picked it up in October. The title tells you so much of the plot outline that you might think - I don’t need to read that, but Hobbs delves deeply into Robert’s life in a way that humanizes a person who might otherwise be a statistic. The heartbreak throughout really struck me. Some of it started before Robert was born and some - his father’s indictment for a double murder - started when he was a young child. The amount of effort Robert put into trying to move beyond dealing drugs and continually being sucked back in was devastating. Hobbs subtly and not so subtly presents bigger questions that I continue to think about: what if Robert had gone to a school other than Yale? What if he had gone to grad school? Should he have made the series of choices that seemed routine and/or obvious or gone in another direction? There are no heroes in this book, but I did route for all of the characters even though I knew how Robert’s story ended. I also felt for his mother who worked incredibly hard, did her best at every turn to help Robert, and tried to keep him out of trouble. I had two cons to this book: 1) Hobbs was college roommates with Robert and inserts unnecessary tidbits of his own life into the story (I am always skeptical of authors who insert themselves into the text), and 2) the book was more detailed in some places than it needed to be.
American Kingpin by Nick Bilton
To sum up this book in one word: fascinating. The narrative flowed like a fictitious mystery, but it’s nonfiction. The book tells the tale of the rise and fall of the creator of the Silk Road website - a “dark web” site that allowed people to buy and sell anything they wanted without regard to government regulation. There were a lot of developments and twists that were all allegedly true. Whether you are interested in tech, law, or true crime, this is a captivating read.
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
A book about family dynamics that weaves back and forth through time. Woodson is a masterful story teller and this book did not disappoint. The plot focuses on each of five family member’s perspective of a teenage pregnancy and the thereafter through the 16 years that followed. Poetic and powerful. At times, the story was heart wrenching and at other times it was heartwarming. It carried with it all of the hopes and dreams of multiple generations as they faced the realities of race, gender, and class.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
A friend recommended Liane Moriarty books to me and I picked Big Little Lies to start with because of its popularity from the television series (which I haven’t watched). The book was a quick read and I could really see how it translates to a tv show well. It wasn’t a profound book, but it had some ah-ha moments and a few twists that I didn’t see coming. The plot follows several moms in a small town as they deal with raising children, co-parenting, attempts at friendship, and deceit. It flashes back and forth from a death at a school function and the events leading up to it. The level of cattiness between the moms and adults bullying children was rough. There was a dark overtone throughout. It also deals with ongoing domestic violence in one of the families, which may be triggering for some.
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