What T. Read in 2019

QUICK GUIDE:

Fave Adult Fiction: This is How It Always Is

Fave Memoir: To Shake the Sleeping Self

Fave Poetry: tie between Shout and Milk & Honey

Fave YA: They Both Die at the End

Fave General Nonfiction: Attached

1. The Lies We Told (Camilla Way, Supsense) Way’s novel Watching Edie was chilling and shocking, so I couldn’t wait for this new one to come out! When the main character’s boyfriend vanishes, she starts to question everything about their relationship… including why his sister disappeared 20 years earlier. 1/4/19 – 4 stars

2. Americanah (Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie, American African Lit) I really enjoyed the narrator’s unique perspective on how an African’s experience of being black in America differed from an African American’s experience. 1/28/19 – 3 ½ stars

3. Bone Gap (Laura Ruby, Fantasy/Mythology) This book is LIT. It’s like realistic and mythological and magical all at the same time…yet set in a tiny town in Illinois. I didn’t realize it was a modern-day Greek myth until almost the end. 2/5/19 — 4 ½ stars

4. Circe (Madeline Miller, Mythology) My book club chose this and I❤️ it. It’s a retelling of Greek mythology from a woman’s perspective, more specifically, the witch of Aia. It was fantastic! One of my students read it, as well, and she loved it. 3/1/19 — 4 ½ stars

5. An American Marriage (Tayari Jones, African American Lit) BOOOO!! This book was depressing as hell!!! I think it’s meant to shed light on mass incarceration and its repercussions, but geez. I like books that provide insight about the Black experience in America, but this was hard to read. (SPOILERS) Roy Hamilton is wrongfully convicted of raping a woman at a hotel, despite the fact that he was with his wife during the attack. He is sentenced to 13 years in prison, which breaks him. Then his wife hooks up with his best friend and he’s got nothing left to come back to. Oh also, his mom dies while he’s locked up. Good writing, important topic, depressing subject. 😡 3/27/19 — 3 stars

6. The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress (Ariel Lawhon, Historical) A fictional recounting of the real disappearance of a Tammany Hall judge in the 1930s. Everyone knows something, but no one’s talking. I like that this book was built on a New York tradition — apparently, for decades after his disappearance, Judge Crater’s wife went back to the seedy bar where he was last seen, ordered to whiskeys, and toasted him out loud. After a few years, other New Yorkers started joining in. 3/31/19 — 3 stars

7. Wonderlust (AmyRose Tomlinson, Memoir) My sister wrote this, so I’m not really qualified to give a review without compromising my integrity!! But if you want a glimpse into the Tomlinson mind and upbringing, here you go. She recounts her travels through Uganda, Seoul, and various other ports around the world, as well as her struggles with faith. Great descriptions of Africa 4/11/19 — can’t rate, totally biased!

8. Healing the Shame That Binds You (John Bradshaw, Psychology) As part of my year of happiness research, I thought it might also be helpful to read about barriers to happiness, in this case, shame. This book had some great insights about the origins of shame and how it triggers addictions AND perfectionistic tendencies. Parts of it seemed kind of hokey (the guided meditations), and parts seemed way over my head, but I liked that it was written by a former alcoholic who studied for the priesthood before deciding to become a therapist instead. 4/24/19 — 3 stars

9. Attached (Amir Levine, Psychology) This book was AWESOME!! The authors took a complex topic (attachment theory) and put it all into laymen’s terms. I found myself highlighting or annotating almost the entire book. I think Amazon might have recommended this book to me? It was #1 in Sociology and will help you understand why you act the way you do. I immediately recommended it to friends! 5/3/19 — 5 STARS

10. Love Sense (Sue Johnson, Psychology). Dumb title, but I decided to explore more attachment theory, so I bought this anyway. It was ridiculous. Can’t believe it was so highly rated. The author did way too much self-promotion of her own patented couples therapy. WTF. 5/30/19 — 2 ½ stars

11. The Secret History (Donna Tartt, Realistic/Historical) A group of Classics students at a small Northeastern college decides to experiment with a Greek bacchanal. Although they discover the secret to unlocking their inner desires, they unleash evil, as well. This book was mostly boring. It was over 400 pages long and most of the time they just drank a lot and smoked cigarettes. I get that it was supposed to be a modern-day Greek tragedy, and it’s rated very highly on GoodReads, but it didn’t really do anything for me. 6/5/19 – 2 stars

12. Shout (Laurie Halse Anderson, Poetry/Memoir/YA). Walter Dean Myers and Laurie Halse Anderson changed the game in Young Adult Literature by giving a face and a voice to a generation in silence. This is the story, told in free verse, of how Anderson came to be that voice and how Speak was born out of the ashes of her own shame. It was amazing! 6/5/19 – 4 stars

13. Wilder Girls (Rory Power/YA). A group of girls on a remote island off the coast of Maine come under the mysterious influence of “the Tox” — an illness that kills some, mains others, and changes all. Idk why I trust Goodreads… this book got 4.14 stars there. Maybe I’m just not a fan of lesbian horror? Who even knew that was a genre? 6/9/19 — 2 stars

14. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows, Historical). I don’t gravitate toward historical fiction, but after enough friends and students told me to read this, I caved. I’m glad I did! It’s a documentary novel set just after the end of WWII. For lovers of Anne of Green Gables. 6/11/19 – 4 stars

15. An Anonymous Girl (Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen, Suspense) This book was so freaking creepy!! I loved it!! In a way, no one is more powerful than psychiatrists, those people who peel back the layers of your mind and your moral code. But what’s to prevent a psychopath from becoming a shrink? Nothing. The sense of atmosphere in this book was LIT. 6/13/19 — 5 stars

16. The Heart Goes Last (Margaret Atwood, Dystopia). I loved The Handmaid’s Tale and liked The Blind Assassin so I picked up this book by the same author. In a dystopian future, there aren’t enough jobs or houses for everyone, but there are enough prisons. Enter Positron, a for-profit prison that offers an innovative trade-off: come be a prisoner here for six months of every year, and for the other six months, we’ll provide you with a normal house and regular employment! Charmaine and Max accept because it’s better than living in their car. How bad could it be? This book had so much social justice potential…and instead it bombed. 6/15/19 — 2 stars

17. The Last Time I Lied (Riley Sager, Mystery) — At Camp Nightingale in the Adirondacks, well-to-do young women swim, canoe, paint, and take archery lessons all summer long…until 2005, when three girls from the same cabin mysteriously vanish without a trace. The fourth girl in that cabin is haunted by memories of that summer. Fifteen years later, Emma Davis is a famous artist and invited back for the inaugural re-opening of the camp as its painting instructor. Emma returns, but only to search for what happened to her friends. This was good, the ending caught me a bit by surprise. 6/17/19 — 4 stars

18. Then She Was Gone (Lisa Jewel, Suspense/Mystery) — Beautiful Ellie Mack vanishes one day on her way to the library, leaving her mother Laurel devastated. Years later, Laurel meets the perfect Floyd Dunn and wonders if she is finally ready to move on after the tragedy of Ellie’s disappearance. But when she meets Floyd’s daughter Poppy, Laurel is shocked to discover the child is a spitting image of Ellie. As strange clues pile up, Laurel’s sense of dread builds. This was an interesting book…nothing surprising but it kept me turning pages. 6/22/19 — 4 stars

19. Understanding the Borderline Mother (Christine Lawson, Psychology) — This is a nonfiction book that uses fairy tale archetypes to explain the thinking and behavior of mothers who have borderline personality disorder. It is written for the adult children of those with BPD, to provide them with a framework for understanding and coping. This was my second time reading it; it’s really good. 6/30/19 — 4 stars

20. Before We Were Yours (Lisa Wingate, Historical) — My sister hates books but insisted I read this immediately after she finished it. Based on real-life monster Georgia Tann, the book tells the story of siblings ripped apart from their parents and farmed out to new families for profit in 1939. I didn’t love it as much as my sister did, but I suspect it’s because she actually works in a Children’s Home. 7/4/19 — 3 ½ stars

21. Made You Up (Francesca Zappa, Realistic YA) — 17-year-old Alexandra is as unreliable a narrator as they get: she’s schizophrenic, and through her eyes, readers never know what is real and what is imagined. This book was good, I just found the villain really far-fetched. But teens will love Alex and her autistic boyfriend Miles. 7/8/19 — 3 ½ stars

22. I’ll Never Tell (Catherine McKenzie, Mystery/Suspense) — The owner of Camp McCaw was obsessed with Agatha Christie, so when he dies, he stipulates in his will that his children cannot inherit until they determine which of them was responsible for foul play that nearly ruined the camp twenty years earlier. This book was great, I didn’t predict the ending at all! 7/9/19 — 4 stars

23. For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood – and the Rest of Ya’ll Too (Christopher Emdin, Sociology) — The author some really interesting ideas for the open-minded or those who teach in a district that gives teachers a lot of independence. Emdin continually emphasizes the importance of extra credit or test exam points added on for “non-traditional” things — showing a willingness to help others, creating classroom positivity and such. I really liked what he had to say about how the current system causes violence to students because that’s true. I loved his examples of rap cyphers and black, Pentecostal churches as places to learn how to teach. And I love how he explains why students who receive free lunch are wearing Gucci belts worth hundreds of dollars. He’s got some very good info, but it’s not an easy read. It feels very academic. 7/18/19 — 3 ½ stars

24. The Screwtape Letters (C. S. Lewis, Fantasy/Religion) — A senior devil writes letters to his nephew, a newly appointed devil, on how to damn a human soul to hell. This book has been around for decades, existing as a satire, guide, and warning for Christians. I don’t even like church-y books, but I found it very thought-provoking, instructive, and funny! 7/18/19 — 5 stars

25. Lock Every Door (Riley Sager, Suspense/Horror) —I don’t do horror, unless it’s gothic, but if you don’t mind a bit of that, this is a quick and compelling read. Broke, homeless Jules gets a dream job apartment-sitting at the legendary Bartholomew in NYC. When she finds out her favorite author is living only a few stories below her, she cannot believe her luck! But then people begin disappearing. I will give the author this: I did not see the ending coming. 7/20/19 — 4 stars

27. They Both Die at the End (Adam Silvera, YA) MIND = BLOWN!!!! This book takes place in the near-future, when a company called Death-Cast calls to alert people when they have fewer than 24 hours to live. In this way, individuals can say their goodbyes, attend their own funerals, and make peace with their lives. Two high school boys who receive the alert on September 5th decide to become “Last Friends” to help each other make the most of their remaining time. 8/10/19 – 5 STARS

28. Under A Painted Sky (Stacy Lee, YA) An escaped slave girl and an orphaned Chinese girl dress up as boys and team up with a group of cowboys heading to California to pan for gold. This book was boring. 8/23/19 — 2 stars

29. Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi, Graphic) A girl narrates and illustrates her childhood in this coming-of-age story about growing up during the Islamic Revolution. I freaking loved it! This is the first graphic novel I’ve ever read, and it reminded me of Reading Lolita in Tehran. 8/25/19 — 5 stars

30. Shipbreaker (Paolo Bacigalupi, Fantasy YA) A shipbreaker named Nailer lives in poverty in the future United States. When climate change melted the polar caps, entire American cities were submerged, creating a market for children to strip and scavenge what remained. One shocking discovery allows Nailer to dream of a better future. Started out slow and boring, but then got a lot better. 9/11/19 -- 4 stars

31. This is How it Always Is (Laurie Frankel, Realistic) From the time he was 3 or 4, Claude knew he should have been a girl. Heartbroken at watching their youngest son struggle to fit into his own body, Rosie and Penn move their family to the Pacific Northwest in the hopes that “Poppy” can start over as a girl. This is a story of growing up and finding your way in a world in which you don’t fit. Funny in parts, it also made me weep because surely all of us are caught between two somethings and struggling to find our way in the world. 9/26/19 – 5 STARS

32. Nil (Lynne Matson, YA) On the island of Nil, to which people are transported at random, you have 365 to escape or die. Since no one knows what is causing people to turn up on Nil, and since Nil doesn’t actually exist, it’s impossible to predict what will happen next. This was an interesting book an interesting premise (also first in a series). Reminded me of Lost. 9/28/19 – 4 stars

33. Free to Fall (Lauren Miller, YA) In the near-future, people have become not only addicted to their cell phones, but dependent on the software program “Lux” to make all their decisions for them. So what happens when the secret society behind Lux decides to take over the world? This book was very interesting! I liked all the biblical allusions about free will. 10/3/19 – 4 stars

34. Lockdown: Escape the Furnace (Alexander Gordon Smith, YA) I’ve been trying to find more books boys would like. After the Summer of Slaughter, England introduces a zero-tolerance policy for teen murderers: anyone convicted will be sent to Furnace Penitentiary—a brutal prison located one-mile below the earth’s surface. This was blood-and-guts horror and it ended on a LITERAL cliffhanger. I hated this book through and through, but my students seem to like it. 10/16/19 – 1 star

35. Holding Up the Universe (Jennifer Niven, YA) Libby was the world’s largest teen, now 300 pounds lighter and looking too make a fresh start. Jack has prosopagnosia, or face-blindness, and can’t even recognize his own parents in a crowd. After a bullying incident at school, the two become an unlikely pair who stand up for and protect each other. I loved All the Bright Places and Niven did not disappoint with this book either! 10/22/19 — 4 stars

36. Get the Guy (Matthew Hussey, sociology) My boss at the store gave me this book because she loves it (she’s single). I was really touched that she knew I loved books and gave me one important to her. There are short video clips you’re supposed to watch, which slowed my reading. My main takeaway has nothing to do with getting a guy, it’s just something I want for my life: say YES to everything! NYT Bestseller. Interesting perspective. 10/27/19 —4 stars

37. To Shake the Sleeping Self (Jedidiah Jenkins, Travel Memoir) Disenchanted with his life, confused by the stifling shame inherent in his conservative Christian upbringing, Jedediah Jenkins buys a bicycle from #rei and cycles from Oregon to Patagonia. As the miles roll by and he is confronted with other cultures and ways of being, Jed mines his past and search for peace. I almost quit reading this book because the writing style annoyed me at first. So glad I didn’t. This book may be The Best Book I’ve Ever Read. 11/12/19 —5 STARS

38. New Kid (Jerry Craft, Graphic Novel) This quick read tells the story of Jordan Banks, a light-skinned kid from Washington Heights who gets accepted to the exclusive, mostly-white Riverdale Academy downtown. As Jordan tries to navigate his new prep school, he experiences a ton of microaggressions that make it tough to cope. This is such a good read for white people who know they need more racial sensitivity training. 11/13/19 – 4 stars

39. The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery (Ian Morgan Cron, Psychology) A friend really likes the enneagram and I was curious to learn about myself through this ancient personality test (srsly, by some estimates, it has been around for 4,000 years). I found it both very enlightening and also very maddening. I took an online quiz to discover my “number” and came up 70% of 1, 4, and 6. How can you be 70% of three different numbers? That doesn’t seem mathematically possible. I found the tips for growth helpful though  11/18/19 – 4 stars

41. Love Lies Beneath (Ellen Hopkins, Realistic) A rich divorcee from a troubled past sets her sights on someone new — but is he who he claims to be? Come to think of it, is she? I LOVE Ellen Hopkins’ YA books (Crank, Glass, Identical, etc), so I expected something awesome for her foray into adult prose. Epic disaster. Massive fail. The writing was terrible (?!) and the characters unlikeable. 12/13/19 — 2 stars

42. Come As You Are (Emily Nagoski) A compendium of “anatomy, physiology, behavioral and comparative psychology, gender studies, media studies, and more.” This book was a fantastic look at womanhood. The only thing I hated — and this was a big thing — was that she peppered the book with dumb euphemisms instead of using the actual scientific terms, which I would have preferred. You can’t go to the doctor and say, “listen my Feels are out of wack about my Sleepy Hedgehog because my Little Monitor isn’t getting what it needs from my One Ring.” That was obnoxious! But overall, good book. 12/22/19 — 4 stars

43. Sin Such As This (Ellen Hopkins) This is the sequel to book #41. I know I said that one was dumb, but I needed a quick read. This fit the bill. Plus, it’s about a sociopath who goes through spouses like candy. If you are in a hospital with nothing but time on your hands, there are worse ways to keep yourself occupied — Hopkins is master of the twist ending. 12/24/19 — 3 stars

44. The Life We Bury (Allen Eskins, Realistic) Vietnam veteran Carl Iverson is dying of pancreatic cancer after serving a thirty-year sentence for the rape and murder of a fourteen-year-old girl. Joe Talbert is a struggling college student assigned to write a biography in his English class. Iverson allows Joe’s interviews with the single caveat: withhold all judgement. This book was compelling except there was nothing surprising about it, and I anticipated all the big reveals. 12/28/19 — 3 ½ stars

45. Milk & Honey (Rupi Kaur, Poetry) THIS BOOK! It’s about heartbreak and loss and it will spread to your soul if you are hurting. I read the whole thing in about an hour, pausing to copy down a bunch of verses. 12/29/19 — 5 STARS

46. The Sun & Her Flowers (Rupi Kaur, Poetry) This book of poetry is about love, loss, sacrifice, and isolation. It is beautiful and I copied down a bunch of these verses, too. 12/29/19 — 5

47. Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens, Realistic). As atmospheric as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil or All the Light We Cannot See. Coming from South Carolina, I appreciated the landscape descriptions and the dialect Owens included. The story of the “Marsh Girl” who was abandoned and left to raise herself was heartbreaking. Still, I didn’t love this book as much as everyone else seemed to. Some parts dragged, and the ending didn’t surprise me. 12/31/19 — 3 ½ stars