Happy 2020!

One of my goals for this new year is to pay more attention to my book blog. I love talking about books with people, giving and receiving recommendations, learning about new authors, attending book events... the whole thing. I started this site about a year and a half ago with great intentions, and then - like most things - I fell off from keeping it updated. Every time I looked at it, I'd think "this is really great! It's exactly what you wanted it to be! KEEP UP WITH IT!" So, here we are. 1/1/20. A chance to start fresh. My first post in way too long is a list of my 2019 books. Over the next few days I'm planning to update my recommendations (since I've read many that I'd add to these lists in each category) as well as upcoming events. I love hearing about author events (mainly in NYC, sorry!) and letting others know about them. Look for the events page to be updated over this coming weekend. I've set my GoodReads Challenge Goal at 40 for this year. Fingers crossed.

***********************************************************************************

THE LAST YEAR OF THE WAR by Susan Meissner -- I love anything and everything by Susan Meissner. In my opinion, she has mastered the art of dual-timeline stories (with Sarah Jio a close second). This story is about a German family living in Iowa in 1943 who is sent to an internment camp in Texas and then sent back to Germany while the war is still going on. It focused on one of the young daughters in the family and followed her to adulthood. SO GOOD!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE THIRD WIFE by Lisa Jewell -- While Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite authors, this was probably my least favorite of hers. However, even books of hers that I consider "least favorite" are still better than 90% of what's out there. She does a really good job with psychological thrillers (that are more psychological than thriller, which I like). ⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL by Robert Dugoni -- This was a very popular read this year; lots of people talking about it. I agree with the positive reviews - it was unlike anything I'd read and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

INHERITANCE by Dani Shapiro -- I've been a fan of Dani Shapiro for a very long time. She came to our HBO Book Group many years ago to discuss her first work of fiction, FAMILY HISTORY. The day she came to our offices to meet with us and discuss the book, she'd had an encounter with a cab driver who turned out to be a cousin of hers she hadn't seen in years. She was a little shaken by the interaction and told me about it as soon as we met. Later, in one of her non-fiction books, she references that day and her meeting with us, so I've always been proud to have "made it" into one of her books (in a roundabout way, but still!) Anyway, this woman can WRITE, and this book is by far her best. It's her memoir of finding out everything she thought about her family was wrong, thanks to an Ancestry dot com DNA test. I adore her writing and highly recommend this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE STORYTELLER'S SECRET by Sejal Badani -- This was a really beautiful story of a woman who travels to India in search of her family's history. It goes back and forth in time, and we learn her grandmother's life story through a servant in her household at the time. Well-written and very interesting. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE SECRET OF CLOUDS by Alyson Richman -- One of my new favorite authors! This book was actually set out on Long Island where I grew up, and I loooooved reading about all the landmarks! This is about a woman who tutors a young Russian boy whose family moved here after Chernobyl. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WHERE WE BELONG by Emily Giffin -- Light, fun - I love Emily Giffin and I'm slowly making my way through all her books that I missed when they were first popular! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

HEART OF THE MATTER by Emily Giffin - See above ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE LIGHT WE LOST by Jill Santopolo -- I'd been hearing about this for a long time and finally read it. Quick read/short chapters. Really good story, though left me feeling a little bit empty at the end. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

DAISY JONES & THE SIX by Taylor Jenkins Reid -- OK. I loved this book. I listened to it, and it was an absolute GEM of an audiobook. It was done with an actual cast, which was perfect because the whole story was told as an interview. Taylor Jenkins Reid can do no wrong in my book. This is amazing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

FIRST COMES LOVE by Emily Giffin -- You know the drill. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE LAST CAMELLIA by Sarah Jio -- I discovered Sarah Jio a few years ago because she bases her books in Seattle and I really enjoyed that angle. She does an excellent job with dual timelines and tells the hell out of a story. Others of hers that I'd recommend are GOODNIGHT JUNE and BLACKBERRY WINTER. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

INSPIRED by Rachel Held Evans -- I finished this book and an hour later learned that Rachel had passed away. It's still surreal that she's gone and such a loss for those who looked to her for direction, especially the past few years. I read it the whole time she was sick and in a coma, most of the time listening on Audible so it was like she was talking directly to me. I remember reading the first book of hers, EVOLVING IN MONKEY TOWN on the beach several years ago, and I couldn't stop highlighting parts of it. I felt like I'd finally found someone who "got it." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (extra stars because I miss her so much)

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Bethany Chase - These next few books are ones by authors I had previously not heard of, but they were at the Random House Summer Open House, so I read a few to familiarize myself with their writing. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked them! This was light, fun, chick-lit, but with a really great sense of humor. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARROWOOD by Laura McHugh -- Also a RH author I'd never read before - great mystery that I ended up liking way more than I expected to. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

PASTRIX by Nadia Bolz-Weber -- Nadia is a rock star. Plain and simple. She spoke at Rachel Held Evans' funeral (which I watched online) and I was so drawn to her and how unapologetically HER she was. No one will ever replace Rachel, but Nadia is doing a good job temping. Love everything about her.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

RESULTS MAY VARY by Bethany Chase -- Again, fun, light read for the RH Open House. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER by Linda Holmes -- Probably my favorite of 2019. I loved loved loved this book. Maybe because I read it on vacation in Delaware and it was a perfect vacation book. Maybe because it's about a baseball player. Maybe because Julia Whelan narrated it and I think she's perfect. Whatever it was, I just adored this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO by Christy Lefteri -- I received an advance copy of this book to read for a focus group, and it was such an emotional read. It's about Syrian refugees trying to make their way to safety and it's just heartbreaking. It's also beautifully written, going back and forth between what's actually happening and what's happening in the protagonist's head. Each chapter would end with a missing word, and that word would be the first word to start the next chapter. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ONE NIGHT AT THE LAKE by Bethany Chase -- This was a lot of work to get to the meat of the story. You start out knowing something has happened, but then go back in time to find out what it is. Good premise, but just too drawn out for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️T

HE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides -- Blech. I know a lot of people liked this book, but I basically hated it. ⭐️

THE SWALLOWS by Lisa Lutz -- Such an unusual story about the drama at a small private school. Definitely had some flaws, but I ended up liking it more than I expected to. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

GOOD TALK by Mira Jacob -- A graphic novel that is a must-read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ALL THE FLOWERS IN PARIS by Sarah Jio -- As I said earlier, I really like Sarah Jio's writing style, but she took it to a whole 'nother level with this book. This was an excellent read, and could be my second favorite book of the year. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE BOOKISH LIFE OF NINA HILL by Abbi Waxman -- This was a real treat. A woman who works in a bookstore in LA, plays trivia, romance stuff, etc. Cute, fun, light. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE TESTAMENTS by Margaret Atwood -- Not nearly as good as THE HANDMAID'S TALE, of course... but a good follow-up. I very much enjoyed Aunt Lydia's story arc. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DEAR EDWARD by Ann Napolitano -- This was an advance copy of a book that comes out next week. It's a story of a young boy who is the lone survivor of a plane crash and how he becomes something of a celebrity because the relatives of the victims want him to tell them about their loved ones just before the crash. Don't read it before you fly, but it's a great story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A FIRE SPARKLING by Julianne Maclean -- This snuck up on me. I hadn't heard anything about this book, but I was very drawn to the cover. This turned out to be one of the best WWII books I've ever read (and I read a lot of them!) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TELL ME A STORY by Cassandra King Conroy -- Pat Conroy's widow's story of her life with him. It was so beautiful and I loved hearing stories of their time together. Hearing about his diagnosis and passing was very hard to read, but I appreciated her sharing such personal moments with his fans. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes -- Quite a departure from her usual books for Jojo; this was about women in Kentucky during the Depression who deliver library books on horseback to people in their small town. Based on actual stories from that time - very good historical fiction. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE CONFESSION CLUB by Elizabeth Berg -- The third in her "Arthur Truluv" series (THE STORY OF ARTHUR TRULUV, NIGHT OF MIRACLES) - all of her books are like a cozy blanket, and this series is no exception. Sweet stories, likable characters, feel-good books. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DO YOU MIND IF I CANCEL? by Gary Janetti -- I love Gary Janetti from his Instagram account... he's hilarious, and I listened to the Audible version of this book (which he reads) and was laughing out loud for 80% of it. I'm sure it's funny to read it, too, but hearing his stories in his voice was priceless. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE TWO LIVES OF LYDIA BIRD by Josie Silver -- I discovered Josie last year with ONE DAY IN DECEMBER, which I read during my knee replacement surgery. I loved the book so much that I never once turned on the tv in my hospital room. This was an advance copy and I was so excited to read it, but I'm sad to say it fell a little short for me. It dragged a bit too much and she took way too long to get where she was going. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

HOW TO WALK AWAY by Katherine Center -- This was a Jen Hatmaker Book Club selection that I actually read in time for the online discussion (you know, where she was talking to me on camera?) It was the first by this author that I've read, and I really liked it a lot. There were definitely some inconsistencies that jumped out at me, but overall it was enjoyable. So much so that I read her newest one right afterward. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE by Katherine Center -- I'd say the exact same thing for this one: Some inconsistencies, some "that would never happen" moments, but overall a good story with likable characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE OUTSIDER by Stephen King -- I've only read one other Stephen King book (11/22/63) and I loved it - the man knows how to tell a story, even if he takes a reaaaaaally long time to do it! I wanted to read this ahead of the HBO series (Sunday, January 12 @ 9pm!) and now I can't wait to watch! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And I just started HAVE YOU SEEN LUIS VELEZ, which is so sweet and such an endearing story - happy to have it be my first book of the new year!

Cheers to a 2020 filled with excellent books 🥂📚🎉