It is that time of year when you take
a good look at what you have achieved during the year. This time, I’m only
doing it for books because it was actually the first time I’ve managed to read
a lot. In total, and thanks to my kindle, I read around 72 books in 2019. I’m
really proud of myself for being so good at finding time to read and searching
new books all the time. But as good as 2019 was and as much I have managed to
read, it was not the best in term of favorites, sadly. I had some good 4 stars, but mostly, I’ve
been reading books that did not make me feel anything. I don't want this post to talk about all the books I read during the year, therefore I'll be talking about those who stands out a bit.
Romance
I read a tone of those during December because it seems that all of the Christmassy books are romances. But I am not going to talk about those - if you want my opinion on them, you can check my
goodreads account. First, I wanted to talk about the last two books of the "
Me before you" by J. Moyes series. First, I was not sure about them because they were so different from the first one. But then I found that Louisa was such a wonderful and colorful character, really moving and kind. This is the sort of character and evolution I want to read about.
Fight of Flight by S. Young was another good one, even if I did not expect to love it that much. It was full of stereotypes and nothing about it was realistic, and that is precisely why I loved it. Don't get me wrong, those sorts of things can ruin a book, but sometimes, one needs a romance story with nothing too complicated to understand and feel. It was simple.
And Vers la beauté by David Foenkinos was a really special one. If you don't know him, he is a French writer, probably one of my favorites. He writes the most beautiful and deep stories, often romances, full of sensibility and beauty. This one was one of them and I can't wait for him to write another book.
Poetry
I wanted to read more poetry because it was not my favorite genre, but I discovered some really good - and famous - ones this year, like The Sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur. I loved her first book and this one was as beautiful, visually as well. She is touching because what she writes resonates, it's simple, yet really deep.
The princess saves herself in this one by A. Lovelace was another good discover. The title got me first, then the poetry. Like Rupi Kaur, it resonated. Just like Fierce fairytales by N. Gill. It is different, interesting and full of feelings, which is what I'm looking for in poetry.
Historical
I love historical books because I'm passionate about History. Therefore is not surprising to see this genre in this post. This year, I managed to read the first book of the Outlander series, and started the second one. It is so full of details - historical or not -, the characters are strong and crazy interesting (Claire, you are my hero) and the setting is dreamy. I watched the show beforehand, therefore I already knew the story but still, I adored it - even if they all are huge books.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is another very good one, especially when you are passionate about this time of history, like me. The fact that a love story is the center of the books changes everything. It is strong, sad, horrible, lovely, all of those things in one. Those sorts of books are hard to read because they carry so much, yet they are the most powerful.
Others
Becoming by Michelle Obama was probably one of my favorite this year. I loved to learn about her past, what made her who she is now. It was a story about a strong woman becoming someone really important ; not just because of her husband, but because of what she did and behaved. She is a real inspiration.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood comes second in my favorites. I have to re-read The Handmaid's tale now (I did not like it) to fully appreciate it, but this one was so good. The fact that it follows three women who are not handmaid gives another perspective to the story, we learn more, we learn other horrible fact about this new world. Atwood is just a queen when it comes to invent new and horrible systems. Now, I have to binge watch the show 'til the end!
Continuing with adaptation, let's talk about Big little lies by L. Moriarty. The show is amazing, and the book was amazing. Again, I knew the story already but it was still so good. I loved the reality of this story, how those women function and how common they are. Yet, they are so profound and crazy interesting.
And that's all for 2019! I hope you all have a great end of the year to start 2020 in a good way. I'm never really ready for the end to finish, I kind of hate January but this month also means new beginnings, and lots of new books to read. See you! x
