I read 33 books in 2019.
I read less books this year, but enjoyed way more of what I read. I’m getting better at choosing books for myself and I’ve also been getting great recommendations from people who have similar interests.
I’ve listed the books in the order in which I read them. As I did in 2018, I picked the Top 10 Books that I especially enjoyed. These books are in bold and I highly recommend them. But, I have to tell you, it was hard to narrow it down to ten because I enjoyed so many of these books!
- Cactus Hotel by Brenda Z. Guiberson & Megan Lloyd *
- Make Trouble by John Waters *
- Diana, Herself by Martha Beck
- Dodging Energy Vampires by Christiane Northrop
- How to Write for Animation by Jeffery Scott
- It’s Not Your Money by Tosha Silver
- Dead is Better by Jo Perry
- 3 Word Rebellion by Michelle A. Mazur
- Dead is Best by Jo Perry
- Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver *
- The Warrior Ethos by Steven Pressfield
- How to be Everything by Emilie Wapnick
- Keep Going by Austin Kleon
- Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery
- Old Souls by Brian McDonald and Les McClaine
- I.M. by Issac Mizrahi
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling *
- Snakeskin Shamisen by Naomi Hirahara
- Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart
- Signs by Laura Lynne Jackson
- The INFJ Revolution by Lauren Sapala
- Brunhilda’s Backwards Day by Shawna J.C. Tenney
- Wee Sister Strange by Holly Grant & K.G. Campbell
- SKULLS! by Blair Thornburgh & Scott Campbell
- Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey & Júlia Sardà
- Arthur’s Halloween by Marc Brown
- Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween by Mélanie Watt
- Mouse and Mole: A Perfect Halloween by Wong Herbert Yee
- How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green
- Thirst by Heather “Anish” Anderson
- The Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith
- Tru & Nelle: A Christmas Tale by G. Neri
- Ever Faithful to his Lead by Kathleen Pooler
* = I’ve read this book before
Looking back, if I could only read three books from this list, I’d choose Dodging Energy Vampires by Christiane Northrop, How to be Everything by Emilie Wapnick, and The INFJ Revolution by Lauren Sapala. These books had a profoundly positive effect on me. They’re helping me to live a healthier, more energized life by teaching me how to let go of the people, thoughts, and things that have been draining me and dragging me under. I am so grateful to Christiane, Emilie, and Lauren. I highly recommend all of them and I know I’ll be reading these books again.
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out my favorite fiction books for the year. They were the excellent mystery Dead is Best by Jo Perry, the gripping graphic novel Old Souls by Brian McDonald and Les McClaine, and the terrific mystery Snakeskin Shamisen by Naomi Hirahara. I highly recommend them all.
Hope this list gives you good ideas for books to read in 2020. And if you’ve read any of these already, please let me know what you thought of them in the comments box.
Happy New Year and happy reading!
Peg Cheng is the author of The Contenders, a novel that asks, can enemies become friends? She is currently writing a book about how to retire as a millionaire even if you make a modest income. Peg is also the creator of Fear & Writing, a workshop for procrastinating writers from all walks of life.