(Photo Credit: Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash)

The last two years have found me reading far less than I have in any years since starting a blog in 2005…and far less posting on the blog as well.

Though the numbers are not impressive, I read some truly impressive books this year, stories that I thoroughly enjoyed and would heartily pass on to fellow book lovers.

Foregoing any other preamble, and in no particular order, here are my favorite reads of 2019.

My daughter and son-in-law bought me this lovely illustrated copy of Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien for my birthday in late November, but it did not arrive until close to Christmas. Which turned out to be the best of fortune.

I read the entirety of the book aloud to Mary on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, stopping to show her all the pictures of the actual letters and the pictures Tolkien wrote/drew for his children under the guise of Father Christmas.

Evidently Tolkien’s children were prolific in the correspondence with Father Christmas, and he often wrote back detailed letters, with input from his assistant, the Great North Polar Bear, and later the elf Ilbereth. These letters were sweet and fun and year by year told of the adventures that would occur in the North Pole.

You see influences of Middle-earth here as well as references to what was happening in England during World War II. This makes this collection incredibly poignant, as does the sadness that only a parent can feel as their children grow up and stop believing in Santa Claus.

This was my first experience with Fredrik Backman in print [I had previously watched the film adaptation of ‘A Man Called Ove’] and I was most impressed. I had actually purchased this one for Mary as a Christmas gift in 2018 and I was so intrigued by the premise that I had to read it.

From the book’s copy: “When Elsa’s grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa’s greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother’s instructions lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and old crones but also to the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.”

Elsa is a wonderful character that you are immediately drawn to. I found myself anxious to pick up the book any moment in which I had free time so that I could spend more time with her on her adventures. Backman tackles some very serious material in a way that is meaningful but not heavy-handed and many of the characters that Elsa encounters are a true delight. If I had to pick a top favorite read of the year, this would be it.

I have read several stories written by Mary Robinette Kowal and am continually impressed with her writing. This is one of the collection of Tor novellas and it is a good one.

Katya lives in a world of constant connectivity (sound familiar?), and suddenly finds herself cut off, with nothing but her memory to catalog the events that are unfolding around her.

The story takes place in an A.I. Future that is increasingly becoming more plausible. She has the fascinating job of collecting authentic items from a simpler time and selling them to those looking to buy nostalgia.

After procuring an old typewriter she finds herself trapped against her will in a forest in which she is completely cut off from the nonstop connectivity that is a part of moment-to-moment existence. What follows is a tense story that also examines the reliability of memory and our own narration of our lives. The story also contains a mystery that may leave you scratching your head and looking to go back and reread.

From the book’s copy:

“Clark Sherman’s situation is desperate.

He’s just crash-landed on an inhospitable planet–also known as Festus Middle School–where the natives don’t take kindly to newcomers . . . particularly ones who love sci-fi and memorizing episodes of the hit TV show Star Survivors.

Hostile natives include violent bullies, uncaring teachers, and the fiendishly evil Principal Denton, and Clark realizes he’ll be lucky enough to survive eighth grade, let alone thrive. But then, three kindred life forms make themselves known . . . and suddenly, Clark finds he not only has the will to survive, but the strength to fight back.”

My first completed read of 2019, this is a fun, sweet, nerdgasm book about outsider kids and the dark side of middle school. Fans of Trek, Star Wars, Galaxy Quest and likeable literary characters will find a kindred spirit in author Michael Merschel’s novel.

This was one of those serendipitous finds that I saw when Christmas gift shopping in 2018 and added to my wishlist. I’m grateful my wife gifted it to me, it turned out to be a real winner.

I could almost call this a re-read, as I had read much of the book in early 2018 and then got distracted. It isn’t the book’s fault, because it is a great read. So much so that when I picked it up in 2019 I just started from page one and read it straight through in just a few days.

Any story set in a library or bookstore already has a leg up on my affections, and Mr. Penumbra’s store, with its 24-hour open cycle, its enigmatic owner, and its mysterious patrons, pulled me right in. I enjoyed the way the entire novel had an aura of mystery and fantasy about it and the way that Sloan accomplished that while keeping the story grounded in reality.

Clay was such an enjoyable narrator and I enjoyed spending time with him and his friends.

I have to share that I am a big fan of book-as-physical-object, and anything a publisher does to make a book special excites me. This novel, with its raised book spines that glow in the dark made for a great tactile sensation when holding it in my hands and made it fun to look at after shutting off the lamp at night.

I discovered these books, and illustrator Genevieve Godbout thanks to other book lovers posting images on Instagram. I ordered these right after seeing them, read them as soon as they arrived, and shared them with Mary because I knew she would enjoy them too.

We are both big fans of the Anne of Green Gables books and author Kallie George wrote a wonderful tribute to our beloved Anne-girl that pairs beautifully with Godbout’s illustrations. Fans of L.M. Montgomery’s most eccentric and lovable character will enjoy this book.

Pink Umbrella by Amelie Callot is wonderful story about love and friendship that would speak to any adult, masquerading as a children’s book. Genevieve Godbout’s illustrations were what drew me to the book, but the Amazon description that it would appeal to fans of the film “Amelie” was what sold me completely. Such a sweet love story (both the book and the film).

I read Martha Wells’ Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning novella, All Systems Red, in 2018 and purchased and read all three sequel novellas–Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, and Exit Strategy–back to back to back earlier this year. The four novellas make up a complete story while each being their own self-contained adventure in the “life” of Murderbot.

From All System’s Red copy:

“In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.

But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid―a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.”

These novellas are so much fun. Murderbot has such a funny personality and experiencing what he experiences, through his voice, is highly entertaining.

My favorite of the four is Artificial Condition, largely because of Murderbot’s companion, ART. I will say no more. These are must-reads.

Becky Chambers’ debut novel, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, was all over the place when it first came out and seemed to be universally praised. But it had such an ugly cover, in my opinion, that I just ignored it…until I couldn’t ignore it any longer. I bought it on Kindle, began it, and was lost. The sequel, A Closed and Common Orbit, hooked me just as strongly.

Each of these three books exist in the same universe, yet stand alone quite well. Though I would recommend reading them in order because a main character in the second book exists because of events in the first and that knowledge lends so much more emotional impact to her arc in A Closed and Common Orbit.

Record of a Spaceborn Few reads, at first, like a collection of disconnected vignettes of the lives of a handful of characters, and then grows into a much deeper examination of the richness of an appreciation of history, a respect for tradition, and an embracing of change.

Each of these three books have engaging science fictional elements, but it is the rich and intricately-drawn characters that will give you all the feels.

I think it is fair to say that some novels in the era of more diverse characters exist largely to push the diversity message, sacrificing story in the process. Becky Chambers’ novels are wonderful examples of a diverse cast of human and non-human characters, and A.I., who represent a very realistic world explored in a fictional setting that makes you care very deeply about each and every one of them.

These are books I am aching to re-read.

There is a reason that Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a beloved classic with many, many television, film and stage adaptations–it is just that good.

I recently re-read this book for the first time in several decades and I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed this despite knowing the bones of the story so very well. It is such a great story of redemption and was a perfect read to celebrate the 2019 Christmas season.

I bought this lovely little Macmillan Collectors Library edition from Book Depository, with the original illustrations by John Leech. It is a beautiful edition with gold-edged pages and a sewn in ribbon. I need to get more of these editions of classics.

I was not familiar with author Matt Haig, but have long been a fan of the illustrative work of artist and author Chris Riddell, so when I saw this book cover posted on Instagram, I dug a little deeper and it sounded just like something I would enjoy.

And I did! This is another I quickly passed on to my wife and she enjoyed it as well.

Other than some (in my opinion) completely unnecessary, if understandable, language near the end of the book, this book is a wonderful marriage of words and illustrations that is well worth adding to your to be read pile.

The main protagonist, Tom Hazard, is a member of a secret society of individuals who, owing to some rare condition, live unnaturally long lives, aging considerable slower than normal humans. Because of this they live for centuries, which understandably puts them in dangerous situations. What unfolds in How to Stop Time is an alternating story line between Tom’s present and his recollections of past events spanning several centuries.

Each chapter is short and engaging, giving you a well-told story with both historical and science-fictional elements that fans of both and fans of neither would enjoy.

And last, but certainly not least, is my final read of 2019, Louisiana’s Way Home.

Kate DiCamillo’s novel is a triumphant feel-good, tear-jerker, a sequel to the excellent Raymie Nightingale (a book I highly recommend experiencing via the audio version).

DiCamillo is one of my favorite authors and she consistently hits it out of the park with her young adult novels. Kate doesn’t shy away from life’s troubles while still telling delightful stories with characters you will love. Louisiana Elefante is no exception.

I am so glad to end the reading year on such a high note.

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What about you? Did you read anything great in 2019 that you want to share? Feel free to post about it in the comments section, and if you did your own post on a blog, Instagram, Facebook, etc. feel free to leave the link in the comments below so that we can come and discover your favorites of the year.