The Books I’ve Read in 2019 (So Far)

 

It’s October which means we are much more than halfway through the year. Unfortunately for me, I’m just now at the halfway point of my reading goal for 2019. Since I’ve had so many requests for book recommendations, I wanted to make a post about the books I’ve read in 2019 so far, and the ones I’m planning on reading to hopefully get me to my goal of 35!

The Books I’ve Read in 2019 (So Far)

1. Becoming – Michelle Obama

The first book of many in this list about US politics! Although, I will admit this one was more of an autobiography about Michelle’s life pre-First Lady. I loved the voice she uses in her book and some of the things she wrote really resonated with me. I find that usually if someone writes their own biography rather than having a writer write about them, the writing is usually not great. Obviously, Michelle Obama is a very smart woman, and it reflects in the style of writing she brought to her book.

Do you recommend? YES

2. Girl, Wash Your Face – Rachel Hollis

This one might be a tad controversial in the fact that this book does talk about being a Christian. I am not super religious, so when reading I chose to simply brush over those parts a little more. Other than that, I loved this book! A lot of people have negative views on self-help books, but this one hit the point while not being typical of the genre.

Do you recommend? YES

3. Make Your Bed – William H. McRaven

This book will not be hitting my favourites list any time soon. I found it obvious, repetitive and slightly boring. It gives some insight into military life, but even then, not much. Instead, it tells ways to pull military teachings into your life, but I thought the author did a poor job of that.

If you’re looking for a self help book, there are many other ones that would do a much better job than this!

Do you recommend? NO

4. Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari

This was a great read, but a long one! It’s 400 pages of pure information. Definitely was tougher to get through than I thought it would be. I loved the first half and only liked the second half, but it’s very interesting to read about the “history of humankind”. Would reccommend if you are looking for a non-fiction read that will teach you something.

Do you recommend? YES

5. Luckiest Girl Alive – Jessica Knoll

To be honest, when I saw this book on my read list while writing the post, I couldn’t remember the book at all. With a google search, my memory of the plot somewhat came back, but still not a ton. That’s why I’m not sure I’d recommend this one; obviously couldn’t have loved it that much if I can’t remember what I thought of it a few months later!

Do you recommend? NO

6. What Happened – Hillary Clinton

It was definitely interesting to hear about why Hillary Clinton thinks she lost the Election in 2016. But, I was expecting more of a memoir than literally “what happened”. I know, I know, the title should have given it away but I thought it would be more like a typical autobiography. It was definitly not. Basically it was all about literally what happened from her perspective.

If you are super interested in American politics, the Clintons or the 2016 Presidential election, give this one a go. If you’re not into all 3, skip!

Do you recommend? MAYBE

7. Crazy Rich Asians – Kevin Kwan

I was behind on this book and didn’t read it before the movie came out. But, it was a good, easy read for days on the beach this summer! I liked how similar it was to the movie, and made me think they did a good job translating from the book.

Do you recommend? YES

8. China Rich Girlfriend – Kevin Kwan

If you liked the first one, this one is just as good!

Do you recommend? MAYBE

9. Rich People Problems – Kevin Kwan

If you liked the first two, chances are this one is a must read for you!

Do you recommend? MAYBE

10. The Identicals – Elin Hilderbrand

This was my first time reading an Elin Hilderbrand book and I was not disappointed! All her novels have the same vibe; they’re set on Nantucket  and they’re about love and romance. Think Nicholas Sparks but less cheesy! You could pick up any one and have a light, good read.

Do you recommend? YES

11. Who Thought This Was a Good Idea – Alyssa Mastromonaco

I love reading about US politics for some reason. Maybe it’s because we don’t have the same kind of juice in Canada (I’m happy about that!). This book was written by a member of Obama’s staff about her time working at the White House. It was an interesting and easy read, probbaly don’t recommend unless you’re really into American politics. Even then, might be able to find something better as her stories weren’t super compelling.

Do you recommend? NO

12. Born a Crime – Trevor Noah

I love autobiographies and I also love Trevor Noah. So obviously this book was a win for me! It was hilarious (obviously!), but actually gave some interesting insight into what it was like in South Africa during the aparthied. An easy but really good read!

Do you recommend? YES

13. Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell

I think everyone should read this book! It’s similar in style to one of my favourite books ever, The Power of Habit. They’re classified as Self-Help, but I would disagree and say they’re more information based. They basically give you real life examples of people who have done amazing things and how they were able to do it. It wasn’t a particularily difficult read, but has lots of information so it isn’t a one and done kind of book.

Do you recommend? YES

14. No Exit – Taylor Adams

This was a thriller! I had no idea what I was expecting, but what happened wasn’t it. This book is an easy read, but you don’t want to put it down because you’re so invested in the main character. So much so that it only took me a few days to get through this one.

Do you recommend? YES

15. Why Not Me? – Mindy Kaling

This book is an easy read but hilarious! It’s not in the typical autobiography style, rather it’s actually a collection of essays. I thought I wouldn’t like the style but ended up not minding it. If you’ve watched the Mindy Project and liked it, definitely check this one out!

Do you recommend? YES

16. The Day the World Came to Town – Jim DeFede

I loved this book so much, I read it in a day and a half! It’s sad given why it was written, but actually made me so happy. I can’t say the writing was amazing, but overall definitely recommend the story. It was such a popular story, there’s actually a musical based on the same one. It’s called Come From Away.

Do you recommend? YES

17. The Matchmaker – Elin Hilderbrand

Similar to what I mentioned above, any book by Elin Hilderbrand is going to be a light and easy, but good read! Basically, if you like the vibe of one, you’ll like the vibe of them all. At least, that’s what I’ve noticed in the ones I’ve read by this author. I actually preferred the first one I read (The Identicals as mentioned above), but this one was also a good read!

Do you recommend? YES

18. Sorry Not Sorry – Naya Rivera

I’m a hardcore biography lover so I read a lot even when I’m not super interested in the author. Basically, if I know who they are, I’m willing to read the biography. For Naya Rivera, I’ve recently started re-watching Glee which made me reach for this book. I guess it’s interesting if you’re interested in her, but otherwise I’d say skip. The writing is okay, but some of the language she uses is not for me.

Do you recommend? NO

The first 18 are officially finished! That means I’m halfway through with just under 3 months to go. I don’t want to throw in the towel now, but it’s not looking great. If you’re interested in book recommendations on a more consistent basis, head over to my Instagram page! I always put the book I’ve just finished on my stories and my reading list has it’s own story highlight!

Related: 7 books to read this fall (from last year!)

Currently, I’m reading The Good Girl by Mary Kubica and I have Mastering Your Mean Girl by Melissa Ambrosini on standby for when I finish! It’s (hopefully) going to be a busy 3 months of reading!

What books have you really enjoyed reading this year?

xx Victoria

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