It's that time again: Old Crone Rebecca's yearly thread of her BEST BOOKS OF 2019!
As always, each book will have a blurb, a cover image, buy links from @justonemorepage if possible, and a @librofm link if I particularly enjoyed the audiobook!
I'm going through all of my fave 2019 releases, probably taking a snack break, and then going through all my fave books I read that did NOT come out in 2019!
Also I will inevitably be interrupted, so have patience, friends!
@justonemorepage@librofm THE RECKLESS OATH WE MADE by @bryngreenwood: My favorite book of the year. Utterly unique, impossible to describe, absolutely gorgeous. Gritty Kansas noir meets a medieval fairy tale, and when I was done I wanted to start it over again immediately.
@justonemorepage@librofm@bryngreenwood@PutnamBooks SAY NOTHING: A TRUE STORY OF MURDER & MEMORY IN NORTHERN IRELAND by @praddenkeefe: A stunning work of NF, weaving intimate character studies & investigation into the wider tapestry of the Troubles. Audio is also phenomenal!
NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney (@HogarthBooks): An incredibly nuanced, intelligent, and affecting examination of love, class, gender, modernity, growing up, and growing apart. I adored it.
DAISY JONES & THE SIX by @tjenkinsreid: This is a gorgeous, dishy, profound book about the astronomic rise and fall of a Fleetwood Mac-esque rock band. Unexpected and well-crafted, and an A+ audiobook.
BRAZEN AND THE BEAST by @sarahmaclean (@avonbooks): Book 1 of this series was my fave book of 2018, & Book 2 may be even better. Hattie & Whit are absolute gifts, and I cannot WAIT for Book 3. Come for the story, stay for the innovative use of a mast.
THE RIGHT SWIPE by @AlishaRai (@avonbooks): An absolute treasure of a modern love story. I love the characters, I love the plot, I love the love, it is so fresh and wonderful, READ IT NOW Y'ALL.
CALL DOWN THE HAWK by @mstiefvater (@Scholastic): This continuation of the Lynch brothers' stories was everything I could have wanted and a lot of real dark weird stuff I didn't know I wanted. Alexa, play A Stór Mo Chroí.
RED, WHITE, & ROYAL BLUE by @casey_mcquiston (@StMartinsPress): The First Son of the US and the Prince of Wales fall in love and WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME. No book has made me wish more that The West Wing was gayer. It is an exquisite book.
THE BEHOLDER by @brightlyanna (@harperteen): Sometimes your friend and co-worker writes a book, and then SOMETIMES your friend and co-worker writes a magical, lush, and romantic fairytale that sweeps you away. *Heart eyes forever.* #TeamTorden
KING OF SCARS by @LBardugo (@ImprintReads): My fave stories are the ones that ask the tough questions: How does a king keep his throne once he's fought so hard to win it? How do we deal w/ the monsters that remain? KoS does this to perfection.
WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH by @AcevedoWrites (@harperteen): Sweet, tart, bitter, rich, sour, smooth - all the words for how amazing food can taste or smell can be used for how good this book is. It's a gorgeous thing to behold.
WELL MET by @jaydee_ell (@BerkleyRomance): WHAT AN UNMITIGATED DELIGHT. RomCom at the RennFaire, complete with snarky humor, delicious romance, and a stellar pirate-to-wench ratio. Getchur wench on and pick this one up immediately.
GODS OF JADE AND SHADOW by @silviamg (@DelReyBooks): Mayan mythology mixes with Jazz Age Mexico in this stellar book with an otherworldly battle of life and death between treacherous gods, hungry ghosts, and quick-talking demons. Utterly amazing.
STAR WARS: ALPHABET SQUADRON by Alexander Freed (@DelReyStarWars): GIVE ME ALL OF THE COMPLICATED MESSY RELUCTANT STAR WARS HEROINES, I CANNOT HAVE ENOUGH OF THEM. (Bonus cameo from Hera Syndulla, my queen.)
DRAGON PEARL by @deuceofgears (@HachetteKids): Space opera + Korean mythology = *heart eyes*. A fab adventure across the galaxy with Min, a clever & resourceful girl who is actually a fox spirit and can shapeshift!
GHOST WALL by Sarah Moss (@fsgbooks): Sarah Moss writes like no one else I've read, and in this book she deftly weaves together threads of history, power, gender, and obsession into a stunning work that envelops you from the very first page.
WICKED SAINTS by @glitzandshadows (@WednesdayBooks): Like your medieval fantasies populated by gods + monsters, soaked in blood magic, & dripping some mad Slavic energy? THIS IS YOUR BOOK. It's like a mix of Bardugo/#TheWitcher/its own dark magic.
THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK by @_LucyParker (@CarinaPress): West End darling + a sharp-tongued critic who's been lambasting her performances + a rambling country estate + a live-TV Jane Austen murder mystery mashup = EVERYTHING YOU HAVE EVER WANTED. SO GOOD.
GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by @TaliaHibbert (@avonbooks): This lovely book kicked me out of a nasty reading slump, & I gobbled it up quicker than anything. It's sweet, emotional, SEXY AF, & incredibly truthful in its storytelling. I can't wait for more.
WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE CASTLE by @emilyterrible: A short, sharp, bloody shock of a graphic novel, and an arresting slice of spine-tingling twistiness and horror. An utter delight.
THE PARAGON HOTEL by @LyndsayFaye (@PutnamBooks): A gangster moll w/ a gunshot wound hops the train to Oregon to outrun the Mafia & falls into a mystery in a segregated city ready to blow. Lyndsay is one of my fave writers, and this one is WONDERFUL.
THE BECKONING SHADOW by @Katharyn_Blair (@KTegenBooks): A dreamy mix of X-Men and Fight Club, this book totally caught me by surprise and took some really unexpected turns that I thoroughly enjoyed. I cannot WAIT for her next book!
MIDNIGHT IN CHERNOBYL by @HigginbothamA (@simonschuster): A fascinating and readable descent into the causes, events, and repercussions of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that humanizes all of those affected.
LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE by @ValeriaLuiselli (@AAKnopf): A blended family's road trip across America tangles into the refugee crisis at the US-Mexico border in heartbreaking artifacts: maps, photographs, and sound recordings.
INLAND by Téa Obreht (@randomhouse): A parched and haunting tale set amidst the painted vistas and scrabbly deserts of the American West. Lyrical and suspenseful, it's a worthy successor to The Tiger's Wife.
ALL THE WALLS OF BELFAST by @sarahjoydrop (@TurnerPub): A raw, affecting love story between two teenagers in post-conflict Belfast whose entire lives have built them to be at odds with one another.
WHEN WE LEFT CUBA by @ChanelCleeton (@BerkleyRomance): A sweeping romance, a thrilling spy story, a lush portrait of mid-century Miami and Washington, DC, and an unforgettable heroine in Beatriz Perez. Highly recommend!
THE TRIAL OF LIZZIE BORDEN by Cara Robertson (@simonschuster): One of the most infamous American murder trials goes under the microscope.. Opinions may differ, but I believe LIZZIE WAS GUILTY AND NOTHING CAN CHANGE MY MIND.
SOUTHERN LADY CODE by @WhatIDoAllDay (@doubledaybooks): Helen Ellis' writing is already "full-on-cackle-in-public-places" funny, but just imagine how much funnier it is when you hear her read it on audio. :D
QUEEN OF THE SEA by @dmeconis (@Candlewick): A beautifully-drawn and enchanting graphic novel about a young girl on a windswept island who becomes entangled in a political battle between an exiled queen and her captors. Absolutely wonderful.
THE WEIGHT OF THE STARS by @KaylaAncrum (@ImprintReads): Queer girls, space feels, ennui, a connection to The Wicker King that will make you scream a lot. No one writes like Kayla and I am always astounded by the words she fills her pages with.
THE BEAST OF BESWICK by @AmalieHoward (@entangledpub): A sexy, emotional historical twist on Beauty and the Beast with an educated smart-tongued heroine and a scarred hero who starts chugging that Respect Women Juice and I enjoyed it VERY MUCH.
GRAVITY by @sarahdeming (@MakeMeAWorld / @randomhousekids): A young boxer sets her sights on the Rio Olympics and learns to fight for what she wants and what really matters. Packs a punch, literally and metaphorically, and I don't even regret the pun.
OKAY, those are all of the books I read this year that came out in 2019 - I'm gonna take a quick dinner break, and then come back and tell y'all about all the BACKLIST books I read this year!
Alright, y'all.
Dinner: Acquired
Goodreads: Open
TweetDeck: Prepared
Best Books of 2019 Thread: HAPPENING
HUNGER MAKES THE WOLF by @katsudonburi (@angryrobotbooks): A one-eyed lady gunslinger who magics fire out of her hands leads a mercenary biker gang in outer space against some corrupt corporate capitalist trash LITERALLY WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME.
RAFE: A BUFF MALE NANNY by @RdotSpoon: This is literally what it says on the cover, and what a delightful confection of a buff male nanny who communicates like a grown adult it is. Highly recommend, it is fabulous.
MILKMAN by Anna Burns (@GraywolfPress): This book is a masterpiece. Set amidst the Troubles but still eerily universal, it's such torrent of language that I couldn't help but sink into the audiobook and let it wash over me.
PULP by @robin_talley: Two queer teens, one today and one in 1950s DC during McCarthy's Lavender Scare, discover love, community, and legacy through the power of words and mid-century lesbian pulp novels. Big-heartedly wonderful.
NORROWAY, VOL. 1 by @KitandCatComics (@ImageComics): A lovely graphic novel retelling of the Scottish fairtyale Black Bull of Norroway with gorgeous art, a smart sense of humor, and unexpected twists and turns in the story.
THE GIRL WITH THE RED BALLOON by @Bibliogato: A modern teenager finds herself trapped in 1980s Berlin by way of a mysterious red balloon. A uniquely wonderful book, that also made me buy like three more books about Cold War Berlin. So good.
PRETTY FACE & MAKING UP by @_LucyParker (@CarinaPress): This series is my fave contemp romance series right now. The dialogue is snappy, the characters well crafted, the theatre flavor accurate, and I can't get enough.
RUSH, OH! by Shirley Barrett: A historical coming-of-age novel about a young woman in a whaling community in Australia whose whalers have a special and symbiotic relationship with a pod of orcas. Charming and unexpected.
STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II: INFERNO SQUAD by @ChristieGolden (@DelReyStarWars): Remember what I said before about my love for complicated messy reluctant SW heroines? YUP SAME HERE.
Also Iden Versio is forever linked with @chaosbria in my mind now :D
THE TRAUMA CLEANER by @delasarah (@StMartinsPress): A gorgeous, heartrending, & ultimately hopeful biography of an extraordinary woman. It's unlike anything I've ever read, and I would recommend it to everyone.
EMERGENCY CONTACT by @choitotheworld: I somehow missed this when it first came out, but let me tell y'all this book seems pretty chill and lulls you in very gently and then punches you in the heart a bunch. I loved it.
A NATURAL HISTORY OF DRAGONS by @swan_tower (@torbooks): The first in a series of fantasy novels of manners, written as the memoirs of a respected lady adventurer, explorer, and draconologist. Positively delightful.
STAR DUST by @AuthorEmmaBarry & Genevieve Turner: A lovely recent divorcee and mother-of-two claims her independence and moves into her own house...right next door to a hotshot NASA astronaut in 1960s Houston. IT IS SO GREAT.
FORTUNE FAVORS THE WICKED by @TheresaRomain (@KensingtonBooks): A worldwise ex-courtesan and a blind Navy veteran team up to look for missing treasure and it is an absolutely lovely love story. Highly recommend it.
COUNTING ON A COUNTESS by Eva Leigh/@Zoe_Archer (@avonbooks): A rake needs to marry to get his inheritance. An impoverished lady needs a noble marriage to protect her smuggling operation. WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED ME TO SAY, IT IS A DELIGHT!
HEROINE COMPLEX by @sarahkuhn (@dawbooks): I feel like I am the last person on earth to read this book, but if you haven't, let me tell you it is a snappy, snarky, sexy romp through a superhero-laden San Francisco, and it is GREAT FUN.
DREAMER'S POOL by Juliet Marillier (@AceRocBooks): I was in the mood for some lush, old-school high fantasy this year, and Juliet Marillier's books feel like pulling on an old cozy favorite sweater. A gorgeous start to a series.
IN THE HEART OF THE SEA by @natphilbrick (@PenguinBooks): Again, I feel like the last person in the world to read this, but it is really a masterful work of nonfiction. Extra points for a great audiobook.
THE DARK IS RISING by Susan Cooper (@SimonKIDS): I got married on Midwinter's Day, and I needed something comforting and familiar to listen to in the stressful days leading up to it. And this was absolutely perfection.
And those are all of Old Crone Rebecca's Best Books of 2019!
2019 was a weird year, full of ups and downs, but there were some absolutely amazing books that came out this year, and I hope you all read as many of them as strike your fancy!
I’ve included buy links from @justonemorepage wherever possible, @librofm if I listened to it on audio, but pls support your own bookstore if that’s closer/easier for you!
And if purchasing books isn’t in the cards, utilize your libraries!
I read this for the @ABAbook's #IndiesIntroduce list this past winter & it's still the best book I read all year. It's wise, warm & witty, touches on race and wealth to diaspora and family while keeping you turning the page
A powerful, secular reimagining of the life of Joan of Arc, written in gorgeous prose, vivid detail, and visceral detail. I wanted to reread it as soon as I finished.
-First I'm gonna share the 2021 releases (if you don't see your faves, I promise it wasn't b/c I didn't like them, it was b/c I didn't read them yet, and I will bear that shame into 2022 😂)
If any of these sound rad to you, please consider purchasing them from @justonemorepage, @librofm (for audio), or @kobo (for ebooks), or check them out/request them from your local library! Don't give Bezos any more dollars.
ALRIGHT Y'ALL, OPERATION: BEST BOOKS OF 2018 THREAD IS LIVE!
Here's how this'll work: Each book I mention will have a blurb, a cover image, buy links from @justonemorepage wherever possible, and a @librofm link if I particularly enjoyed the audiobook.
HERE WE GO BUCKLE UP KIDS
WICKED AND THE WALLFLOWER by @sarahmaclean: My favorite book of the year, and my fave of Sarah's books. Thrilling, passionate, sexy as hell, incredibly moving, and a heroine that is EVERYTHING to me. Do yourself a favor and pick this up immediately.
THE POET X by @AcevedoWrites: This won the NBA for a reason, and it's the same reason I cried on the Metro listening to this audiobook at 9:30 on a Wednesday. Even months later this book gives me chills. Listen to it now.