Best Books from 2019

I thought I would choose five favorite books from my 2019 reading list and share them here. I plan to share a longer list (15 titles) in my next newsletter (you can sign up for the newsletter on the left sidebar of my blog).

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
I appreciate Trevor Noah for his ability to make me laugh. I'm so glad I read his memoir. It opened my eyes to what life was really like under South African apartheid. Trevor's personality and humor made his story deeply engaging and easy to read. Somehow he also managed to communicate the heart-wrenching reality that was apartheid, and the prejudice that was encouraged then and still continues around the world today. This book can help us better understand injustice and the effects it has had, and give us compassion for those we may know who have directly suffered under it.


Freckled: A Memoir of Growing Up Wild in Hawaii by TW Neal
This book had me compulsively flipping its digital pages as I flew across the Atlantic this summer. Want to know what it was like to grow up in the 70's on wild Hawaii with two hippy parents who were mentally ill? Does that seem far out? The setting might be, but more people than you might think will find elements of their own childhood inside this story.

 Choosing Rest by Sally Breedlove
It was providential that I ran across this book on my shelf and decided to re-read it. This book seems to have been condensed down so it contains gem after gem of wisdom on how to live a life characterized by rest and peace in the midst of heartache, trouble, trials, and the mundane. I highly recommend it.


 Over the Hills and Far Away: The Life of Beatrix Potter by Matthew Dennison

I can't resist biographies of Beatrix Potter! This relatively new one is a manageable size and gave me the chance to escape away to the world of Beatrix Potter and the circumstances that led to her gifting the world with such beauty and timeless stories.


 Glittering Images by Susan Howatch
I was introduced to Susan Howatch this year and I'm thoroughly enjoying her novels. I'm working on the Starbridge series which is set in 1930's-1940's England and subtly tells the history of the Church of England during the 20th century while following the lives of some of those that live and work within the church. These books could be characterized as Christian fiction, and yet, in a good way, you don't notice that they would be that genre. I enjoy all the psychology and deep thinking that Howatch includes in her novels, and of course I can't help but enjoy the English setting.

That's it for now! If you want to know some of my other reads, just wait for the newsletter!

Please note: this post contains affiliate links. Anytime you click through from this page to Amazon and purchase something I receive a small commission. Thank you!