amarisafloria

In 2019, I read 34 things (books, graphic novels, novellas, and short stories) and rated 70% four or five stars. Generally speaking, I try to rate based on technicality and not on my feelings. Those change often! Even though I enjoyed a majority of the stories I read, I can really only call three my "favorites." These are hard to come by, even if I had read more. (Note: Please don't misunderstand, I'm not beating myself up for reading a small amount of books! My schedule this year did not allow for a lot of reading, so I have no problems with what my outcome was.) Okay, let's get to what I'm trying to say.

Instead of sharing the best books of 2019, I'm only going to write about my favorite books. The difference between the two is that my favorites are books that I know will sit with me forever and have impacted me on an emotional level. These are the ones that are special to me. It doesn't necessarily mean I would re-read them over and over again, although with some I would. And I don't always give my favorites a full five stars. The reason I'm not sharing my "best" reads this year is ... well, to be quite honest, I just don't want to talk about them! I only feel confident recommending books I absolutely love, so that is what you'll be getting today.

Side note #1: My favorites would 100% be part of my "best of" list.
Side note #2: One of my goals this year is to talk about every single book I read, so you will still hear me talk about books that don't make it to my "favorites" list in the future! Fret not, my friends. Not that anyone is actually fretting, I think.

One last thing before I talk about my favorites. I asked my Twitter friends if there was a difference between BEST books and FAVORITE books, and I wanted to share their responses with you. They are much more well spoken than I tried to be 😅

For me, best books are the most well-crafted. But with favorite books I have an emotional connection.

Sometimes faves have aspects that aren't technically the best, but it doesn't matter to me. But I also have faves that I think are technically amazing & I'm super connected to.

— Neville Longbottom (@NevilleL90) January 6, 2020

Yes but the gap for me is quite small + if I’m writing a “best of year” or “favorites of year” post I probably personally use it interchangeably! Bc if they’re my favorite, they were of course in some way a best imo (I hope this makes sense!)

— Jessica / 芬宇 (@FlytoFiction) January 6, 2020

I think for me it depends on the context of what I’m talking about. My best of the year could be interchangeable with favorite! It’s the best of what I read! But all time fave books are necessarily “best”. Idk good question lol

— Jamie Miller (@brokeandbookish) January 6, 2020

Okay, now for the thing you're here to read about!




Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Everything I Never Told You follows a Chinese American family who ends up losing their middle child, Lydia, in what police are ruling a suicide. However, no one believes that's true so they do everything they can to figure out what really happened. But the more they learn about their eldest daughter, the more they realize they didn't know her as well as they thought they did. Don't go into this thinking that Lydia's death is going to be all spelled out—this is much more of a family saga than a mystery/thriller.

Celeste Ng did such an incredible job capturing the Chinese American family experience—the high expectations, embarrassment from being treated as "other," feelings being swept under the rug. Never have I read anything that resonated with me more and made my heart hurt. This is a very emotional read, but one that reflects a lot of truths. It has impacted the way I think about other books, which is why making this list was so difficult!

A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti
Another heartbreaking story, but also hopeful. A Heart in a Body in the World follows a girl named Annabelle who decides to run across the country, from her hometown in Seattle to Washington, D.C., after a tragedy happens that she feels guilty for causing.

I'll admit that it took me a while to get through this because not much happens with the plot—it's just Annabelle running each day—but we get pieces of flashbacks that help us learn what she went through in the past. This story was so brilliantly woven together, and what makes that so is the way we get to see the progression of her relationship with this one person and how it changed her life. It started off harmless, but it very slowly became something bigger—an issue that Annabelle could not have predicted. It's a little difficult to explain how I feel without spoilers, so please trust me when I say this is a must read.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
After losing her job and having close to nothing in her savings account, Jules comes across a gig that is too good to pass on. All she has to do is be an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, a building in Manhattan where many rich and famous folks live. As much as it is glamorous, it is also eerie and very secretive. There are some strange rules Jules has to abide by—no visitors, no talking to the other residents unless they approach her first, and she must stay in the apartment every night—but for four thousand dollars every month, it's worth it. Of course, creepy things start to happen. After an apartment sitter on the floor below her mysteriously disappears, Jules decides to find out what's going on.

This story was so well crafted and it kept me on my toes the whole time. Just the right amount of creepy for a scaredy-cat like me. The chapters are short, so nothing is long-winded—it's all about moving the plot forward and dropping little breadcrumb-clues slowly. I loved seeing how the relationships between Jules and all the different residents developed and, inevitably, how it affected her stay. Just one caveat for my recommendation: I haven't read many thrillers (and have watched even less of them) so I can't tell you if the twists and turns in this novel are unique or not. All I can say is that I loved it, and I'll be picking up everything else Riley Sager writes!

Welcome to 2020, my friends! ✨

Out of the six books I chose to end 2019 with, I ended up finishing two: Lock Every Door by Riley Sager, which was SO good and 100% worth reading, and Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Actually, I finished the latter last night but we will still count it as successful! I really only had half the month to complete everything because I was in school until December 10th, and then all the holiday events took over. I did, however, also make progress with The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord, which I hope to finish over this weekend. The Hunger Games is probably the only one I will carry over, although not this month, but only because its prequel is coming out very soon and I want to review all the details before diving into a new addition.




Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
This is the January pick for Jamie's Better Late Than Never Book Club! I've had it on my shelves since 2015, so it's about time I finally start reading. It takes place in Iceland, where a woman is awaiting execution after being accused of murder. Quite a dark read, which seems like a good choice to end this season with!

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
One of my 2020 goals is to read one personal development book per quarter, and I've heard nothing but excellent things about Atomic Habits. I love anything to do with productivity, so I'm also thinking about how I can integrate that onto my blog.

The Wicked King by Holly Black
I actually wanted to read this in December, but I decided to hold off and instead choose books that had potential to make my "best of 2019" list. Not to say this doesn't have potential, because I know it does! But I read The Cruel Prince (the first book in this series) this year and that's already on the list, so I had to give up the spot to something else. I didn't want two books in the same series. LOGIC 🤔

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
I've enjoyed this series so much so far, and I can't wait to see what Lara Jean is up to this time around. I predict this will be a really quick read, but I'm also a little sad that it's ending.



Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen (January 7th)
I'll be doing my best to pick up as many Asian books as I can this year, and I'm really excited for this one. I don't know much about it, aside from the fact that the main character's parents send her to Taiwan to study in an education program but it actually turns out to be something else?

The Map from Here to There by Emery Lord (January 7th)
The Start of Me and You is one of my all-time favorite books, so I've been waiting to read this sequel for AGES.

Lucky Caller by Emma Mills (January 14th)
No clue what this is about, but I am 100% reading it as soon as it comes out because it's written by Emma Mills.

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord (January 21st)
I will pick up any YA rom-com that comes my way, and St. Martin's Press was so kind to approve my request to read this early! It follows two rivals named Pepper and Jack who work at their families' food shops, and they end up getting into a big, public argument on Twitter. But actually, they're falling for each other in real life? WE LOVE TO SEE IT.