Favourite Books of 2019
I’ve finished 18 books thus far in 2019 (but still currently reading three books, so…). This is not my best reading year, primarily because of university (and my social life), qualitatively and quantitatively. There were, however, still gems, thus here follows my top 3. I wish the decision would have been more difficult, but I hope this list inspires you since none of these have generated a lot of buzz.
Honourable mention
Deep Rivers by José María Arguedas is an excellent book about social injustice in Peru. I can’t rank it higher because it is so fracking difficult. It deserves an honourable mention still since it wasn’t you, it was me (mainly my lack of literary forte).
3. What Terrorists Want by Louise Richardson
This is one of my absolute favourite non-fiction books of all times. The topic is fascinating and Richardson approaches it so that it becomes understandable and even a page-turner. There was one qualm I had with this book, which was the lack of discussion of white supremacist violence (which is becoming ever more relevant). I still use the knowledge to dismiss the very pervasive pet-theory-ing that semi-intellectuals engage in whenever they discuss (’Islamic’) terrorism, which is always a plus.
2. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
This was a reread for me, so of course it had an advantage in this list. But I reread the entire series, and the third book genuinely disappointed me despite having loved it the first time around. Funnily enough, I loved the first book for the reason that I disliked the last: the writing style. Marie Rutkoski writes subtly (unique in YA) by not saying explicitly, “KEstREl dislikes SlAVerY.” She hints at the discomfort or emotions of a character without spelling out what it is they are feeling. This makes the two main characters and their interactions really compelling to me. This book is so character-driven it’s insane, yet I am on the edge of my seat.
1. Possession by A.S. Byatt
Surprisingly to me, this book I got as a gift turned out to be my favourite. It’s a thick novel with two storylines: two academics investigating two Victorian poets’ affair and the lives of those two poets. There’s some mediocre poetry in it but the rest of the story is so good I gladly forgive Byatt for it. It deals with class and the messiness of academia but the romance is also very engaging and the tension in the book made me want to keep reading even though I was on vacation in a beautiful city.
