I try to average one book a month. With six weeks left in the year, I have already surpassed that number. After the graphic is an update on what I have read in 2019 with short reviews of each one, starting with my most recent book.
Bricking It (Nick Spalding): I needed something light after The Italian Teacher and came upon this one somewhere in my Amazon search. I love light-hearted British silliness and ate this up like it was candy. The story moves along quickly with some obviously absurd nudges, but that’s the point of comedy, right? And the ending didn’t quite track for me, but an unexpected surprise that literally had me laugh out loud made up for all that. He has written a bunch of books so I will probably re-visit his work.
The Italian Teacher: A Novel (Tom Rachman): I enjoyed an earlier book of his so really looked forward to this one. I didn’t love it, but didn’t hate it. The story is kind of long and meandering, but it’s such a nice character study that I kept getting sucked in. The difficult part, for me, was that I really disliked every single person in the book. But that’s life sometimes.
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler (Kelly Harms): I found this one in my exploration of Kindle Unlimited. The story of the librarian getting a chance to free herself from the things that tie us down in life really entertained me. Of course, there were some unrealistic twists and turns, but that’s what I love about make believe! I found the character very engaging, enough so to look into some of harms’ other work.
Not to Mention a Nice Life: A Novel (Sean Murphy): This ended up on my Wish List somehow, and it only cost a few dollars (I generally read on my Kindle), and I regret it. The book was not bad, per se. It’s just that nothing happened. I fell for the description about a corporate coming-of-age story. But it was really just this meandering treatise on corporate meandering and waste. I don’t recommend.
Camino Beach (Amanda Callendrier): My first Kindle Unlimited choice, and a perfect selection for my summer vacation. The madcap capers of the main characters just fit right in as I sat on the beach to read. This is a very unsung book with real characters looking at how to confront not only their past, but the version of the past they have in their heads.
The Best of Adam Sharp (Graeme Simsion): I had this on my Wish List for a long time and then randomly came across it in a small bookstore while on vacation. A very complicated tale of love, lust and memory. I found it really enjoyable, but always have a soft spot for anything which uses music as a reference point. The notion of wondering if a quiet life is enough will ring familiar to most readers, but Simsion adds some special twists.
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear (Elizabeth Gilbert): I started reading this on the advice of some of my improv friends. At that point, I had no idea she was the author of Eat, Pray, Love. I just heard them going on about Big Magic and got the book. It is tempting to disdain EPL as a trite concept, and some may say the same about Big Magic. But as I explore my creative and positive side, this book hit the mark. Sure, she gets a little mystical and preachy, but she does it in the context of living your best life. I can dig that.
Pirate Robot Ninja: An Improv Fable (Will Hines and Billy Merritt): This has a very niche audience, but it delivers in every way possible. I could not love this book anymore if I tried.
Begin the Begin: R.E.M.’s Early Years (Robert Dean Lurie): I am endlessly fascinated by the stories and mythology from my favorite band. I waited eagerly for this beook and then devoured it. I may not buy into everything (especially since some stories are known to shift over time), but I love a detailed insight into these folks who have had such a huge influence on me.
The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man’s Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America (Tommy Tomlinson): One of my favorite books of the year (correcting for the obvious improv/R.E.M. bias in the previous two selections). An honest and heartbreaking take of a man fighting against himself and society on many fronts. I loved the structure he used to tell his story. I am a sucker for conversational sports columnists like Tomlinson. While I don’t have as big of a weight problem as he had, I can definitely relate to some of his eating habits.
Less: A Novel (Andrew Sean Greer): I usually don’t read the kinds of books that win Pulitzer Prizes, but this one just kind of fell into my Kindle. Honestly, I don’t remember how I came upon it, but I am really glad I read this one. I didn’t love the narrative device, but I found the twists and turns of the story fascinating.
Oh, I Do Like To Be… (Marie Phillips): I came across Marie Phillips about a decade ago when I read Gods Behaving Badly, a hilarious novel about the 12 gods of Olympus living in modern-day London. When I saw she had a new book with a twist on Shakespeare’s A Comedy of Errors, I had to get it. The cloning concept took a couple of chapters to sink into my head, but once I could keep everyone straight, I had a blast. Probably my favorite book of the year.
I’ll Be There for You (Kelsey Miller): I read this book before everyone had a hot take on whether Friends is important anymore or problematic or worthy of discussion. This spoke to a lot of the issues which have come up throughout the year as people imagine the impending doom of having to watch this show on a different streaming platform in the future. I still love the show even while acknowledging its faults and think Miller does a great job diving into all those things.