Today, I am going to write about my favorite books that I read in each genre. Only a handful of these books will make it to my absolute favorites of 2019, but if you’re looking for my recommendation in a particular genre, you’ll find them here.
I was able to choose three books as my favorite romances that I read in 2019. Oddly enough, all of them were published in 2019 as well. This is likely because I’m not a huge fan of romance, so I’m not typically reaching for backlist romance. Each of these struck my fancy for a different reason, but primarily because the premise of each was something that sparked my interest. In the Flatshare, we have a unique set-up for how the couple meets. In Red, White, and Royal Blue, we have a zany premise regarding the two main characters. In The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, we have a protagonist that I knew I’d relate to. None of these books are particularly smutty (nearly all of the intimate scenes are “fade to black” and stay pretty tame), but all of them are intensely charming. If you’re not typically a fan of romance, I think you’d still enjoy all three of these picks.
I adore the thriller genre. Nothing is better than cuddling up with a thriller on a cold day or laying on the beach with a great suspense story. I chose these books because of the atmosphere, characterization, or plot (twists and turns). The Institute by Stephen King is admittedly the most out of place on this list, probably falling more into the “supernatural” genre, but it felt more at home on this list than on the fantasy list. The Institute has some of the best characterization that I’ve ever read and a premise that is un-put-downable. Joyland is a backlist from King, which is a pulpy murder mystery with a supernatural bend. Ultimately, though, this book is a character study with an incredible setting (spooky boardwalk amusement park). Final Girls is Riley Sager’s debut novel about a girl who survives a mass murder at a cabin. In this book, the slow reveal of information and Sager’s ability to capture anxiety in a relatable way is what put Final Girls on this list. My favorite thriller of the year, though, has to be Ruth Ware’s Turn of the Key. I loved the modern take on a gothic – an old, isolated home that has been transformed into a smart house. The audiobook was particularly great as the narrator did an excellent job at reading the spooky creaks that could be ghosts or the wind. The twists and turns were well planned and all of the characters contributed to the plot in a unique way.
2019 might have been the year of science fiction for me. Again, there is a book that doesn’t quite fit on this list, but it doesn’t fit well anywhere else. That book would be The Humans by Matt Haig, which doesn’t feel like traditional science fiction, but isn’t necessarily literary fiction. It’s a quiet story about an alien who comes to earth and must learn what it means to be human. This book is poignant and funny and quick and quiet and overall perfect and should be read by everyone. Spin is a character-driven science fiction story that follows three friends after the stars disappear. We learn why this happens and how it affects each of the friends. All Systems Red is a novella about a security robot who has disabled their governing settings in order to watch space operas. This is a story about building relationships and free will that is executed incredibly. Finally, we have Dark Matter, which is a science fiction thriller hybrid that is ridiculously consumable. This is a book that begs to be read in one sitting, which is exactly what I did. Without giving much away, we follow a man who goes to the pub and returns home to find that his life looks exactly like it used to, but there are some key differences. We follow his quest to discover what happened and return to his life as usual. Lovers of science fiction or thrillers will enjoy this fast-paced novel.
While 2018 was the year I truly discovered fantasy, 2019 is the year that I read a lot of disappointing fantasies. Because of that, only two fantasy books that I read deserve to make this list. The first is The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. After binging the Mistborn trilogy, this book was a bit slower paced and harder for me to get into than Mistborn, but once I got going, I couldn’t stop. The last third of this book completely blew my mind as probably one of my favorite reading experiences of the year. The second fantasy that I absolutely adored, was another Brandon Sanderson, this time, though, something that he wrote for his middle grade audience. (There is some debate as to whether it is middle grade or YA, and I think it falls solidly between the two age ranges as an “upper” middle grade or “younger” YA). The Rithmatist is about two friends solving a mystery in a world with magic created by drawing lines and figures out of chalk. The friendship Sanderson writes in this book and the magic system he created were too fun to not include on this list.
If 2018 was the year for fantasy, than 2019 was the year for contemporary. I read so many contemporary books that I LOVED with nearly all of the books on this list making it to my all time 2019 favorites. City of Girls takes place in 1920s New York at a raggedy playhouse. The writing is easily the best that I read all year. The Great Alone is another contemporary with a setting that is like a character in itself, taking place in desolate Alaska. Ladder to the Sky really shines with its characterization – following a writer who is an awful person and will do literally anything to get a story. The Interestings shines through the complex and relatable relationships that Wolitzer writes, intricately exploring the factors that affect power dynamics over time. Finally, we have Other Words for Home, a middle grade story told in verse about a Syrian girl who moves to the United States. This is some of the most raw and vulnerable writing that I’ve read and I already want to reread it.
There were a few YA books listed as my favorites in other genres, but these are my favorites that didn’t get listed otherwise. Truly Devious is a fun mystery that takes place at an elite boarding school. Dry is an excellent modern dystopian about what would happen if California turned off all of the taps due to a water shortage. Girls on the Verge is a hard-hitting contemporary about high schoolers on a road trip to seek an abortion. Finally, Scythe is a dystopian about a society that has conquered death, so “scythes” must kill people in order to control the population. All of these were thought-provoking without being contrived and well-written.
Lastly, we have middle grade. Again, a few middle grade picks made my favorites in a genre (fantasy and contemporary), so these are my other favorites for that age range. The False Prince is a fairy tale type story about three young boys vying to win a competition to take over the throne. Small Spaces is a gorgeously written spooky story where our protagonist’s school bus is stranded it a creepy farm. While this book does an excellent job at building a light horror novel for kids, it really shines in its depiction of grief, friendship, and strength. Finally, we have Jason Reynolds’s latest release, Look Both Ways. This book is a collection of 10 vignettes about kids living on 10 different blocks that come together in a unique way. The writing is incredible and the depth Reynolds gives each character in only a few pages is fantastic.
