I am a reader. Do you know what readers do? They read books, write book reviews, talk about books, read some more, so they can write more reviews and talk more about books. As we come to the end of 2019, I am going to share The Best Books of 2019 based on what I read.

I keep a list of books that I read and I have begun keeping using Goodreads. I read a wide variety of books. I did discover as I went through my list that I don’t read many classics this year. Do I need to read classics?

One of my goals in 2019 was to read all the books I acquire including ebooks. To do that I have tracked the books acquired.  Based on where I am in reading the books I acquired in 2019, I might not be buying books in the near future. I have books to read. Let’s see how many books I can read in the next 15 days. I think it is worth it to prevent “books I never read” from sitting on the shelves. I do have books on my shelf from previous years that have not been read. How many unread books do you have on your shelves?

I enjoy looking at the best book lists. I play the “how many of those have I read?” game. You can play that game with my list. Let me know how many of these you have read.

The Best Books of 2019

Christian Living

As I looked over my list of books read in 2019 for a book in this category, there were so many books that I have read. It was difficult to pick which was is my favorite. I am part of a book group that reads books in this category so I looked through those books but the winning book was one I read via Netgalley.

Fighting for Your Marriage While Separated by Linda Rooks – I picked this book based on the publisher. I am not separated but was intrigued by the title. It was surprising how much I gained from this book both in regard to strengthening my marriage but also in dealing with some other relationships. Since I read an e-copy, I would like the physical book.

 

Christian Fiction

This category just covers anything that is Christian fiction but not in another category. I looked over the list of books I have read so far this year – over 150 and tried to decide which one I really liked in this category. I thought it was one and then I saw another book and couldn’t decide. In the end, I decided to go with this book.

A Twist of Faith by Pepper Basham – I have heard lots of praise for Pepper Basham’s books. This is the first of her books that I have read and I know it won’t be the last. I felt that it was well-written, characters you could enjoy, and a story that left you thinking.

Fiction

This is similar to the category above but not necessarily Christian. I went down through the list of books pausing to see what books were in this category and which one I really liked. I decided to go with my Christmas Eve 2018 book.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles – I purchased this last year for my Christmas Eve book. We get a book and chocolate. I decided on this based on the recommendation of a friend. It did not disappoint. I love the depth of the characters, the creativity, and most of all the twist at the end. I finished it in January and it was hard to find anything that topped it this year though there were a few books that were high up there. It is on my shelf to read again.

Suspense Book

I read a number of suspense books this year. Do you know that within Christian fiction there is a subgenre of Christian suspense novels? I find them to be clean with a bit of suspense. I enjoy reading and trying to guess whodunit and love when there is a twist and I don’t know.

State of Lies by Siri Mitchell – I didn’t even have to pause and think about this one. It is one that I read and it kept me thinking about it even after I read it. You can read my whole review here.

WW I or WW II

I love reading World War II books. There are so many written both true accounts and novels inspired by the War. This year I have found a few based on World War I. I decided to combine these into a category. Now to look through the list and decide which one wins the award of the best book.

Mrs. Tuesday’s Departure by Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson – After our holiday in Budapest, I was looking for a book set there and this was recommended. Part of the reason it won my favorite is it a different setting. I enjoyed the characters and having walked the streets of Budapest, could picture parts of the book. 

Missions Book

Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose – It took me four years from the time I purchased the book to when I read it. I think this book is one reason I am working to read what I acquire. I began the book and could not put it down. For me, that is a sign of a good book. I was encouraged and challenged by her life. The Scripture that she memorized was one thing that helped her. I want to memorize Scripture. I want to know God deeper from reading this book. She shares the little ways that God reminded her that he was with her. Remember the bananas?

Business/Productivity

This is just a category for books that are productivity or self-help type things. I read a few in this category like the book that I was scared to read for a few years, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying. I think I was afraid I would have to get rid of everything after reading that book. That was good but not the top book in 2019.

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport – I read Deep Work by the same author and that book challenged me to learn to focus. Living in the over-informed age that we live in this was an excellent read. I don’t need to Google everything that I think of or hear about. I can carefully decide what I where I will spend my time in regard to online and social media. About the time I read this book, I actually took Instagram off my phone. Once a fortnight I will go on Instagram on the computer and look at things. I also unfollowed people. In the book, he made a point about the need for relationships. I love when secular books confirm what God says in his Word. Yes, God created us for relationship.

Biography/Autobiography

As I reviewed my book list, I discovered that I really have not read that many biographies or autobiographies. I might need to change that in 2020. After looking at my list and wishing I had read more in that category, I decided to go with this book.

In Order to Live – Yeonmi Park – The author tells of her escape from North Korea at the age of 13 and all that she went through to get to South Korea. I wanted to read this because of praying for North Korea at various times. I wanted to understand just a bit more about what it is like there. That book gave me insight and so I need to pray more and more.

 

That is eight of my favorite books that I read this year. How many of these have you read? Tell me in the comments.

Do you have a post of your favorite books? Leave the link in the comments. I will add some books to my stack of reading for 2020.