Books of 2021

Total books read in 2021: 83

Adult: 13

Teen: 18

Childrens: 52

Published 2021: 26

Fiction: 70

Nonfiction: 83

Graphic Novels: 17

Unlike last year, I read a lot this year. Here are my top 10 in no particular order, and plentiful honorable mentions. As usual, these are my favorite books. There are many more I thought were excellent, that I could wholeheartedly recommend but just didn't occupy the same place in my heart as these.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

I went into this book knowing almost nothing. At first, I wondered if I wanted to continue. I had a hard time figuring out what was going on, there didn't seem to be anything happening. But I persisted and was rewarded. It's almost like a puzzle that unfolds gradually and then all at once into something thrilling and even beautiful. I will reread it at some point, though it will never quite have the original magic of discovery this first read did. (Adult)

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat

A tribute to humanity--and specifically to the people of Thailand. Ingenuity, selflessness, creativity, generosity. It will restore your faith in humanity. It will make your heart tense with worry and then swell with joy. And the most amazing thing of all? They did it. They saved all thirteen. They accomplished the impossible. (Children's/Teen)

The Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

As soon as I read "her familiar is a sourdough starter," I knew I had to read this, and it did not disappoint. The wonders of dough magic never cease in this whimsical, entertaining, and funny fantasy. (Teen/Adult)

Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon

A wicked fairy curses Princess Harriet Hamsterbone to prick her finger on an enchanted hamster wheel and fall into a deep sleep on her 12th birthday. When Harriet learns about the curse at age 10, she celebrates what she sees as 2 years of invincibility by jumping off the tallest tower into the moat and starting a career on the professional jousting circuit. Humor, adventure, twists and turns, a fairy tale unlike any you've seen before. Thoroughly entertained by this one. Also, Ursula Vernon = T. Kingfisher. (Children's - Easy chapter book)

The Dragon with the Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis

A young dragon beguiled by chocolate. Delightful and charming. It's the kind of story that makes your heart feel as warm as the molten chocolate you're bound to want to drink as you read. (Children's)

Mere Christianity and The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis

I love C. S. Lewis's philosophical approach to religion.

Red, White and Whole by Rajani LaRocca

My heart! Fictional, but also drawing on the author's experiences growing up in and Indian family in an American city in the 80s. While the author has a unique perspective of growing up in those two worlds, the book ends up being a universal story of family, friends, resilience, loss and sorrow, love, strength, and acceptance. Beautifully written. And it may make you cry. (Children's/Teen)

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Thoroughly entertaining book! Action, humor, adventure, charm, secrets, great characters and good pacing. (Teen)

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

The true story of Omar Mohamed's experience living in a refugee camp. On the one hand, it tells a story so different from our experience in the US--a story that teaches us about the hardship and suffering that others experience. But it also tells a story of being human, a story that feels familiar in so many ways, because things like trying to maintain friendships, caring for family members, struggling with dashed hopes are universal experiences that we can all relate to. It's a beautiful story of friendship community, faith, resilience, and hope. (Children's)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

This and its sequel acted as comfort food for me in early in 2021. Later I watched the miniseries which performed the same comfort food function. I just love the characters and setting. Audiobook version is very good. (Adult)

Lighten Up by Chieko Okazaki

Written in 1993, but it feels modern and relevant to today. I appreciated her perspective, stories, and wisdom.

Honorable Mention

Friends Forever by Shannon Hale & LeYuen Pham

Josephine Against the Sea by Shakirah Bourne

Pity Party by Kathleen Lane

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

While I Was Away by Waka T. Brown

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

The Curse of the Mummy: Uncovering Tutankhamun's Tomb by Candace Fleming

Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown by Steve Sheinkin

The Haunted Mask by R. L. Stine

Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card

Everything I read in 2021:

Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume • Frindle by Andrew Clements • The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith • Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith • Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan • The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware • The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle • The Haunted Mask by R. L. Stine • Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien • Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbett • Lighten Up by Chieko Okazaki • Magyk by Angie Sage • Just Listen by Sarah Dessen • Maniac McGee by Jerry Spinelli • We Had to Be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport by Deborah Hopkinson • Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis • A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin • Nat Enough by Maria Scrivan • Class Act by Jerry Craft • Piranesi by Susanna Clarke • Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley • All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat • When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson • The Chosen by Chaim Potok • Eventide by Sarah Goodman • The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. by David Levithan* • The Inheritance Games by Jennier Lynn Barnes • Amber and Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz* • Red, White and Whole by Rajani LaRocca* • Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera* • My Last Summer with Cass by Mark Crilley* • The Crossroads at Midnight by Abby Howard • Skyward by Brandon Sanderson • Monster and Boy by Hannah Barnaby • Dustborn by Erin Bowman* • Normal: One Kid’s Extraordinary Journey by Magdalena and Nathaniel Newman • Ophie’s Ghosts by Justina Ireland* • Twins by Viran Johnson & Shannon Wright • Golden Arm by Carl Deuker • The Postman from Space by Guillaume Perreault • Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd, illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter* • The Montague Twins: The Witch’s Hand by Nathan Page & Drew Shannon* • Wink by Rob Harrell • Long Distance by Whitney Gardner* • Oh My Gods! by Stephanie Cooke & Incha Fitzpatrick, illustrated by Juliana Moon* • Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card • Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card • While I Was Away by Waka T. Brown* • Katie the Catsitter by Colleen AF Venable & Stephanie Yue* • Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe • How to Be Yourself by Simon Doonan • Bunnicula by James Howe • The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis • Josephine Against the Sea by Shakirah Bourne* • Rival Magic by Deva Fagan • Mary Shelley: The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein’s Creator by Catherine Reef • Shark Summer by Ira Marks* • Pity Party by Kathleen Lane* • Friends Forever by Shannon Hale* • The Curse of the Mummy: Uncovering Tutankhamun's Tomb by Candace Fleming* • Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman* • A Separate Peace by John Knowles • Foundation by Isaac Asimov • The Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher • Bad Sister by Charice Mericle Harper, illustrated by Rory Lucey* • Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen* • Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon • Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown by Steve Sheinkin* • Catfishing on Catnet by Naomi Kritzer • The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene Yelchin* • The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes • One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia • Clementine by Sara Pennypacker • The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor • The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis • My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier • The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katharine Peterson • You Can’t Say That! Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell edited by Leonard S. Marcus* • Kaleidoscope by Brian Selznick* • Uprooted by Naomi Novik • Alien Nation by Sandro Bassi*

If you are ever interested in content warnings or other info on any book I've read, feel free to ask!

Best Picture Books of 2020

I finally caught up with 2020 books. Here is my rather indecisive list of the best of 2020.

1. In the Half Room by Carson Ellis

A half house next to a half tree, filled with half objects, a half cat and even a half person. Reminiscent of Goodnight Moon except whimsical, absurd, and surreal. The more times I read it, the more I loved it! 

1. Sugar in Milk by Thrity Umrigar, illustrated by Khoa Le

A young immigrant girl feels homesick, and her aunt tells her a story. A group of refugees landed in a kingdom where they don't speak the language. The king and the refugees speak through symbols. The king shows them a full glass of milk with "no room for more." The refugees show the king a spoonful of sugar which they drop into the milk. The sugar both dissolves and sweetens without it overflowing. The king allows them in, and they promise to add sweetness to life wherever they are. The girl, upon hearing this story, reenters the world with new eyes. "Nothing had changed. And yet, everything had." She goes about her life offering smiles and kindness--sugar--to all around her. She sweetens both her own life and the lives others, and in the process finds a warm home. 

Could there be a better book for the year we all just went through? I love how the story is not just one story with one thesis/moral/message. There are many stories and many inspirations to be found in its pages. The illustrations are intricate and beautiful. Elaborate patterns are incorporated into clothing and backgrounds and borders. The legend is framed, reminiscent of old parchment, making it easy to distinguish from the modern story. The illustrator communicates well the feelings in the book--the bleakness of solitude, followed by the literal flowering of kindness. 

1. Bunnies on the Bus by Philip Ardagh, illustrated by Ben Mantle

"Bunnies on the Bus! Bunnies on the bus! No wonder there's a fuss about bunnies on the bus!" Every page of this book is jam-packed with bunny havoc. Newspapers, cakes, mail, packages all go flying as they whizz past. The trouble-making bunnies themselves are a bit nuts, hanging out of windows, stuffing carrots into their mouths, chasing after balloons, and the list goes on. And then there are all the stories happening in the background--the front-page escaped convicts conducting another heist, a bear getting ready for a date with his sweetheart, the celebrity hair model lion whose haircut goes terribly wrong (thanks to the bunnies, of course), and this list goes on, too. It rhymes and there's repetition. It's tons of fun all around. 

4. My Best Friend by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

The joys of childhood and friendship captured in one book. It only takes moments for two girls who meet in the park to be best friends. Silliness and imagination abound as the girls quack like ducks, pretend to be a pickle, and turn a leaf into a skeleton hand. But it's not just fun and games. They care for one another, try to make things better for each other, and are still best friends, even when they disagree on ice cream flavors. You can see pure, unadulterated joy shining out of the girls faces as they laugh and play. It's hard not to share in it. 

5. The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita L. Hubbard, illustrated by Oge Mora

 Mary Walker was born into slavery, forbidden to read. At the age of 15, slavery ended in the US, and while technically she was free to learn, the hardships of life prevented her from pursuing her desire. It wasn't until she was 116, after her entire family had died, that she stepped into a reading class and became the oldest student. It's an amazing story, and this picture book tells it beautifully. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Oge Mora, and her illustrations shine as they always do here. Rita Lorraine Hubbard's text is excellent also. It was when I read it aloud that I really noticed the beauty of the text: instances of alliteration, the flow of language, the imagery, the little details that make you stop and think. And there was a lovely circularity to the story. Mary sees birds and dreams of freedom and reading as a child at the beginning, and at the end she has learned to read and flies through the air on an airplane, like one of those birds. Beautiful! 

6. Rita and Ralph's Rotten Day by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Pete Oswald

Rita and Ralph are best friends, but when their play gets a little out of hand and one of them gets hurt, they part ways. Ralph feels bad and Rita is mad. The thing is, in order to get to Rita's house to apologize, there are a number of hills Ralph must climb up and down (4 to be precise), and by the time he goes all that way he's tired and grumpy and doesn't sound particularly sorry. They go back and forth (down the hill and up the hill and down the hill and up the hill and down the hill...) a number of times before finally meeting in the middle in their usual place, both apologizing. Humor is found in the repetitive trips over all those hills, but also in their individual grumpiness. It's a great story about what goes into maintaining friendships when harm, sometimes unintentional and sometimes not, is done. The author's note says, "Nothing feels worse than hurting a friend. Breaking things takes little effort; mending them takes time, humility, and a heap of trips up and down the hills of reconciliation." 

7. Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Shawn Harris

The title says it all. This is a book about a polar bear in the snow. The almost all white paper cut illustrations are all about texture, lighting, and the occasional black accents that define faces. The effects he's able to create are stunning. 

8. Lift by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat

Iris loves to press elevator buttons. She always presses them--that is until her little brother swoops in and starts pushing them instead. Frustrated, she grabs an old elevator button she sees in the trash and so she can press the button in the privacy of her own bedroom, even if it doesn't do anything. Except that when she presses the button, something does happen. Her bedroom door opens to reveal another world. Humor, imagination, and sibling relationships are all in display in this lushly illustrated picture book. 

9. The Fabled Life of Aesop by Ian Lendler, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

Aesop's life was fabled in many ways. Fabled because his name became so well known, fabled because of the fables he told, and fabled because his life itself was a fable. Born a slave, Aesop learned to communicate with his masters through fables. His wisdom was so great that he helped his master become successful both in business and in character. When his master asked if he could reward him, Aesop told another fable, indicating his desire for freedom, which he was granted. It's an incredible story. We don't know if it's really true, but it's inspiring nonetheless. Lendler tells this story well, incorporating Aesop's fables in real-life situations where they might have been used as well as including a collection of fables, some of which are very familiar and others less so. The illustrations are lovely—especially those on glossy pages for the fables themselves. An afterword shares a little historical context and detail.

10. Friday Night Wrestlefest by J. F. Fox, illustrated by Micah Player

"Ladies and gentleman, it's Friday night! That's right. School is out. Dinner was pizza. Annnnd best of all...it's time for...FRIDAY NIGHT WRESTLEFEST Main Event: Battle the Bedtime" Funny, dynamic, saturated with color, this is a ton of fun. And yes, it is a bedtime book. 

10. Prairie Days by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Micah Archer

Big sky and endless prairies are the hallmarks of a childhood in Wyoming, lovingly remembered in Prairie Days. The collage illustrations are vibrant and stunning. 

Honorable Mention:

Bedtime for Sweet Creatures by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall

On Account of the Gum by Adam Rex

Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Josh Cochran

Books of 2020

Books read in 2020: 32
Children's: 15
Teen: 12
Adult: 5 

Well, I'm about to post my picture book list from 2020, so might as well post this one, too. I didn't read for large chunks last year, and sometimes struggled to enjoy reading, but there are a few that stick out as top 10 material. 

Favorite books read in 2020 

1. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The perfect thing for a difficult year. Magical. I relished going back to it and hearing about the young girl trapped (and freed, really) in the body of an old lady, dealing with a wicked wizard and his fire demon. The kind of book I wanted to last and last. (Children's)

2. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Another story that does the soul good. A story of powerful friendship, kindness and bravery. (Children's)

3. Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden
Not only was this very well done, it gave me even more appreciation for our men and women in uniform and what they do for us as Americans and for each other. To quote the author, “Black Hawk Down is a reminder that the seemingly inhuman machine of the American military is made up of individual men and women, often serving at great personal sacrifice even when not thrust into war. The men of Task Force Ranger gave more than will ever be asked of most of us. They deserve to be honored and remembered.” (Adult)

4. It Ain’t So Awful Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas
I read this pre-covid which seems like a lifetime ago, and yet it sticks out not only because I enjoyed reading it so much but because it feels so relevant now despite being set in the 70s. Zomorod, who calls herself Cindy for simplicity's sake, has just moved to Newport Beach, after moving back and forth between her home country, Iran, and the US for her dad's job as an engineer. It isn't easy being different, but life gets even more difficult when Iran has a coup, and Americans are taken hostage, creating a lot of anti-Iran statement in the place Zomorod thinks of as home. And did I mention that it is genuinely funny and entertaining? (Middle Grade)

5. A is for Elizabeth by Rachel Vail
Elizabeth has to make a poster of her name, but because Elizabeth is such a long name with so many different letters, it’s a much harder assignment for her than for Anna, who is not her best friend. Spoiler alert, she makes a poster out of sticks and stones where her name is spelled: AAbmmm!moxooo!Eoo’oAth You’ll have to read it to find out how she got there. I love a good funny and silly early chapter book. A delight! (Children's) 

6. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Mattie Gokey promises a guest at the hotel where she works in upstate New York that she will burn a stack of letters. When that guest is found drowned in the lake the next day, Mattie opens the letters to discover a tragic story that may mean the death was no accident. This premise, which is based on something that really happened, immediately captured me. But this book also deals with Mattie and her own life—the decisions she must make, and how to address her own aspirations and dreams in a world where not all paths seem open. It had a nice feel to it, and I really enjoyed it. (Teen)

Honorable mention:

• Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
• Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
• Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
• Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim

All books read in 2020:

A is for Elizabeth by Rachel Vail • Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens • I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day • Frankly in Love by David Yoon • The Poison Eaters: Fighting Danger and Fraud in our Food and Drugs by Gail Jarrow • Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez • The Phantom Twin by Lisa Brown* • Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha* • It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas • Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy • An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson • Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang* • The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming* • The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima • From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks* • Bloom by Kenneth Oppel* • A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly • My Life as a Potato by Arianne Costner* • The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass • The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf* • Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham • Louisa May Alcott by Susan Cheever • Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park* • Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones • The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol • Number the Stars by Lois Lowry • Thorn by Intisar Khanani • So This is Love: A Twisted Tale by Elizabeth Lim • A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson • Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley* • Stand Up Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim* • Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden

*Published in 2020

I don't include content warnings in my reviews, but feel free to ask.

Picture Books of 2019

1. Field Trip to the Moon by John Hare
A class arrives in a yellow school spaceship to tour the moon, but one child is more interested in drawing than listening to his teacher. When he accidentally gets left behind, he finds there are signs of life his teacher doesn't know about. Funny, wordless, clever, with wonderful art.

1. What is Given From the Heart by Patricia McKissack, illustrated by April Harrison
Beautiful book, through and through. About a family whose response to their own tragedy and hardship is to count their blessings and give to others. "What is given from the heart reaches the heart." I love April Harrison's textured collage illustrations, elongated bodies, and the tender emotions and facial expressions reach the heart just as James's homemade gift does. The world needs more of what's in these pages.

3. Vroom by Barbara McClintock 
Annie hops into her toy car and zooms (or vrooms) off into the diverse destinations of her imagination. Up mountains, through deserts and woods, and even into the big, congested city she goes. Eventually Annie tires, and returns home to go to bed.

4. Gittel’s Journey by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Amy June Bates
Based on the experiences of the author's own family member's, Leslea Newman tells the story of a girl who must travel to America by herself when her mother is prevented from boarding the ship. Beautiful, warm watercolor illustrations capture the story and time period. The story itself is a powerful one, and there's a lovely happy ending.

5. Saturday by Oge Mora
Saturdays are splendid and special because it' the day Ava and her working mother go to the library and the salon and the park. But this particular Saturday just about everything goes wrong, and Ava and her mother realize what Saturday is really about: time spent together. Mora tells the story with just the right amount of repetition in the text and vibrant collage illustrations.

6. Just Because by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
"What is rain?" "Why do the leaves change color?" "Why do birds fly south for winter?" A little girl asks her father all sorts of questions before bed. But instead of brushing it off or saying, "just because," her father invents fanciful and humorous responses, like "the tears of flying fish" and "the trees keep warm by setting quiet little fires in their leaves," etc. The answers just get better and better until it's time for bed. Arsenault’s illustrations are beautiful and whimsical, a perfect match to the fantastical answers. The last question and its answer is another of the beautiful parts of this book, paying tribute to the glorious space of our imagination

7. What is Inside This Box? / That is My Fort by Drew Daywalt, illustred by Olivier Tallec
The first two Monkey and Cake books were released this year, and I think they're primed to take over for now retired Elephant and Piggie as the stars of beginning reading. In the first volume, Daywalt tackles Schrodinger's cat in the form of a box containing a cat which disappears when the box is opened. In the second, Cake builds a fort excluding monkeys, so monkey uses the walls of Cake's fort to create a fort containing everything in the world except what is found inside the walls of Cake's fort. Both funny and very successful with kids, they'll be read over and over.

8. B is for Baby by Atinuke
It reads like an alphabet book just about the letter B, but the sequence of words combined with the illustrations tells the story of a boy who takes a basket of bananas to his baba, unwittingly bringing his baby sister along as she hides in the basket. Adorable and sweet.

9. One Fox: A Counting Book Thriller by Kate Read 
"One famished fox, two sly eyes, three plump chickens..." Rich collage illustrations accompany this counting story that does build suspense before its somewhat unexpected ending.

10. Nine Months: Before a Baby is Born by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Jason Chin
This is a perfect book for that child who wonders what happening in mommy's tummy or wonders how a fertilized egg transforms into a baby. Nine Months takes us through a pregnancy, month by month, showing and telling what is developing in a baby. From week 15-36, the fetus is represented in actual size. The illustrations are wonderful.

Honorable Mention:
Beware of the Crocodile by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura
Spencer's New Pet by Jessie Sima
Daniel's Good Day by Micha Archer

Best Beginning Readers
Monkey & Cake books mentioned above
Charlie and Mouse Even Better by Laurel Snyder
Fox and Chick: The Quiet Boat Ride by Sergio Ruzzier
Snail and Worm: All Day by Tina Kugler 
See Me Play by Paul Meisel

Books of 2019

Books read in 2019: 46
Children's: 16
Teen: 15
Adult: 15
Longest book read: Vanity Fair, 967 pages

And here are my faves:

1. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
It's been a long time since I've loved a book as much as I loved this one. The intertwining stories focus on three women who must face terrible circumstances relying purely on their intelligence and strength of character. Complex, layered, and brilliantly crafted in every way, real world wisdom emerges through the stories. It's a stand alone (hallelujah!) with a slow build to one of the most satisfying endings I have ever read.

2. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
It was a 29-hour listen, and it was worth every minute. Filled with wit and clever writing, spot-on social commentary, interesting characters that jump off the page, and some genuine surprises in the plot, Vanity Fair has the appeal of Jane Austen, but with more bite. (Side note: I watched 3 adaptations of the book this year, and while none is perfect, the one that best captures the story and spirit of the book is the 1998 Andrew Davies BBC miniseries.)

3. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
I was hooked once I read about the bombshell her boyfriend dropped on her, leading to the break up of a relationship she thought would end in marriage. I kept reading because I thought it was so interesting to read a book about therapy itself and therapists, rather than self help or theory. I finished it with a warm, hopeful feeling because of the stories of her patients. Psychological theory and practice are woven seamlessly into the human stories of herself and her patients to create a book that is greater than the sum of its parts.

4. Best Friends by Shannon Hale, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Best Friends is a nuanced portrayal of the author's 6th grade experience, but it’s also about the challenges of navigating the social landscape and emotions of 11-year-old girls. You might think that these challenges are limited to middle school, but I was surprised by how much Shannon's challenges spoke to me in other times in my life as well.

5. Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang
This is one of those books where I think, who needs Hunger Games when there are real dystopias out there? This one is age appropriate and simple enough for a young audience, but still captures the disturbing complexities of authoritarian communist China, where nothing is quite what it seems. And it also has those moments where something she encountered is freakishly comparable to things in the world now.

6. Bloom by Kevin Panetta, illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau
Just the sweetest. A feel good (lgbt) romance that's sweet but not sentimental.

7. A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Interesting, timely, and quite a page turner! Not to mention that the Berlin Wall is a fascinating subject.

8. Pumpkinheads! by Rainbow Rowell, illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks
 Pumpkin spice + carpe diem = this charming, heart-warming read.

9. Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
It shined a light on pieces of history I was ignorant of. It took time developing characters and relationships. It had a compelling mystery. It included real primary resource material. It was enjoyable to read, and those 500+ pages went by in no time!

10. Not If I Can Help It by Carolyn Mackler
I couldn’t wait to get back to this one every time I put it down, not because it was action-packed, but because I cared about the characters and empathized with them so much. Feel good and engaging.

Honorable Mention
Guts by Raina Telgemeier
Candide by Voltaire
The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner
Circe by Madeline Miller
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis
Peter and Ernesto: The Lost Sloths by Peter Annable

All books read in 2019:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley • Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik • Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang • Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown • Cave of Bones by Anne Hillerman • Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee • Crush by Svetlana Chmakova • Turtles All the Way Down by John Green • New Kid by Jerry Craft • Educated by Tara Westover • Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray • Junior High Drama by Louise Simonson and Sumin Cho • Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup • Candide by Voltaire • Far from the Tree by Robin Benway • Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune by Pamela S. Turner • A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen • Front Desk by Kelly Yang • Pilu of the Woods by Mai K. Nguyen* • Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell* • Bloom by Kevin Panetta, illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau* • Naturally Tan by Tan France* • On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family by Lisa See • An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir • The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield • Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis* • Caraval by Stephanie Garber • Click by Kayla Miller* • Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff* • Not if I Can Help It by Carolyn Mackler* • Best Friends by Shannon Hale* • Guts by Raina Telgemeier* • Stargazing by Jen Wang* • The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee* • My Antonia by Willa Cather • This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura* • Pumpkinheads! by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks* • Circe by Madeline Miller • I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib* • Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb* • Peter and Ernesto: The Lost SLoths by Peter Annable* •  The Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds* • Island Book by Justin Dahm* • The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys* • The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner* 

* indicates published in 2019