Our Favorite 2019 Reads

What books did your librarians love this year? Read on to find out!

The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson

Set in the Iberian Peninsula during the height of the Spanish Inquisition, The Bird King tells the story of Fatima, the sultan’s concubine, and Hassan, the palace mapmaker. When the inquisitors come to the palace, Fatima and Hassan make a daring escape before Hassan’s magical gifts are discovered. What follows is an epic adventure of love, friendship, and found family that is at once fantastical and relatable.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

I have to admit that I am predisposed to love everything Ann Patchett writes. That is my default setting. But the Dutch House checks all the boxes for what I consider a great book. Characters that you want to hug, slap, or invite over for dinner. Or all of the above. A story about a family and a house that demonstrates how that house can be so much more than a structure. It can represent the bones of the family, a symbol connected to love or loss or achievement or abandonment. And a bringing together of people who were flung away and then return to the fold, for comfort, understanding, closure. What a pleasure to read.

Frogcatchers by Jeff Lemire

Jeff Lemire, the writer/illustrator of JUNO and Eisner award-winning graphic novels such as Black Hammer and Essex County, is quickly becoming one of the industry’s most outstanding - and my most anticipated - graphic novelists working today.  And his latest Frogcatchers does not disappoint.  This Stephen King-esque mystery focuses on an old man and a frog catching young boy who unexplainably wake up in a “haunted hotel on the edge of reality,” and must fight, lock-pick, and think their way out of this trapped and strange existence.  Although, there are some doors in this bizarre place that should never be opened… but of course they are!  This book’s for those who enjoy heartfelt tales of mystery, The Twilight Zone, minimalist storytelling and illustrations,  and twist-endings that leave you feeling satisfied.

How to Send Smoke Signals, Pluck a Chicken, & Build an Igloo by Michael Powell

I really loved the concept of this small survival guide that would easily fit in the side pocket of your backpack, which is simply to provide “clear instructions on important life skills to tackle and tame the great outdoors.”  Being a person who only hikes or fishes on occasion, a lot of the skills seemed like outlandish ideas I’d never use.  But as I read more closely, I began to imagine scenarios that could happen to me – and I’d definitely want this little book as a companion.  For instance, if my plane crashed on the side of a freezing mountain and I happened upon a wild sheep, I now know how to properly shear it for its warm fleece without terrifying the poor thing.  Most of the guide does focus on methods of survival like how to start a fire with ice, survive an avalanche, or store food without a fridge, but some just focus on outdoor fun like panning for gold, making bone flutes, and stopping a runaway horse.   Overall, this book is full of sage survival advice you’ll hope you never have to use but will enjoy learning about.       

The Mister by E.L James

Thrilling and Romantic, my kind of book! Loved it!

  

The Other Woman by Sandie Jones

You'll be on the edge of your seat until the very last page!

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

There is a world beneath our world, and it is filled with bees, pirates, and lost love. Zachary Ezra Rawlins is unwittingly thrust into this magical land when he discovers a mysterious book in his university’s library. Every bit as engrossing and imaginative as The Night Circus, The Starless Sea is full of beauty and imagination and love. Readers will find themselves revisiting the places and characters long after they finish.

  

Whisper Man by Alex North

A twisty novel with a ton of suspense.