The Top 5 Books I read in 2019

For over three years now, I've been using the amazing app/website Goodreads. Not only is it wonderful for rating and reviewing books and giving you recommendations, it also has a way of motivating you to read more. You can set a goal each year of how many books you want to read. This helped me a lot. In 2019, I set my reading target to 50 books (that's quite ambitious). Sadly, I was only able to read 33. Depending on what kind of person you are, you may be going "hey that's still pretty good" or "that's pathetic lmao".

Even if you don't meet your target, Goodreads will give you a "year in books" page at the end of the year that will make you nostalgic as it lists all the books you read that year. For this post, I carefully considered what 5 books out of the 33 I've read are worth recommending to other people. I've tried to make sure these 5 titles I chose were diverse so that they could appeal to many different types of readers. Most of these books are also pretty contemporary, which I think is important. Of course you should read classics. The classic literary cannon represents some of the best books of all time, but I find it a little annoying that people who are big readers focus so much on classics and never take a look at books by contemporary writers. Some of them are super talented and their work deserves more attention. Lets have a look at my first recommendation. But before that, please follow me on Goodreads so you can keep up with more of my reviews and also... some of my own novel writing projects ;)
https://www.goodreads.com/aztecatl13 

1: Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge 

I picked this up back in February (Black History Month). The author is very famous in the feminist community for talking about feminism from a black woman's perspective. She is a journalist in the UK, so a lot of this book dealt with history and problems that the UK faces when it comes to racism. I found the point of view that this book presented to be refreshing to read. It's written in a very unapologetic and straightforward tone. The book is absolutely essential reading for anyone who believes racism and colonialism are history, as it will convince you that it is not a thing of the past. 

2: Circe by Madeline Miller

This book was on the staff recommendations shelf of every Coles/Indigo/Chapters bookstore I went to this year, so at some point I was like "okay I guess I'm going to spend my birthday giftcard on this". It is an epic novel in which the characters are all from Greek mythology. If you don't know much about Greek mythology, this is a very lively and entertaining way to get into it. Circe is a nymph, a daughter of Helios. She is immortal like the gods yet she does not have any magical powers, which makes her similar to mortals in a way. She has trouble fitting in with both gods and mortals, and because of this and the fact that she gets banished to an island, she feels very lonely. The benefit of being banished to an island is that she discovers she has a knack for witchcraft and practices her healing skills. This book has some of the most beautifully written prose I've ever seen, which would be my main reason for recommending it. So if you love gorgeous, poetic descriptions, mythology, and if you're an emotional, romantic and feelsy person, this novel would be perfect for you. 

3: A Bride's Story Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori 

Here's a stunning historical manga set in Central Asia that you won't be able to put down. Kaoru Mori has extensively researched the nomadic tribes of Central Asia. The manga is "slice of life", which means the focus of the series is more on the daily lives of the characters in ordinary situations rather than creating a complicated plot. This means you learn a lot of fun facts about the cultures in the book and you have a lot of time to admire the beautiful artwork, which has been drawn in painstaking detail. For example, the Persian carpet weaving tradition is shown and the the intricate patterns on the carpets are drawn. A lot of attention to people's clothings and the natural surroundings is also given. The result is breathtaking. It's a very wholesome book that anyone who likes the historical or slice of life genre or just looking at pretty art should read. 

4: 21 Things You May not Know about the Indian Act by Bob Joseph 

Here's a very serious book that I think all Canadians should read. The author wrote an article online about the Indian Act that went viral, so he decided to expand on it and write this book, which quickly became a national bestseller. It helps to clear up a lot of misconceptions about First Nations people. A lot of it is going to make you sad or angry, but it is absolutely essential to know about. The author also runs Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. which helps people work effectively with Indigenous Peoples in their day to day jobs (their clients include Fortune 500 companies and the World Bank). 

5: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson 

I love reading all genres except for two: business books and self-help guides. They always sound cheesy and ridiculous, yet I decided to give this self-help book a try when I was in a low point in my life. It's quite amazing. The main principle is that you have a limited number of f*cks in your life to give. That doesn't mean you shouldn't give a f*ck about anything, or you won't be able to form any meaningful connections with the people in your life. It means giving your f*cks very selectively. Even if you don't feel sad all the time, this book is worth reading for the humor alone. It's hilarious, something which most self-help books aren't. 

So there you have it, my top 5 picks for 2019. Don't forget to follow me on Goodreads! 

Did you manage to meet your 2019 reading goal? What were some of your favourite books?