Over the course of 2019, I read or listened to 114 books. I adored some, loved many, liked many more, and there were only a few I was unexcited about. Here are the best and the rest.
Books I adored
Among my favorite books of the year are some novels (A General Theory of Oblivion, There There, Mockingbird), short stories (What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky), memoirs (The Lights of Pointe-Noire, The Girl who Smiled Beads, How Dare the Sun Rise), autobiography (Barracoon), poetry (The Sea-Migrations: Tahriib), and one graphic novel (Akissi: Tales of Mischief).
Books I loved
I loved a lot of books this year, so I’ll split these into categories.
Nonfiction I loved
Graphic novels and graphic memoirs that I loved
Fiction I loved
Books I really liked
Nonfiction I really liked
Graphic novels and graphic memoirs I really liked
Fiction I really liked
Poems and plays I really liked
Books that I liked (just, you know, not quite as much)
Books that often had a few ideas or images that really spoke to me but that otherwise I couldn’t really figure out. (No regrets!)
Which books did I get wrong? What were your favorites of the year?