Books I read in 2019
Happy Friday! If you’re one of the people who went back to work this week I hope it wasn’t too terrible. If you’re still blissfully on holidays, hope you’re relaxing like a pro. Maybe with a book or two?
One of my big commitments in 2019 was to read more. I’ve always been a massive reader, but you know you go through phases of not reading or life gets in the way… or my case, I let streaming services take over that time. ;)
I used goodreads to set my 2019 reading challenge of 26 books for the year - one every two weeks should be achievable. The great thing was once I got back into regular reading I was very uninterested in watching TV, it’s so nice to do something analogue.
I didn’t quite make it to 26 books… so close at 25! I would have reached it but some urgent work came up at the end of the year that put me off my goal. So I’m aiming higher in 2020 - 30 books! ;D
Here’s what I read:
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton - this one was rushing up the bestseller lists all 2019 it would be hard not to know about Boy Swallows Universe. I had heard Trent speak at a panel and was immediately hooked by his stories and wanted to read this book straight away. I think I devoured it in about four days
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - I was super late to the party with this one, I really don’t know why it took me so long to get to it because it was faaaaaaabulous. It’s one of those books you wish you could read for the first time over again.
The Mummy Bloggers by Holly Wainwright - As a listener of a few Mamamia podcasts, I wanted to read this one because I’m a big fan of Holly Wainwright and this is her first novel (support local authors!). This book is pretty on point for the time it was written, so I found it an easy read to get lost in in the world of bloggers.
My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite - I discovered this book at Adelaide Writers Week when I heard Oyinkan talk - she was amazing. I immediately had to read it and then I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening in my hotel room reading it and finished it in about four hours.
Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales - Leigh Sales… what more can I say? Any Ordinary Day tells a series of stories of people who have faced extremely tragic situations and how they began those days just like normal. It’s actually quite a hopeful and uplifting book that gives you real insight to what every day people can face in the aftermath of tragic situations.
One Hundred Years of Dirt by Rick Morton - Omg, this was a real eye-opener for me, Rick Morton is well-known Australian journalist who writes about his upbringing in remote Australia and what generational poverty looks like. A must read for anyone who has been lucky enough to never experience this kind of poverty or isolation.
Flights by Olga Tokarczuk - this book has won a bunch of awards including the International Booker Prize, but honestly I really didn’t like this book. It’s super long and quite tedious a read… I only persevered because I didn’t want to let it defeat me.
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari - Great book! Another one that a lot of people have read. If you’ve ever heard Yuval talk in interviews he’s super interesting to listen to. I really want to pick up his other two in this trilogy. I wouldn’t say it was the easiest book to read - there’s a lot of history and facts and figures! But it’s definitely worth picking up at some point.
Thirty Thousand Bottles of Wine and a Pig Called Helga by Todd Alexander - Ever dreamed of running off and running a winery? Me too… until I read this book! Todd and his partner leave corporate Sydney life to run a winery in the Hunter Valley… but have never been on a farm… so yeah, it’s a hilarious read about how they made it work. High-fives to them for doing so, because I’m pretty sure there are about six hurdles they confront in the book that would make me turn around and give up!
From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage by Judith Brett - Definitely worth a read if you’re at all interested in Australian history and how our voting system works… and generally how disorganised our political system has been since colonisation. Judith takes you a journey from the beginnings of our voting system all the way through to, well… our democracy sausage day.
The Year of Less by Cait Flanders - I picked this one up because I followed Cait Flanders’ blog, back when she blogged about getting on top of her spending, out of control debt and consuming too much stuff. This one wasn’t quite what I was expecting - but if you’ve ever read her blog probably nothing in this book would be new information.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris - I first heard about this book when Heather Morris was interviewed on Conversations, it’s a novel based on the real life of a Auschwitz surviver and how he met his wife inside the concentration camp. Not just about the horror that took place at that time, but also about the people who inhabited the camps and the relationships they built and how they looked after each other.
The Pants of Perspective by Anna McNuff - I picked this up while I was in New Zealand, the memoir of a UK runner who decided to run the entire length of New Zealand. Look… I had higher hopes for this book and it was a tedious read - particularly the parts about her not preparing all that much for running cross-country in a foreign country with supplies… didn’t really do it for me.
The Martian by Andy Weir - Seriously. Stop reading and go get this book or download it on your e-reader now. Stop. Go. I’ll wait… Probably one of the best books I have read this year. It’s super smart and witty and hilarious! Yes… and science fiction. A book I would read again.
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - At the Lifeline Bookfest (held every six months in Brisbane, Ipswich, Gold Coast and Toowoomba… it’s coming up very soon btw, keep an eye out) I kept coming across the Alexander McCall Smith novels, amongst a sea of the usual suspects discarded to charity. I was aware of them and they were always on my ‘I should read that sometime’ list, so I picked up about four or five of them since they were only $1 each! Omg… why did it take me so long to get into these? They are wonderful! And the best bit is there’s about 19 books in the series, so I can read about a lady detective in Botswana for ages! They’re only about 250 pages each and very simply written, but say so much. Charming, cute and insightful are probably all words to describe these works. Such a pleasure to read.
Smashed Avocado by Nicole Hadden - People’s finance stories really interest me so I found this one particularly interesting. Nicole just turns 30 and realises she has a heap of debt and no savings or significant assets. This is her story about how she overcame her spending issues and bought herself a property.
Paris and Other Disappointments by Adam Rozenbachs - A comedians hilarious trip to Europe with his father (who has never travelled anywhere). Another one I discovered via Conversations - both the interview and book are hilarious.
The Joyful Frugalista by Serina Bird - I have to be honest, didn’t like this book at all. It’s about frugal living and I’m all about that and finance stories… but there really was nothing super inspired in this one for me. Others might have a different experience, but I kinda know that you get cheaper veggies from the market and sewing (if you have the skill) can be used to modify secondhand clothing and all that saves money. Probably about as indepth as it gets I’m afraid.
The Land Before Avocado by Richard Glover - Do you have a parent or older relative who romanticises about life back in the 50s, 60s, 70s? This is the book for them (and you, so you can tell them it wasn’t so great, soz). Richard Glover tells stories about what life was really like back in the ‘good ol’ days’ in a humorous way. Definitely an entertaining read!
Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner - I picked this one up in Melbourne after Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales talked about it on their podcast; even the bookshop girl told me she couldn’t stop thinking about it. It’s definitely an interesting read, but I’m still not sure how I feel about this book - whether I liked or disliked it. I guess I can say it’s very interesting.
Depends What You Mean By Extremist by John Safran - This one has been sitting on my shelf for two years, but then I saw John Safran again at the Brisbane Festival and immediately came home and picked it up. As always, Safran’s fence view of both sides (left and right) is super insightful and maybe makes you question some assumptions that you have about right-wing and lift-wing sides of an argument.
The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village by Joanna Nell - I got this one free from people handing it out the train station for Australian Reading Hour. It’s a bit of a nanna book… but I secretly love a nana book. It’s a cute and funny and is comforting to know that when I reach 80 I’ll probably be the same person I am now.
Banking Bad by Adele Ferguson - Hot off the press (think it first went on sale August 2019 - doesn’t get any fresher than that). A horrifying read about the Australian Banking Royal Commission - how we got there, what happened to warrant it and what happened as a result. By the journalist who broke the story. Not a light read!
The Weekend by Charlotte Wood - Another nanna book, another recommendation from Annabe Crabb and Leigh Sales. I’m still mulling over this one… I’ll be going to a book club about this one in March so I’m looking forward to seeing how others feel about the story. Stay tuned.
Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith - See above my ravings for number 15 - same applies to this book.
