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Favorite Books of 2019
Dec. 30th, 2019 10:35 pmAs the year closes, it's time to reflect on the past year. For me, that means it's time to name my favorite books that I read in 2019. This time, I had some trouble deciding on my top choices. When I looked back, my Goodreads ratings often did not match how I felt about a book later on. Here are the ones that stuck with me.
Graphic Novels
They Called Us Enemy (George Takei et al.)- This graphic novel powerfully portrays actor and activist George Takei's experience in the World War II Japanese internment camps and his extensive career as an actor and activist. I was totally captivated by this comic, and I insist you read it if you like George Takei and/or want a story about America's incredibly complicated relationship with race and justice. You can read my more detailed and articulate review over on No Flying, No Tights
My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness (Kabi Nagata)- I was reluctant to read this manga about the author's experience using an escort service because I thought the emphasis was going to be on the author's first sexual experience. Instead Kabi Nagata explores intimacy and mental illness in a thoughtful way; Nagata's artwork has simple lines and minimalistic backgrounds; the charm lies in the fact that she is extremely open about her feelings and experiences. She articulated some things I had been thinking about and gave some things on which to reflect. (Note: If you read this and like it, she also has created a series called My Solo Exchange Diary, which continues to explore the ideas she brings up in My Lesbian Experience).
Golden Kamuy (Satoru Noda): This series about an a former Japanese soldier and an Ainu girl assembling the clues to a hidden cache of gold is consistently good across volumes and one that I enjoyed reading over the course of the year. The characterization is strong, particularly the main characters Sugimoto and Asirpa. The story is also a great mix of action, humor, and tender moments. The series can also be very educational--I have learned a lot about wilderness survival and Ainu culture (especially the food)!
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me (Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell): This graphic novel follows a high school girl named Freddie with a girlfriend named Laura Dean; Laura Dean is popular and Freddie really likes her, but her relationship hurts her other friendships. Freddie's struggle to sort out her heart is excellently crafted, and Valero-O'Connell's artwork captures the mood and story really well. The artwork also reminds me of Tillie Walden, whose work you should also check out if you haven't already( my personal favorite is On A Sunbeam)!
Nonfiction:
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death: Mortician Caitlin Doughty travels the world to explore funerary customs and traditions around the world as she tries to find alternatives to the American way of handling death and burial. Equal parts funny, reflective, and fascinating, this was probably one of the most interesting books I read this year.
Rising : Dispatches from the New American Shore: Rising explores how climate change has impacted the American landscape. Journalist Elizabeth Rush excels at both taking the reader into the emotional and social impact of climate and explaining the scientific details of climate change's impact on the environment. This compelling book is worth a read if you want to understand the impact of climate change and related policy on human lives.
Fiction:
Starsight (Brandon Sanderson)- This sequel to science fiction novel Skyward delivered a strong continuation of the main story; I love how Sanderson is continually showing the reader new parts of his worlds, and he definitely delivers in this book with a new alien coalition and further exploration of the humans' roles in this universe. Spensa continues to be a delightful narrator; although she has matured, she's still a bold and impulsive individual with plenty of snark. And now I have to wait over a year for the next book! (Noooooo)
Eliza and Her Monsters (Francesca Zappia): Eliza Mirk is a socially awkward teen who just wants to survive high school and escape to do her own thing without the influence of her family who doesn't understand her. On the Internet, she is Lady Constellation, the creator of the popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. When her two worlds collide, Eliza will have to figure out how to survive and perhaps come out stronger for it. This story explores healthy relationships with your creative projects, mental heath, your sense of self, and interpersonal relationships in a way that I found compelling and relatable. I liked it so much that it stayed on my bedside table so that I could pick it up to re-read.
Graphic Novels
They Called Us Enemy (George Takei et al.)- This graphic novel powerfully portrays actor and activist George Takei's experience in the World War II Japanese internment camps and his extensive career as an actor and activist. I was totally captivated by this comic, and I insist you read it if you like George Takei and/or want a story about America's incredibly complicated relationship with race and justice. You can read my more detailed and articulate review over on No Flying, No Tights
My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness (Kabi Nagata)- I was reluctant to read this manga about the author's experience using an escort service because I thought the emphasis was going to be on the author's first sexual experience. Instead Kabi Nagata explores intimacy and mental illness in a thoughtful way; Nagata's artwork has simple lines and minimalistic backgrounds; the charm lies in the fact that she is extremely open about her feelings and experiences. She articulated some things I had been thinking about and gave some things on which to reflect. (Note: If you read this and like it, she also has created a series called My Solo Exchange Diary, which continues to explore the ideas she brings up in My Lesbian Experience).
Golden Kamuy (Satoru Noda): This series about an a former Japanese soldier and an Ainu girl assembling the clues to a hidden cache of gold is consistently good across volumes and one that I enjoyed reading over the course of the year. The characterization is strong, particularly the main characters Sugimoto and Asirpa. The story is also a great mix of action, humor, and tender moments. The series can also be very educational--I have learned a lot about wilderness survival and Ainu culture (especially the food)!
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me (Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell): This graphic novel follows a high school girl named Freddie with a girlfriend named Laura Dean; Laura Dean is popular and Freddie really likes her, but her relationship hurts her other friendships. Freddie's struggle to sort out her heart is excellently crafted, and Valero-O'Connell's artwork captures the mood and story really well. The artwork also reminds me of Tillie Walden, whose work you should also check out if you haven't already( my personal favorite is On A Sunbeam)!
Nonfiction:
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death: Mortician Caitlin Doughty travels the world to explore funerary customs and traditions around the world as she tries to find alternatives to the American way of handling death and burial. Equal parts funny, reflective, and fascinating, this was probably one of the most interesting books I read this year.
Rising : Dispatches from the New American Shore: Rising explores how climate change has impacted the American landscape. Journalist Elizabeth Rush excels at both taking the reader into the emotional and social impact of climate and explaining the scientific details of climate change's impact on the environment. This compelling book is worth a read if you want to understand the impact of climate change and related policy on human lives.
Fiction:
Starsight (Brandon Sanderson)- This sequel to science fiction novel Skyward delivered a strong continuation of the main story; I love how Sanderson is continually showing the reader new parts of his worlds, and he definitely delivers in this book with a new alien coalition and further exploration of the humans' roles in this universe. Spensa continues to be a delightful narrator; although she has matured, she's still a bold and impulsive individual with plenty of snark. And now I have to wait over a year for the next book! (Noooooo)
Eliza and Her Monsters (Francesca Zappia): Eliza Mirk is a socially awkward teen who just wants to survive high school and escape to do her own thing without the influence of her family who doesn't understand her. On the Internet, she is Lady Constellation, the creator of the popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. When her two worlds collide, Eliza will have to figure out how to survive and perhaps come out stronger for it. This story explores healthy relationships with your creative projects, mental heath, your sense of self, and interpersonal relationships in a way that I found compelling and relatable. I liked it so much that it stayed on my bedside table so that I could pick it up to re-read.
