With the end of the year mere day’s away and my annual “Year in Books” email from Goodreads fresh in my inbox, there’s no better time than now to share my favorite reads of the past year. I seldom read new releases so understand that this is not a “best of” list. It’s simply a way for me to highlight my favorite books that passed across my nightstand in 2019. As I said last year, they’re not necessarily the best-written, but they each share something in common: I didn’t forget reading them. In fact, I probably recommended each of them several times throughout the year.

But before we get to the books, here’s some fun stats about my 2019 reading, care of Goodreads. Page counts and reader counts should be taken with a splash of salt.

Books Read: 34
Pages Read: 11,001
Shortest Book: 121 pgs – BookBub Ads Expert by David Gaughran
Longest Book: 800 pgs – Arcade Perfect by David L. Craddock
Most Popular: 3,691,841 People Also Read – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Least Popular: 3 People Also Read – The Red Virgin by Clark McCann
My Average Rating Given: 3.9 Stars

Now, on to my favorite books that I read in the past year, listed in alphabetical order by title.

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy (1992)

As with Michener last year, this was my first time reading McCarthy but won’t be the last. In fact, I’ve already begun The Crossing, the second book in his western Border Trilogy in which All the Pretty Horses is a part of. McCarthy writes in a style unlike anyone I’ve ever read and All the Pretty Horses was certainly a difficult-at-times book to read. This was not only due to the author’s sparse use of dialogue tags, but also for the extensive inclusion of untranslated Spanish. Yet, there is a mesmerizing quality to the prose as it is at once minimalist and expansive, sprinkling poetic seventy-word sentences in amongst machine-gun dialogue and action. It’s about as masculine a style as I’ve ever encountered and I highly recommend reading it. [Buy Here]

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (2016)

When a painter survives a plane crash  — and manages to save the son of a wealthy news network chief by swimming several miles through the night to Long Island — he finds himself embroiled in a media war pitting a conservative news personality against him and the celebrity heiress who was so impressed with his heroism that she takes him in. Though the characters in the book are clearly inspired by Bill O’Reilly and Paris Hilton types, the mystery surrounding the plane crash, how the protagonist survived, and the description of the harrowing swim to safety made the book easy to remember. Some may not appreciate the commentary on celebrity worship or conservative media’s rush to point a distrusting finger at behavior that runs counter to their instincts, but I found it both authentic and done deftly. [Buy Here]

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (2014)

Easily my favorite non-fiction read of the year, and one I’ve been aiming to get around to for quite some time. The Boys in the Boat is about the nine boys from the University of Washington who, from all manner of humble beginnings, found themselves rowing for a gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. This wonderfully researched book takes you through three rowing seasons, following each of the young men as they journey from neophytes to Olympic Champions, all the while contending with the Great Depression. I learned so much about crew reading this book, but also about Seattle during the depression era and the construction of Grand Coulee Dam (which we visited this past August for the first time). This is a first-rate book and worth reading for anyone with even a passing interest in Olympic sports. [Buy Here]

Less by Andrew by Sean Greer (2017)

That it won the Pulitzer is probably all I need to say relating to the quality of the writing, so let me get on with the description. Arthur Less, the title character, is a struggling author about to turn 50. As if things weren’t going bad enough for him, he receives a wedding invitation from his boyfriend of the past nine years. Rather than attend, Less embarks on an expansive trip, accepting a number of invites to half-baked literary events and teaching assignments around the world. What follows is a hilarious and heart-breaking story of travel mishaps, cultural faux-pas, and love lost and found. It’s the first book I’ve read featuring a gay protagonist in which his gayness was a focal point instead of character trait and I came away entertained and, dare I say, a tad bit more informed. [Buy Here]

Mrs. Hemingway by Naomi Wood (2014)

This is an exquisitely written story about the four wives of Ernest Hemingway that reads as much like a novel as it does a documentary. His first wife, Hadley, made famous in The Paris Wife, was but one of the four women who found themselves married to the great writer … and the even greater philanderer and drinker. The story is tragic, exhilarating, and wonderfully researched. The four women couldn’t have been more different, but the thrills and heartaches they experienced had plenty in common. Whether a fan of Hemingway’s work or not is irrelevant. This is ultimately a tragic love story that provides a tour of the 20th century, from French cafes to Cuban villas, with one of the most famous men in modern history serving as a fellow passenger. [Buy Here]

Next on My Nightstand

As mentioned above, I dove into The Crossing the very morning after finishing All the Pretty Horses and I may well continue bingeing on McCarthy for some time.

But what about you? What was your favorite read of the past year? What are you anxious to read next? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on social media. I’m always looking for recommendations … despite the limitless bounds of my to-read list.

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