Novels:

1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
If pushed to choose one book for the year it would probably be this one. I’m already considering re-reading it once I get it back from people I’ve lent it too.

 

 

2. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Agh! So good. I took to Eleanor Oliphant early on, though at first I was unsure of what was happening and where it was going. In the end I was so invested in her story.

 

 

Horror:

3. The Toll by Cherie Priest
One of the overall best novels I read all year and also, in my opinion, a great horror. It’s set in the south, too, so…

 

 

4. The Terror by Dan Simmons
Shares with ‘The Toll’ for best horror this year. I listened to the audio but I liked this book so much that I actually plan to read the book sometime.

 

 

Non-fiction:

5. Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson by Bruce Conforth, and Gayle Dean Wardlow
Blues, man. You’ve got to love this history book that removes the myth and gives you the man. It was more than just Johnson’s story and the blues, it was also a slice of life from southern US around the thirties.

 

6. NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman (on Goodreads)
If you, or someone you know, has autism or aspergers then you may enjoy this book which is essentially a history book. A long, heavy one though.

If you just want to learn about Aspergers Syndrome, rather than the history then The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome by Aussie specialist Tony Attwood is a better choice.

7. Overdevelopment, Overpopulation, Overshoot by Tom Butler (Editor)
A book of photography with a few words, this one was a wake up call.

 

 

 

8. Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia by Anita Heiss
This should be mandatory reading for non-indigenous Aussies.

 

 

 

Classics:

9. Animal Farm by George Orwell (on Goodreads)
This was a re-read but was straight up the best classic I read this year (of admittedly only four books – I’m going for more in 2020 :P).

 

 

 

Cosy Mystery:

10. Southern Spirits (Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries #1) by Angie Fox
This was my favourite cosy mystery of the year. I’ve since read another of Fox’s from the same series and I plan to read more.

 

 

 

And now a few extras that were fab 🙂

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton (with Stig Wemyss narrating on the audiobook)
A novel that’s hard to explain but, wow. If I’d known what was coming I would have read the book but instead I listened to the audio on this one – it was fabulous anyway.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
A very enjoyable novel about family dynamics and more.

The Rip by Mark Brandi
Mark brandi is quite the storyteller. This book, aussie crime or aussie noir novel perhaps, was GOOD.

The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) by Graeme Simsion (on Goodreads)
Tillman’s first book was a surprise. I started it without knowing that it was about a man with undiagnosed Aspergers trying to find love. It was quite a treat. Heartwarming and funny at times.

The Best Kind of Beautiful by Frances Whiting
A quirky book about quirky people. Very enjoyable.

Covet (Makedde Vanderwall #3) by Tara Moss (on Goodreads)
Easy read, creepy serial killer crime mystery series. The First one was great, second was okay. But this third one popped back up to ‘awesome story!’

The Hunger by Alma Katsu (on Goodreads)
Another good horror that had the horror part, like The Terror, woven into a true story.

Fentanyl, Inc.: how rogue chemists are creating the deadliest wave of the opioid epidemic by Ben Westhoff
A frightening non-fiction history of synthetic drugs and how they are making the ‘war on drugs’ a bigger impossibility.

Educated by Tara Westover (on Goodreads)
I found Westover to be very likeable and I could relate to her. It was in inspiring memoir.

Dry by Augusten Burroughs (on Goodreads)
I just like Burroughs’ writing. Even when things are awful he manages to be honest and funny.

Ted Bundy: The Only Living Witness by Stephen G. Michaud, and Hugh Aynesworth
I was annoyed that this seemed to be an old book rehashed BUT it was interesting and scary as f***.

What about you – what were some of your favourite books from your 2019 reading?