It’s the flip side of a lovely, low-key Thanksgiving, and we’re on the looooong trek home (after deciding to just power through and tackle the drive in one day).
In total, with our handful of kiddo potty and food stops, it will be an 8.5 hour drive (with a longer one ahead of us in a few weeks at Christmas), and though it’s been manageable, it’s just not our favorite thing to do. We’re so not road trippers for funsies. Necessity only.
Alas...distance is one of the downsides of our move to San Antonio, so it just is what it is. But I’ve been trying my best to spin our new downsides into a positive light. And one major positive of a lengthy car ride is...
READING.
The official, non-human love of my life.
(Along with chocolate and coffee.)
So.
Since I hardly took any pics over Thanksgiving (rare, I know!), I’ll instead spend a bit of car time sharing some of my favorite reads of 2019.
Now.
In case I haven’t mentioned it on this here blog before, I love reading (massive understatement of the century).
Going through my Kindle just now, to identify my faves, I counted 45 books I’ve read in 2019. I just can’t get enough. And admittedly, I’m a romance and young adult and general fiction fan, so that might not be everybody’s jam, but If you’re interested, here are some fantastic options.
First up...the one I just finished a few hours ago:
Instead of just giving you a blurb like you could get from the back cover, I’ll tell you what I adored most about each book.
With this one, the heroine is a literal hero. A totally rockstar firefighter and paramedic in a world dominated by men. Add to that a love story between the heroine and a fellow firefighter (totally problematic and taboo for many reasons), and it was golden.
Bonus: the author’s hubby is a volunteer firefighter, so this was rife with awesomesauce details and amazing tidbits the average human doesn’t know. So cool and a beautiful story.
Next...
Okay, I’ll just say that I enjoy a historical romance every now and then, but I don’t always love that whole women-are-totally-submissive-and-have-no-life-options-or-voice theme throughout many of them. And they tend to have a bit of cheesy dialogue. Two not-great things. And the total opposite of this historical romance, that managed to be modern.
It’s set in 1890-ish England, when women are already fighting for the vote, so it’s not your typical regency romance of the early 1800’s. These ladies have brains and spunk (a word I kinda loathe, but it works here)—and yeah, sure, you get some dukes and lords and ladies and all the frivolity and pining of that—but in a more contemporary setting with vastly more contemporary conversations and language. With some history thrown in.
Bonus: a lot of it takes place during the holidays, so it was a perfect read for this time of year—and the hero was so delicious and admirable, it was so much fun to watch him fall so hard. Swoon.
Next up...
Okay, this author officially rose to the top of my ranks with this book, which blew me out of the water. What I love the most in any read (and I must have some sort of love story in my reads) is the longing and the angst. Oh, man, do I love me some angst. And this had it in spades.
Bonus/bonus: not one but two swoon-worthy and majorly angsty love options, and at times, you found yourself rooting for one guy over the other (although, let’s be real, I always had my fave). And the heroine had so much sass she was oozing it (in the best, possible way).
It’s one that I will hands-down go back and read in about a year or so. Deep sigh.
So thank goodness, I also had this book to read and love, by the same author:
Okay, so the glorious thing about this book was the unfiltered relationship between the two main characters. They are total, accidental open books with one another, and it made for such hilarious and deeply romantic moments.
Bonus: the extra-glorious thing about this read is that the hero isn’t your typical alpha male. He’s the friend to the alpha males. But it’s a strong and addictive lesson that attractiveness has to do with so many things (not just some status a as cliche billionaire or playboy or 6 foot five beefcake), and this guy was so fantastic in owning what he, specifically had to offer.
Next up...let’s switch gears and plug the last book in a young adult fantastic trilogy I loved:
I always sum this up as fairies, but dark and kind of evil fairies, ha.
Basically, it’s a human girl who grows up in the land of fairy, which is a particularly vulnerable position to be in. But she’s a master strategist at navigating her survival behind the scenes, and naturally, there’s lots o’ drama.
Bonus: it’s always so fun to read an immersive story set in a whole new world, and this particular fairy land had a lot to deal with. Add to that the fact that fairies can’t lie, but humans can, and there was some particularly engrossing dialogue, and the love story between the two main characters was wrought with—you guessed it—angst.
Okay, now...totally switching gears, here’s one that I was so far behind the times in reading;
The main character is a brilliant professor, on the autistic spectrum, and his methodical, scientific plan to find a wife could only lead to...disastrous, hilarious outcomes—and beautiful love in its own right. Wish I would have picked it up when it came out a few years ago.
Bonus: It’s currently being turned into a movie, and after learning of the possible casting of Ryan Reynolds, I laughed even harder during some scenes of the book, imagining his dry, hilarious delivery of pretty much every word that comes out of his mouth.
Next up...
This book is the latest by my favorite duo authors (two women who write together, brilliantly), and honestly, I don’t have much to say except this: I’ve read every book (about 20 now?) they’ve ever written, and I’ll continue to do so. ‘Nuf said.
This book is the latest by my favorite duo authors (two women who write together, brilliantly), and honestly, I don’t have much to say except this: I’ve read every book (about 20 now?) they’ve ever written, and I’ll continue to do so. ‘Nuf said.
Next...
Okay, I just love a book where the leads are friends (albeit, friends with major chemistry) before letting it get romantic. And these two were fantastic.
I suppose it’s saying something that when I read 40-50 books a year, and all of them have some love story, this one rose to top when it’s not some high-intensity, epic tale.
It’s just a good story, with characters you love and root for, a touch of angst, and a happy ending. :) Who can ask for more?
And now, for the final two, let’s head into royal territory...
This one was so fun because it takes the idea of George Washington becoming not the first American President, but the first American King, and runs with it.
For the first chapter or two, I was worried it might be a little cheesy with such a hard-to-imagine premise, but as soon as I waded through the new, made-up history, and met the present-day Washington “royals” ruling the country, it was so easy to get sucked in.
Bonus: there were not one, not two, but three characters (maybe four?) with their own love stories to follow. So there was plenty of angst and longing—and, yeah, sure, the raucous fun of a class of super-privileged young adults—to enjoy. Even better—it was the first book in a planned series, so the story is far from over.
Now, last, but certainly not least...
This was one of the first books I read this year, and hands down one of my faves, and one that set the bar way high.
It’s a male/male love story (and anybody who’s wary of that need not be), and it was just awesomesauce. Basically, it’s the son of the American president, and the son of the British monarch...falling in love.
Naturally, a lot o’ lot o’ lot of problems ensue. But holy goodness is the dialogue in this one just so sharp and witty and wildly hilarious and entertaining. Like, snort-laugh level entertaining. And full of authentic politic maneuvering as well, so it didn’t at all feel fake. And still explores so deeply, and on a grande scale with consequences, the challenge of some people yearning to love who they love, without judgment.
Oh! And I forgot! One last one, that’s actually the start of a seven-book series...
Okay, now. This one had been on my radar for ages, but I’d resisted, because honestly: 1) despite that absolute cliche, the cover didn’t really draw me in, and, 2) I don’t typically swoon for bearded book heroes.
But, thank heavens I got over those hesitancies and dove in, because this series is a gem. Tennessee. Six manly (and, yes, bearded) brothers—plus a bonus sister. Seven fantastic books with unique stories and challenges.
I mean...is there anything better than really burrowing in with a literary family that you love and get to stay with for that many books??? N’yope.
And I sort of loved that it was set exactly where my older bro lived for years (in real life), so I had the prefect mental image of everything.
Despite trying not to have favorites, I totally did: Book 1, Book 3, and Books 6/7 (about the same characters) were definitely my faves. But I loved them all. Even the beards. ;)
Okay, peeps. Thanks to this looooong drive home and the time I was able to take to draw up this list, you have some of my fave reads of the year.
Dive in, and ENJOY. (And swoon.)
HAPPY SATURDAY, peeps!
Over and out.
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