No matter how busy I get with teaching or writing, I squeeze in some time for leisure reading. It’s imperative. And I don’t guilt myself for doing so! Here are just a few books I’ve read this year and why I enjoyed them:
Sarah M. Broom’s The Yellow House: A Memoir is my favorite nonfiction book of 2019. Even if Broom hadn’t included photos of her relatives, I could’ve see them. She describes her family members’ personalities so well, I wanted to go to New Orleans and meet as many of them as possible. Broom doesn’t hold anything back. And her family members were equally transparent when she asked them personal questions. The book feels full of raw honesty.
I loved Cheer Up, Mr. Widdicombe by Evan James because it had me cracking up on every page. James sets the tone up so well early on in the novel that each of the interactions between the characters are hilarious to me. Very wealthy characters being foolish is good entertainment. The cover art for Anna Quindlen’s Alternate Side caught my eye while I browsed a bookstore one afternoon. I read 10 pages of the book in the corner of the store and bought it. With a balance of humor and gravity, Quindlen points out how far people will go to secure social status within a small community. She points it out, and she shows how dangerous it can be.
More from A Year in Reading 2019
Don’t miss: A Year in Reading 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005
