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HeartWood
A blog about cultivating
creativity, connection and contentment
wherever you are

My Ten Most . . . Whatever . . . Books of 2019

12/4/2019

15 Comments

 
In keeping with my December tradition, I've compiled a year-end list of memorable books I've read over the past twelve months. I don't rank my selections, concurring on that point with author Neil Gaiman, who believes picking five favorite books is like "picking the five body parts you'd most like not to lose."
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Instead, I list books I've found memorable for any of a number of reasons: the writing is exceptional, the story is engrossing, the tale is told in an unusual way, or the book just stayed with me for reasons I can't explain. The books that make the list aren't the only good books I've read over the course of the year; several others always stand out in memory. My decision of which to include here is arbitrary, but I try to pick ones I think HeartWood readers may also enjoy.

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The books listed here weren't all published in the past year. One has a publication date of 2009; the others were all published in the past six years. 

I never set out to read books that conform to particular themes, but when I look back at what I've read, I do notice common threads. A number of these books are testaments to perseverance and the ability to overcome adversity, from physical injury to neglect to dysfunction and abuse. Sounds like heavy stuff, I know, but I found all of these books inspiring in one way or another.

Just as I wrote this time last year and the year before, I'm not really sure what to call this list. My Most Want-to-Tell-You-About-Them Books of 2019? Or simply A Bunch of Books I Read This Year and Actually Remember Something About?
​Whatever you want to call it, here it is:

Ten Something-or-Other Books I Read in 2019 
​(in the order in which I read them)

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Georgia Under Water: Stories by Heather Sellers
Anytime I see Heather Sellers's byline on an essay or short story in The Sun magazine or elsewhere, I put that piece of writing at the top of my to-read pile. Her honesty and clarity in writing about her unconventional upbringing and life challenges make for riveting stories. The short stories in this collection are fiction, but the protagonist seems to have a lot in common with real-life Heather in her youth. The stories are strange and edgy, yet utterly believable. Especially masterful: Sellers's depiction of the physicality of puberty -- a young girl's startling growth spurts and awkward grace. 

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King of Doubt by Peter Gibb
HeartWood readers may remember Peter from his guest post on mindful conversation. King of Doubt will introduce you to younger versions of Peter on his journey from self-doubt to wonder and joy. There are laugh-out-loud moments (young boys discussing how babies are made) and flat-out gorgeous and evocative passages (one in particular in a section about a Ferris wheel). Though Peter's story ventures into darkness, it emerges into hope, and it left me feeling uplifted.

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Everyday Book Marketing: Promotion ideas to fit your regularly scheduled life by Midge Raymond
This one's pure practicality. I include it for any other authors or aspiring authors looking for guidance on book promotion. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, the transition from writer to author to book promoter is not a natural one for most of us. This book offers tips on what to do before publication, as well as during and after book launch. Best of all, the emphasis is on keeping the seemingly endless tasks manageable. In addition to Raymond's advice, the book includes Q&As with authors and other experts -- event coordinators, a publicist, a librarian -- who offer additional helpful suggestions.

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Reckless Steps Toward Sanity A Memoir by Judith Sara Gelt
Full disclosure: Judith is a friend. We met at a writers' conference in 2013, discovered we were at about the same point in writing our memoirs, and kept in touch during the process of drafting, revising, and publishing our books. However, I'm not including her book here simply because she's a friend. It truly is a standout in my mind. As I wrote in my Goodreads review: "With a mother incapacitated by bipolar disorder; a remote, controlling, inappropriately-behaving father; and inaccessible older siblings, Judith Sara Gelt must find her own way in the world. It’s no wonder she takes wrong turns and winds up in some dark and dangerous places. In this honest, unflinching memoir, Gelt takes readers right into those places to witness at close range the choices she comes to regret — and to understand why there are some she never will. Though often disturbing, this girl-to-woman’s story is, in the end, inspiring. Readers will find hope in Gelt’s ability to emerge from her painful past whole and capable of great tenderness."

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Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
If you'd asked me a couple of years ago if I'd like to read a book about a cemetery populated by ghosts, I'd have said, "Ummm, not really." Yet I'm here to tell you I have read -- and enjoyed -- not one, but two such books. The first was George Saunders's Lincoln in the Bardo, which I included on my 2018 year-end book list. This year, it's Niffenegger's compelling tale set in London's Highgate Cemetery. Though reviews from other readers and critics are mixed -- some feeling this work falls short of Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife -- I found it imaginative, quirky, and artful.

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Detroit Hustle: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Home by Amy Haimerl
I'll read just about any book about Detroit, yet not all end up on my most-memorable list. This one was an un-put-downable delight. Transplanted Brooklynites Haimerl and her husband sink their savings -- and a lot more -- into an abandoned 1914 Georgian Revival house. Detroit Hustle is the story of a house that becomes a home (though not easily or cheaply), a city in transition, and most of all, a sense of place and belonging.

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Prognosis: A Memoir of My Brain by Sarah Vallance
Thrown from a horse, Vallance, a PhD with a high-level career, suffers a traumatic brain injury that causes her IQ to plummet and her personality to change. At first, she accepts the dire prognosis she's given, believing there's no hope of recovery. Fortunately, she eventually rejects that view and begins rehabilitating herself. Her memoir is a remarkable story of perseverance. 

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Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
A New York Times bestseller, one of President Obama's favorite books of 2018, praised by Bill Gates and just about every reviewer in the universe, this book hardly needs my endorsement. But here it is anyway. Raised in a survivalist, fanatically religous family that mistrusts formal education, yet provides little in the way of home schooling, Westover somehow manages to extricate herself and make up for the astonishing gaps in her knowledge of life and the world we live in. This story bears witness to the power of learning.

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Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
You didn't think I could leave Anne Tyler out of a memorable-books roundup, did you? Her latest novel, published last year, is delightfully quirky in that inimitable Anne Tyler way. With a cast of offbeat, yet convincing characters and a compelling tale of self discovery that spans fifty years, this is a dance I just couldn't sit out.



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Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh
The title neatly sums up Smarsh's story, but there's so much more to this widely-acclaimed best-seller. It's at once a deeply personal story and a sociological treatise on the plight of America's rural poor and the complex mix of factors that keep them stuck in cycles of poverty. I'm descended from hard-working, rural folks like Smarsh's family, yet her book opened my eyes to aspects of their lives I had never fully appreciated.

Now it's your turn. Tell me about the books you read this year.
15 Comments
George Hastings link
12/4/2019 09:10:55 am

Turtles All the Way Down

Reply
Nan
12/5/2019 05:39:44 am

Good addition, George. Another one for my to-read list.

Reply
Laura B
12/4/2019 10:28:29 am

Informative! Didn't know about Anne Tyler's new book, so thank you. I don't read much memoir, no real reason why not, but after Mango Rash, I'll read more, and all of these sound really interesting. I have to say, it was one of my top 2019 books, and it introduced me to new genre. Are we talking about books released this year, or books read this year?

Reply
Nan
12/5/2019 05:40:19 am

Not necessarily books released this year, just books read this year.

Reply
Katherine
1/3/2020 03:03:47 pm

Memoirs are my favorite genre, so I was delighted to see Nancy had included several in her list. I'm not sure when/if I'll tackle Educ ated. My daughter's retelling as she was reading was stressful enough. I'll have to be in the mood.

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Nan
1/8/2020 08:36:19 am

Educated is worth tackling, in my opinion. But you do need to be in the right frame of mind.

Linda J Garrison
12/5/2019 12:41:18 am

I loved Educated! What an incredible accomplishment! I was traveling through Utah when I listened to the audio book!
I also enjoyed Michelle Obama's book, Becoming.
I always ask my elementary students, what is their favorite genre to read. When they ask me ,I tell them I love to read about nouns! People Places and Things. I love biographies and historical events and people in the places I travel. I always buy "Local" author's novels, with the setting in the local area. However I also love a good mystery, thriller with all the twists and turns. A little romance can be included in any novel, but romance novels are not my preference
"The Other Einstein" was very good. Others include "the Keeper of Lost Causes", "Watchers" "Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn"
My favorite composer is Beethoven, a book I have started is Beethoven: The Relentless Revolutionary"
And of course I am always reading children books!

Reply
Nan
12/5/2019 05:44:55 am

I loved Becoming, too, Linda. I initially included it on this list, but I ended up bumping it off to include a less-well-known title.

Thanks for your book list. I had forgotten about The Other Einstein, but it's one I want to read. Dutch Girl sounds fascinating, too.

Have you read John Enright's Jungle Beat mysteries, set Samoa?

Reply
Peggy M
12/5/2019 05:16:41 am

Before We Were Yours - Based on a true story - A book I couldn’t put down.
The Nightingale - Compelling
This Tender Land - Again based on a true story with a “Huckleberry Finn” twist
Mango Rash - Of course! Such an insightful coming-of-age, honest book. Loved it!

Reply
Nan
12/5/2019 05:47:01 am

Really good ones, Peggy.

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Tonya
12/5/2019 01:28:53 pm

Thanks Nan♡

Reply
Nan
12/6/2019 07:37:40 am

You're so welcome! ♡

Reply
Katherine Myers
1/3/2020 03:05:54 pm

I'm behind blog reading, as usual, but I want to read with no distractions, and those times are few and far between. I've added several of your titles to my list, so thanks!

Reply
Nan
1/8/2020 08:34:32 am

Glad to hear it!

Reply
Priya Davies link
6/16/2020 01:13:33 pm

I just finished reading Mango Rash and it was INCREDIBLE. Loved every word of your beautiful book! I marvelled at the poignant beauty of your experiences in Samoa and the richness of your storytelling.

Reply



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    Nan Sanders Pokerwinski, a former journalist, writes memoir and personal essays, makes collages and likes to play outside. She lives in West Michigan with her husband, Ray.

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