Top 5 Favourite Reads of 2019

Welcome back for another post!

I’ve seen lots of posts like this, with book bloggers talking about their favourite books or moments from the past year, and I thought I would add my thoughts to the mix.

I read lots of amazing books this year- but with Uni work often getting in the way I definitely didn’t get to read as much as I would have liked.

This is a list of the Top 5 books I read in 2019- and ones I would definitely recommend to anyone struggling to find something to read in 2020.

1. ‘The Miseducation of Cameron Post’ by Emily M. Danforth

This book was one of my favourites this year as it offered an honest portrayal of one girl’s battle with her emotions, and I think Cameron’s narration of her feelings and her story really made this book.

While I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, I couldn’t help but love Cameron, and I thought her character was brilliant- flawed but also relatable.

2. ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ by Muriel Spark

I finally read this one this year, as it is one of my mum’s favourites. Following the crazy teaching style of Jean Brodie, the book looks at the stories of her “favourites” and the crazy things she gets them to do. I found this book strange but funny, and really easy to read.

3. ‘The Testaments’ by Margaret Atwood

I just finished this book– and I loved it. I know there are mixed reviews of this book, but I thought it was fantastic.

Atwood introduced the theme of rebellion much more in this book, and I loved seeing how the various women were linked to the May Day rebellion, trying in their own ways to bring about the end of Gilead- and free the women who are forced to lead awful lives there.

4. ‘Big Women’ by Faye Waldon

I was reading this book for ages as it was around exam term of University last June, but I enjoyed the portrayal of 1980s radical feminism.

While many feminist novels are very positive towards the movement, I liked that this one showed the flaws of the movement, and it definitely flagged up certain issues with feminism even now- such as how women should support one another more.

5. ‘Mrs Dalloway’ by Virginia Woolf

I’ve never read any Virginia Woolf before, and I really enjoyed this short book. While I’m not a massive fan of Woolf’s prose, I did like the deeper messages of this book, and the characters were really interesting. I’m looking forward to trying more of Woolf’s work this year, and I got ‘A Room of One’s Own’ for Christmas.

These are all books I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to find a good book to read in 2020. Only ‘The Testaments’ was actually published this year, but I read all of these at important parts during my 2019, and so they had to be included on the list.

What were your favourite reads of 2019? What do you think of my favourite reads? How many books did you manage to read this year?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Happy reading x

Picture credits here

22 thoughts

    1. Well I’ve only read The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, so i would definitely recommend The Handmaid’s Tale as a starting point! If not I know she’s written so short stories that could give you a flavour of her style 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  4. I have heard about the ones you listed except for ‘Mrs Dalloway’ by Woolf which I didn’t even read in its entirety but did study for school exams years ago (but did watch The Hours which is a great film!). Anyway, if you like her writing style, I would recommend ‘To the lighthouse’, it’s a good one! x

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. As a librarian and a booklover, I always feel compelled to read any book list! LOL Yours did not disappoint! I will be looking into having all of these read by this time next year. Good selections!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. Pingback: My Top 4 Favourite Brontë Novels – Not-So-Modern Girl
  12. Pingback: Review: ‘Mrs Dalloway’ by Virginia Woolf – Not-So-Modern Girl

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.