Top 10 Kindle Reads of 2019

As we close out a wonderful and beautiful year, I wanted to reflect on some of my favorite books of 2019. This post might seem a bit different from my usual content, but in the midst of all of my travels, I always carried my kindle paperwhite with me. Whether I was on a hammock in Madagascar, or on a boat in Belize, I had my kindle. Like most years, I promised myself I would read more for leisure, and I did! Here are my 10 favorite kindle reads of 2019!

Amazon is giving you the first month free with a kindle unlimited membership OR your first 3 months for $1. I have had my kindle unlimited account for several years now, and promise it is well worth $10 a month!

For all of the parents out there – Amazon has a new kindle-kids edition, too!

Each novel heading has a hyperlink to the e-book on Amazon, if you wish to download to your kindle device!

Okay – let’s do this, my favorite books of this year (note: some of these are older, I just finally got around to reading them this year)!

1. The Alice Network

There is a good reason this is my first book listed, as it is probably my favorite read from 2019! Kate Quinn magnificently transports the reader to war-torn, enemy-occupied France, in the year 1947, as this story of a British born female spy and American socialite unfolds.

2. City of Girls

Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love, has done it again with this smashing novel, City of Girls. This novel (like The Alice Network) is also set in the 1940’s, but this time we are in New York City. Glamour and femininity rage on through this novel, while it is also a story of perseverance during a time of war.

3. Where the Crawdad’s Sing

I imagine you must have been living under a rock if you haven’t heard of this book in the last couple of years. Just about everyone I knew has picked this book up, either in hard copy, audio book, or on e-reader. I felt a bit behind the curve, but I finally read this outstanding novel this past summer. This novel will live on to be one of the best of our time, just trust me. Delia Owens tells the story of “The Marsh Girl” Kya Clark, an isolated young girl living on the coast of North Carolina.

4. Summer of ’69

Erin Hilderbrand takes us back to a pivotal time in history, and shares the story of a family embroiled in chaos and controversy. An ordinary summer gone wrong, in more ways than one. This is a great ‘summer novel’, but I can’t imagine it would be any less wonderful reading it in the winter.

5. We Were The Lucky Ones

My heart grappled with this book for quite some time after reading it – We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter is the tale of a Jewish family in Poland, forced to face the onset of a war, set in 1939. Like the rest of these novels, a must read in 2020, if you haven’t yet. If you have, you are a brave one to read it again.

6. Something in the Water

A novel by Catherine Steadman: If you are keen on a good thriller novel, this one is a must read! From the very first page, to the very last, this novel had me completely and totally invested. It is the story of a husband and wife, on their honeymoon in paradise. They discover something that changes their lives, and their relationship, forever. This novel is also fantastic on audio book on Audible, as the author herself narrates!

7. Commonwealth

This is my first Ann Patchett novel, and oh my gosh, why? Why haven’t I read her works before? I will say, I am on the hunt for another Ann Patchett novel after this one – her writing is so fluid, and each story line is ever present and engages the reading at each step.

8. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

As a researcher, and one who worked on PTSD research and sexual assault trauma, this novel called my name the second I read the title. Boy, is this book so much more than the title describes. I highly recommend this book for anyone suffering from trauma, or that knows someone suffering from trauma. In fact, I am trying to get my husband to read this one next, because as a veteran, there is great perspective to be learned from this read.

9. A Short History of Nearly Everything

Do you love History? Science? Read this. Do you want to love History/Science, but don’t quite yet? Read this. I read most of this book out loud to my husband while in the car, laughing and chuckling all the way through each new lesson. Oh, Science – what a wondrous world to explore, and Bill Bryson makes it even more fun and exciting to explore than you could hope for.

10. The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir

Author, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich’s, personal childhood trauma, coupled with a case she is now investigating as a law student in a law firm, intertwine to inspire all of us to question our initial judgement and opinions. This novel was intriguing, and while a little bit slower on the start, I was fully moved by the questions this novel begs worth asking. A novel that hasn’t garnered as much attention as others on this list, but one that should not be missed in my opinion.

Share Your Favorite Reads Below!

Whether you read them on paperback, e-reader or audio book, I want to hear your favorite books of 2019!

Even better, what is on your list for 2020?

Drop them in the comments!