BEST NOVELS TO READ IN 2019

I'll admit it, I'm a book addict. I've loved to read all my life and really enjoy the feeling of diving deep into a novel and being transported into a different world and a different life. It's my favourite way to relax, my favourite way to learn, and my favourite way to broaden my creativity.

Currently, I'm the leader of not one, but TWO local book clubs, and I couldn't be happier. Book Klub is a fun, relaxed club I started with some past co-workers. We alternate who selects a book each month which gives us the chance to try genres and books we typically wouldn't pick up ourselves. On the other hand, The Wild Woman Book Club is an initiative started by The Ace Class. Women get together throughout Canada once a month, and we discuss the same book. The conversations are stimulating, exciting, and engaging, and the networking aspect is one of a kind. 

So, if your 2019 goal is to read more, or you simply want to relax with a good book while the weather slowly warms up, then read on. I have suggestions for you:

Top 6 Books to Read:

The Enchanted - René Denfeld

Genre: Fiction
Goodreads Summary:
This is an enchanted place. Others don't see it, but I do.

The enchanted place is an ancient stone prison, viewed through the eyes of a death row inmate who finds escape in his books and in re-imagining life around him, weaving a fantastical story of the people he observes and the world he inhabits. Fearful and reclusive, he senses what others cannot. Though bars confine him every minute of every day, he marries magical visions of golden horses running beneath the prison, heat flowing like molten metal from their backs, with the devastating violence of prison life.

Two outsiders venture here: a fallen priest, and the Lady, an investigator who searches for buried information from prisoners' pasts that can save those soon-to-be-executed. Digging into the background of a killer named York, she uncovers wrenching truths that challenge familiar notions of victim and criminal, innocence and guilt, honour and corruption-ultimately revealing shocking secrets of her own.

When people first hear that I’m a huge book worm (and self-proclaimed book addict), their first question is usually, “what’s your favourite book?”. Well, here it is. Written by a death row investigator, The Enchanted takes on a real and raw perspective of what it’s like to be on death row.
 
Each character is so beautifully written and really lets you sink into their emotions. I devoured this book. And for the first time ever, the second I was finished, I flipped right to the front and started again. Why? Well because I didn’t want to miss anything!
 
Guaranteed to leave you satisfied, I suggest diving into 2019 with some Rene Denfeld, and seeing where her story takes you. 

CRAVING MORE RENÉ DENFELD? CLICK HERE FOR A FULL COLLECTION OF HER WORK.

Circe - Madeline Miller

Genre: Fantasy
Goodreads Summary:
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

I’m not typically drawn to books about Greek mythology, but this one caught my eye (plus, I’ve heard so many great things, I couldn’t miss out). And let me tell you, I am glad I picked it up!
 
Madeline Miller does a fantastic job relaying some of the most famous figures in Greek mythology, while twisting it into a novel you can’t put down. The story is captivating and leaves you wanting more. This page turner is a definite must read and will help quench your thirst for fantasy, mythology, gods and monsters. ​

​I listened to this book on Audible, narrated by Perdita Weeks, and really enjoyed the audio version. I caught myself turning to my Audible account whenever I had a few seconds to listen, and I got through this book in lightning speed. Pick it up and transport yourself in a fantastic world unlike any you have experienced before.

CRAVING MORE MADELINE MILLER? CLICK HERE FOR A FULL COLLECTION OF HER WORK.

The Book of Essie - Meghan Maclean Weir

Genre: Fiction
Goodreads Summary:
A debut novel of family, fame, and religion that tells the emotionally stirring, wildly captivating story of the seventeen-year-old daughter of an evangelical preacher, star of the family's hit reality show, and the secret pregnancy that threatens to blow their entire world apart.

Esther Ann Hicks--Essie--is the youngest child on Six for Hicks,a reality television phenomenon. She's grown up in the spotlight, both idolized and despised for her family's fire-and-brimstone brand of faith. When Essie's mother, Celia, discovers that Essie is pregnant, she arranges an emergency meeting with the show's producers: Do they sneak Essie out of the country for an abortion? Do they pass the child off as Celia's? Or do they try to arrange a marriage--and a ratings-blockbuster wedding? Meanwhile, Essie is quietly pairing herself up with Roarke Richards, a senior at her school with a secret of his own to protect. As the newly formed couple attempt to sell their fabricated love story to the media--through exclusive interviews with an infamously conservative reporter named Liberty Bell--Essie finds she has questions of her own: What was the real reason for her older sister leaving home? Who can she trust with the truth about her family? And how much is she willing to sacrifice to win her own freedom?

​I read this book in one of my book clubs, and immediately fell in love. In our world of reality TV, and celebrities that let us into our lives, it’s really fascinating to read about a different perspective. I immediately fell in love with Essie’s character, and cheered her on through the entire novel. The twists and turns are unexpected and beautifully incorporated into the novel.
 
What would you do if your entire life was broadcast? If you were the best-known person, and family, in your town? Take a read and see what Essie chooses to do.
 
CRAVING MORE MEGHAN MACLEAN WEIR? THE BOOK OF ESSIE IS MEGHAN'S DEBUT NOVEL. I WILL POST UPDATES WITH ANY POSSIBLE FUTURE RELEASES.

Unwind - Neal Shusterman 

Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian
Goodreads Summary:
Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

​This is book one in Neal Shusterman’s Unwind series and let me tell you, it caught my eye right away! Another book I listened to on Audible, narrated by Luke Daniels, I couldn’t even believe it myself when I finished this book in less than 48 hours.
 
Neal transports us into a future world where children can be “unwound” at age thirteen, where all of their organs are transplanted into donors. The writing makes you truly believe this can be a possibility in our future, and leaves you feeling a little unsettled – in the best way possible.
 
I encourage you to dive into Unwind, and challenge your current thoughts. What reality do you believe lies ahead of us? 

​CRAVING MORE NEAL SHUSTERMAN? CLICK HERE FOR A FULL COLLECTION OF HIS WORK.

A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara

Genre: Fiction
Goodreads Summary:
When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity. 

Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.

​Now, I recommend starting this book when you have the time, it’s a long read. Going on a long flight? Taking advantage of a stay-cation? Pick up A Little Life! Never before did I think that I would be as interested in a book about the lives of four classmates, but Hanya does an incredible job making you feel connected to each character.
 
A Little Life takes you through decades of friendship, and shows you the trials and tribulations that long friendships can go through. I’ll be honest, it really takes a toll on your emotions. You’ll feel a roller coaster of emotion, and I can guarantee it will leave you feeling.
 
I believe this book is an important novel for everyone to read, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. A fantastic read, I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed. 

​​CRAVING MORE HANYA YANAGIHARA? CLICK HERE FOR A FULL COLLECTION OF HER WORK.

The Stand - Stephen King

Genre: Horror/Sci-fi
Goodreads Summary:
This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death. And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides -- or are chosen.

​While this genre does state horror, I would argue that this novel is definitely more sci-fi/dystopian than the true horror we all know from Stephen King (I promise, there are not clowns or red balloons).
 
Stephen King is a true legend. 2018 was the year I fell head over heels for Stephen King, and his twisted yet magical universes. I’ve read quite a few Stephen King novels last year, but The Stand is definitely my favourite.
 
Another long read, this book takes us into a time where the world population is cut down drastically because of an outbreak. It takes us through what happens with the survivors, and makes you feel like you’re amongst them.
 
A fresh twist on the “day after” perspective, The Stand is a book you can’t miss. Stephen King really is a legend in his own right.

​​CRAVING MORE STEPHEN KING? CLICK HERE FOR A FULL COLLECTION OF HIS WORK.

Interested in joining one of my book clubs, or have a book you want to suggest? Connect with me on Instagram, and let's chat novels!