My 5-Star Reads from 2019
No time like the present, eh? I read 94* books last year — thanks to a long commute + it’s now part of my job — and have a goal to finish 100 in 2020.
If you’ve started (or abandoned!) a reading goal or are stuck on what to read next, here are the books I gave 5 stars to after reading them in 2019. It’s a pretty even split between new and old, fiction and nonfiction, plus various genres.
And while I’ll happily discuss books with anyone, anytime, I do not need to hear your thoughts on why a book “sucks.” We all have our preferences; if some (or all) of these aren’t your style, simply share your faves so I can try those out, too 🤓
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com
Fiction
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
- The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
- Me Before You by Jojo Meyes
- Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Nonfiction
- Beautiful on the Outside by Adam Rippon
- Educated by Tara Westover
- We Should All Be Mirandas: Life Lessons from Sex and the City’s Most Underrated Character by Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garroni
- American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan
- We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
- Karl the Fog: San Francisco’s Most Mysterious Resident by Karl the Fog…
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- The Library Book by Susan Orlean
- Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
- Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
*I read 94 books from cover to cover. For the first time in a while, I allowed myself to abandon books I wasn’t enjoying. I listened to some in audiobook format, but did not make it through any from start to finish. </end disclaimer>
WO: Weekly Obsessions
Oh hello, 2020. We’ve been expecting you.
Between the resolutions and the parties and all of the holiday hoopla, it’s kind of incredible to think another decade is upon us and what the next 366 days will bring (thanks, Feb. 29)!
What am I most excited for? Possibly the Olympics, or following my 15-year HS reunion’s inevitable drama on Facebook, or meeting my reading goal of 100 books. Seeing my nieces grow, achieving new goals at work, moving back into a space of my own… the possibilities are endless, but it certainly won’t happen overnight.
I mentioned I’d be taking a hard look at the things that serve me and don’t, so I’ll also be stepping away from these WOs. It might be for a little while, or it might be forever.
But I’m excited about some projects I have in mind and to give myself the space to create those things — and share my progress with you, too.
Thank you all for reading and sharing your stories with me these last 8+ years of WO and 9+ of the blog. Lots of love — here’s to the next chapter!
WO: Weekly Obsessions
In case you haven’t heard, it is Jesus’s birthday and there’s no better time to spend with family, friends, and those you love. I’m doing just that with my friend’s family, who’ve graciously opened their homes to me the past two days.
However you spend the holiday season, I hope you find peace and joy during what isn’t always the most wonderful time of the year.
Spread love, lend a helping hand, do your part to make the world a better place. And if you can find some time to relax in there, too, that’s all the better.
WO: Weekly Obsessions
Truth be told, I just finished baking 4 dozen cookies and crashed into bed thinking “Ah, day is done.” And then my brain alarm went off like a GD nightmare siren as I realized it was, in fact, Wednesday and I hadn’t posted (again).
As much as I’ve enjoyed entertaining(?) you all for the last 8+ years of weekly picks, I’ve found it so much more difficult to keep up with (1) since my job changed to being a tastemaker for my company, and (2) since so much of my “free” time is spent catching up on the ~3h I’m out of SF for each day.
I’m so grateful for those of you who’ve stuck through it and continue to read faithfully, but I’m taking a long, hard look at all of my commitments — virtually and IRL — to better understand what serves me and what drains me.
This isn’t a farewell, per se, but a new chapter is on the horizon for Wittyburg, the site, and Wittyburg, the human. As that continues to shape up, you’ll be among the first to know.
Cheers to cookie fever and chasing your dreams!
WO: Weekly Obsessions
What do a 5:35am alarm, a 7:30am should in class, six meetings, a 2h 10m evening commute, and a girls’ night at Olive Garden have in common?
They’re all elements of this particular Wednesday. Woof.
Just when I thought I couldn’t get any hangrier, my fellow commuters managed to pull all the annoying stops out, but a lot of laughs with some dear girlfriends and some snuggles with an infant really helped bring me back down to earth.
WO: Weekly Obsessions
Hello, it’s December. Of 2019. The last month of the 2010s… how in the hell did that happen?
My brain cannot process this information, nor is it capable of looking ahead to the next decade (or day, or week, or month, or even the yeeeear).
Instead, I’m curling up to binge seasons of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and Google holiday card designs and basically avoid all sense of reality until the NYE ball (or other shoe) drops.
Blame it on the jet lag or lack of sleep or meeting marathons but I simply cannot werk any longer to deliver the goods tonight. Promise you won’t hate me for it?
Now, I’ll sashay away. Xoxo
WO: Weekly Obsessions
‘Twas the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the house, all the creatures were stirring: three nieces under 6, six adults, two dogs, a TV, an Echo, countless phones, this very laptop… To say I’m having sensory overload is an understatement. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
It’s my first time in Florida for Thanksgiving in seven years. The last time I was home for it, my dad was alive. We visited his aunt in the nursing home and her dementia had her believing I was my mother. I was scheduled to go the following Monday to Raleigh, N.C., for a job interview — but I’d just received a job offer from macys.com in New York City, instead. My brother and sister-in-law were newlyweds, without children. My grandpa was still alive and hadn’t yet reconnected with his sister, who would later become my Thanksgiving hostess while living in NYC.
While seven years doesn’t seem like that long ago, it’s clearly been one heck of a time for change in our family. We’ve had ups and downs and highs and lows and all of the normal everyday nonsense that comes with daily life and changing seasons.
So as usual, I’m thankful for this crazy circus I call my family. And I’m especially grateful to be in a position to come home for a few days, meet my newest niece, await the arrival of my SIL’s SIL’s son, and spend a few exhausting but fulfilling days with them in person. As much as I love SF and my life there, some things can’t replace the feeling of being home for a holiday.
Wishing you and yours the happiest of Turkey Days tomorrow, and if you are in need of love, don’t be a stranger! We have more than enough cheer (and food!) to go around.
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