4 Favorite Books and Recommendations of 2019
NB: I drafted this in the last week of 2019 and completely forgot about it. I hope I'm not late.
I set a target of reading 48 books this year. By April, I realized there was no way I was going to hit my target with my schedule so I changed my target to 20. And I did meet my target. Most of the books I read this year were Memoirs and I genuinely think that might be my favorite genre of writing. Among the 20 books though, below are 4 books I read and absolutely cherished. NB: They may not necessarily be 2019 books.
4. The Dark Net
This is actually a 2014 book written by James Bartlett, a journo with The Telegraph. He starts the book discussing internet trolling and how it came about. He examines how trolls operated from before internet message boards, and forums till now. Jamie Bartlett does talk about the ‘underground network’ — and goes further about ‘Silk Road’ which became famous for successfully dealing drugs in large quantities over the internet. He talks about internet terrorist propaganda, child pornography, drug markets, futurists, and support groups existing. His writing was quite minimal which helped. This book serves as a perfect intro for someone looking to learn about the dealings of the internet underworld. Coupled with some very good shocker stories, this was a good read.
3. Modern Love: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption
This is a collection of essays from the 15-year-old ‘Modern Love’ column of the New York Times. I love sad stories and I love break-up stories so when this popped up in my recommendation list, I did not hesitate. Every review mentioned how emotional the stories were and I could not wait to read them. I wasn’t getting the shock-value I wanted from the first couple of chapters till I reached the second part of the book. I won’t lie, I broke down in tears reading this book more than once. Not as cohesive as other books on this list, it’s understandable as every chapter comes from a different author. The baseline of love, however, rings throughout in multiple forms. It was also pretty astonishing how vulnerable these writers were and how they could make you feel.
2. It’s Okay to Laugh…
For a book that talks soo much about death and illness, it’s incredible that I remember it mostly for its hilarious nature. Nora Purmort’s book does not solve any of those problems but it is a fun distraction, not a Guide Book for Grief. What it will do though is offer you earnest empathy. Nora’s writing style is intelligent, self-deprecating and melancholic. Even more impressive when she mixes all of those in a sentence or two.
Who should you marry? I’m so glad you asked! First things first, marry someone funny. No, wait. Marry someone who thinks you’re funny, especially when you’re really, really trying to be. There’s nothing worse than teeing up a really great joke and having a person who allegedly loves you give you nothing but a polite chuckle when you were aiming for a guffaw.
- Maybe You should talk to Someone.
Drumroll….This was my number 1 book I read this year.… I remember finishing it and wanting to switch careers. Written by Lori Gottlieb and divided into 4 main parts, Maybe you should talk to someone is a memoir of Lori’s patients (or clients if you may), their growth from the beginning of therapy to what she calls “termination” tied to her therapy with her own therapist and her growth. Beautifully written with such a cinematic feel, this is definitely my favorite book of 2019. Definitely one to read and re-read. Full review of Maybe You should talk to Someone
Honorary Mentions:
Talking to Strangers (Malcolm Gladwell)
We are never meeting in real life (Samantha Irby)
Tender Bar (J. R. Moehringer)
