去年的favorite booklist

My favorite books of 2019: 排名不分先后。

- Born a Crime by Trevor Noah 

Noah is born in South Africa at a time when his existence was illegal - the child of an interracial couple. A lot of issues are covered here-- racism/ the atrocities of apartheid, poverty, domestic abuse, violence... ok, it may sound serious and depressing, but there's no bitterness or self-pity; on the contrary, it's sprinkled with lots of humor. Noah's writing is honest, bittersweet, witty, warm, inspiring, and of course funny!!! A truly brilliant storyteller! It's such an enjoyable and also educational read/listen. (I highly recommend the audio book! Read by Noah himself!)

- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor is awkward, quirky, and so very alone. She is kind of like Ove. This book deals more about the concept of loneliness, how it leads to suicide and other ugly things. It also reads sometimes like a mystery novel. The book is hilariously written, and there’s some really lovely connections between Eleanor and an adorable coworker (not a romance). It’s funny, at times very sad, yet it’s also extremely heartwarming and inspiring.

- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Across 250 years and 7 generations, Homegoing is an ambitious family saga. The story starts with two half sisters in Ghana, one is married to a white man and the other is sold as a slave to America. It then follows their descendants through the generations, alternating between Africa and America, how the legacy of slavery plays out across history, in both Ghana and America. The stories are powerful and immersive. Beautiful prose.

- News of the World by Paulette Jiles

A book set in TEXAS! 1870, a veteran turned News a Reader takes on the challenge of escorting ten year old orphan from North Texas to her relatives in San Antonio. The young girl, a captive of the Native Kiowa, doesn’t speak English and was raised as one of their own. Rich characters of the old west, harsh environment and some vivid adventure, true kindness and tenderness, and some surprising turns. Love it.

- A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

This is probably the saddest book I've ever read. Also my absolute FAVORITE book of 2019. Wow just wow. Mistry is an amazing writer. The prose is beautiful and moving, and the characters so vividly drawn, but their miseries are unbearable.
Set in the 1970’s India, the book revolves around four characters, a widow, two tailors, and a college student.
There's so much injustice, oppression, atrocities depicted in this book; but amidst of all that, there are moments of true kindness and joy. It's a very emotional read, and I'm wrecked. But this book will remain one of my favorite books, ever. I just don't know if I could ever pick it up and go through hell again.

- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This book has the most exquisite prose. Winner of 2014 Pulitzer Prize. I read it several years ago, but always a pleasure to revisit.

- Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets by Svetlana Alexievich

winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature. Secondhand Time deals the decade following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The author interviewed hundreds of Russian and CIS citizens and documented their stories about their lives before and after the fall.
I read this book before our trip to Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine and was deeply moved by it. However the few native Russian/belarussian/ukrainians I came across in those countries all claimed that they were not interested in reading this book. They think she paints their country in a negative light.

- Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

A pair of twin boys are born and raised in an Ethiopian missionary hospital. Adopted by two Indian doctors, the boys learn the practice of medicine as they grow up. Their story is weaved with Ethiopian culture, medicine, coming of age, political unrest, love triangle, and family drama. It’s complex, also compelling. The language is elegant and the story immersive.

- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

Theranos! Pretty unbelievably shocking story of Elizabeth Holmes’ rise and fall.

- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 

Mesmerizing tale of Count Rostov's imprisonment in a luxury hotel in Moscow, a story of survival, of friendship, love, freedom, hope, and parenthood. Gorgeous language, charming characters, and filled with fun and whimsical details. 

- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

A story of resiliency and strength of a marsh girl. Stunning portrait of the lush marsh and its inhabitants, and heartbreaking story of discrimination, abandonment, and hope.

- Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller 

I devoured this book in two days, just couldn't put it down. The plot is very slow, the characters are unlikable, but Fuller's writing is just so gorgeous, especially her atmospheric description of the sea, the garden, the sand... truly luminous. I also liked the theme of "books are created by the reader", how each of us brings our own interpretation, imagination to a book. Definitely worth a revisit some time in the future

- Educated by Tara Westover

Distressing memoir of her Mormon fundamentalist upbringing. This book is difficult to read yet it's incredibly engrossing and powerful.

- Anatomy of a Genocide: the life and death of a town called Buczacz by Omer Bartov

I read this book after our trip to Ukraine. Thoroughly researched, this book is an insightful account of the unfathomable and shameful murderous sojourn of neighbors against neighbors in this interethnic Ukrainian region.

- Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs

This memoir is heartbreaking. Lisa Brennan's writing is elegant, filled with vivid descriptions, yet unflowery. Her emotions are brutally honest, unpretentious. I hope she has forgiven her dad.

- The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

I love Ondaatje's enthralling atmospheric writing, the exotic setting of the desert, especially the sunset time. I love the notion that the explorers' nationalities were insignificant to the desert people. They became nationless, "disappeared into landscape". Ondaatje's language is poetic, dreamy, vulnerable, and penetrating. It's timeless.

- Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Brilliant! What a fun read. Intelligent, well-plotted, and thoroughly enjoyable.

- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

a 2018 National Book Award finalist. The book depicts a Korean family who moved to Osaka, Japan during Japanese colonization, spanning 4 generations and nearly a century of time. I was unaware of the discrimination Koreans suffered in Japan and how the laws disallowed Koreans born in Japan (they're called Zainichi) to have citizenship. Totally admire the characters' resilience and courage.