“The best thing a woman can have is her sh!t together.”

Pardon my French. But we know we haven’t exactly had our stuff together lately. More accurately, we’ve just had way too much stuff. This post isn’t about excuses though. Nope, it’s time to talk about the best of 2019.

I’ve decided I’m not really one for paring down. Last year, honorable mentions should have been squarely on the top of the list—why did I think brevity was best? It’s hard to choose only a few. I recognize this is about prioritizing, for people who just have way too much stuff. So here goes:

FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR

I’m with our favorite British book retailer Waterstones on this one—they named this exquisitely illustrated tale their Book of the Year. Mackesy’s charming fable is portable magic. It’s advertised as, “A story of innocence, adventure and life’s most important lessons—told through words and pictures to warm the hearts of all ages.” Boy did The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse live up to its billing, times a million. I doubt I could love it more.

FAVORITE HISTORICAL FICTION

The Giver of Stars is a real southern charmer. Rachel and I jointly gave it a whole bunch of stars. You can read my review here. (Never mind the trouble afoot, Rae confirmed the similarities are insignificant.)

FAVORITE THRILLER(S)

I can’t decide between The Silent Patient and The Lost Man. Honestly, both are so good. I gush over each here and here.

FAVORITE BOOK THAT I SHOULD HAVE READ LONG BEFORE BUT DIDN’T BECAUSE OF BLOG CROSSOVER

It’s looks like we haven’t formally blogged about William Kent Kruger’s masterpiece. I just put it on my to-do list.

FAVORITE KID LIT

When I bought The Boy at the Back of the Class at Waterstones in London, I knew it was a winner. You can read my review here.

FAVORITE LISTEN

Once Upon a River was an enchanting yarn told by an audible phenom. You can read all about it here. (The Lost Man avec the Aussie accent is a close second.)