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Wow! Where did 2019 go? It sure does seem that the years are flying by quicker and quicker. Last year, I participated in the Goodreads 2019 Reading Challenge. I placed my goal at 80 books, but I actually read 104. I can't believe I read that many books last year. I decided to share my top ten books from 2019. So without further ado, here are the 15 books in no specific order.
1.
Thin Air by Lisa Gray
Private Investigator Jessica Shaw is dedicated to searching for missing persons. She's used to getting anonymous tips while working on cases. While on the road, she receives a photo of a three year old little girl kidnapped twenty five years ago from Los Angeles and is stunned to recognize the little girl as herself. Suddenly, she's trying to discover the secrets about her own life. What will her past reveal?
2.
The Memories of Us by Vanessa Carnevale
Your life can change in one moment! When Grace Ashcroft wakes up after a car crash with severe amnesia, she must choose whether to live a life through other people's memories or start a new life on her own. This is a charming story about finding what means the most to you ad finding your home.
3.
Wish Me Home by Kay Bratt
A simple story about a young woman searching for herself. Then enter an adorable dog. Cara Butter is stranded in Georgia with only her backpack and a few dollars. The last thing she needs is a hungry, stray dog, but he somehow found her. Cara sets off for the Florida Keys to see the home of her literary hero, Ernest Hemingway. With Hemi, the stray dog she's named, by her side her journey takes plenty of unexpected twists and turns. Strangers become friends and make her question everything she knows. Cara finds as her journey unfolds, her life does as well... in ways she never could have imagined.
4.
The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald
A search for the truth. A lifetime of lies. In the early morning hours, Abi Knight wakes up with the dreaded phone call no mother wants to ever receive. Her teenage daughter, Olivia has fallen off a bridge and on life support. To Abi's surprise, Olivia is pregnant and must stay on life support for the baby. Abi sees the angry bruises on her daughter's wrists and vows to discover the truth. Heart broken and grieving the loss of her daughter, Abi sets out to discover the truth about her daughter's life.
5.
Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah
A mysterious little girl teaches two strangers how to love and trust again! Joanna Teale, returns to her graduate research project on nesting birds. She's determined to prove her recent hardships...loss of her mother, a battle with breast cancer, and lost love have not broken her. She throws herself into her work until a small girl appears at her cabin in the woods. Ursa, the little girl from the stars, has been sent to witness 5 miracles. At least that is what she claims. With the help of her neighbor Gabriel Nash, Joanna sets out to solve the mystery of this young, precocious girl. When everything begins to fall into place, all the painful secrets will be forced out into the open. All three of their fates will be left to the stars.
6.
We Hope for Better Things by Erin Bartels
At her great aunt's house, Elizabeth Balsam discovers a series of mysterious items...locked doors and hidden graves. As she searches for answers to her questions, she uncovers the remarkable stories of two very brave women. These women have left behind a legacy of love, resilience, courage in the face of war, racism, and plenty of misunderstandings. Elizabeth quickly discovers that the past is never as past as we might think it is. You'll be taken from present day to 1960's Detroit and the Underground Railroad of the Civil War.
7.
Lost and Found by Danielle Steel
New Yorker Madison Allen, a renowned photographer takes a cross country journey to reunite with the men she loved and let go. After a fall from a ladder and a doubts about her life, she's spurred by old memories to take an adventurous road trip. Did she make the right choices all those years ago? As the miles and days pass by, Maddie's life becomes clearer and in focus. A new future starts to form in her mind. This a deep story about love, motherhood,family, fate, and the path our lives lead us.
8.
Three Sisters by Susan Mallery
This story is about three women whose friendship is about to change their lives forever. Andi Gordon, Deanna Philips, and Boston King are three friends facing changes and challenges in their lives that will change them forever. The three women come together by fate and by their strong bond of friendship survive the difficulties life has thrown them. They soon will discover what they are truly made of: laughter, tears, and love. It's a classic story of the bond between friends.
9.
The Island by Elin Hilderbrand
A family in upheaval after a cancelled wedding. An island summer escape is filled with heartache, laughter, and plenty of surprises. Birdie, Chess, Tate, and India head for the beautiful, rustic Tuckernuck Island, off the coast of Nantucket. There are no phones, no televisions, no stores. It a place without any distractions. A place where they can escape all their troubles. Before their summer ends, the women will uncover truths, old loves are rekindled, and new loves will make themselves known. It's a story about sisters, daughters, mothers, and ex-lovers, and long kept secrets. It's the perfect summer read!
10.
The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate
After her elderly neighbor, Lola Poole passes away, Tandi Jo Reese is put in charge of cleaning out Lola's Victorian house on Hatteras Island. Tandi never expects to find anything of importance, but that all changes when she discovers 81 decorated prayer boxes, one for each year, spanning from Lola's youth to her final days. Hidden in these carefully decorated boxes is the story of a lifetime. Hopes, wishes, fears, and thoughts. Tandi learns about an extraordinary life filled with journeys of faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that changes everything for her.
11.
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
An remarkable historical tale of friendship and courage between three women and the ring of female spies during World War II. It's 1946 in Manhattan. Grace Healey is rebuilding her life after losing her husband during the war. One morning while walking through Grand Central Station, she discovers an abandoned suitcase. Unable to resist her curiosity, she opens the case and discovers a dozen photographs of different women. Without thinking, she quickly tucks them back in the case, takes the suitcase, and leaves the station. Grace learns that the bag belonged to a women named, Elanor Trigg. Elanor was the leader of a ring of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Grace finds herself drawn into the story of these courageous women. An exciting story inspired by true events.
12.
When We Were Young by Karen Kingsbury
"What if you could see into the future and know what will happen tomorrow, if you really walk that door today. Pay attention. Life is not a dress rehearsal."
After reading my first Karen Kingsbury, I quickly found I loved her charming stories of faith, love, and family. This a classic story about second chances. The story features the well-loved Baxter family.Noah and Emily seem to have the perfect life. At least that is what their social media lives portray. But the camera can hid those less than fairy tale moments. Like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, Noah gets the chance to see how life can be and can change. Through some strange events, Noah learns what truly matters....faith, love, and family.
13.
Never Tell by Lisa Gardner
Murder Mystery...a not-so-classic who dun it. A man is dead, shot three times in his home. His computer has been shot twelve times, and when the cops arrive at the home, the only one there is his pregnant wife who is holding the gun. D.D. Warren sets out to discover the truth. She quickly realizes that the truth is a devilishly elusive thing when it comes to this case. As she peels away the layers, the half-truths and the lies are revealed. She begins to wonder how many lies can one family have.
14.
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
A story about friendship. We first meet Kate and Tully in 8th grade. Kate, the smart, quiet one and Tully, the reckless, wild child become fast friends. We get to see their friendship grow and change over the span of 30 years. Like most friends, their relationship has its share of ups and down. This books is for anyone who has fond memories of growing up with their neighborhood friends. This is a wonderful story of a generation of women who were blessed and cursed by the choices they've made. Sounds familiar right? Readers will see themselves in the characters. They'll see their lives in the pages they read. Promises, secrets, love, betrayal, but in the end it all comes down to the on person, who truly knows you. If you have a friend from childhood this book is for you. be sure to pass on to your friend too.
15.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
I have to admit I had never heard of this tragic American scandal before I read the book. I was shocked to learn that poor children were kidnapped and then sold to wealthy parents. Of course, this was all done for the best interest of the child. It's sad to think about all the families that were destroyed over the years. This story is based on true facts introduces readers to the Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage in Memphis during 1939. The lives of Rill Foss and her her four younger siblings are changed forever when they are kidnapped off their family's Mississippi River shanty boat. We follow the trials and tribulations of this amazing young girl as the years pass by.
"Lisa Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong." (Goodreads)
Did you read any great books this year?
I'd love to hear what your favorites were!
Be sure to sign up for the
2020 Goodreads Reading Challenge! I love loggin my books. It helps me remember what books I've read. I can't tell you how many times, I've picked up a book I thought was new only to discover a few pages in that I had already read it. I can't be the only one that happens to..can I?
You can find me on Goodreads!
Till Next Time,
Monique
