12+ In December 2018, I blogged about the sixteen books which I'd read or dipped into during that year (My Year of Books). I'm a bedtime reader and often doze off with a book on my nose. Which is why I'm happy to report there were another sixteen fiction and nonfiction titles in my bedside books for 2019.
In my 2018 blog post, I listed all the books I'd read with extracts from reviews I'd published on Tall And True or comments I'd posted about them to social media. I'm going to do similar this year, but only for my five favourites from 2019. It wasn't easy to narrow down the list to five, but hopefully, this will give me more time for writing and reading.
Note: One of the titles below is missing from my 2019 bedside bookshelf photo because I've loaned it to a friend.
Also, click on a cover photo to learn more about a book or to buy it on Amazon.com.au — doing so helps support my blog posts.
All That I Am by Anna Funder
Beneath the Willow by Michael J Murphy
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton
Stasiland by Anna Funder
Do I have a number one among my favourites for 2019? Well, yes, but it's from outside the five listed above. And it's a favourite not because of the book itself (although I loved reading it), but for its inscription:
The Beatles 1962-1969 From Liverpool to Abbey Road by Ernesto Assante
Books bring so much joy to my life. I love reading and reviewing them, I love giving them as gifts, and I love receiving them, especially when they come with a message of thanks.
One month into the new year, and my pile of unread bedside books is already growing. Perhaps I need to go to bed earlier, so I can stop dozing off mid-chapter and read more books in 2020?
© 2020 Robert Fairhead
NB. You might like to read other reviews of books I've written over the years, published on Tall And True.
A middle-aged dad and dog owner, Robert Fairhead is an editor and writer at Tall And True, and blogs on his eponymous website, RobertFairhead.com.
His favourite pastimes include reading and writing, walking his dog, and watching Aussie Rules Football with his son. He is also a part-time dog trainer and runs classes at his local dog training club and through Robert's Responsible Dog Training.
Robert has worked as an electrician, a computer programmer, and a sales and marketing consultant, and he is the principal copywriter at Rocher Communications.
His book reviews and writing on dogs have appeared in newspapers and online. And in 2020, he published a collection of short stories, Both Sides of the Story.
Robert has also enjoyed a one-night stand as a stand-up comic.