My Top 10 Favorite Reads of 2019

So I love making a list of my top 10 favorite reads every year (plus it includes some extras, usually, because I just can't help myself). These books were not all published this year -- they were published in any year of days gone by. But 2019 is when I personally read them.

And these 10 books in particular put an extra sparkle in my eye (and made my heart pitter-patter a little faster) as I read them...






In no particular order, my top 10 favorite picks...


Mistress Pat by L.M. Montgomery
I'm a bigger fan of Pat after this sequel novel. I remember that the first book "Pat of Silver Bush" didn't feel, to me, like most of Montgomery's works do. Still, I knew I must read the sequel... And I'm so glad I did! Pat has risen high in my esteem. Another fun, sweet, loving character in L.M. Montgomery's canon....
{Read my full review here.}

Marilla of Green Gables by by Sarah McCoy
It's such a unique experience to see, touch, and hear Green Gables before Anne arrives. The only thing we ever knew of this fantastic place was to take it in all-new when Anne arrives for the first time. Now we see it in its innocent infancy, through the eyes of a girl who is already accustomed to its beauty, who sees it for what it is... but who will inevitably, continually discover its secrets for decades of her life....
{Read my full review here.}

Jamie MacLeod: Highland Lass by Michael R. Phillips, Judith Pella
While reading this tale, I have so enjoyed watching Jamie grow from a shabby little shepherd girl into a fine young lady. Her growth is seen in her personality, her spiritual discipline, and her beautiful nurturing soul....
{Read my full review here.}

The Inheritance by Louisa May Alcott
It is such a sweet story, with some quality morals filtered in. We have good vs. evil. We have little twinges of romance. We have a decadently British setting, with some Italian flair thrown in. Plus a cast of peculiar characters akin to ones that Dickens himself might create. All this from an American 17-year-old who lived back in the 19th century! Louisa had an amazing imagination, even when she'd hardly begun piecing together stories....
{Read my full review here.}

Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Mr. Tarzan "of the apes" is a much more refined man than I previously assumed. He communicates with all animals of the forest (some on friendly terms, and some not). But by the time he claps eyes on the first white man he has ever seen (aside from himself), he has already taught himself to read English (a language he knows nothing about speaking aloud), so the fact that he can write full pages of letters to the new white people, but not speak English to them... The situation is rather comical! It doesn't stop there though...
{Read my full review here.}

Light in My Darkest Night by Catherine Marshall
If you're familiar with Catherine's other writings, or perhaps with Peter Marshall's story, you'll want to read this one too. If you need a good book that covers topics such as grief, loss, prayer, miracles, healing or even silence from our Heavenly Father... you may find what you need here....
{Read my full review here.}

He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters
Mother. Archaeologist. Detective. That is Amelia Peabody. Quite possibly, this is my favorite in the series to date.
{Read my full review here.}

Anon, Sir, Anon by Rachel Heffington
I immensely enjoyed this book! It's on par with any YA/adult historical mystery best-selling book out there -- for anyone who enjoys a good old-fashioned British murder (with a splash of comedy).... I feel like I've truly met and talked with these characters, and feel like I've visited Whistlecrieg a few times in person -- and would be excited to go back....
{Read my full review here.}

A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry
It's like an Agatha Christie plot, with an entire house-full for a cast of characters. An unexpected death occurs, and fingers soon begin to point among those in their midst. Once a particular person is charged, an option of mercy is granted. But the task appointed, it is not for the faint of heart....
{Read my full review here.}

I, Toto by Willard Carroll
TOTO! What a cutie. Such a good little movie star! Terry A.K.A. Toto starred in many movies during her lifetime, most notably, The Wizard of Oz in 1939. What a lovely read this is of Toto's "autobiography"....
{Read my full review here.}





And now, for the honorary mentions...






Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Now, THAT is a murder mystery for the books! Whew! Agatha sure knew how to write 'em. Now I understand why this title is such a popular classic. (If you haven't read Murder on the Orient Express, you just should.) ... What a flabbergasting, jaw-dropping solution -- by none other than Mr. Hercule Poirot....
{Read my full review here.}

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley
I definitely enjoyed the story, how it begins with a "banishment" from Flavia's ancestral home. We, the readers, have never experienced the like before. What do we end finding out? Interesting things about Harriet, Flavia's deceased mother, and a few new hinted secrets too -- just to keep us guessing!....
{Read my full review here.}

Only Gossip Prospers by Lorraine Tosiello
An excellent, authentic-feeling portrait of Louisa May Alcott's life, post-Little Women. Louisa takes a motherly, Marmee type of role in this saga. Wherever she treads, even in the giant sea of people in New York, she leaves an indelible mark on her very own hodgepodge set of little women around her....
{Read my full review here.}

Previous years of top favorite books:

2018 // 2017 // 2016 // 2015 // 2014 // 2013 // 2012 // 2011 // 2010

So, dear reader, what are your favorite books that you got to read in 2019?

If you've posted your 2019 favorites list, drop your link in the comments so we can all see it!