My 20 books of 2019; crammed along a Masters, a PhD and three country moves

Everyone that knows me, even if just a little bit, finds out pretty quickly that I am a hardcore bookworm. I’m always reading something, if not more than one book at a time, and I always finish what I start. This year was particularly prolific in this area because I found out about the wonderful world of Audiobooks (thanks Ting Lye for insisting on this!) and became an … (does anyone know an equivalent for a bookworm?) audiobook addicted (that will do for now).

So here’s my list with short reviews of all 18 books that I read or listened to in 2019, along with two that I haven’t finished yet but are worth mentioning. The Portuguese version will follow soon after this one.

Becoming - Michelle Obama (audiobook): one of the best books I listened to this year. Extremely intimate, honest and involving. Got me completely addicted to audiobooks and to writing a personal journal as a way of organising thoughts and emotions, besides giving me another role model in life. Totally recommend.

The moment of Lift - Melinda Gates (audiobook): Gave me a different perspective of women empowerment that I hadn’t thought before, which was a good reflection. It’s very fast passed and not as intimate as Michelle’s. I felt that Melinda was trying to paint the picture of “I’m not perfect” while doing everything perfectly, which felt a bit fake.

I am Malala - Malala Yousafzai (audiobook): what a powerful book. Made me realize that I knew absolutely nothing about Pakistan and all the conflicts and suffering people were going through there besides the very limited info that we get through the press. It was a very honest, intimate and grounded story, totally recommend!

We are Displaced - Malala Yousafzai (audiobook): interesting approach. Through this book, Malala gave voice to other women, especially girls, who were displaced due to conflict. The stories are powerful, sometimes heavy and they open our eyes to the perspective of refugees, which is often overlooked.

Born a Crime - Trevor Noah (audiobook): also one of the best audiobooks I listened to, ever. Trevor Noah is extremely clever, involving, charming, sarcastic, I could keep going with the adjectives. He brings light to very daunting situations without taking the seriousness of the topic for granted. Trevor talks about his childhood in post-apartheid South Africa, how his mom managed to have a “mixed child” and how that affected his life and their relationship. What an amazing woman, by the way! Can’t wait to watch the movie about her! I will listen to it again in the future, and I am not one that usually re-do things with such a long list of books pilling up. 

The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama (audiobook): listening to Obama is always very inspiring, especially after Michelle’s book which brings a lot of his political endeavours and motivations. But this book was too focused on American politics for my taste (which should have not been a surprise for me, but it was, I was expecting something a little bit more universal…). Maybe his first book (The Dreams of my Father) will be more of a personal account.

13 Things that Don’t make sense - Michael Brooks (audiobook): interesting audiobook for the scientifically inclined. This was a very light and entertaining listen and provided excellent conversation-starts for social gatherings. Michael Brooks talks about 13 things that are still a scientific mystery despite all of our technological advances, going from dark matter to homoeopathy, even discussing the evolutionary reasons for sex. He provides an unbiased opinion, always exposing all sides of the story, which I appreciated a lot.

Customer Success - Nick Mehta and several authors (audiobook): this was the only one that I actually didn’t like. Each chapter is written by a different author and it gives the impression that there is a connection between the topics, but it actually does not. There’s no unit and I could not seem to learn anything new from the book, even given that I had started on the field only a month before.

Leonardo Da Vinci - Walter Isaacson (audiobook): Walter Isaacson is one of the best biographers from our time and he did a wonderful job with this book. Full of details, all properly backed by evidence or stated otherwise when not possible, he makes you feel like you know Leonardo da Vinci as a close friend. I saw the Mona Lisa for the first time after listening to this audiobook and could appreciate all that she represents, while most people I know get quite disappointed at the sight of “such a small and unimpressive painting”.

A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles (audiobook): my favourite non-biographical book of the year! Came across this book by chance in one of Bill Gate’s summer reading lists and completely loved it. Such a clever story, embedded in the post-socialist revolution in Russia. This is that type of book that you read with a grim on your face due to all the sarcastic remarks and witty inside jokes. It also makes you laugh and cry. I felt like I was teleported back in time and completely forgot about my surroundings while listening to this book. Also, the narrator is particularly good.

Principles: Life and Work - Ray Dalio (audiobook): this was the hardest book I listened to this year. I must have listened to it twice for the number of times I went back and forth. The first part, Ray Dalio’s biography, is amazing! It is very impressive and easy to follow. But the second part, the principles, which alas is the most important part of the book, is really hard to listen to. Not because it is poorly done, but because if you want to make the most of it, you need to reflect on the things that he is telling you, and while you do that you lose track of the recording and need to go back. This is one that I would definitely recommend on the printed version.

Invisible Women - Caroline Criado Perez (audiobook): I have mixed feeling about this one. I agree with most of what Caroline Criado Perez brings to the table, there is definitely a gender data gap and society is built in a way to simply not take women into account. But some of the information that she brings goes against some of the principles of feminism (in my perspective, at least) and I don’t know if that’s the best way to do it or if she is actually doing a disservice to the fight towards equal gender balance. 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris (audiobook): not exactly what I was expecting. This book is difficult, as you can imagine, even the narrator seems like is suffering to tell the story. But it became more like a love story than I was expecting. Part or most of it is true since it is based on the accounts of a Holocaust survivor which was the Tattooist of Auschwitz, but it feels like it was romanticised to the point of almost becoming a teenage love story. This, of course, made the story a bit lighter and bearable, but a bit disappointing as well. 

Learn French with Paul Noble / Next steps in French with Paul Noble - Paul Noble/ French Short Stories for Beginners - Frederic Bilbard (audiobooks): they are three different books but I’ll address them together. Using audiobooks to learn new languages is very handy because you can pick up the sounds and get familiar with the spoken language quickly, which makes you understand native speakers faster. The Paul Noble books are good in that sense but utterly boring and repetitive in the format. It was a struggle to finish both. I understand his underlying principle of repeating to remember, but honestly, I learn faster than that. That’s why I loved the other book, which tells you short stories, then gives you the vocabulary and then narrates the same stories again at a different pace.

1808 - Laurentino Gomes (book): a very well-written story about Brazilian history. Although my sister-in-law, who is a historian focused on Brazilian history, says that I cannot take his words as actual historical facts, the author manages to put together the main points of what guided the Brazilian society towards what it is today. And the book provides perspective into behaviours that we still see today. His two following books are at the top of my reading list.

Rita Lee: an autobiography - Rita Lee (book): a very entertaining autobiography of one of the most famous Brazilian singers. I wish she made an audiobook of it so I could listen to her tell these stories, it would be hilarious. It was a light read, full of stops to listen to her songs along the way.

Why we sleep - Matthew Walker (audiobook - ongoing): haven’t finished this one yet, but I’m way past the halfway point. It has been interesting to know how our sleep affects our body through the eyes of one of the most renowned sleep scientist of our time, all based on proper scientific evidence. Looking forward to finishing it and see if he can answer some of the questions that his statements are bringing me. And I’m glad to realise that I was right all along with my early bed routine!

L'Enfant de la Prophétie: Tome 1 - Florence Brichau-Prado (book - ongoing): my first french book. I chose a teenager story so I can improve my vocabulary without feeling that I am not making much progress because I have to stop and search for words all the time. It is proving efficient, especially on the Kindle, as I can search for the words by just holding my finger over them. But I am still some time away from finishing it. This book is particularly special for me because I remember, when reading my first book in English quite some years ago, I secretly wished that I could read all books in their native languages. After accomplishing that with Portuguese, English and Spanish, French will be the fourth language that I’ll be able to do it.

I would love to extend the discussion about audiobooks vs books but given the article is already quite long, this will be the topic of an article to come. For the time being, I just wish 2020 will be as enjoyable as 2019 was in this area of my life!

How about you? Have you tried audiobooks already? Any books to recommend so I can add to my never-ending list?