my favorite books of 2019

My 2019 New Year's resolution was to read one book every month for the entire year. While I love to read, I found I just wasn't finding the time to sit down and devour a book like I used to be able to (you know, in between Netflix and Instagram there's not a lot of wiggle room). Unfortunately, I didn't finish the year with 12 entire books read (I have a tendency to read half of one and put it down for another one) but the books that I did read were absolutely magical (and not only art/business books either, but books I read just for fun as well!).

I thought I’d give you a short list of my favourite books from this year, perhaps to add to your own reading list!

 
 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the incredibly true story of Lale Sokolov, the Jewish Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist, and the woman he fell in love with inside the death camps. The idea that this is a true story astounded me; Heather Morris wrote the book based off of interviews with Holocaust survivor Lale, who had escaped here to Australia post-war. This book made me smile and it made me cry, it's full of beauty, hope, and despair. Truly unforgettable and well written (a relatively easy read, keeping in mind it's contents) I actually plan on re-reading this book again this year.

 
 
 

The Ship That Never Was: The Greatest Escape Story of Australian Colonial History by Adam Courtenay

Josh gave me this book for Christmas last year as I'm constantly trying to learn more about Tasmania, the convicts, and the history here in my new home. The Ship That Never Was did not disappoint; it follows the true story of convict James Porter (who had recorded his life story several times in various autobiographies) and his journey from England through to Van Diemens Land.

Unable to follow the rules and constantly trying to escape Van Dieman's Land, James was sent to the notorious Sarah Island, known as Hell on Earth. Sarah Island was the last stop for convicts, the harshest convict settlement in Australia.

Many had tried to escape Sarah Island but few had succeeded – until James Porter. Stealing the last, newly built ship from the now-closed island, he and a handful of men successfully escaped the colony of Australia and out of British hands. But what happened after leaving Sarah Island was stranger than any fiction writer could have materialised.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because whenever I had a question or was unsure of what event James was talking about, the author would jump in with background information and explain the history and culture behind the event. The Ship That Never Was is easy to follow and understand (unlike many other Tasmanian history books) and I loved James Porter's insane journey from convict to escapee and back again.

Side note: if you ever come to Tasmania, the town of Strahan puts on a play based on this story (by the same name). It's been re-enacted for 27 years now and while I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing it myself, it's an absolute must do on the West Coast.

 
 
 

The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau

As the first business book I have ever read, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I just hoped I wouldn't find it too boring and also hoped to learn something from it by the time I was finished reading it. And then I smashed it out in 2 days. And then I re-read it. Literally. It's easy to read, easy to understand, and Chris literally gives you step-by-step instructions on how to create a successful business on an investment smaller than a new computer monitor. He gives real life examples of entrepreneurs from all walks of life, who have successfully created $100 start up business, and also created work sheets inside the book on how to make this process work for you. 10/10 would recommend if you're looking at starting your own small business, I learned so much from Chris.

 

 
 

A Big Important Art Book (Now With Women) by Danielle Krysa

I bought this book for inspiration and just for a bit of fun, and I absolutely loved it! Danielle had notices in art school how few female artists were depicted in art books and in art history, and decided to put together her own, modern, art history book. Danielle traveled around the world, interviewing female artists in all creative mediums and complied them beautifully into one big important art book. As you read through each artist’s story you also learn about female artists from history as well. From an artist standpoint, this book is amazing. From a feminist standpoint, this book is badass!

 
 
 

Butterfly on a Pin by Alannah Hill

Alannah Hill is a one of Australia's most successful fashion designers, having created a hugely successful self-titled label from absolutely nothing, only to walk away from it in 2013 when it tried to tear her apart. Alannah was raised in Penguin, Tasmania (around 20 minutes from where I currently live) and escaped to Melbourne at the age of 16 with little more than the clothes on her back and her mother’s wedding ring (that she later pawned off for food). This is her incredibly raw autobiography, and she didn't leave anything out; her gut-wrenchingly horrendous childhood in North West Tasmania, the trials and tribulations of becoming an adult in Melbourne with nothing to your name while also battling crippling anxiety and depression. When I say this book is raw I mean it cuts you deep to your core, leaves you bloody and comes back for more.

 
 
 

The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape

This was actually a financial book that I had purchased for Josh, but he asked me to read it as well so we could implement the ideas in this book together. I read this entire book in one day, and we started the Barefoot Journey together the next. The idea behind the book is to take back control of your finances, get out of debt, and feel safe and secure about the future. It's set up in such a simple way that literally anyone, in any financial situation, making any amount of money, can follow the steps and end up exactly where they want to be financially. Josh and I followed these steps and just quietly, the difference from where we were last May to where we are now is absolutely huge.

Please read this book.

Side note: this book was written for Australian readers in mind but most of the ideas in this book can be transferred to absolutely anyone, absolutely anywhere.

 
 
 

Art Money Success: Finally Make a Living Doing what You Love by Maria Brophy

Okay, so I haven't strictly finished this book yet (remember I pick up and put down books) but I do highly recommend it for any creative entrepreneur just starting out. Every topic within an art related business is covered: social media, email marketing, galleries, selling online, networking, creating prints... This book is designed in a way that you can flip back and forth between the different sections that you may need help with at that time. Work sheets are included inside the book to fill in as you go through each section, and it's recommended to re-read the book once every year to both ensure you continue to move your business forward and to ensure you're implementing each area to their fullest potential (I know I'll be going through this book over and over again!)

 
 

So there we have it, my favorite books from 2019. I will admit after going through this list I do have a very diverse range of reading, but I hope you found at least one book that you can take with you into the New Year! I will be continuing on with last year’s resolution to continue reading one new book every month (or listening to it, thank you Audible!) and I will another list for you next year!

What was the best book you read this year? Let me know in the comments below so I can add it to my reading list for this year!

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