2019 Top Tens | Books and Movies

Here we are at the end of another year, looking back on all that happened over the course of the last twelve months and wondering what happened to the time. Unsurprisingly, I spent quite a bit of it reading and watching movies!

Totally counts as storytelling research, right? ;D

As always, choosing my top ten favorites for the year required a bit of thinking, and it was a very close call at times. Now I present my ten favorite books and movies from 2019!

(As with previous years, these are titles I read or watched for the first time in 2019, though they may not be 2019 releases.)
 10) The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Sage is snarky and fun and I quite enjoyed the twists this story took.


9) The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli
I really enjoyed the way storytelling was so integral to the story itself, and the mythology is so intriguing.

8) The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
This was quirky and funny and made for a great audiobook read.

 
7) Mark of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse
Selene’s struggle with what she was expected to do felt real, as did Damien’s tested faith, and the stakes at play between the two of them and their roles were handled so well. I really need to read the second book!

6) Wires and Nerve Volume II: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer
I should probably start with my favorite thing of the whole book: At some point, the Rampion crew had their photo taken and SCARLET AND WOLF HAVE THAT PHOTO. *happy sobs*

This was a fun installment, and though the graphic novels aren’t my favorite books of TLC, they’re enjoyable and offer a really cool look at what happened after the revolution.

5) Seeking Giants by Elizabeth D. Marie
This one is probably my new favorite of the series so far. Tarrent and Jac are constantly at odds but I enjoyed the way their story unfolded as they had to work together. And the appearances of characters from earlier books were fun too!


4) Lightless by K.T. Ivanrest
I love Fulsa and Phaios, and how much theme and conflict this short story carries.

3) To Best the Boys by Mary Weber
This kind of reminded me of The Scorpio Races, and I loved how immersive the story was. The characters were great too.

2) Lovely War by Julie Berry
This book made me feel so many things. The narration was beautiful, the suspense high, and the characters—the characters were stunning. It took a day or two to fully process this one after reading.

1) Romanov by Nadine Brandes
I had high expectations for this book and it definitely met them. I really enjoyed how much focus there was on the family’s closeness, and how that drove the emotions of the story. It’s one of the first books I read in less than 48 hours in a loooong time, and it remained a favorite from the time I finished the last page.
10) Bumblebee
Bumblebee is cool and when I heard there was going to be a prequel about him I didn’t know what to expect. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, is fun, and is maybe my favorite Transformers movie? 


9) Shazam!
My sister suggested this one, and I’m not really sure what I expected from it. It proved fun, hilarious, and surprisingly full of heart at the same time. 

8) Captain Marvel
Another fun Marvel adventure, with interesting twists and a cool storytelling format. I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS THOUGH.


7) Wreck-it Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet
A cute, fun sequel. The pop culture references were just as fun as the first movie!

6)  Mary Poppins Returns
This was adorable! I so loved the whimsy and the magic and the hopefulness threaded through the story.

5) Spider-man: Far from Home
Picking up after the events of Endgame makes for a very different MCU, and I liked how this movie explored a little bit of that while still keeping the story focused on Peter’s journey and attempts to deal with everything that’s happened.

4) Christopher Robin
This was adorable and hilarious and I am way overdue for rewatching it!

3) The Highwaymen
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one but it was good. The time period is such a fascinating one, and though the story takes a little time to get going, it works.

2) The Lion King
The Lion King was my favorite movie as a kid, and still remains one of my favorites, so I had hesitations about this remake. Though I don’t love it quite as much as the animated movie, it exceeded my expectations and I loved it from the opening sequence.

1) Avengers: Endgame
Overall a satisfying end to so many stories. The time travel aspect made for such a fun adventure, and even though I’m still not over some things that happened, it was so great to see this story unfold.
What were your favorite books and movies in 2019?

Comments

  1. I always love these posts!!! :D And it looks like you consumed so many great stories this year! Sooo many books you mentioned on are my TBR. Namely The False Prince, Mark of the Raven, To Best the Boys, and Romanov. I actually own the latter two and am sooo looking forward to reading them, so hearing you enjoyed them makes me even more excited! Shamefully, the only one I've read on your list is Wires and Nerve Volume II but AAAAHHHH! Loved it so much!

    So many good movies too! Christopher Robin is one of my FAVES. And all the Marvel stuff OF COURSE. I really enjoyed Mary Poppins Returns as well. I was skeptical about it, but it surprised me in a good way. It was a good year of movies all around!

    I do hope you have the most AMAZING 2020, Jameson! <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I can't wait to hear what you think of those books! I'm actually thinking of rereading Romanov soon...

      Wires and Nerve was such a fun duology! But anything with the Rampion gang is bound to be fun, right? ;D

      Oh my goodness, Christopher Robin was such a cute one. It was one of those random lazy afternoon picks and I fell in love with it; Mary Poppins Returns was kind of the same. (It's been FOREVER since I watched the first Mary Poppins, so I didn't remember much but MPR felt like a strong sequel.) There were so many good movies this year—I had a difficult time picking only ten to feature!

      Have a wonderful new year, dearie!

      Delete

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