My Favorite Book of the Year: 1939-1930

Moving onto the 9th edition to this blog series, we’re heading back to the 1930’s. If this is the first post of this series you’ve stumbled upon, check out the previous decades.

My Favorite Book of The Year: 2019-2010
My Favorite Book of The Year: 2009-2000
My Favorite Book of The Year: 1999-1990
My Favorite Book of The Year: 1989-1980
My Favorite Book of The Year: 1979-1970
My Favorite Book of the Year: 1969-1960
My Favorite Book of the Year: 1959-1950
My Favorite Book of the Year: 1949-1940

The 1930’s was a time of great change, as the world teetered on war as Hitler rose to power in Germany and Japan began its invasion of Asia. You also had the rise of makeup, women in the workforce, and the Great Depression in America.

1939

I had to fit Agatha Christie somewhere on these lists and since this is probably my favorite book by her, I’m choosing this one. This is also probably her darkest book, especially considering her books tend to be light and fun cozy murder mysteries.

1938

This is the second book by C.S. Lewis I featured on this blog series, and it’s his main fully fantasy series. I wasn’t a huge fan of the second book and I haven’t been able to finish the third book, but this first book is wonderfully fun and surprisingly insightful. It follows a man on vacation who stumbles upon two men and a spaceship, heading towards a mysterious planet. It’s a fascinating story.

1937

We talked about Lord of the Rings in the 1950’s, but I couldn’t help but put another of Tolkien’s in. This was the first book I read by Tolkien, and it is light and fun whereas LotR is much denser and darker. It is also the prelude, so I would honestly recommend reading it first.

1936

I have mixed feelings about this book, even if it is wonderfully written and filled with historical context. Scarlett is one of my least favorite protagonists in all of literature, and the book itself is extremely daunting in length (my copy is nearly a 1,000 pages). However, it is a beautifully written book which presents a dark time in American history.

1935

You’re probably sick of hearing me talk about this book, so I’ll keep this brief (though read my full review if you want to). I adore this book, as it’s half murder mystery and half examination of human nature. It’s a great book, even at it’s long length (over 500 pages). In fact, everything I’ve read by Sayers I’ve enjoyed.

1934

I read this book last year, and absolutely adored it. It follows the early life of Claudius, before he became Roman Emperor, as he watched people fight for power and kill each other in his family. It’s a serious, but beautiful book with lush historical context and realistic characters.

1933

This is such a classic children’s story, following the adventure of a duck in China. I loved its art growing up, and I still think it’s a cute story.

1932

Like George Orwell and Ray Bradbury, Huxley just knows how to create dark, dystopian worlds. Apparently this book as a sequel too (kind of), which is a nonfiction book of how Huxley created the world in this novel, but I haven’t read it yet.

1931

This is a wonderful book following a poor family in China during changing times. Because Buck lived in China for the first half of her life, she has a deep understanding of the Chinese people, making for a wonderful book. There are also sequels, but apparently they aren’t as good, so I may not end up reading them.

1930

This is one of my favorite books of all time, and definitely one of the most underappreciated books. It tells the story of a young woman traveling to China to meet her fiance, only to get caught up between traditionalists and communists in Chinese during a changing time, befriending a man named General Yen. It’s a wonderful story, even if the movie made based on it is horrible!

Have you read any of these books? What is your favorite book from the decade? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments, follow my blog for more musings and, as always,

Best wishes in your life full of adventure,

Madame Writer