My Year in Books

So, apparently I read 105 books this year. 34,746 pages. Not counting the millions of pages read to my six-year-old each night. That’s....incomprehensible. But there you go. At any rate, I thought I’d share my faves across genres, for those on the lookout for their next read.

Nonfiction

A Little History of Religion - Richard Holloway

If there’s one book I’d recommend to everyone, it’s this. Richard Holloway retells the entire history of religion, from the dawn of religious belief to the twenty-first century, covering the major world religions as well as Scientology and creationism. Totally fascinating, easy to read, honest... I really loved it, and even considered sharing it with my 6-year-old.

Five Days at Memorial - Sheri Fink

Really powerful. At times, tough to read. The first half details what went down at the hospital during/after Katrina, and the second half follows the investigation and legal proceedings. I actually found the second half more gripping. The depth of Fink's reporting is astounding. And I really appreciated the epilogue, too, which puts everything into greater context, and leaves the reader with some interesting and difficult questions to reflect upon.

The Mother of All Jobs: How to Have Children and a Career and Stay Sane(ish) - Christine Armstrong

Any/every parent should read this. Talk about relatable! Confirms what you’ve always suspected, and enlightens as well. Talks about the physical difficulties of parenting as well as the more intangible mental loads. Might even inspire change. Bonus: Short chapters that you can dip in and out of, even with summaries at end for those harried parents who can’t spare much time to actually read.

Thriller/Suspense

The Confession - Jo Spain

Really interesting mystery for those who liked The Girl on the Train. The chapters are told from the perspectives of different characters, which often makes me cringe, but totally works in this case, and they are satisfyingly short, making it easy to speed along.

Still Waters (and subsequent books) - Viveca Sten

I only read this book because it was free on Kindle Unlimited, but it was great, and got me hooked. I ended up reading the entire 4-book Sandhamn Murders series. The strength of these books is definitely the setting - Sten really transports you to the Stockholm Archipelago, and now I want to go there too. The characters also become like old friends, for better or worse.

Anything by Karin Slaughter or Louise Penny. Seriously great.

Sci-fi

The Feed - Nick Clark Windo

I’m still thinking about this book, months after reading it. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world that is unsettlingly similar to our own, with a scenario that is not so far-fetched. Taking our social media/Alexa/Internet connectedness one step further, nearly everyone in the world has microchips embedded in their brains and are networked to each other. They become so reliant on this technology that when it fails, they either die or go crazy. The few that remain have to fend for themselves in a new tech-free wilderness, and really struggle.

Dark Matter - Blake Crouch

Really interesting concept, and a plot that kept me engaged. A guy is able to travel through time to confront a different version of himself, and begins to question which one is the “real” one... bit of a mind f*ck.

Into the Drowning Deep - Mira Grant

What if mermaids were real? And evil? This book was intense and super interesting, even if the concept seems cheesy. On the heels of this, I read Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman which was totally different, yet also great. It deals with mental illness in a weird, wonderful, mind-bending way, which fits perfectly with the subject matter.

The Forgetting, The Knowing (two-part series) - Sharon Cameron

Do you devour books like The Hunger Games and Harry Potter? Here you go. You’re welcome.

Young Adult

The Light of the Fireflies - Paul Pen

Wow. Wow. This book is incredible. Haunting. Fans of The Room will love it. Told from the perspective of a child who was raised in a basement after an incident that remains a bit of a mystery until the very end. And although you think you’ve figured it out, of course it’s not that simple...

Goodbye Days - Jeff Zentner

Zentner is amazing. I’ll read anything he writes. It’s what I believe teens are actually like these days. No schmaltzy, predictable plots. Keep em coming!

The Infinite Pieces of Us - Rebekah Crane

Awesome characters, interesting and unexpected plot, amazing writing... I just really loved this book.

This Is Where It Ends - Marieke Nijkamp

A book about a school shooting, which might turn some of you off immediately. But it did an incredible job of fleshing out a lot of interesting characters in a really short book that takes no time at all to read. My one criticism was it got a bit too teen romance.

Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon

Classic teen romance. I heart Nicola Yoon.

Long Way Down - Jason Reynolds

This book about a shooting feels important. I read it in a matter of hours, but it packs a powerful punch. Highly recommended.

Quirky

Lily and the Octopus - Steven Rowley

Omigod, this book. I’m not even a dog person, but I was totally moved by this. It’s just...amazing. So well written, and different. Read it.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman

One of the weirdest characters I have ever met in a novel. Hands down. Not entirely likeable, either. But fascinatingly original. Amazing. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh also had a really interesting main character, a messed-up alcoholic who you nonetheless learn to like. Original, interesting plot too.

A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman

Worth the hype. Poor old codger.

The Rules of Seeing - Joe Heap

I’ve got mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, the plot was a bit much at times. But it still fascinated me because it made me really think about blindness and how we perceive the world in a new way.

Audiobooks

I’m really picky about audiobooks. The narrator has to be right, or else they’re gratingly annoying. I’ve found that biographies written and read by comedians are by far the best. This year I listened to: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling (she should just narrate EVERYTHING, she’s amazing), Amy Schumer, Nick Offerman, Eric Idle. All were great. Aziz Ansari’s Modern Romance was surprisingly intelligent and informative - academic, even - and really good.

Other good bets are This American Life regulars, like David Rakoff and David Sedaris.

Year of Yes - Shonda Rhimes

I think I avoided this for so long because I assumed it was a self-help book. I guess it kind of is, but not in the cheesy way I’d expected. It’s more..life affirming. A relatable autobiography by a kick-ass woman who I now greatly admire.

Hunger - Roxane Gay

I related. A lot. Powerful.