What to read when you need something easy and fun:
Lucky: I don’t know why I liked this one so much other than it was a fun escape and I enjoyed the characters. Quick read!
Lessons in Chemistry: This one was huge this year and for good reason! The cover art makes it look like a light book but the story has a lot of depth.
The Unhoneymooners: I don’t usually love super light stuff like this but I laughed out loud several times!
Finlay Donovan is Killing It: This series is so fun! The premise itself is clever and I really liked the main character.
What to read when you want something different
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow: I’m not terribly interested in video games but this was riveting to me. Really well done.
The Storied Life of AJ Fikry: I put this in this category because the characters were so unusual for a typical “romance”. I loved it!
Remarkably Bright Creatures: So good considering the main character is an octopus! Really clever and interesting story.
What to read when you need a little suspense
I’ll Be You: I loved her last book and this one was just as good. Really contemporary topics too.
The No Show: I went into this blind and am glad so I’m giving no hints…
The Last Mrs Parrish: A “lighter” suspense and I did not guess the twist at ALL.
What to read when you want some history:
This Tender Land: One of my favorites this year. SO well written and compelling.
The Last Bookshop of London: This is a middle grade novel I think but I liked how well the topic was covered. There really aren’t many stories that solely focus on the bombings in London and this was done really well.
The Exiles: My other top favorite. A story about the shipping off of fugitives to Australia.
I Must Betray You: A story about Romania in the late 80s that I knew nothing about before. I really enjoyed this one.
The Orphan Keeper: Such an interesting true story!
The Diamond Eye: Another top one. I love everything Kate Quinn and she delivered yet again!
The Island Of Sea Women: wow, wow, what an amazing story! Generations of women in Korea free diving and fishing. A long form history which is one of my favorite ways to learn about the history of another country.
Pachinko: Maybe one of my top favorites ever. I learned so much about Korean and Japanese history. I love a long historical book that covers many generations. The TV show based on this book was really done well too!
Woman on Fire: If you’re at all interested in art history, this is for you!
The Dictionary of Lost Words: A beautiful story in the 1900’s that was really unique.
Kids:
Boys in the Boat: There is a kids version of this that my son especially was so interested in! Many of the locations (PNW) were familiar to our family which was fun. Great for 8+.
Echo: So well done and a great introduction to WW2 for kids. The audio version is a MUST for this one.
The Venderbeekers of 141st st: The writing in this is so well done. Both of my kids were really into it. We listened in the car and just started on the second in the series.
