I’m so excited about this post. I started getting back into reading in a big way last year after a multiple-year college and post-grad slump. I read 21 books in 2020, which was huge for me. The more I read the more I wanted to read and this year I set a goal to read 25 books. I was able to surpass it pretty early on, and I finished the year with a whopping total of 42 books read.
Last year I listened to my first audiobook but I didn’t really have a time or place for them, so I didn’t continue listening to them. However, living on my own and now finally having a commute again, I LOVE audiobooks. Especially memoirs. Much the same way people will themselves out of bed to get coffee in the morning, I have willed myself out of bed with AirPods and the promise of 30 minutes of listening before needing to start my day. The same concept as coffee, but much nerdier. I’ve sat and stared at the walls late into the night because I couldn’t turn off a book, which is honestly true to how I read books too, just with listening now in addition to reading a print book. Audiobooks have totally changed my capacity for reading because sometimes it’s just too damn hard to turn off the TikToks to sit still with a book.
I loved reading and listening to so many books this year and I loved tracking them almost as much. Inspired very much by All the Rad Reads I set up a book bullet journal and started making lists. Lists of new releases, old books I wanted to read, my favorite books, and I tracked and rated every book I read or listened to. I participated in Rachel’s own reading challenge and listed out every book from Reese’s Book Club and used those as starting points whenever I wasn’t sure what to read next. I even listed out every Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ann Patchett and Kristin Hannah book and started working my way through those. I feel like tracking and rating each book helped me remember them better, and while I tracked them online in The Story Graph app too, I liked being able to see my progress visualized in the journal. And I will say, the tracking and having pre-made lists of my favorite book for each month made it really easy to pull together this list and remember each book clearly.
Shop all of my recs from local bookstores here.
5 Star Reads
Educated by Tara Westover
This was my favorite book of the year. Tara grows up Mormon with some very interesting family members and she tells her story of coming of age in that environment, going to college, and discovering the world. Tara’s story is not only captivating but is so well-written. I grew so invested in her story and found it absolutely fascinating. I know it’s old news but if you haven’t read it yet like I hadn’t, I highly recommend this one.
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
Another memoir I loved this year was Hillbilly Elegy. J.D. grows up in the rust belt, in a region where kids are used to less traditional family structures, traumatic events, and are often living in poverty. Much like Westover, he survives his coming of age, makes it out and through college, and writes about his experience. Both books taught me more about subsets of American culture than any American history class did.
Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wong
Rounding out the memoirs with one that hit a little closer to home, Qian immigrates with her family, leaving China for Brooklyn, and details her childhood as an undocumented immigrant living in New York. Her story is raw, challenging and emotional.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Have you ever been able to tell a book would be one of your favorites from the beginning? I could feel the love for Malibu Rising before I was even 40% of the way through, which shouldn’t be surprising considering The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six were also five-star reads last year, both also by Reid. Malibu Rising is the story of a woman who falls in love with an unreliable man and raises her children mostly alone in Malibu. It also tells the story of her daughter living as an adult woman, finding her footing after her relationship falls apart. I loved almost all of the characters and couldn’t get through it fast enough. Reid can do no wrong in my book.
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
If memoirs are one of my favorite genres, historical fiction is my other. Set in the Pink City of Jaipur in the 1950s, Lakshmi escapes an abusive marriage and builds a life for herself as, you guessed it, a henna artist, serving India’s wealthy. There were some unexpected twists and turns but the character development is what made this novel truly unforgettable.
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel by Laurie Frankel
Rosie and Penn are parents to four boys, but face unexpected challenges after having their fifth, who identifies as a girl. Frankel’s story is that of relationships and raising a transgender child. It was an incredible story with great characters.
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
I needed this book. I read Big Magic at a time when I was feeling stuck at work and in my creative pursuits and needed a push. Liz Gilbert talks about finding inspiration, putting in the time, and creating. I highly recommend it for all creatives.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
I honestly can’t remember how The Silent Patient ends but I know I was surprised and remember I loved it. A psychological thriller, a woman in a mental hospital reflects on how she got there.
4.5-Star Reads
Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour
A young black man is offered a sales job and given a chance to prove himself in corporate America. Darren experiences racism, the challenges of corporate America, and struggles to balance his new income and social circle with his past life.
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
Another coming-of-age story, the daughter of a very strict father tries to figure out who she is after a life dedicated to academia. This novel was easy-going and a good fast read.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
This is one of those books where you really grow to love the main character. Count Alexander Rostov is under house arrest at a hotel in Moscow. He takes you through the years of his life and the relationships he builds and maintains from 1922-1954. It’s a slow start but I couldn’t help but love it by the end.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
What drew me in about this book was the idea that it’s never too late to reignite an old passion, and a historical mystery set in London never hurts. Escaping reality in London after finding out her husband was cheating on her, Caroline rediscovers herself and her interests. While she explores the city, flashbacks to a young girl’s life in London in the 1700s give a full picture of the history Caroline is discovering in the 21st century.
City of Girls
I got lost in the magic of New York in the 1940s with this one. It started off pretty slow, which is why I couldn’t give it five stars, but it’s hard not to get caught up in the fun of it. Liz Gilbert strikes again.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
I love Kate Quinn and WWII so I knew this would be a favorite before I even cracked it open. Three young women work at Bletchley Park decoding Axis intelligence during the Second World War. Flash forward five years and one of the three is stuck in an institution, unsure what she did or who put her there. I read this after watching the Crown and appreciated the Prince Philip storyline more than I would’ve years prior. If you’re a fan of historical fiction this is a great read.
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Another historical fiction favorite, Kristin Hannah gets me every time. The Martinelli family adjusts to the harsh realities of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression in 1930’s America. This time period is not one I’d normally care to read about but as with all Hannah’s books, I was hooked. I cried. I got attached. What else is new? (P.S. The Great Alone made the list last year – are you noticing a theme in my favorite authors yet?) This one wasn’t a five-star favorite for me only because I felt the ending landed a little flat and left more to be desired.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
This was my first Emily Henry read but it won’t be my last. I loved the story of Poppy and Alex’s yearly vacations and seeing their relationship ebb and flow over time. I found the timeline a little hard to follow at times but I understand the #BookTok hype for this one.
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
The Paper Palace looks like a beach read but the story of Elle’s dark and twisted family history should come with a number of trigger warnings. Elle wrestles presently with whether to leave her husband and children for her childhood love, Jonah, while flashbacks take you through their history together. It was a good one.
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