Reading List

Key:

• 5/5 rating: 0 is lowest, 5 is highly recommended
• Books I think you should read are linked to Bookshop.org and may be affiliate links in nature. Those that I've reviewed will also have a link to the review. As of January 9, 2024, I am in the process of updating links.
• DNF: Did not finish

5/5 -- You should definitely read these!

• Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin (contemporary fiction, short stories, Argentinian, translation) (buy it HERE).
• The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak (contemporary fiction)
• The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (young adult, science fiction, dystopian fiction)
• The Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer (young adult, science fiction, dystopian fiction)
• Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah (contemporary fiction)
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (literary fiction, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, mystery)
• The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow (contemporary fiction)
• Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kowaguchi (magical realism, Japanese fiction, mystery, relationships)
• Miss Benson's Beetle  by Rachel Joyce (historical fiction, women's fiction, relationships, friendship, mystery, adventure)
• When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill (magical realism, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, women's fiction, LGTBQ+, relationships, American Midwest)
• Night by Elie Wiesel (memoir, World War II, Holocaust, Europe)
• Siren Queen by Nghi Vo (magical realism, LGTBQ+ fiction, historical fiction, Old Hollywood, mysterious)
• Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin (LGTBQ+ fiction, identity, young adult, contemporary fiction, banned book)
• Pobby and Dingan by Ben Rice
• The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay

4/5 -- These are worth the read

• Missing Under the Mistletoe: A Flower Shop Mystery by Kate Collins (Fiction, Romantic Mystery, Christmas)
• The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (contemporary fiction, historical fiction, Swedish fiction, comedy)
• What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons (contemporary fiction)
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (young adult, middle grades, fantasy, contemporary gothic)
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (historical fiction, mystery, England)
• The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (historical fiction, 1800s)
• The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick (contemporary fiction, books about books, England)
• So We Meet Again by Suzanne Park (contemporary fiction, Asian American fiction)
• Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins
• The Second Chance Hotel by Sierra Godfrey
• A Very Typical Family Sierra Godfrey
• The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
• Go Figure by Rae Armantrout
• Unleashed by Emily Kimelman
• Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller
• The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
• A Most Unusual Demise by Katherine Black
• The Berlin Apartment by Bryn Turnbull

3/5 -- These are OK to pass the time.

• Rememberings by Sinead O'Connor (memoir)
• An Untidy Death by Simon Brett (mystery)
• A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (contemporary fiction)
• Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (fiction, fantasy, young adult)
• Death in the Dark by Emily Kimelman

2/5 -- I read them, but don't know if you should...

1/5 -- Ugh! Why did I waste my time with these?

5/5 -- You should definitely read these!

• No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib (Contemporary fiction, dramatic, tense)
• Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan (Contemporary fiction, psychological thriller, family and friend psychology, and climate crisis)
• The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson (Contemporary fiction, Rom-com)
• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (non-fiction, autobiography, poetry)
• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Fiction)
• How Lulu Lost Her Mind by Rachel Gibson (Contemporary fiction, intergenerational)
• We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman (Contemporary fiction)
• Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong (Contemporary fiction, intergenerational)
• Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang (Memoir)
• The Leavers by Lisa Ko (Contemporary Fiction)
• The Empire of Dirt by Francesca Manfredi (Contemporary Fiction, Italian translated to English) 
• Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley (Contemporary Fiction)
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (Historical Fiction, Holocaust fiction)

4/5 -- These are worth the read

• Cold by Mariko Tamaki (Contemporary young adult fiction, murder mystery)
• The Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse (historical fiction, young adult)
• The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (Historical Fiction)
• Sway With Me by Syed M. Masood (Young Adult, Fiction)
• The Fell by Sarah Moss (Contemporary Fiction)

3/5 -- These are OK to pass the time.

• Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (contemporary mystery, fiction)
• Book Lovers by Emily Henry (contemporary fiction, Rom-Com, chick lit)
• The Librarian of Crooked Lane by C.J. Archer (Fantasy/Magical)
• The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly by Margareta Magnusson (Non-fiction, Memoir)

2/5 -- I read them, but don't know if you should...

1/5 -- Ugh! Why did I waste my time with these?

5/5 -- You should definitely read these!

• If You See Me, Don't Say Hi  by Neel Patel (contemporary short stories, fiction) 
• The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin (contemporary fiction)
• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (contemporary fiction)
• Stay by Bobby Pyron (Children's fiction)
• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson (Children's fiction; historical fiction)
• Loteria  by Karla Arenas Valenti (Children's fiction)
• The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson (Children's non-fiction; memoir)
• An Elderly Lady is up to No Good by Helene Tursten (fiction; Swedish fiction; crime fiction)
• An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten (fiction; Swedish fiction; crime fiction)
• Women Talking by Miriam Toews (fiction)

4/5 -- These are worth the read.

• Life's too Short by Abby Jimenez (chick lit, contemporary fiction)
• Flight of the Hummingbird by Michael Nicholl Yahgulanaas, Wangari Maathai, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama (non-fiction, environmentalism)
• Lety Out Loud by Angela Cervantes (Children's fiction)

3/5 -- These are OK to pass the time.

• Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott (non-fiction; memoir; parenting)

2/5 -- I read them, but don't know if you should...

1/5 -- Ugh! Why did I waste my time with these?

5/5 -- You should definitely read these!

• The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn (children's fiction)
• A Dog Called Kitty by Bill Wallace (children's fiction)
• The Dragons Are Singing Tonight by Jack Prelutsky (Children's poetry)
• Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco (Children's non-fiction)
• Ricky, the Rock That Couldn't Roll by Jay Miletsky (Children's fiction)
• Lowriders in Space by Cathy Camper and Raul the Third (Children's fiction; graphic novel)
• Guts by Raina Telgemeier (Children's fiction; graphic novel)
• The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey (contemporary fiction)
• The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg (non-fiction)
• The Do It Yourself Guide to Fighting  the Big Motherfucking Sad by Adam Gnade (self-help, non-fiction)
• The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger (fiction)
• The Push by Ashley Audrain (contemporary fiction; motherhood)
• The Bear by Andrew Krivak (fiction)
• The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam (contemporary fiction)
• News of the World by Paulette Jiles (fiction; historical fiction)

4/5 -- These are worth the read.

3/5 -- These are OK to pass the time.

• Who was Amelia Earnhardt  by Kate Boehm Jerome (children's non-fiction)
• Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner (children's fiction)
• We The People by Peter Spier (children's non-fiction, history)
• I Hate Reading by Beth Bacon (Children's non-fiction)
• Get Out of My Head by Meredith Arthur (self-help, non-fiction)

2/5 -- I read them, but don't know if you should...

1/5 -- Ugh! Why did I waste my time with these?

5/5 -- You should definitely read these!

• State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (contemporary fiction)
• The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley (contemporary fiction, chick lit, British fiction)
• Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (contemporary fiction, USA fiction)
• The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski (chick lit, fiction)
• Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson (contemporary fiction, multi-generational, USA fiction)
• When in Doubt, Add Butter by Beth Harbison (chick lit, fiction, USA fiction)
• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (contemporary fiction, multi-generational, African American fiction)
• The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg (chick lit, fiction)
• The Art of Frugal Hedonism by Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb (non-fiction, lifestyle)
• The Friend by Sigrid Nunez (contemporary fiction)
• The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw (fiction, Asia)
• Wild Embers  by Nikita Gill (poetry)
• Know My Name by Chanel Miller (memoir)
• Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg (poetry)
• That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam (contemporary fiction)

4/5 -- These are worth the read.

• The Disappearance of Signora Giulia by Piero Chiara (fiction; mystery; Italian mystery; 1950s)
• Love, Loss, and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi (memoir, non-fiction)
• Pym by Mat Johnson (fiction, contemporary fiction, Black voices)

3/5 -- These are OK to pass the time.

• On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden (graphic novel, LGBTQ+, young adult, fiction)
• Twelfth Night (or What You Will) by William Shakespeare (Folger Library edition; fiction, play, comedy)

2/5 -- I read them, but don't know if you should...

• A Woman Makes a Plan by Maye Musk (memoir; DNF)

1/5 -- Ugh! Why did I waste my time with these?

5/5 -- You should definitely read these:

• The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella (chick lit, fiction, humor)
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (historical fiction)
• Planting for Honeybees: The Grower's Guide to Creating a Buzz by Sarah Wyndham Lewis (nonfiction, gardening)
• The Unsettlers: In Search of the Good Life in Today's America by Mark Sundeen (nonfiction, homesteading, modern farming)
• The Giver by Lois Lowry (fiction, dystopian, young adult)
• The Year She Left Us by Kathryn Ma (contemporary fiction, mothers and daughters)
• City Chickens by Christine Heppermann (non-fiction, children's literature, agriculture, lifestyle)
• The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray (contemporary fiction; dysfunctional family drama)
• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (contemporary fiction, dogs, family drama)
• 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris (self-help, meditation)
• What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner (non-fiction; essays)
• The Drifter by Nick Petrie (contemporary fiction, war veteran after returning home)
• My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman (contemporary fiction; Scandi-fiction)
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (contemporary fiction; rom-com)
• One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, translated by H.T. Willetts (historical fiction, Soviet Union fiction)
• Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (graphic novel, non-fiction, memoir, Middle East)
• Dragonfish by Vu Tran (fiction, contemporary fiction, cross-cultural fiction)
• It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be by Paul Arden (business, non-fiction, self-help)
• The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani (contemporary fiction, cross-cultural and cross-generational fiction) 

4.5/5 -- Definitely read these ones:

• The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff (historical fiction)
• The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (fiction)
• How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky by Lydia Netzer (fiction, chick lit)
• The People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder (fiction, dysfunctional family)
• Distillery Cats: Profiles in Courage of the World's Most Spirited Mousers by Brad Thomas Parsons (non-fiction, cats)
• Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog -- The Quirky History of and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences by Kitty Burns Florey (non-fiction, grammar, language)
• Blood on Snow by Jo Nesbo (fiction, Nordic noir)
• The End of America by Naomi Wolf (non-fiction; US history; politics; government)

4/5 -- These are worth the read, but not the best of the best:

• The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz (READ TWICE; fiction, Scandinavian noir)
• Lips too chilled by Matsuo Basho (poetry)
• Bad Girls Throughout History by Ann Shen (biography)
• Recipe for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew (fiction, chick lit, South African fiction)
• The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (historical fiction)
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (fiction)

3/5 -- A nice diversion, but not the best books I've read:

• My Dog Tulip  by J.R. Ackerley (memoir; dogs)
• Larry and the Meaning of Life by Janet Tashjian (contemporary fiction, teen angst)
• The Reykjavik Assignment by Adam Lebor (fiction, mystery, spy thriller)

2/5 -- Why did I waste my time...but not the worst I've read:

1/5 -- Don't waste your time reading these ones!

• Open Grave by Kjell Eriksson (fiction, Nordic noir; linked to blog post but not Amazon)

2018 Books Finished:
5/5 -- You should definitely read these books:

• Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (Read my review HERE.)
• Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum (Read my review HERE.)
• A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
• The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro
• Tumble and Blue by Cassie Beasley
• Crafty Superstar by Grace Dobush 
• Not Tonight Josephine by George Mahood
• Less by Andrew Sean Geer

4.5/5 -- Not quite as amazing, but you should still read these books, er, book:
The Whistler by John Grisham (Much better than the last few Grisham novels I've read!)

4/5 -- Still pretty darn good:
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Not to be confused with Girl on a Train by A.J. Waines which I actually thought was better -- read my comparison HERE.)
Umami by Laia Jufresa
Pancakes in Paris by Craig Carlson
Saturday Night Widows by Becky Aikman


3.5/5 -- A nice diversion, but not the best I've ever read. Think entertainment rather than brain nourishment:
The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star by Vaseem Khan

2/5 -- Ugh! Why did I bother? 
The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz (Not linked to Amazon or anything else on purpose!)

2017 Books Finished:

5/5 -- The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

5/5 -- Confessions of an Unlikely Runner by Dana L. Ayers

4/5 -- Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

5/5 -- Medicine Man: Extreme Appalachian Doctoring by Carolyn Jourdan

5/5 -- Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals that Brought Me Home by Jessica Fechtor

4.5/5 -- Tinderbox by Lisa Gornick
5/5 -- Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale
5/5 -- Internal Medicine: A Doctor's Stories by Terrence Holt
4.5/5 -- On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer's by Greg O'Brien
5/5 -- Bon Appétempt: A Coming of Age Story (with recipes) by Amelia Morris
5/5 -- The Scavenger's Daughters by Kay Bratt
5/5 -- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalinithi
5/5 -- Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande
4.5/5 -- Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
5/5 -- The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
5/5 -- The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson
3.5/5 -- Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
5/5 -- The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb 
4/5 -- The Call of the Farm: An Unexpected Year of Getting Dirty, Home Cooking, and Finding Myself by Rochelle Bilow
5/5 -- Maman's Homesick Pie by Donia Bijan
5/5 -- No Other World by Rahul Mehta
5/5 -- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline5/5 -- Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson
5/5 -- Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson

Key:

• 5/5 rating: 0 is lowest, 5 is highly recommended
• Books with associated book reviews or blog posts are linked accordingly--just click on titles to be taken to the related post.

2016 BOOKS FINISHED:

5/5 -- Shades of Blue: Writers on Depression, Suicide, and Feeling Blue by Amy Ferris
5/5 -- Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik
4.5/5 -- Lean In by Sheryl Sandburg
4.5/5 -- Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better by Pema Chodron
4/5 -- A Farm Dies Once a Year by Arlo Crawford
5/5 -- The Perfect Score Project: Uncovering the Secrets of the SAT by Debbie Stier
3/5 -- DC Trip by Sara Benincasa
5/5 -- How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman
3/5 -- Cracking the GRE Premium
5/5 -- Bootstrapper: From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm by Mardi Jo Link
4/5 -- What Now by Ann Patchett
5/5 -- Me, My Hair, and I: Twenty-Seven Women Untangle an Obsession by Elizabeth Bennet
3/5 -- The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level by Gay Hendricks
4/5 -- Escape from Mr. Limoncello's Library by Chris Grabentein
5/5 -- Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard
5/5 -- Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
3/5 -- Gamelife: A Memoir by Michael W. Clune
5/5 -- Evil Plans: Having Fun on the Road to World Domination by Hugh MacLeod
5/5 -- The Vegetarian by Han Kang
5/5 -- Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo
4/5 -- The 6:41 to Paris by Jean-Philippe Blondel
1/5 -- The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz
5/5 -- Girl on a Train by AJ Waines
4/5 -- Girl Before a Mirror by Liza Palmer
4/5 -- Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger by Beth Harbison
5/5 -- The Dip by Seth Godin
5/5 -- Peanut Butter and Naan by Jennifer Hillman-Magnuson
4.5/5 -- Sweater Quest: My Year of Knitting Dangerously by Adrienne Martini
4/5 -- Love Your Life, Not Theirs by Rachel Cruze
4.5/5 -- The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
4.5/5 -- Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
5/5 -- We are all Damaged by Matthew Norman
5/5 -- Girl Boss by Sophia Amoruso
5/5 -- The Trouble with Boys by Peg Tyre (reviewed on my blog mom2momed.com HERE)
5/5 -- Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break by Amy Brones and Johanna Kindvall
5/5 -- The Mothers by Brit Bennett
5/5 -- When I'm Gone by Emily Bleeker
5/5 -- Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M. M. Blume
5/5 -- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs