My top 10 books of the year
The books I recommended over & over to anyone who asked for book recs (or didn’t ask).
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Here are my top 10 books of the year!
These are the books whose characters stuck with me. The books I recommended over & over to anyone who asked for book recs (or didn’t ask).
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle — An exploration of love, limitations and the inevitability of death. Set in LA, Daphne discovers she has the ability to see the expiration dates of her relationships. As she navigates the highs and lows of romantic relationships, she is forced to confront her own mortality and the fleeting nature of love, until she finds a note with just a name and no date. Serle writes wildly unique romance with just a touch of magical realism. Her characters are developed and believable as they grapple with real-life questions in the chase for love. We're afraid to be vulnerable and still want to be known and accepted in our deepest and perhaps messiest places. Written between the past and present, Serle's storytelling captivates the reader and has you flipping pages to see what's next. A sweet story with a heartwarming ending, one I recommend for a quick feel-good read.
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston — Missing Iwan & Clementine. “When Clementine was a girl, her aunt told her that her apartment was magical! Of course the hundred-year-old building was magical to an eight-year-old girl. But her aunt promised it was true and then whispered a secret into her ear.” Wow, this book was absolutely beautiful. I imagine this book is like the best lemon pie l’ve ever had. Bittersweet to even finish it. It dealt with much more than just a love story. But with grief and learning about how much we change. It was so incredibly beautifully written with a touch of golden magic. I felt such a deep connection to every single person in this story; as though I know them personally. I laughed, cried, teared up, felt such profound sadness, had chills, was happy, and elated, and so on. It just resonated with me so deeply. I already want to reread it. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up immediately. Oh and have the tissues ready!
All Fours by Miranda July — “I looked out at the circle of faces and saw that every single audience member was going through some version of my revelation, some reckoning with the self they had been carrying around until now. I had not been the only one knotted in miserly pain; that was part of the ride. Resistance, then giving in.”
Going on this full-on trip with this perimenopausal woman was an experience. Sometimes chaotic, but always engaging, I kept wanting to find out how she was going to handle her next exchange. I loved how she was able to connect disparate, ordinary events that ended up being a huge impact on her personal growth. The random thoughts combined with unique perspectives, I love how the author incorporated other people’s lenses into her learning about herself. This is a story of an artist who plans to travel cross country by car, but ends her journey in a town half an hour away from her husband and child, where she becomes obsessed with a local man. At times hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking, I suspect this will be a love-it-or-hate-it title, depending on whether or not you like the narrator, or approve of her choices. I couldn’t help but think of an adult Judy Blume coming to middle age, not with teenage angst, but with menopausal self awareness. Just a bit discomfiting. Also, I caught a reference to Frank Ocean and it made me smile. This was definitely the best WTF novel I’ve read in a while, and I was definitely never bored. I enjoyed reading it so much that I didn’t want to put it down, and decided to trust the process, because it was evident that July had a message she wanted to get across. Each paragraph and chapter had a purpose and the novel as a whole was so clever.
James by Percival Everett — At no point did I want this to end. It was a re-telling that opens your eyes to show how different perspectives can broaden your entire view of the world, making room for compassion, empathy and humanity.
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young — A fascinating historical fantasy with mystery and magical realism. Time travel is also a big part of the storyline, and you need to pay attention so you don't lose the thread of the plot as it weaves through different generations. The author did an amazing job with her writing style, and it made me feel like I was right there with June as each piece of the puzzle was revealed. The scenery and settings were detailed enough to give the atmosphere of each event.
The story revolves around the Farrow family curse, which causes madness to run in their bloodline. June Farrow is determined not to let the curse take hold of her, even though she starts experiencing strange visions and feelings that she can't ignore. June avoids falling in love and having children since the curse will pass on to her female offspring, so she is doomed to a lonely life. Her grandmother had raised her, as her mother disappeared when she was young. When her grandmother leaves her a cryptic message, she wonders if she can break the curse by stepping into a red door that appears in the fields. She had no idea where it would lead. My heart broke over and over and over for Eamon, and I truly didn’t know how I wanted it all to work out, but the author brought the love story around. I cried. I laughed. And my heart broke all over again. I loved the balance between leaving us in suspense and giving us details to try and work out what was happening to June. At no point did I think I had this all figured out and that proved to be very true by the end of the book. Once you start reading, you absolutely cannot put it down.
Real Americans by Rachel Khong - This is a beautiful family saga about three generations of a Chinese-American family. The story is told in three parts which almost read like separate novels. What began as the first part in Lily’s story in the late 1990’s was actually the middle of the timeline. The second & third parts of the novel are Lily’s son’s Nick & May’s story. From the rural countryside of China to San Francisco, the book spans generations & asks the age-old question, can two people from very different socioeconomic classes ever overcome their differences? This novel covers a lot of ground, from the brutality of China’s communist party to New York City at Y2K to tech startups in Silicon Valley. There is also scientific discussion of genetics & the ethics surrounding genetic experimentation. I won’t forget these characters. This book is easily one of my favorite books of the year. I alternated between listening to the audiobook & reading. Highly recommend listening if you’re a fan of audiobooks!
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott — I will read anything and everything by Anne. This writing memoir is wonderful. It challenged me and changed my mind about a few things and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to become a better writer or wants to learn more about writing.
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel — This non-fiction book is about a man who stole 2 billion worth of fine art from art galleries all over, just to keep in his own home for his personal collection.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver — This book blew me away in all the best ways. You can’t help falling in love with Demon. This book was so heartbreaking and messed me up. There is a social message here, but it’s not just told with statistics of addictions, deaths, but through the moving story of a character as a little boy and then as a young man, with all of the horrors he faced in between, feeling as real as it gets. It’s depressing to read with little respite. I was drained at times. Read when you have the emotional capacity. It was also one of the best Audio narrations.
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors — The writing is gorgeous, the characters are flawed but lovable, the grief is palpable, and the sisterhood feels authentic. Somehow I’m interested in boxing now. It lived up to the hype and far exceeded expectations.
What were your favorites this year? 📚
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I really need to get into lit fic again. I've poured so much into romance but it's easy to listen to on audio! Great recommendations in this list.