I set out at the beginning of 2020 to read less. I felt like I was speeding through books, choosing smaller books on purpose and avoiding classic tomes that were 600, 700, 800 pages. I pretty much failed at that goal this year (insert laughing face emoji), partly due to more time at home thanks to the pandemic and partly just because I get caught up in the library hustle.* So next year my one and only reading goal is to read the large book "Middlemarch," because I've always wanted to and I seem to keep putting off.
Anyway, below is my list. Scan all the way to the bottom to get recommendations. And if you want to receive my monthly Book Nerd e-mail, sign up on Tiny Letter.
1.
The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria
Feodorovna by C.W. Gortner
2. Educated by Tara Westover
3. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
4. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
5. The Scent Keeper by Erica Brauermeister
6. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
7. Recursion by Blake Crouch
8. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
9. Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane
10. Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
11. I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella
12. The Heroine’s Bookshelf: Life Lessons from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder
13. Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian (YA)
14. About My Mother: True Stories of a Horse-Crazy Duaghter and Her Baseball Obsessed Mother by Peggy Rowe
15. Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson (YA)
16. The Humans by Matt Haig
17. The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters
18. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
19. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
20. The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History by Andy Greene
21. Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
22. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
23. The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin (YA)
24. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (YA)
25. Good Behavior by Blake Crouch
26. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
27. An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks
28. The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
29. Beach Read by Emily Henry
30. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
31. Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
32. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
33. The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward
34. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
35. Well Met by Jen DeLuca
36. I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
37. Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
38. As Much As I Ever Could by Brandy Woods Snow
39. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
40. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
41. The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda
42. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
43. You are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks
44. Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey
45. Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
46. The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry
47. Becoming by Michelle Obama
48. What You Wish For by Katherine Center
49. The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee
50. The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
51. The Half Sister by Sandie Jones
52. Lucky Caller by Emma Mills (YA)
53. How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran (YA)
54. Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It by Kerry Winfrey (YA)
55. The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi
56. The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee (YA)
57. In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
58. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
59. Untamed by Glennon Doyle
60. You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins
61. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
62. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
63. A Star is Bored by Byron Lane
64. Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld
65. American Royals by Katherine McGee (YA)
66. All Adults Here by Emma Straub
67. How to Walk Away by Katherine Center
68. That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron
69. The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer
70. Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh
71. Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
72. The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel
73. The Lacy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t and Get Stuff Done by Kendra Adachi
74. Bus Friends Forever: Better Together by Christina Burns
75. Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
76. Nothing Like I Imagined by Mindy Kaling
77. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
78. The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
79. The Thousandth Floor by Katherine McGee
80. Majesty by Katherine McGee
81. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
82. One by One by Ruth Ware
83. The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim
84. A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
85. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
86. Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
87. The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg
88. Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer
89. Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
90. In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
91. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
92. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
93. Well Played by Jen DeLuca
94. Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
95. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
96. Faraway: Fairy Tales for the Here and Now by Rainbow Rowell, among others
97. Older by Pamela Redmond Satran
98. Girls of Summer by Nancy Thayer
99. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
100. Normal People by Sally Rooney
2. Educated by Tara Westover
3. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
4. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
5. The Scent Keeper by Erica Brauermeister
6. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
7. Recursion by Blake Crouch
8. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
9. Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane
10. Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
11. I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella
12. The Heroine’s Bookshelf: Life Lessons from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder
13. Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian (YA)
14. About My Mother: True Stories of a Horse-Crazy Duaghter and Her Baseball Obsessed Mother by Peggy Rowe
15. Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson (YA)
16. The Humans by Matt Haig
17. The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters
18. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
19. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
20. The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History by Andy Greene
21. Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
22. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
23. The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin (YA)
24. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (YA)
25. Good Behavior by Blake Crouch
26. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
27. An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks
28. The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
29. Beach Read by Emily Henry
30. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
31. Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
32. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
33. The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward
34. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
35. Well Met by Jen DeLuca
36. I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
37. Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
38. As Much As I Ever Could by Brandy Woods Snow
39. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
40. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
41. The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda
42. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
43. You are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks
44. Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey
45. Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
46. The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry
47. Becoming by Michelle Obama
48. What You Wish For by Katherine Center
49. The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee
50. The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
51. The Half Sister by Sandie Jones
52. Lucky Caller by Emma Mills (YA)
53. How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran (YA)
54. Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It by Kerry Winfrey (YA)
55. The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi
56. The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee (YA)
57. In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
58. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
59. Untamed by Glennon Doyle
60. You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins
61. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
62. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
63. A Star is Bored by Byron Lane
64. Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld
65. American Royals by Katherine McGee (YA)
66. All Adults Here by Emma Straub
67. How to Walk Away by Katherine Center
68. That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron
69. The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer
70. Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh
71. Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
72. The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel
73. The Lacy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t and Get Stuff Done by Kendra Adachi
74. Bus Friends Forever: Better Together by Christina Burns
75. Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
76. Nothing Like I Imagined by Mindy Kaling
77. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
78. The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
79. The Thousandth Floor by Katherine McGee
80. Majesty by Katherine McGee
81. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
82. One by One by Ruth Ware
83. The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim
84. A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
85. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
86. Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
87. The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg
88. Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer
89. Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
90. In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
91. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
92. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
93. Well Played by Jen DeLuca
94. Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
95. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
96. Faraway: Fairy Tales for the Here and Now by Rainbow Rowell, among others
97. Older by Pamela Redmond Satran
98. Girls of Summer by Nancy Thayer
99. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
100. Normal People by Sally Rooney
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
Best YA
*Library hustle is defined as requesting books, having to wait for them to come in, so requesting other books that you don't have to wait for, then all of your hold books coming in at the same time and then repeating that cycle always and forever.
Wahoo, always so glad to see this!
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