As a writer, part of the reason I read a lot is to study different styles and techniques to enhance my own work. I was able to find a lot of quality books this year with a variety of genres and themes. Here is a breakdown of what I read, sorted into different categories based on my enjoyment. I’m a firm believer that there is a book out there for everybody, hopefully this list helps you find one that you’ll enjoy.
Awards/Superlatives
- Best book title
- Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
- Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
- Best Book Cover
- Sirens and Muses
- The Big Fix
- Best Nonfiction book
- Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the cost of the perfect playlist by Liz Pelly
- Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger
- Best Fantasy
- Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldtree
- Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
- Favorite authors I discovered this year
- Katie Kitamura (Intimacies, Audition)
- Lily King (Writers & Lovers, Father of the Rain, Five Tuesdays in Winter, Euphoria)
- Elif Batuman (The Idiot, Either/Or)
- Books I want more people to know about
- Life Hacks for a Little Alien by Alice Franklin
- Woman on the Verge by Kim Hopper
- Mother of Rome by Lauren J. A. Bear
- Breath of the Dragon by Shanon and Fonda Lee
- Loved One by Aisha Muharrar
- Most Haunting
- Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
- God of the Woods by Liz Moore
- Character I’d most want to have a conversation with
- Selin from The Idiot & Either/Or
- Casey from Writers & Lovers
- Character most in need of therapy
- Vanessa from My Dark Vanessa
- Anna Karenina from Anna Karenina
- Craziest plot
- Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thrope
- Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
- The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
S-Tier: My favorites of the year
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach: There was so much I loved about this book. I really felt for Phoebe while reading, and I thought Espach’s depiction of depression was darkly amusing and striking. I thought the author did a phenomenal job of building relationships between characters while maintaining the focus on Phoebe’s journey. I could see a less disciplined author straying too far into the scandalous and romantic aspects of the book, but I felt Espach struck a nice balance.
- Writers and Lovers by Lily King: The main character was an aspiring writer waiting for her big break, so naturally I resonated with her, but I think I would’ve liked her a lot even if she wasn’t a writer. This book depicts the life that a lot of twenty somethings experience. I also liked the way the romance was written.
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera – This book perfectly blended humor with poignant philosophical passages. The style of writing might take some getting used to, but I thought it was a compelling read.
- Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake – The power system was really interesting. The powers were basically manifestations of their anxieties. I thought the family conflict was cool to read too, it reminded me of Succession.
- Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors – There were a number of really well written and relatable passages in this. The characters felt layered and unique. The family dynamic was complex, messy, and even ugly at times, but it felt real.
- Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall – I was on edge the entire time I read this. I’m sure there are some that will find the level of scandal off putting, but I really enjoyed this. The author did a great job of building the intensity throughout the novel.
- Either/Or by Elif Batuman – I really liked the structure of this. It felt at times like I was reading someone’s diary. The collection of thoughts bounced around seemingly at random, but somehow managed to come together to make a cohesive narrative. I absolutely loved the main character, Selin. Her quirky observations were a delight to read.
- The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue – I love Irish writers. The prose was pristine. I really enjoyed the way the author wrote relationships, both platonic and romantic. There were some interesting themes in this as well, there was one that I thought was particularly unique and profound.
A-Tier: Great books that you should totally read
- Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldtree
- Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
- Mother of Rome by Lauren J. A. Bear
- Life Hacks for a Little Alien by Alice Franklin
- Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly
- My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
- When All is Said by Anne Griffin
- Sirens and Muses by Antonia Angress
- Loved One by Aisha Muharrar
- I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
B-Tier: Good books that don’t peak quite as high as the S and A tiers
- Babel by R. F. Kuang
- Babylonia by Costanza Casati
- Real Americans by Rachel Khong
- Intimacies by Katie Kitamura
- Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
- God of the Woods by Liz Moore
- Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
- Woman on the Verge by Kim Hopper
- Breath of the Dragon by Shanon and Fonda Lee
- The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
- What Does Israel Fear From Palestine by Raja Shehadeh
- Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
- Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan
- Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
- Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
- Audition by Katie Kitamura
- The Idiot by Elif Batuman
- Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldtee
- Father of the Rain by Lily King
- Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King
- The Witch of Colchis by Rosie Hewlett
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
- Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Severance by Ling Ma
- Billy Summers by Stephen King
- Atonement by Ian McEwan
- The Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauvoir
- How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
- Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
- China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwon
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwon
- Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
- Ant: The Incredible Journey of NBA Rising Star Anthony Edwards by Chris Hine
- About a Boy by Nick Hornby
- Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang
C-Tier: Solid. More good than bad, but I did not feel that tingle in my loins
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
- Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
- Euphoria by Lily King
- My Friends by Fredrik Backman
- Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
- A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
- Parable of a Sower by Octavia E. Butler
- Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
- Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
- Happy Place by Emily Henry
- Vicious (Villains) by Victoria E. Schwab
- The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas
- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
- The Adults by Alison Espach
- Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka
- Evenings and Weekends by Oisin McKenna
- Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
- The Man Who Died Seven Times by Yasuhiko Nishizawa
D-Tier: D for disappointment, these books had the potential to be 5-stars but ended up closer to 3. So close to greatness, but ultimately let down.
- Talking at Night by Claire Daverly
- One Day by David Nicholls
- Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Beartown by Fredrik Backman
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
- Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
- Olga Dies Dreaming by Xoxhitl Gonzalez
- The Favorites by Layne Fargo
- Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J. A. Bear
- Eligible by Curtis Sittenfield
E-Tier: Ehhh not really for me I had issues
- Hera by Jennifer Saint
- The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
- The Big Fix by Holly James
- Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
- Frequent Fliers by Noue Kirwan
NA: Not sure where to put these
- Bunny by Mona Awad
- McGlue by Ottessa Moshfegh
- My Brilliant Friend: The Graphic Novel
- Spy School Goes South by Stuart Gibbs
- Scorpio Moon by C-Trey Jones 😉
Just some guy on the internet 