“I wish I had more time to read…”
Well, dear reader, we’ve got it!
I mean, not that I’ve been using that time wisely. I have mostly spent my newfound free time nervously checking my phone and telling my children they can not eat fruit snacks for every meal.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve mostly switched to listening to audiobooks and kindle books. Nothing beats a real paper book in my hands, but any port in a storm, right? Listening to a book or reading it on a device is a whole lot better than not reading at all!
My tastes in books reflect the frenzied mind of someone with borderline personality disorder. I like a whole lotta different stuff. But mostly I want it to be fun to read. I don’t have a lot of endurance when it comes to reading books. If things get too slow or too technical, I start to nod off and or click over to Instagram to stalk celebrities.
I thought I’d put together a list of some of my favorite books I’ve read in the last year. The genres are eclectic, but that just means hopefully you’ll find one that appeals to you! As a quick disclaimer, I am not very sensitive to language and many of these books might be too “mature” for younger audiences. And please leave me a comment with your favorite book suggestions!
A Man Called Ove
Oh how I loved this book! Such a darling, tender, funny story. Ove (pronounced Oo-vah) is a crotchety old man who like things just so, and the story of his grumpy ol’ heart being softened will get you right in the feels.
Sharp Objects
I will preface this one by saying that it’s somewhat graphic. But it’s got a real good twist, and I could not stop reading it.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
I usually do not enjoy science fiction novels, but I loved this! It was fun, interesting, and another one where I just really wanted to see what happened. This was a quick and easy read, and totally different than other books I usually read.
Dark Matter
To sum up this book in 2 words… Holy Sh**. It is a real mind fudge. It’s another science fiction book (Who am I??) about quantum physics and alternate realities. It was mind melting, fast paced, beyond interesting, and so riveting. I also just finished Blake Crouch’s next book, Recursion, and it was another mind melter. So good.
This book is more on brand for my typical tastes. I love mystery/suspense novels. This book is wild. It’s told in reverse, which left me constantly trying to guess the next events, and almost always being wrong. It’s another fast and page turning read.
The Hand That Feeds You
A psychological thriller that freaked me out and totally enthralled me all at once! I love those books where you just NEED to keep reading and can’t put it down. This one fits the bill!
Eleanor and Park
And now for something completely different than the previous thrillers… Eleanor is a sweet and endearing love story. It’s about teenagers, but it’s still so relatable and I felt so much of myself in Eleanor. It’s a quick and fun read.
The Husband’s Secret
I have read both Big Little Lies and What Alice Forgot, and loved them both, so of course I picked up this. Like Liane Moriarty’s other books, it is full of twists, surprises, suspense, and is so addicting to read. I recommend them all!
The Red Queen Series
Confession: I love young adult novels. So sue me! They are usually less dark and dirty than some of the other novels I’m drawn to and they are just plain fun to read! I loved this series. I read them one right after another. It’s similar to Hunger Games, but I thought it differed enough to be interesting and fun by its own merit.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
I had absolutely zero idea what this book was about when I picked it up. I found myself so invested in Eleanor and the other characters in the book, and the twist at the end was somehow completely unexpected and brought everything together all at the same time.
All The Light We Cannot See
This book, guys… It’s one of the few books I’ve read that wasn’t just a good entertaining read. This book really made me FEEL. I listened to this book on audiobook and loved the narrator. I would find myself standing still in the middle of my walk, totally wrapped up in the book. I openly wept at times. This book did take me a bit to finish; not because it wasn’t great, but because it wasn’t as fast paced as the books I typically choose. It’s a commitment, but it’s worth it.
I’m hereby committing to putting down my phone and letting the kids eat 15 packs of fruit snacks in a row so I can get more reading in! Let me hear your favorites!
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