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A Bookshelf Of Cross-Genre Favs 📖
27
items Books I’m loving, inspired by, can’t stop thinking about and crying over. Only sharing books I’ve rated at least ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ /5.
I often catch myself going between a juicy mystery and a historical fiction (typically leaning into the woman’s perspect...
Sections
6
Historical Fiction
Mystery/Thriller
Thought Provoking
Memoirs & Biographies
Self Help
Romance
Historical Fiction
Where the past spills the tea.
Beautifully written historical fiction. The first Kristen Hannah book I ever read and it didn’t disappoint, I closed every chapter sobbing (not exaggerating either!). It’s raw but powerful, moving but tender. The story is an inspiring and empowering ...
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Kristen Hannah’s latest release, also focused on the woman’s perspective but from the Vietnam War. A beautiful story of resilience and love.
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Slower story and how it unfolded compared to The Nightingale and The Women, but an incredibly compelling story all the same. The story did not take place in the war as much as the after effects of the war and what it did to a family.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
If you haven’t read about The Dust Bowl of the 1930’s in the Great Plains, this book will educate you and open your eyes to the struggle and hard decisions family’s had to make to survive.
Four Winds by Kristen Hannah
This was one of my favorite reads of 2024! It was the women’s perspective and their stories of how they felt and what they went through during the Ted Bundy crimes/murders. It was really eye opening to read their experiences and better understand the...
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Another beautifully compelling historical fiction, going between two time periods of three women’s experiences during war. The first time period is during WWII as they worked to break Nazi military codes and the weight of such secrecy and the second ...
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Adored this book! Not only a read of historical fiction - first women astronauts at NASA and their experience in the historical Space Shuttle Program, which was dominated by male peers - but also about the complex cultural and societal pressures that...
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I wasn’t anticipating to connect to this book as much as I did! I read this 2 summers ago, but whenever it gets brought up to me, I always love the conversation and remembering the themes. In our world today, especially with social media, I think man...
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Mystery/Thriller
Page-turning whodunits and plot twists.
A gripping psychological thriller that had me at the edge of my seat guessing who done it until the very very end! Not sure why this book doesn’t have more hype or hasn’t hit any of the book club lists yet (that I’ve seen).
The Girl Who Was Taken by Charles Donlea
This book was so cool and unique with the sketches inside the chapters to give a visual representation to the story - made it more layered and exciting to follow. The story took a paranormal-like angle that I wasn’t initially expecting, but another t...
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
This book is SO twisty! Loved the perspective shift the author incorporated because it made it all the more enticing and made me second guess everything! Probably my quickest read of 2024. Being made into a movie too.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
I finished it in January 2025, but I catch myself still thinking about the story and main characters. It’s quite layered, multi-faceted and deep exploring complex themes, and the writing style took me a bit to adjust to for some reason but I really v...
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
I really enjoyed the podcast angle to this mystery. It made the read fun and interesting in a modern way. I was totally shocked by the ending.
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
The cover initially got me on this one, so intriguing and pretty. A nice spin on the bookshelf. The details and clues of this story were smartly and sparingly provided making me itch to get to the end and more fun to piece together as the story unfol...
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Psychological thriller that had me shocked by the final plot twist. It was gripping with many chilling revelations. I immediately had to text my friends about this one once I finished.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Ruthless. Lots of twists and turns. The chapters have inner dialogue from multiple character perspectives, which made it interesting to theorize throughout and try to piece hints together. The ending may have felt more rushed than it needed to be but...
The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
Such a stellar read 🪐🚀 I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The author infused humor in a clever way, which made the story all the more enticing and fun! The author also wrote The Martian, and similarly Project Hail Mary will be a movie in 2026....
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Thought Provoking
Stories and ideas that stick with you long after the last page.
Did not know what to expect from this book, or that I’d cry over a man turning into a shark. This plot is multi-layered in the best way and the characters are unique and incredibly special. A wonderfully written and powerful story of grief, lonelines...
Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
If you want a moving, wholesome and inspiring story then this is it. I take a picture of every book cover when I’m reading it, yet I literally could only find this image in my phone! I was so consumed by the story, I couldn’t stop flipping pages.
I...
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
This book is powerful and the story piercing, and at times overwhelming. Following twin sisters who lead completely different lives calling into question their identity and who they are to society. The story is deep, multi-generational and tackles ra...
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
I read this book in 2020. It was a perspective I hadn’t read before and the plot so heart-pounding I couldn’t put the book down. An incredible story of suspense and intense drama. A story that’s eye opening to migrant life and the harsh realities tha...
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Had me in tears several times throughout but especially at the end. A sad story with deep yearning from every angle, but it ends beautifully. Overall, I really enjoyed it and it seemed relatable in many ways - navigating loss and the struggle with gr...
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Memoirs & Biographies
A collection of intimate, extraordinary, and artfully told stories because often reality in words can be profound and unforgettable.
A harrowing story of survival and educational growth. Tara’s quest to be knowledgable and expand from what her Mormon family’s radical/anti-gov beliefs are in their isolated environment. She wasn’t allowed to go to school and she was limited in resou...
Educated by Tara Westover
I adored this memoir and learning more about the Korean culture and food(!!). It may not be relatable to everyone but I found it incredibly moving and heartfelt with many universal themes. I identified closely with the relational struggle between mom...
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
From the heart of the Me Too movement, with conversation and headlines trending around 2017. Jodi and Megan were the journalists who broke the news about Harvey Weinstein. If you aren’t privy to who he is or what the Me Too movement even is, read thi...
She Said by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey
Self Help
Life hacks because we all need the occasional wisdom drop and motivational reset.
My therapist recommended this book to me, and I’m so thankful they did! I catch myself wanting to highlight entire pages.
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
Romance
Devouring these sweet slow-burns.
A sweet story of falling in love and an idyllic summer romance. I really enjoyed it, plus it was an easy read with a beautiful lake setting (made me feel like I was there!). I liked that the story shed light on the complications and hesitancy that ca...
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune