The books I found myself reading simply for the childlike wonder of being told a story
PLEASE do this on AUDIO
Project Hail Mary | Andy Weir
Gorgeous multi-generational saga of Koreans living in Japan in the 20th century
Pachinko | Min Jin Lee
I LOVED this. I fear you will love it or hate but it will make you feel something
If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English | Noor Naga
This duology was so beautiful - Becky Chambers envisioned a world that feels like a warm hug
Monk and Robot: A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
This is GREAT on audio - it's a little spooky and atmospheric.
Whale Fall | Elizabeth O'Connor
Worth the hype
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Won a Pulitzer for a reason. This was so good.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
This book surprised me, I didn't think I was going to like it, but I LOVED it and find myself recommending it often. The characters get into your heart.
The Correspondent ebook by Virginia Evans
I am, of course, obsessed with Commander Gore
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
THIS IS INCREDIBLE ON AUDIO
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Indigenous Fiction 🧡
The first in a post-apocalyptic duology that I think about all the time
"Moon of the crusted snow" | Waubgeshig Rice
This book is stunning - Elliott employs a bit of magical realism to explore why her protagonist should fight for her life and what she risks by fighting, or letting go.
And Then She Fell | Alicia Elliott
This is a sequal to Moon of the Crusted Snow and is SO good. It builds on the first book and raises the stakes just perfectly
Moon of the Turning Leaves | Waubgeshig Rice
This was so so so good
There There | Tommy Orange
Read this in 2023 and I still think about this book often
The Sentence | Louise Erdrich
Can't wait for the series to come out!!
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Feel Good ☺️
Each chapter is a story about an enduring tradition or practice, the story behind why it's so special, and the people who are maintaining these traditions. Such a lovely collection.
Custodians of Wonder | Eliot Stein
The most touching novella
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Another one that gets you right in the feels
Bellies ebook by Nicola Dinan
Every once in a while I read something and it hits me in the heart so deeply that it's hard to go about having a normal day afterward, talking to people like I didn't just have a profoundly emotional experience. This was gorgeous.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
The most intense of friendships
Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore
Brainbending Non-Fic 🧠
DO YOU WANT TO BE ANGRY AND EDUCATED
All in Her Head | Elizabeth Comen
This book genuinely changed my life and helped heal my self-image from damage done by the workplace
Bullshit Jobs | David Graeber
If you really want your mind blown, read this at the same time as "All in Her Head"
Invisible Women | Caroline Criado Perez
Be ready to be disgusted but not surprised
Jesus and John Wayne | Kristin Kobes Du Mez
I think about the concept of "thought-terminating cliches" all the time. This is so good.
Cultish | Amanda Montell
Don't make the mistake of thinking it will be boring because it's about industry - this was gripping and didn't shy away from huge ethical questions that we have to grapple with globally
Power Metal by Vince Beiser
This was just so well done. An excellent primer on AI and it's potential for incredible collective good and terrible destruction
Code Dependent by Madhumita Murgia
Not for the faint of stomach
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes ebook by Caitlin Doughty
Written a few years ago and it keeps holding up against current events. I think about this book at least once a week.
The Next Civil War by Stephen Marche
Essential Non-Fic 🌊
Books that feel necessary, foundational, inevitable, or urgent
endlessly profound
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
This one, or anything by Baldwin, just start
Giovanni's Room | James Baldwin
Essential to understanding the concept of white feminism and why we are not free until we are all free
Women, Race, & Class | Angela Y. Davis
this AND Angela Davis
Hood Feminism | Mikki Kendall
This is technically a novel, but it's based on a real situation and real events. Incredibly compelling.
Small Boat ebook by Vincent Delecroix
A very good primer
How Fascism Works by Jason Stanley
We are living in an age of socialism for corporations and boot-strapping for everyone else
Vulture Capitalism by Grace Blakeley
Covers a hundred years, so moves at a clip, and gives you the background you need to understand about where we are today
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
Memoirs ☺️
my queen
Becoming | Michelle Obama
Listened to this on a family road trip with our teens and had the best time. This was SO fun on audio
Born a Crime | Trevor Noah
I could not put this down
I'm Glad My Mom Died |Jennette McCurdy
about healing from complex ptsd. Made me cry.
What My Bones Know | Stephanie Foo
Possibly the most vulnerable book I've ever read
Hunger by Roxane Gay
A joy to read
Paper Doll by Dylan Mulvaney
A gripping account of intimate partner abuse
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Graphic Novels ✏️
This was so beautifully done - Beaton explores our relationship to the environment, to work, to our hometowns, she explores trauma and belonging
