This year I read over 120 books from middle grade on up to adult fiction (not including re-reads of old favorites), and have chosen about 60 to shine a spotlight on in this end-of-the-year wrap-up. Like I did in last year’s best book post, I grouped them by age range, but this time I’m also giving you a feel for each with a snippet from my own reviews of the books (you can see the full reviews on Goodreads). Some are newer releases, others are years old. All deserve to be talked about because they truly stood out in some special way to me.
Below you will find a diverse collection of writers, stories, and experiences to choose from. I’m pretty sure there’s something for everyone in here somewhere, so feel free to look around, ask me any questions, and consider this list my gift guide for booklovers.
Did you know: You can buy ebooks right now as gifts and schedule them to get delivered on the future date/s of your choosing (a birthday, Christmas, different nights of Hanukkah, or any holiday they celebrate). Cool, right? Simply get the email address of the recipient ready and follow the instructions when placing your order. Easy peasy.
Happy reading!
MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS: REALISTIC FICTION
Targeted for around ages 8-12 (with some wiggle room), but older readers also enjoy them.
WISHTREE by Katherine Applegate
“In short, a family moves in and someone in the neighborhood makes it clear that their kind are not welcome. So the tree and its birdy BFF decided to intervene. What happens is beautiful. This book is about community, acceptance, friendship, life, love, nature. So many things.”
THE STARS BENEATH OUR FEET by David Barclay Moore
“I don’t know if it’s because pieces of this boy reminded me of my own son, but Lolly wrapped himself around my heart and wouldn’t let go. This is a beautiful story about figuring things out on your own, and I highly recommend it…”
GEORGE by Alex Gino
“In the end, no matter who you are, you will have witnessed one story of a person being brave enough to move forward into the spotlight with their truth, prepared to accept what comes with that exposure. Along the way, you will also have picked up a bit of empathy for other peoples’ journeys that don’t match your own, and an understanding on how to be there for them as they go on it.”
NEW KID by Jerry Craft
“This book is a perfect example of why I internally scream when I hear parents/educators/anyone say that graphic novels “don’t count” as reading or as quality material… It didn’t TACKLE important topics, it simply showed the realities of this boy’s (and surrounding characters’) life, opening windows to people whose experiences aren’t the same.”
Get the graphic novel or ebook.
EL DEAFO by Cece Bell
“I meant to pace myself, but my heart refused to allow me to put this one down. Ages ago, my son told me to read it ‘because everyone should’ in such a matter-of-fact way, I should have listened back then. He was right.”
Get the graphic novel or ebook.
CLICK by Kayla Miller
“It’s a great exploration of the reality of this age…when it comes to friendship dynamics, cliques (in a good way), and doing your thing. There’s great examples of sibling dynamics (kid and adult), respecting one’s differences, and a parent’s struggle to just want their kid to fit in somewhere. With a diverse cast of characters, realistic conversations/reactions, and a focus on one main force that moves the book forward, it does exactly what I had hoped it would…”
Get the graphic novel or ebook.
GHOST by Jason Reynolds
“I’m so glad I got to know Castle in this fast-moving, funny, smart, moving story about a boy with natural talent and a big secret. Like everything else Jason writes, this book had a way of entertaining while building empathy, of never dumbing down the things kids live with.”
THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER by Jen Wang
“It is in the messes that our true hearts are revealed, and this sweet, gentle graphic novel takes us on that ride so well. Family, friendship, change, gender, obligation, bias, beauty, acceptance: all are covered with eye-catching artwork and emotion (I really did NOT think I’d cry like I did)…I’m glad my daughter and I both got to read such a wonderful book, and hope that many more out there do, too. Both for the Sebastians of the world, and those who love them.”
Get the graphic novel or ebook.
THE FIRST RULE OF PUNK by Celia C. Perez
“This is a great voice of a 12yo girl trying to figure out who she is and find her voice in while swimming in a pool of blended tastes, cultures, and interests. Things aren’t always tied with a pretty bow, but that makes it all the more realistic and interesting. Just the right amount of humor and heaviness (though “heavy” is too strong a word) for middle grade readers.”
GUTS by Raina Telgemeier
“We follow her as she tries to manage the usual ups and downs of middle school classrooms, playgrounds, and friendships while dealing with tummy troubles and starting to see a therapist. Raina normalizes these experiences for so many kids who are likely dealing with the same things as they read along.”
Get the graphic novel or ebook.
MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS: FANTASY, MAGIC, SCI-FI
Targeted for around ages 8-12 (with some wiggle room), but older readers also enjoy them.
THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON by Kelly Barnhill
“This was funny and quirky and beautiful and twisty and wonderful. It shows how we’re all connected. How stories begin and why we should question authority. How strong a mother’s love is and the importance of found family and sacrifice and intention…It tells a beautiful story with an Adam Gitwitz-type of humor threaded in.”
PRINCESS PRINCESS EVER AFTER by Katie O’Neill
“A princess approaches another princess stuck in a tower, who admits no prince has been able to save her yet. But how about a princess? So begins a simple, strong story about people ignoring the boxes the world/society/family likes to put them in, and what they can do when they just let one another shine.”
Get the graphic novel or ebook.
THE LAST HUMAN by Lee Bacon
“This felt special, like how you’re reading a book and there are simple sentences and simple actions and things but those simple sentences and things have so many meanings and layers that you just stop reading and go WHOA WHOA WHOA HOLD IT RIGHT THERE MISTER AUTHOR SIR WHAT DID YOU JUST DO WITH MY FEELINGS AND WHATNOT I CAME HERE FOR THE FUN NOT THE SUBTLE LIFE LESSONS then you keep reading and you fall in love with every character…”
HURRICANE CHILD by Kacen Callender
“The main character’s life is hard, but she clings to hope in such a real, determined way at times. Her love and her voice must be earned, and that is something I think our kids need more examples of. What a beautiful tale of one girl wanting to find her mother, to understand the ghosts around her, and accidentally revealing the ones inside her, while she’s at it.”
NIGHT WINGS by Joseph Bruchac
“Survivalist action story where the main character learns about himself and the bad guys get what’s coming. Really, really good! I felt like I was listening to a storyteller…”
MAKING FRIENDS by Kristen Gudsnuk
“This is a fun, weird, geeky story about a middle schooler who just wants to feel less alone, so gets what she asks for. Maybe she should have been more specific? A wild adventure in graphic novel form about a girl trying to make things better, and how just a bit of open-mindedness, brave communication, and believing in one’s self can help save the day.”
Get the graphic novel or ebook.
SHEETS by Brenna Thummler
“Margie (the metaphorical ghost) floats around her world misunderstood and not taken seriously, just like the literal ghost does in his. When they come together, you will not be able to stop turning the pages.”
Get the graphic novel or ebook.
TEEN / YOUNG ADULT BOOKS: REALISTIC FICTION
Targeted for ages 14 on up.
I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST by Mason Deaver
“This book filled my heart… [It’s] impactful. Lovely. Needed. Sometimes we make a promise to ourselves, give ourselves a deadline to do the scary things that reveal who we are to the people we love. We know it’s time to take a chance that we can no longer avoid because it is honest–and we all deserve honesty. This is why at the end of winter break in the quiet of home, high school senior Ben tells their parents that they are nonbinary, preferring the pronouns they/them. They are promptly kicked out…For me, this is a wonderful window book for those of us who aren’t in Ben’s shoes but want to understand more. Learn how to be there, be a better ally. I am grateful it exists…”
I’M NOT DYING WITH YOU TONIGHT by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal
“a dangerous fight breaks out that escalates into a riot that spreads [and these two strangers] only have each other to survive it. This book is peak show-don’t-tell, jumping from one point of view to the other as they arrive at the game on the way through to the end. The pace will keep your heart racing, and you feel in the thick of the chaos, the emotions, the heat, as you follow them along.”
HERE TO STAY by Sara Farizan
“This is Bijan’s story of being brown in a sea of white when he just doesn’t want to focus on it, other people forcing him to face a mess when he’d rather bide his time until he can move away from it, and waking up to what others around him are going through that doesn’t necessarily have to do with the drama he’s trying to slip out of. It’s real and beautiful and funny and scary and messily, realistically good. It’s about friendship, identity, family pressure, and what you do/do not know about the people you spend your days with.”
FRANKLY IN LOVE by David Yoon
“AAAAAAAAAH WANT TO SEND ALL OF MY LOVE TO DAVID YOON’S BRAIN FOR CREATING THIS BOOK. It moves as smoothly as a charming contemporary teen romance, but also addresses racism, identity, family rifts, secrets, pride, expectations, and more.”
THE MUSIC OF WHAT HAPPENS by Bill Konigsberg
“This is a story about how the people who come into our lives can not only change us, but alter the relationships we had before they arrived. It’s about friendship, drive, seeing things differently. It’s about love and consent and respect. It’s funny and moving and beautiful.”
MONDAY’S NOT COMING by Tiffany D. Jackson
“This book felt like I was watching a documentary on the disappearance of a teenage girl by her best friend, both the one person who knew something was wrong and a narrator who is just a kid and can a kid that young really see everything that’s going on the first time they experience it? … Jumping back and forth in time, this brilliantly written novel is a force, making just the right impact without being gratuitous or patronizing the reader (who will most likely be a teenager).”
LONG WAY DOWN by Jason Reynolds
“Once I realized what was happening, I was a little breathless. And it kept happening, over and over again, tying together the threads of this boy’s world that he never quite looked at all at once as a finished piece. And the ending? Holy crap.”
TYLER JOHNSON WAS HERE by Jay Coles
“Oh, I really liked Marvin, so it was really hard to stay with him as he watched his beloved twin brother make some choices he wished he could have controlled, to discover he was missing and try to find him…There is a lot of discomfort to sit with, but I think that’s the point. These boys will stay with you, as will Marvin’s mom and circle of friends. If you have read or want to read THE HATE U GIVE or DEAR MARTIN, make sure you add this to that list.”
THE FIELD GUIDE TO THE NORTH AMERICAN TEENAGER by Ben Philippe
“One of the funniest books I have read in a long time…The author has a way of keeping us entertained with Norris’ rich inner (and outer) commentary of things we’d never say, all while providing a slow build and reveal of the meat of the matter, the more serious facets of life in his head, skin, and heart: Who is he, really, and what will happen when he finally takes a good, long look at his own page in the field guide?”
IF YOU COME SOFTLY by Jaqueline Woodson
“This love story about Ellie and Jeremiah is absolutely beautiful… The switching point-of-view. The lyrical way it was written. Everything that happens–and doesn’t. The fact that it was written in 2006, but feels like it was written yesterday. Just read it.”
THE POET X by Elizabeth Acevedo
“Stunning. Raw. Honest. Female. Feminist. Heartbreaking. Wonderful. X is a sophomore in high school in a body that the world says makes her too tempting, with a mother who insists she be a devout Christian (per her own very specific definition) no matter what, with a heart that feels trapped. Her feelings and poems and questions are important for us to not only hear, but listen to.”
NEANDERTHAL OPENS THE DOOR TO THE UNIVERSE by Preston Norton
“Cliff is big (REALLY big) and angry (SO MUCH ANGER) and feels like a total outsider whose life is out of control….Aaron is The Golden Boy, so of course he and Cliff have traded face punches…[One day] Aaron shows up at school to tell Cliff that God spoke to him during the coma, gave him a list of things to do with Cliff as his partner…While Cliff and Aaron get to work, they begin to better understand their classmates, friends, families, and themselves. You will laugh and cry and FEEL SO MANY THINGS. Mostly very glad you picked this book up.”
SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson
“This book is a gift. It creates connection, making those who have experienced trauma and/or mental states like the main character feel less alone, and it also creates conversation about the subject matter.”
I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER by Erika L. Sanchez
“Julia’s older sister died unexpectedly and suddenly, and that becomes the tipping point at which we begin witnessing how trauma affects her and those in her orbit. Beautifully done. Heartbreaking at times. Funny at others. So many layers at touched upon (family dynamics, secrets, friendships, mental health, social unfairnesses, the differences between generations, etc.) just by watching Julia interact with her family, friends, and those around her. Unexpected twists and wonderful small moments captured exactly perfectly. Authentic. Honest. Not everything gets a tidy bow, just like in real life. This book felt special.”
THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT SWEETIE by Sandhya Menon
“Adorable romance with a wonderful body-positive message AND realistic friction with a mom who thinks she is doing the right thing, despite it obviously hurting her kid.”
WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH by Elizabeth Acevedo
“There are not enough books out there that I have come across that address teen motherhood and its complexities in a way that aren’t more negative than anything else. Yes, Emoni had a baby in high school, but that is not all that she is. This story’s slow reveals of her family’s many flavors and histories, the relationship with her daughter’s dad, the facets of her abuela, the fantastic recipes peppered throughout, and her life at school are perfectly paced. Her “not a friendship” with a new boy at school is handled in a way that reminds us how everyone needs friends like this. Her relationship with her best friend is beautiful. Her frustrations in the class she longed for realistic. And the woman she decides to take the steps to become when shown opportunities to do so is exactly what we need to see…”
LET’S TALK ABOUT LOVE by Claire Kann
“Alice is in college, knows who she is, what she wants, but has had such bad experiences explaining those things to family, friends, and romantic partners, that she’s now boiling over with feelings and thoughts that she needs help sorting through. She’s at the point where she’s about to put her foot down, and it’s wonderful to watch…I both felt like I was watching a wonderfully story about love, friendship and family, as well as received a better understanding of the finer points of a sexual identity that I don’t have. This is a diverse contemporary read that’s not the standard rom-com, and absolutely deserves to be read–and relished.”
TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL by Aminah Mae Safi
“[This] does a fantastic job diving into how so many of us take our childhood and family experiences, hone them into a focus, and charge forward without letting go…then pulling the loose fragment out of the water, into the light, so we and the characters can see what’s really going on. For this, I call the book a coming-of-age novel. A real friendship novel. And THEN a romance.”
THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL by Maureen Goo
“Another wonderfully imperfect teen who’s fumbling while learning where her soft spots are…Clara and Rose are stuck together in Clara’s dad’s food truck for the summer, both as a punishment and forced life lessons. Through this, an unlikely friendship begins to bloom, opening Clara up to see the people around her in a different light. That light also helps her see herself a bit better, too. Great book with laughs and friendship and romance and a great father-daughter relationship.”
THE ANATOMICAL SHAPE OF A HEART by Jenn Bennett
“This is poised as a teen romance, and it’s absolutely that. A chance meeting, instant chemistry, instant intrigue, all that good stuff. But their families. OOF. Who they are and why. As they figure that stuff out, their own relationship solidifies. Then they begin to form who they will be as adults, those steps to growing up and moving on that are so important…[Also] though it is absolutely not the focus on the book, the way sexual acts/experiences (past, present, and future) are handled in the story is exemplary. This is the kind of book we want teens to read so when they get to that point in their own lives, they have positive examples of how to handle and talk through those types of decisions.”
A MATCH MADE IN MEHENDI by Nandini Bajpai
“Spot-on high-schooly teen read about a sophomore and her BFF wanting to shine a little more their second year, but wobbling a bit during the process. Because FEELINGS and FAMILY and BOYS and EXPECTATIONS and ART and CAFETERIA DRAMA. It was fun and breezy…”
THE REST OF THE STORY by Sarah Dessen
During an extended visit with the quirky lake-resort-owning family members she hasn’t seen since she was a little kid, a teenager begins to better understand herself and her family dynamic and she unravels her dead mother’s past.
THE ODDS OF LOVING GROVER CLEVELAND by Rebekah Crane
“A bunch of teens at a summer camp for kids who are going though things that teens really do go through? Love it. Add some wacky characters who aren’t too far from realistic, some solid friendships, really moving moments that reveal more about the characters than anyone else’s opinions do, and my heart just got pulled in.”
TEEN / YOUNG ADULT BOOKS: FANTASY, MAGIC, SCI-FI
Targeted for ages 14 on up.
A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY by Brigid Kemmerer
“What a retelling. I could not stop reading. It was different, interesting exciting. Why he’s a beast. His handling of it. What’s happening in his kingdom because of it…A slow-burn romance, intriguing partnerships, and lots of room for their story to grow in future books made this one a big hit…”
THE WICKED KING (Book #2 in The Folk of the Air series) by Holly Black
“Dark, twisty, gorgeously descriptive, exciting, sexy, thrilling–I could not put it down.”
THE QUEEN OF NOTHING (Book #3 in The Folk of the Air series) by Holly Black
“I love knowing I will be surprised by where a story goes. Holly Black is an incredible storyteller. Her descriptions make you feel like you’re in the pages with her characters, all of which are layered and complex and fascinating to watch…The ending of book two left me yelling, and the painful wait was worth it.”
Get the book (#1) (#2) (#3) or the ebook (#1) (#2) (#3).
Get the book trilogy or ebook trilogy.
GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE by Natasha Ngan
“I dare anyone to read the first 20 pages and not want to finish the whole thing. Lei is of the lowest caste in a tiny village in a kingdom, and is taken against her will to become a concubine of the king, all because of the golden eyes she isn’t supposed to have. She is expected to behave. She is expected to give in. She is expected to shut off her heart and know her place. If they really wanted that, they should’ve picked a different girl. This was so perfectly crafted. It’s about the politics of power on every level, freedom, love, and choice…This book is riveting, and I look forward to its sequel.”
THE SHADOW QUEEN (Book #1 in the Ravenspire series) by CJ Redwine
THE WISH GRANTER (Book #2 in the Ravenspire series) by CJ Redwine
THE TRAITOR PRINCE (Book #3 in the Ravenspire series) by CJ Redwine
THE BLOOD SPELL (Book #4 in the Ravenspire series) by CJ Redwine
“This whole series was FUN. Each of the four books takes a fairy tale/story we all know and whips it into something totally new. You never reach a point where you think, “and blah blah blah happens yeah I know this story” because it’s not even the skeleton of the tales that she builds on; she plucks familiar bones from those tales, lines them up in a different order, and surrounds them with fresh meat that builds a new beast.
Every story has a struggle, a darkness, a romance, and a tie-in to the other places in this world she build for all the books to take place in. I’d say that #4 is the darkest/goriest, but even that one I’d let a 7th/8th grader read. These books are solid for teens, but some middle schoolers would genuinely enjoy them.”
Get the book (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) or ebook (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4).
BLACK WINGS BEATING by Alex London
“Brysen wants to be a great falconer, a revered hero, and the recipient of the kind of love he’s willing to give another. His twin sister, Kylee, wants out of the family’s falconry business–despite her natural gift for the gig, a quiet life, and to see her brother genuinely happy. Of course this means that all the secrets they hold from one another will be thrust into the light as they are forced on a quest to catch the biggest, most dangerous bird of prey in the land, all without truly knowing who they’re catching it for, as the rumblings of war begin to spill into their mountains. This is a fantastical, fun, high-energy book for ages 12+ that has the right amount of darkness for the newer YA reader.”
Get the book or ebook. Also available: book #2 and ebook #2.
WILDER GIRLS by Rory Power
“Unlike anything I’ve read before and in all the good ways… An infectious plague has hit an island where an all-girls school sits. They have been quarantined for 18 months, and have been surviving–literally and psychologically–however they can, with the sparse assistance of the government. When the main character’s best friend disappears, she decides she needs to find her, no matter the risk. But holy crap on a cracker, it’s about so much more… Dark and thrumming and surprising–and also wonderful.”
CALL DOWN THE HAWK by Maggie Stiefvater
“THE RAVEN BOYS series is a favorite of mine… This new series based on one of the main characters from that series is everything I hoped for. It’s twisty but makes sense, magical but grounded, realistic in its emotional arc but still fantastical. I just don’t know how I am going to survive the wait for the next one to come out.”
Or get THE RAVEN BOYS series to read first, in book or ebook.
ADULT FICTION: ROMANCE
Grown-up novels that feel good to read and will make you swoon. Bonus! Each one has a bit more to the story than just some wink-wink time.
RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE by Casey McQuiston
“I thought it was going to be a fun tingle book starring two hot guys, one the First Son and the other an actual Prince Charming. Which is was! Then some important threads surrounding that relationship wove into something bigger, bringing in family obligations, power, and progress into the fabric… The author managed to make a laugh-out-loud, smart, sexy, and moving romance, 100%…But then you get to know the friends and families of these men, watch them grow and change and become more of who they truly are, and that, too, is worth your reading time. Then, finally, the spotlit drama arises, and we watch as all of these people/characters we have come to care about, got invested in, make decisions in regards to what they will do–what they will risk–when it comes to love.”
THE BRIDE TEST by Helen Hoang
“This novel switches between Khai and Esme’s point of view, allowing us to know why they make the choices they do, and see all of their actions no matter what they decide–or believe. These two strong, complex personalities are wonderful to watch being thrown together. Love is a complicated thing. So is the belief of what we deserve, which is often determined by our past experiences, as well as messages we’ve received about ourselves and the way our brains process them. This realistic, relatable novel explores all of this with a delightful frankness, bit of steam, and a whole lot of empathy.”
THE RIGHT SWIPE by Alisha Rai
“Fantastic and layered very contemporary romance. These two main characters are complex, realistic, and modern. The book doesn’t shy away from consensual fun sexual choice or the reality of current events that affect our personal and professional lives. I don’t want to say much more, other than READ THIS BOOK.”
THE FRIEND ZONE by Abby Jimenez
“Some might jump to call this one a tingle book (because WHEW hell yeah there are tingles), but I really liked so many other things about it, too. How the characters are so clearly influenced by their family situations growing up (parent/s, sibling/s), the brutal truth of what so many women deal with during difficult menstrual issues (bleeding, fibroids, etc.), and what we’re willing to sacrifice for those we love. It is hot and funny and sad and surprising and you really do not know what to expect from one chapter to the next. So, so well done.”
AYESHA AT LAST by Uzma Jalaluddin
“The book alternates between their perspectives as they both make assumptions about one another while dealing with both personal issues within work and family–which often intersect. It’s wonderful to watch the slow burn as they begin to realize what they bring out in each other, and witness their friends, family, and coworkers participate in encouraging or tampering with it (depending on each individual’s agenda). There’s drama, romance, humor, and food (OH BOY do I love books full of food). There’s also a lot addressed: identity, harassment, tradition, love, addiction, communication, and so much more.”
THE PROPOSAL by Jasmine Guillory
“Carlos and his sister Angela are enjoying a Dodgers game when they witness a proposal gone very, very wrong a few rows in front of them AND on the Jumbotron. After the dude who popped the question ran off with his friends, leaving the rejector Nik alone to be booed by most people in the stadium, instinct kicks in and the twosome rush over to save her from the approaching camera crew and ire of onlookers, dashing her out of there. It doesn’t take long for Carlos and Nik to stumble into a “just-for-fun” physical relationship, both making it very clear that neither wants a real romance or love any time soon. LOL. Aren’t they adorable?”
THE UNHONEYMOONERS by Christina Lauren
“Contemporary romance with a twist that I did not see coming but absolutely loved. Realistic and tingly and funny and oh boy I felt like I was back in Hawaii…”
EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER by Linda Holmes
“Evvie’s messed up, but nobody knows the real reason. Not even her very best friend, Andy. Dean’s messed up, everybody knows why, and won’t stop being mean about it. Thank goodness for his old friend, Andy. Recently widowed Evvie is living in an oversized house with an attached apartment in the middle of tiny town, Maine, and needs a little pocket money. Andy’s ex-pro baseball pitcher childhood pal Dean needs a private, quiet place to stay for about a year and is willing to pay. This is how Dean moves in with Evvie, both swearing to give each other space while they deal with their sh–baggage. The friendships shift over time, as many do, revealing truths that are uncomfortable but must be looked at. It’s done so at the perfect pace in this quiet story that touches on the various kinds of love: friendship, romantic, neighborly, familial, and more. Highly recommend.”
ADULT READS: OTHER
Grown-up reads because sometimes I do wander out of the kids’ section.
NATALIE TAN’S BOOK OF LUCK AND FORTUNE by Roselle Lim
“Natalie fled her agoraphobic mom seven years ago because she no longer wanted to live in that cage. Now she’s returning home to the empty building upon the news of her mom’s death, and is shocked to see the vibrant Chinatown she grew up in has faded to grey. This is a story about how she decides to draw on the culinary gifts handed down through the women in her family and re-open her grandmother’s tiny restaurant in an attempt to save the community from disappearing due to gentrification. Will this project help her better understand her mother and long-deceased grandmother, her neighbors, herself? Will she ever learn who her father is? Will she live a loveless life due to similar fears of her mother, or find her way back to not running when things get tough? I gasped at the beautiful descriptions, salivated over recipes, heard the chatter of old neighbors talking over one another, and held my heart…What a beautiful novel. ”
THE BUDDHA IN THE ATTIC by Julie Otsuka
“[At times] it felt emotionally spare, but that added to the heaviness of the story. The details. The way one sentence would be something so light and simple and the next would be absolutely heartbreaking… I feel this is an important (and very short/easy) book to read in our current American climate. We need to remember what happens to people–actual fellow human beings–when they are trying to find a good life, when that does not go as well as one would hope, and when others decide that they, just for being different, as so much an enemy that they should no longer be considered one of us.”
BAD FEMINIST by Roxane Gay
“I’m one of the many I know who value feminism but always feel like we’re not doing enough. This collection gives us grace—and a lot of food for thought.”
MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite
“This was a deep-dive into the complexity of sisterhood and love and family and what you’re willing to do for someone who has been through the sh*t with you. I laughed. I yelled. I groaned knowingly. I thought the ending was perfect. Oooooooohhhhh get your hands on this one, my grown-up friends. It’s hard to explain, but this is sharp, fantastic writing you won’t want to miss.”
MAID by Stephanie Land
“A true story by an excellent writer about how once someone is broke and reliant on the system to help keep them and their child afloat (food, shelter, childcare), they are locked into a position that doesn’t allow them to easily get back out and flourish on their own. It must be impossible to finish this book without gaining understanding and empathy, and a genuine wanting to use whatever power we have to help change this system.
I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by the author. Fantastic, moving, inspiring, frustrating.”
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Kim Bongiorno is an author, full time freelance writer, and the blogger behind Let Me Start By Saying. Learn more by connecting with her: Facebook · Twitter · Instagram · Goodreads · Amazon.com · BookBub · Newsletter
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