66 in 40
I give you my 5th Annual Birthday Book List! This is my favorite birthday tradition. I will admit that the competitive side of me is a wee bit disappointed that I didn’t beat last year’s number of 72…had to remind myself that’s not the point of this list. Old habits die hard. Happy reading, friends, and cheers to 41!
Sing Unburied, Sing by Jessmyn Ward—I know I was supposed to love this book, according to reviews and accolades from The Interwebs, but alas, I did not. Meh.
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan—Gosh this was fun. Loved it. And I loved the movie equally as much.
Ignore It by Catherine Pearlman—Some good tidbits about extinguishing whining and negative behaviors in kids via ignoring. Easier said than done. Ask me how I know.
Calypso by David Sedaris—believe it or not, this was my first David Sedaris book! I found it to be absolutely hilarious.
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage—Creepy. I don’t remember much else about it, so that should tell you something.
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai—Engrossing novel set in Chicago during the height of the AIDS epidemic. Loved it. Don’t miss it.
Fodor’s Travel Cayman Islands—It’s a book; I read it in its entirety. It counts.
Remember God by Annie F. Downs—I enjoy Annie’s podcast on occasion, but I didn’t love this book. Just didn’t grab me.
The Book of Essie by Meghan Maclean Weir
Night Road by Kristin Hannah—I could not put this down. It’s definitely up there in caliber with a couple of her other standouts (The Nightingale and The Great Alone).
The Wondering Years by Knox McCoy—This was another one I was supposed to love, but didn’t.
Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear by Kim Brooks—Memoir written by a mom who was turned in to the police for leaving her kid in the car while she ran into Target for like 3 minutes. This both scared me and enraged me. Definitely a worthy read, and would be great for a book club.
Almost Everything: Notes on Hope by Anne Lamott
Everything Happens For A Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler
Thirst by Scott Harrison—Eye opening memoir about the world water crisis.
The Storyteller’s Secret by Sedal Bajani—A beautiful, moving story set in India. One of my faves for the year.
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza—This book was so promising (and the world was singing its praises), but all it did was make me feel sad. And not in the way that I could still appreciate the story. Disappointing.
The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani—You know where this is going, right? The nanny isn’t perfect. She’s a psychopath.
Radium Girls by Kate Moore—I knew nothing about this story that is part of our US history. All these young women working with radium to paint dials on watches and military equipment in the early 20th century, victimized by corporate greed. Jaw dropping.
Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult—One of Jodi’s better novels in recent years (though not as good as Small Great Things, IMO) told in reverse chronological sequence about a standoff in an abortion clinic. This book was made more interesting to me after listening to the author have a conversation with Jen Hatmaker on her For The Love podcast.
Small Fry by Lisa Brenna- Jobs—Interesting memoir by the daughter of Steve Jobs. I don’t have much nice to say about him as a dad, so I just won’t say anything.
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Becoming by Michelle Obama—I really enjoyed this. Loved reading about Michelle (and later, Barack) in the early years, and especially enjoyed the details about the transition into the White House and things like security detail and household management. I found her writing to be excellent and engaging, and also found the elimination of expected political bashing to be refreshing.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owns—A standout read. Will leave you thinking about the story and characters for awhile after you finish. If you’ve read it, let’s talk about the ending.
Inheritance by Dani Shapiro—This story was absolutely fascinating. The bonus is that it happened to Dani Shapiro and she decided to write about it. I’ve read all her memoirs, and this one is top notch.
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
Watching You by Lisa Jewell—Anything by Lisa Jewell, for me, is a guaranteed good read.
Find The Good: Unexpected Life Lessons From a Small-Town Obituary Writer by Heather Lende
The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin—I really liked this one, as I tend to enjoy family dramas told over a long time span and from various viewpoints (think The Nest and The Immortalists)
The Altruists by Andrew Ridker—See above!
My Sister The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite—Didn't love it. At all.
Does Jesus Really Love Me? A Gay Christian’s Pilgrimage in Search of God in America by Jeff Chu—I listened to Jeff on a podcast and immediately wanted to read his book. This is a fascinating read. He interviews and spends time with many prominent Christians in America asking questions about his sexual orientation and whether or not Jesus could really love him. Most notably, his interactions with the Fred Phelps family were cringeworthy. Yikes.
#IMOMSOHARD by Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley—I think these ladies are hilarious and love their Facebook videos. But, the book is meh. If you’ve seen the videos, you know the book. And to that point, their recently released Amazon Prime standup special also didn’t blow me away. BUT, I hear they are making a sitcom, which I think will probably be spot on and worth a watch.
How To Talk So Your Kids Will Listen and Listen So Your Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish--I wish I had read this years ago. It’s one of the only parenting books I’ve read that I decided to keep. Full of good stuff.
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Saving Meghan by DJ Palmer
Burnout: The Secret To Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski—First, listen to the Goop Podcast titled “How To Minimize Stress and Avoid Burnout” from April 22nd of this year. You will laugh, and you will cry, and you will fall in love with Emily Nagoski and you will scramble to get the book. A must-read for women.
Wolfpack by Abby Wambach
Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen—I really loved this novel. It’s got all the good stuff—compelling characters, a sweet love story, and a little magic thrown in.
The Other Woman by Sandie Jones—And by the ‘other woman’, I mean mother-in-law. Page turner.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb—I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir about a therapist who decides to get therapy for herself.
Roam by CH Armstrong—This is written by a Rochester author about a homeless teen and her family in Rochester. It’s fiction, but if you are raising kids in Rochester make sure you read it. I think the Rochester high schools should require it!
The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon—A page turner.
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flynn—If you enjoy cooking, don’t miss this. The author basically created my dream job and then lived it out. It’s a total delight.
A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum—See #’s 29 and 30. A fantastic read.
Maid by Stephanie Land—This was hard to read (because it made me uncomfortable about my easy life), and so eye opening. It’s easy for me to forget how much some have to struggle to barely get by in this country. Stephanie Land’s story as a single mom who works as a cleaning lady is heart wrenching and honest. She is one seriously brave and resilient woman.
An Anonymous Girl by Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks—These authors have done better (The Wife Between Us).
The River by Peter Heller—Long anticipated, this did not live up to the hype for me.
I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O’Farrell--Not nearly as depressing as it sounds. A really interesting way to write a memoir. I enjoyed it.
Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing as We Age by Mary Pipher—I think this was really intended for women in their 60s and beyond, but there are so many nuggets of wisdom and advice about what makes a full life as one ages that I’d suggest it to anyone over 40.
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane—See #’s 29,30, and 46. Great read.
Save Me The Plums by Ruth Reichl—A must-read for any foodie who ever adored Gourmet magazine as much as I did.
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo—This was....interesting. I’m still trying to decide if I liked it or not. I felt for all three of these women as I followed their stories, but man. It’s an uncomfortable read at times. I wanted to shout at them for allowing themselves to be treated as they were by men. I just can’t really form a coherent opinion about this book. It’s getting a lot of buzz. People either love it or they hate it, and I’m just kind of like “Huh”.
All That You Leave Behind: A Memoir by Erin Lee Carr—This memoir was written by the daughter of David Carr, who was a NY Times writer who died suddenly in recent years. What makes it intriguing is that she shares many e mails, phone messages, and conversations of advice from her dad that makes you feel as though he’s still alive. If you enjoy memoirs, you will enjoy this.
My Friend, Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress by Rachel DeLoache Williams—Oh my. I don’t know how I missed hearing about this story when it broke in the news, but this is nuts. I read it in a day.
The Unwinding of the Miracle by Julie Yip-Williams
Bettyville by George Hodgman—This was a sweet memoir about a son who returns home from NYC to care for his aging mother, Betty. The fun part about this story for me was that he grew up in a tiny Central MO town near Columbia where we lived for 5 years when my husband was in medical school.
Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy —Fast paced thriller. Was a good summer read.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert—I liked this one, but it really took awhile to hook me. I spent the first half trying to decide if I was going to continue. I’m glad I did.
The Farm by Joanne Ramos—The premise of this one was so promising and I was eager to read it, but it did not deliver. Bummer.
The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger—This is a must-read for parents. A quick engrossing novel about the lengths people will go to make sure their kids have the best, are the best, do the best. It’s kind of gross, to be honest, but it really hits close to home for the community in which I live.
Normal People by Sally Rooney—Meh.
On Being 40(ish) by Lindsay Mead—This was a fun book of essays written by women in their 40’s. I read it in a day and will be giving it as gifts to everyone I know who turns 40. Great for the coffee table or toilet reading (if you are a woman who reads on the toilet, of course. I am not. Who has time for that??).
Why The Middle Matters by Lisa Jo Baker—I only read this because I pre-ordered (not sure why I did that). It was kind of cheesy and obviously just a bunch of blog essays thrown together into a book.
Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner—Happily, and unintentionally, my clear favorite book of the year was the last one I finished before starting a new trip around the sun. I just really loved it, and am still thinking about these two sisters whose lives are chronicled from the 50’s to present day. It begs a lot of questions about life—are you happy? Is what you thought would make you happy making you happy? How did your mother influence your choices? Is it OK to settle? And on and on...can’t rave about it enough. It checked all the boxes for me and then left me wanting more. Ready to read it yet?