To say this year felt like a dumpster fire may be an insult to dumpsters and is certainly not kind to fires. There were some brilliant moments including going back to Vegas, singing at the River Festival with the Draper Family Band, and some family health triumphs, and I became an Adjunct Assistant Professor for JCCC and remembered why I love teaching composition. The trials, though, were stark. I won’t get in to all of them, but I will say that books always tend to make things better. I read 90 this year; 10 shy of my goal, but I read slower and with more intention, so that feels pretty good. Also: way more mystery this year, most from Nora Roberts. Escapism is real.
A 🌟 notes the best reads of the year.
- Prequel, Rachel Maddow
- The Reservoir, David Duchovny
- Christmas at Corgi Cove, Annie England Noblin
- Sisters of Belfast, Melanie Maure
- Class, Stephanie Land (boo)
- Dogfight & Other Stories, Michael Knight
- Beautiful Ruins, Jess Walter 🌟
- The Book of Thorns, Hester Fox
- The Witch Elm, Tana French
- The British Booksellers, Kristy Cambron
- Bonfire Night, Anna Bliss
- The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson, Ellen Baker
- America, E.R. Frank (hated this)
- Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg (re-read)
- City of Time and Magic, Paula Brackston
- Somebody’s Daughter: Ashley C. Ford 🌟
- Rental Person Who Does Nothing, Shoji Morimoto
- A Grave Robbery, Deanna Rayburn
- Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade, Janet Skielsen Charles
- Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Gloria Steinem
- Wandering Stars, Tommy Orange
- Studies at the School by the Sea, Jenny Colgan
- The Last Witch in Edinburgh, Marielle Thompson
- Mind Games, Nora Roberts
- A Certain Kind of Starlight, Heather Webber
- Beefy, Samantha Irby 🌟
- The Empress of Cook County, Elizabeth Bass Parman
- Allow Me to Introduce Myself, Onyi Nwabinelli 🌟
- A Better World, Sarah Langan
- I Still Dream About You, Fannie Flagg
- Shirley, Susan Scarf Merrell
- Midnight’s Bayou, Nora Roberts
- With Teeth, Kristen Arnett
- Endangered Species, Nevada Barr
- Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell
- Do Not Become Alarmed, Maile Meloy
- Basket Case, Carl Hiassen
- Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman🌟
- Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes
- This Bird Has Flown, Susanna Hoffs
- Brazen Virtue, Nora Roberts
- Hanna Who Fell from the Sky, Christopher Meades
- The Weird Sisters, Eleanor Brown
- Blue Dahlia, Nora Roberts
- Black Rose, Nora Roberts
- Red Lily, Nora Roberts
- Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman
- The Obsession, Nora Roberts
- The Reef, Nora Roberts
- Hunting Season, Nevada Barr
- Homeport, Nora Roberts
- The Women, Kristin Hannah
- James, Percival Everett🌟🌟 (best of the year)
- Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel 🌟
- Wellness, Nathan Hill 🌟
- Sacred Sins, Nora Roberts
- All the Broken Places, John Boyne
- Trust, Hernan Diaz
- Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas, Tom Robbins (re-read)
- The Arizona Triangle, Sydney Graves
- Scandalous Women, Gill Paul
- Things I Want Back From You & Other Stories, Elizabeth Stix
- The Christmas Tree Farm, Melody Carlson (absolute trash)
- The Book Swap, Tessa Bickers
- Hard Truth, Nevada Barr
- Whiskey Beach, Nora Roberts
- Perennials, Mandy Berman
- Anita de Monte Laughs Last, Xochitl Gonzalez 🌟
- Cassette from My Ex, ed. Jason Bitner
- Hideaway, Nora Roberts
- All You Have to Do is Call, Kerri Maher
- The Midnight Club, Margot Harrison
- Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit 🌟
- A Reason to See You Again, Jami Attenberg 🌟
- The Unforgettable Loretta Darling, Katherine Blake
- White Noise, Don Delillo
- A Well-Trained Wife, Tia Levings🌟
- Close Knit, Jenny Colgan
- The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove, Karen Hawkins
- The Bookshop of Hidden Dreams, Karen Hawkins 🌟
- The Chelsea Girls, Fiona Davis
- We Burn Daylight, Bret Anthony Johnston 🌟
- Tell Me Everything, Elizabeth Strout
- Good Material, Dolly Alderton
- Somehow: Thoughts on Love, Anne Lamott
- The Collector, Nora Roberts
- The Echo of Old Books, Barbara Davis 🌟
- Flame in the Wind, Enola Vastine Feldman
- All Fours, Miranda July (not for me)
- The Night Singer, Johanna Mo
Shannon Carriger 