Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan 

Flight by Lynn Steger Strong 

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey: I LOVED this book. I don’t know what took me so long to read a Tessa Bailey book and now I feel like I need to read them all. A fun, light read with a good plot.

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang: This book totally swept me away, as any great historical fiction book should. Set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, each part of Daiyu’s journey was so emotional and Zhang’s writing is breathtaking.

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen: An addicting combo of fashion, crime, and friendship, Counterfeit is a great weekend read. Fans of Crazy Rich Asians will love this one and the twist caught me by surprise.

A Week of Warm Weather by Lee Bukowski. A Week of Warm Weather was emotional, heartfelt and touching. A storyline that so many can relate to with a suffering addict draws the reader in a keeps you captive as you route for the characters to make it.

ENOUGH – A Memoir of Mistakes, Mania and Motherhood by Amelia Zachry. This story is raw and inspirational. A young girl growing into adulthood has to endure a sexual assault and the healing and resilience that emerges thereafter. She is finally diagnosed as bipolar and begins to recover and build a family knowing that things are as they should be.

After Perfect by Maan Gabriel. This was a wonderful story of a woman trying to find her way after a devastating divorce and rediscovering herself with friends she makes along her journey…and maybe even a new love.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr – This is one of those reads that sits with you long after you turn the last page. Five different perspectives, five beautiful characters, and a touching story about life, books, and surviving against all odds. This book should be on everyone’s must-read list!

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid – You can’t go wrong with anything TJR. This book keeps readers on the edge of their seats as they follow Carrie on her journey from greatest of all time to a “has been” athlete trying to return to the game. But it’s not all sports, this story explores sacrifice, pride, family and romantic relationships, and what it means to be a strong woman in a world where strong women aren’t well-liked.

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosmiano – The sequel to Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead is a fun, thrilling mystery that is impossible to put down. A perfect weekend read to share with your friends.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: One of my favorite themes in books is friendships or relationships that span decades. I love seeing how people/relationships shift over the years!

Groupies by Sarah Priscus: Gritty and developed writing, I LOVED the friendship between the two girls and found the main character really relatable.

Yearbook by Seth Rogen: I’ve always been a HUGE Seth Rogen fan, and this memoir was so funny and sweet, as one would expect *Seth Rogen chuckle​*

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang. I love the way Kuang explores translation, especially translation as a violent tool for colonialism.

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel. It’s a beautiful feminist retelling from Indian mythology that features ace representation and made me want to learn more about a mythology I’m not familiar with!

Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah. It’s a fast-paced Hunger Games-style dystopia with some of the most unique South Asian inspired monsters I’ve ever heard of.

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson: An intimate devastating poetic debut that was the easiest 5 stars I’ve ever given. A portrait of love, loss, trauma, violence, and desire. My new favorite author, my new favorite book.

Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn: I saw so much of myself in this book: from the Jamaican protagonist to the themes of emigrating, choice, and abandonment, to the storylines of love weaved throughout. Nicole is masterful with her words!

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth: What’s not to love? Queer: check. Gothic: check. Spooky: check. 600+ pages: check. This was so fun and truly a book that went with me everywhere — I needed to know what happened next.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I fell utterly in love with Marcellus, the Giant Pacific Octopus that developes a friendship with Tova, the cleaning woman at the aquarium where he is being held captive (his words). This book was unbelievably charming, so easy to read and so hard to put down.

Trust by Hernan Diaz. A Story within a story. A page-turning mystery. Explorations of money and power, truth and perception, capitalism and greed, time and immortality. I will be thinking about this novel for a long, long time.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. This adorbable story included all of my favorite ingredients in a cozy novel. Magic & Witches + Found Family + Grumpy/Sunshine Romance = A delightful must-read!

You Made a Fool Of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi — Emezi’s writing is smart, funny, heartbreaking, and hopeful. It reminds us that it is nothing short of brave to choose love in a world on fire

One Night On The Island by Josie Silver — This sweet, heartwarming romance made me want to go have a forced proximity, whirlwind romance on an island in Ireland immediately.

When in Rome by Sarah Adams — Grumpy / Sunshine? ✔️ Small Town Romance? ✔️ Forced Proximity? ✔️ A completely delightful rom com that left my faith in love restored? ✔️✔️✔️

Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle is a debut YA novel that reminded me of the tenderness of teenage love. The nostalgia for Black Art (literature, films, music, etc.) was naturally embedded in the storyline creating solid “IYKYK” moments. I couldn’t get enough of how Prince created intimate moments for Dani, ultimately pulling her to the foundation of love: self-love.

Perish by Latoya Watkins was a painful, unforgettable read. Latoya didn’t just write a story of generational trauma, she showcased the trickle-down of how avoided tears eventually become a devastating flood over time.

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn – The Legendborn series is officially one of my favorite series of all time! The merger between Arthurian mythology and Blackness is marvelous work, it’s evident how much research was done on Tracy’s end. I’m rooting for Bree every step of the way and can’t wait for book three! (P.S. I’m undeniably a part of #TeamSel <3 )

What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo rocked my world this year. Foo wrote poignantly about Complex PTSD and I found it both enlightening, helpful, and validating as someone who’s been close to another person with this diagnosis.

Melissa Febos’s BodyWork is a book for women memorists that everyone writing personal story should read. It’s a manifesto, a series of pep talks, a validation of what we all know to be true, which is that writing personal story is brave and we don’t have to stand for the criticism about ourselves or the genre that too often makes its way to writers in the genre of memoir.

Frankly in Love by David Yoon is a sweet story—and at the same time so deeply conscious about issues of race and family dynamics. It was like a punch packed in a hug (and I mean this in a good way!) and I found myself loving this rom-com that’s outside my usual genre.

Notes on an Execution by Danny Kukafka: I read this mesmerizing book from start to finish in one sitting. It was equal parts suspenseful, poetic and empathetic, telling the familiar narrative of the American serial killer from the perspectives of the mother, sister, and homicide detective, peeling back the layers of our justice system, womanhood, and cultural obsession with violent men.

Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong: You won’t often find me reading poetry, but this tender raw collection was amazing! “How else do we return to ourselves but to fold The page so it points to the good part” … it follows the course of grief and loss, both celebrating the meaning of family and present moment, while also navigating physical and emotional survival.

Sign Here by Claudia Lux: My ideal October read! This is the perfect combination of dark humor, paranormal horror and satire, rooted in the unique premise (and incredible world-building) of being an employee in the depths of Hell. Think the sticky web of wealthy family secrets in Revenge meets the The Good Place’s absurdist take on a workplace afterlife.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. I know I’m a little late to the party on this one, but when I finished reading it, it was like my skin was physically crawling off of me—I needed more instantly! I finally get what people mean by “itching for more.”

Loveless by Alice Oseman. It struck so close to home with me; I’ve never cried so much over a book that objectively wasn’t sad. #representationmatters

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade. This was such great fun to read! It really explores fan subculture, especially fanfiction, and is total wish-fulfillment for anyone who’s ever had a celebrity crush.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh – What’s not to love about a feminist retelling of a classic Korean folktale? As a huge fan of Ghibli movies, when I saw this book was likened to Spirited Away, I knew I had to read it! I fell in love with the enchanting and exciting spirit world that Oh created.

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala – A Filipino-American mystery on the level of an Agatha Christie novel, complete with delicious food—I really couldn’t resist! I need more cozy culinary mysteries in my life, so I’m very excited to read more of this series.

Life Dust by Pam Webber – This book captures the horrific realities soldiers faced in Vietnam during the war while capturing a profound love story between two young people. It’s full of action, hope, and redemption.

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd – Full of mystery and a little magic, this book had me from the very beginning. This book is literally a map that will lead you down adventures, secrets, and second chances that are so beautifully intertwined. It definitely satisfied my nerd-sleuthing side and my magic-nerd side!

The Gray Bird of Baghdad by Stephen Phillip Monteiro – The dual narrative of the book creates a trust in both ex–Secret Service agent Steve Monteiro and Iraqi Microbiologist Thamer Abdul Rahman Imran. Both of their missions and values are so purely portrayed and it creates a bond that I think people can truly connect with.

The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer – This book just has my heart. The characters and plot are so full of color and life (iykyk lol), and the magic is well written. I could go on and on but definitely a pick for every year!

Book Lovers by Emily Henry: This book got me into reading it was so good, the relationships were so real and relatable, the dialogue was hilarious, and the love story was super spicy, full of feelings and hope but not super cheesy, overall 5/5 stars

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey: This is the sequel to It Happened One Summer, and I liked it just as much as the first one. The tiny fishing town is so cozy and the love story between the two main characters is full of tension and spice.

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover: Heartbreaking, powerful, forbidden lust, overall an amazing book I could not put down – 5/5