It’s that time of year again; these are the books that I liked best this year. This is my very subjective, very personal list. I loved a lot of books this year; I mostly read romances and romcoms, and those books tend to keep me happy. But to be honest, I forget a lot of them as soon as I’ve moved on to the next. So the ones that stay with me are the ones that end up on my annual list. I’ve read about 300 books this year, so had plenty to choose from. And I’m limiting myself to a top ten list again this year!
I hope you find this list useful and interesting!
THE HEAVEN AND EARTH GROCERY STORE by James McBride: My friend Judy recommended this book to me, and I put it off for a while – my mistake. This was a totally immersive read into a world of incredible characters wrapped in a mystery, and I loved it.
I’m not alone – this book has topped many of the best books of the year lists, from Amazon to Barnes & Noble to NPR/Fresh Air to The Washington Post to Time Magazine to Harper’s Bazaar to The New Yorker!
Read my full review
REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt: What an incredible read! My friend Nora recommended this book to me while we were on a *mini-vacay, and I’m so happy she did! There are two main characters, Tova, an elderly woman who cleans the small town aquarium, and Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus. It is an incredible debut filled with memorable characters and an unusual yet believable storyline.
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RESURRECTION WALK by Michael Connelly: The new Michael Connelly book is always one of the highlights of my reading year, and this book is truly exceptional; in fact, it may be one of his best…There are plenty of twists in this legal procedural, but what I really loved was the writing – Haller is in first person, Bosch in third, making it easy to tell whose point of view we are in and how these two very independent men come to rely on each other. Another incredible read from the master of crime fiction.
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HAPPY PLACE by Emily Henry: I’ve read Henry’s last few books, and all were excellent, but I think may be her best yet…This is an engrossing romance with enough ups and downs and emotional entanglements to make me incredibly anxious until the requisite happy ending – I couldn’t figure out how they would work it out until they showed me. Another excellent read from a terrific author!
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THE SECRET by Lee Child & Andrew Child: I had almost given up on this series as I didn’t much care for the first two books written by Lee Child with his brother, Andrew…I skipped the third book, No Plan B. But then I read that Andrew had gotten a contract for the next four books in the series alone, with no Lee Child involvement. So I decided to give him one more chance, and I’m very glad I did….This was a completely engrossing read with all the usual Reacher tropes; a decidedly taciturn Reacher, a deserted old building, underground passages, an occasional fight with Reacher against multiple opponents, and some really good twists at the end.
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SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE LAKESIDE SUPPER CLUB by J. Ryan Stradal: I don’t know a whole lot about the Midwest, other than what I’ve gotten from books and a friend from St. Louis. Stradal’s books are firmly set there, so they are always a learning experience for me…This is a story that spans generations, marriages, deaths, and estrangements. Once I started this book, I was hesitant to put it down…This story took me on an emotional journey, and I loved it.
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ROMANTIC COMEDY by Curtis Sittenfeld: If you’ve never read Sittenfeld, it’s high time you started…She writes smart, literary but always engaging stories that are interesting, worthwhile, and discussion worthy…That Sittenfeld chose to title her book this way felt like she was creating a significant crack in the divide between literary and genre fiction, and as someone who reads it all, that alone is a triumph. Put this on your must-read list and bring it to your book club; they will thank you for it.
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THE BREAKAWAY by Jennifer Weiner: Weiner never takes the easy way in any of her books. Relationships are complicated, people are complicated, and such is the case here. I loved her main character and wanted her to be happy – one of Weiner’s gifts is getting us so involved with her characters that you just can’t put down the book, and you can’t stop thinking about it when you finally do. This was a book that tempted me to call in sick to work just so I could finish it! But, ugh, I am way too responsible to do that. Unfortunately, it did keep me up half the night, and I was very happy when I finally turned that last page. That’s the best possible outcome from reading a book, don’t you think?
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TOM LAKE by Ann Patchett: I thought there would be a lot of books set during the pandemic, but if there are, I haven’t run across them. This book is about a family isolating together on their cherry farm. The adult children come home to help out since there are no farm hands available to help harvest the fruit…The book moves back and forth between the early pandemic and an earlier summer as Lara tells her daughters the story of her life. In anyone else’s hands this might not work, but Patchett draws us in and keeps us enraptured until all the secrets are revealed. If you haven’t read her, you are in for a treat. If you have, you will appreciate this beautiful tale from a gifted storyteller. Don’t miss it.
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DIRTY THIRTY by Janet Evanovich: Like millions of others, I loved this series but finally stopped reading at book 23. They really started to go downhill around book 20, with ridiculously far-fetched plot lines, including giraffes wandering the streets of Trenton, New Jersey, but once the zombies arrived, I was done…I read about Evanovich reaching this milestone, the thirtieth book of an uber-successful series. I decided to take a look at it. And I enjoyed it! Things seem to have gone back to where they started, without forcing me to strain credulity and just enjoy the ride…There are several surprises along the way, and some nice twists towards the very shocking ending. Maybe taking a few years off helped, but I thoroughly enjoyed this latest Plum adventure, and look forward to whatever comes next.
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Last year was the first time I ever limited myself to a specific number of favorites in any given year. I did a top ten, as is this year’s list, but there were several other books I felt were worthy of a mention.
Honorable Mentions
THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA by Patti Callahan Henry
STONE COLD FOX by Rachel Koller Croft
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