45 Must-Read Books
One of my great joys of adulthood has been discovering a love for reading. I wasn't an avid reader as a kid, and wow, was I missing out! I love watching Laurel and Violet get completely lost in books. Quiet family reading time is a thing in this house and I treasure it so much!
Interestingly, just a few days before my stress meltdown last week, I found myself without a book (I had just finished Jo Jo Moyes' Still Me) and it actually made me feel totally unsettled. (I won't blame not having a book on my meltdown but...) So I put out a call to my friends; I shared three recent titles I couldn't put down and asked what books they were devouring this summer. And man, as soon as the the responses started pouring in I was like, OK, I need to organize this list so it's easy to pull up at the bookstore or library!
So here you go! Though I for sure encourage you to support your local bookstore or library (the list is organized alphabetically by author so it's easy to peruse the stacks!), Amazon links are included below and they are, in fact, affiliate links, which means this website will get a tiny kickback on your book purchase...no additional charge to you. Happy reading (and hopefully happy family quiet reading time)! If you have other must-read books to share, please drop them in the comments at the bottom of this post!
1) BACKMAN, Fredrik:
Beartown
2) BERG, Elizabeth:
The Story of Arthur Truluv
3) BOYNE, John:
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
4) CENTER, Katherine:
How to Walk Away
5) CHEVALIER, Tracy:
At the Edge of the Orchard
6) CORRIGAN, Kelly:
Tell Me More
7) DIDION, Joan:
Blue Nights
8) DOYLE, Glennon:
Love Warrior
9) EGAN, Jennifer:
Manhattan Beach
10) FINN, A.J.:
The Woman in the Window
11) FRIEDMAN, Thomas L.:
Thank You for Being Late
12) GAIMAN, Neil & PRATCHETT, Terry:
Good Omens
13) GYASI, Yaa:
Homegoing
14) HANNAH, Kristin:
The Great Alone
15) HANNAH, Kristin:
Winter Garden
16) HILDERBRAND, Elin:
The Perfect Couple
17) HONEYMAN, Gail:
Elinor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
18) JACKSON, Joshilyn:
The Almost Sisters
19) JILES, Paulette:
News of the World
20) JONES, Tayari:
An American Marriage
21) KLINE, Christina Baker:
Orphan Train
22) KONIGSBERG, Bill:
Honestly Ben
23) KONIGSBERG, Bill:
Openly Straight
Head to the bookstore or library with this list of 45 must-read books!
24) KWAN, Kevin:
Crazy Rich Asians
25) LEE, Min Jin:
Free Food for Millionaires
26) LEE, Min Jin:
Pachinko
27) MACKINTOSH, Clare:
I Let You Go
28) MEISSNER, Susan:
As Bright as Heaven
29) MIRANDA, Megan:
All the Missing Girls
30) MOORE, Kate:
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women
31) MOYES, Jojo:
Still Me
32) NAVIN, Rhiannon:
Only Child
33) NELSON, Jandy:
I’ll Give You The Sun
34) NG, Celeste:
Little Fires Everywhere
35) NOAH, Travor:
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
36) PENNY, Louise:
The Armand Gamache Mysteries
37) PICOULT, Jodi:
Leaving Time
38) QUINN, Kate:
The Alice Network
39) SÁENZ, Benjamin Alire:
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
40) SIMSION, Graeme:
The Rosie Project
41) STEVENSON, Bryan:
Just Mercy: The Story of Justice and Redemption
42) TURNER, Megan Whalen:
Queen’s Thief Series
43) WARD, Jesmyn:
Sing, Unburied, Sing
44) WESTOVER, Tara:
Educated: A Memoir
45) WHITEHEAD, Colson:
The Underground Railroad