January: What I Read

Some really good reads here, but none can be in my top 10 because they are all old books. I KNOW! I am shocked, too.

Sweet Sleep by Diane Weissinger et al: LOVE to have my choices confirmed.

All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson: WOW! I loved this. So many great essays by women with poetry too. A great read.

The Chicken Sisters By KJ Dell'Antonia: This book is charming and delightful. Are all of the characters fully drawn? Nope? Is the backstory 100% smoothly integrated into the actual story? Also no. Is the pacing perfect? Well, not really. But! The two main characters are likable, and the conflict is page-turny.  I liked this one a lot. 

Take it Back by Kia Abdullah: I really liked this British legal thriller and was happy to see that it is the first book in the Zara Kaleel series-- I will absolutely tune in for the next installment.

Sisters in Hate: American Women on the Front Lines of White Nationalism by Seyward Darby: The title says it all. YIKES.

Parenting Without Power Struggles by Susan Stiffelman: READ this BOOK! I don't know if her practical, hands-on tips are making my kids behave better or if they're just making me give less of a shit. Either way= winning.

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn: Another audio book, this one an adorable romance.

One by One By Ruth Ware: An excellent winter mystery.

Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy: An excellent, page-turning, mindless thriller. Great twists and really well done.

Force of Nature by Jane Harper: An excellent listen.

The Dry by Jane Harper: This was a terrific audiobook. Mystery-- very twisty and sad.

Still Life by Louise Penny: I AM HOOKED. If you haven't read the Inspector Gamache series, read it with me this year.

Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America by Laila Lalami: This book is beautifully written, which is not surprise because Lalami, a Moroccan immigrant, is a novelist and creative writing professor. She talks about her own experiences and what's wrong with whiteness and US immigration policy, as well as with attitudes on the ground toward immigrants. I loved it.

11/22/63 by Stephen King: I know this is an old one, but I just listened to it and OH MY GOD. Read it if you haven't.

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson: READ THIS.

Writers and Lovers by Lily King: I know this was a last year book, but it was SO SO SO GOOD. You should read it. (I listened to it, and it's great that way too).