All the books I read this year
Yes, audiobooks count
Random and voracious describes my appetite for books, and I devoured a good many of them this year. If you’re looking for inspo for what to pick up next, you might consider the below. I’ve listed them roughly in order, from most recent to least. I also bolded the ones I wholeheartedly recommend and added some notes.
Be Ready When the Luck Happens, Ina Garten (audio, still listening)
Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts (re-reading)
The Wave Watchers Companion, Gavin Pretor-Pinney (still reading)
I can’t say I previously thought deeply about where waves come from but this book changed that. Educational and laugh out loud funny.
The Wedding, Danielle Steel (still reading)
Her output boggles the mind. This was on the shelf of a VRBO I stayed at in Park City, Utah; I started reading it there and liked it so much, I bought the digital edition for the flight home.
Intermezzo, Sally Rooney (still reading)
The malaise of modern life as high art.
Pineapple Street, Jenny Jackson
First picked it up when it came out, didn’t resonate, bought it in October on the recommendation of my agent and fell in love. A witty, poignant, ultimately uplifting portrait of a modern day, very well heeled Brooklyn Heights family.
Some Trick, Helen DeWitt
Caledonian Road, Andrew O’Hagan
All Fours, Miranda July
Should we do a field trip to Monrovia?
Lies and Weddings, Kevin Kwan
Learned so much about the furniture of the filthy rich.
The English Understand Wool, Helen DeWitt (re-read)
I loved the Kindle edition of this book so much that I had to buy the hard copy, which is shiny, a real show piece. It’s hard to describe what this book is. Part mystery, part publishing industry satire, part … what are those books called with an unreliable narrator? It’s so clever.
I’m a Fan, Sheena Patel
Sexy and claustrophobic.
Piglet, Lottie Hazell
That scene in the restaurant with the co-workers.
Waiter Rant, The Waiter (audio)
The Age of Magical Overthinking, Amanda Montell (audio)
Heads in Beds, Jacob Tomsky (audio)
If you like The White Lotus, you’ll love this memoir by a decades-long veteran of the hotel industry.
A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson
Would not normally pick up a book about hiking the Appalachian trail but my friend Amy recommended it before I embarked on a far flung (and ultimately disastrous) assignment and this book was the bright spot in a weird, mosquito-filled week.
Long Island Compromise, Taffy Brodesser-Akner
The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
Sad.
Green Dot, Madeleine Gray
A romantic comedy that largely takes place on Gchat? Yes, please.
Wives Like Us, Plum Sykes
Yellowface, R.F. Kuang
That ending!!!
David Copperfield, Charles Dickens (still reading)
Still hits 125 years later, though I need a hard copy because Kindle just isn’t the right vehicle.
Brick Lane, Monica Ali