My Favorite Books Since I Started Blogging

Happy Tuesday! I’m linking up with the Broke and the Bookish again to share my ten favorite books since I started blogging. I started this blog about a year and a half ago, so it was easy to pore over my bullet journals to find the books that qualify for this category. What wasn’t easy was only choosing ten!

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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – I didn’t actually write anything on my blog about this book, but I did write a goodreads review. This is a WWII novel set in France. Two sisters help The Resistance in very different ways. This book was beautiful and it broke my heart; by the end, I was crying the big, sloppy, snorty tears that no one ever admits to.

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The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins – here is my brief and original review. This book was disgusting but amazing. Each character is a librarian of their own collection. Their collection might be speaking to animals, returning from the dead, or languages from the past. Each librarian lives in their own cell, surrounded by their collections. It would be romantic if “God” didn’t keep killing them over and over again.

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Thornyhold by Mary Stewart – I’ve posted two reviews of this book, here and here. This is the book that I reread every fall because it’s so darn cozy and perfect for the shift in season. A young woman’s cousin dies and leaves her a cottage in the woods. It just so happens that the cousin was the village witch and everyone wonders if the young Gilly is witchy as well.

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The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt – here’s my first post.  I loved almost everything about this book. There’s a part in the middle when Theo moves to Las Vegas that I wasn’t wild about, but it was probably necessary for the story. I love reading about NYC and the museum scene, and this had the bonus of also taking place in an antique furniture shop. I swooned.

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The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead – my post on this can be found here. This was a beautiful and painful book to read. Whitehead doesn’t hold back when describing any of the brutalities of slavery; I can’t imagine what it must have been like to write this book. But there’s a beautiful magical element to this book – slaves are brought to safety by an actual underground train.

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A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara – my post is here. Yanagihara’s writing is exquisite. The foreshadowing she did blew my mind in several places. This is difficult to read – it deals with severe childhood abuse and with the behaviors we learn in order to cope. So be careful — this one is not for the faint of heart. You might want to read this with a friend to make sure you have some support nearby!

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Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott – here’s a link to my original post. Funny, light-hearted, and forgiving. Lamott shares life lessons about writing and beyond in such an honest and loving way. I wish that I knew her in real life and she was my mentor! She also recently gave a TED Talk that was amazing. My favorite piece of advice from this book is how to ensure that no one sues you for liability. There’s a certain body part that you can describe in a certain way that no one would ever claim. Works like a charm!

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The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro – my original post. I first heard about this book on a podcast and I thought it was called The Berry Giants. I was so confused trying to find it online until I actually found the show notes. Ha! This was a slow book that many people have had a hard time getting through. It’s worth it in the end — a beautiful relationship between two people that love each other very much.

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Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – my link. Katy Kontent is a young woman in NYC after the depression. She doesn’t come from wealth but somehow finds herself running in those crowds. This was literary, fast, and fun. The beginning might be a difficult adjustment, but keep going. Katy stole my breath away and the characters are unforgettable.

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The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters – my post earlier this year. A gothic horror story that ticked all of the boxes! I had a hard time getting into it, but once I got about 10% through the story, I couldn’t stop reading. Through the eyes of the village doctor, we get to know the Ayres family who have owned Hundreds Hall for generations. But something is lurking inside the crumbling estate. What is it??!

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What a fun topic! I can’t wait to see what others choose as their favorites. Be sure to say hi in the comments and let me know where I can find you!