I didn’t get the chance to do a book review at the end of last year because I was nine months pregnant and in agony of waiting to give birth. I was distracted. So this year I present my combined 2023 and 2024 book list – 62 Books in total. Gone are the days when I could read 78 books in a year. Apparently I can only manage about 30 a year now as a mother. That’s okay. Here are the books I liked and liked less… In order of 5 star to 1 star here are the books I’ve read the last two years. This year I also categorized them based on genre. All rankings are just my opinion, no need to get upset 😉
5 Star (Must Read) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐
Nonfiction
– The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐
– The Ministry of Truth by Steve Benen ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐
– Normal Women by Philippa Gregory ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐
– The Exvangelicals by Sarah McCammon ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐
– The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk (reread – still ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐)
Fiction
– The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐
Biography
– Taste by Stanley Tucci ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐
4 Stars (Worth Your Time) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
Nonfiction
– Momma Zen by Karen Maezen Miller ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– If You Can’t Take the Heat by Geraldine DeRuiter ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– How to Know a Person by David Brooks ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
Fiction
– Tom Lake by Ann Patchett ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– Liars by Sarah Manguso ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– The Husbands by Holly Gramazio ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– Fairy Tale by Stephen King ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– Purity by Jonathan Franzen ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
– Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
Essays
– The Book of Delights by Ross Gay ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
3 Stars (Overall positive – take it or leave it)⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Nonfiction
– Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– High Conflict by Amanda Ripley ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– The Body by Bill Bryson ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– Good for a Girl by Lauren Fleshman ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– The Aftermath by Philip Bump ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– What Happened to You by Oprah Winfrey ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– Husband Coached Childbirth the Bradley Method by Robert Bradley ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– Originals by Adam Grant ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Fiction
– Babel by R.F. Kuang ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Biography
– Spare by Prince Harry ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– The Woman in Me by Britney Spears ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
– I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jannette McCurdy ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
2 Stars (Meh Not Worth Your Time)⭐ ⭐
Nonfiction
– On the Edge by Nate Silver ⭐ ⭐
– Codependent No More by Melody Beattie ⭐ ⭐
– The Real Work by Adam Gopnik ⭐ ⭐
– They Knew by Sarah Kendzior ⭐ ⭐
Fiction
– Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi ⭐ ⭐
– The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon ⭐ ⭐
– Light Pirate by Lily Brooks Dalton ⭐ ⭐
Biography
– Friends Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry ⭐ ⭐
– No Time like the Future by Michael J Fox ⭐ ⭐
1 Star (Don’t Waste Your Time)⭐
Nonfiction
– Raising Worry Free Girls by Sissy Goff ⭐
– Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri ⭐
Fiction
– A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Moss ⭐
– A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Moss ⭐
– A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Moss ⭐
– A Court of Wings and Fury by Sarah J Moss ⭐
– The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han ⭐
And that’s the list. If you wanna fight about it send me an email at [email protected]. Cheers! and Happy Holidays.
Painting Pictured, “The Storm” 60″x72″