Genres

S.A. CosbyBEST OF2020#1 of 2020

Blacktop Wasteland

★★★★★BEST OF2020#1 of 2020

A “one last job” crime caper that ends up with a lot more depth and character development than expected. It's outstanding.

Scott CarsonBEST OF2024#1 of 2024

Lost Man's Lane

★★★★★BEST OF2024#1 of 2024

Set in 1999, a coming-of-age story about a high schooler who finds himself embroiled in a supernatural missing persons investigation.

Virginia EvansBEST OF2025#1 of 2025Audiobook

The Correspondent

★★★★★BEST OF2025#1 of 2025Audiobook

An innovative character study in which an aging woman's life story is revealed through the letters she writes and receives from a myriad of people.

Like an Irish version of Braveheart, at sea, with a badass woman at the helm, it reimagines the life of Ireland's legendary pirate queen Grace O'Malley.

The Pirate Queen

Ariel Lawhon#1 of 2026

★★★★★#1 of 2026

Gennarose NethercottBEST OF2022#1 of 2022

Thistlefoot

★★★★★BEST OF2022#1 of 2022

The reunion of 2 siblings around a mysterious house is the backdrop for this lyrical beauty of a novel, my favorite of 2022.

Chris WhitakerBEST OF2021#1 of 2021

We Begin at the End

★★★★★BEST OF2021#1 of 2021

A thought-provoking and heartbreaking coming of age story, mixed with a small town mystery. My clear favorite of 2021 by a wide margin

Anthony DoerrBEST OF2021#2 of 2021

Cloud Cuckoo Land

★★★★★BEST OF2021#2 of 2021

An ambitious, sprawling novel that intertwines 3 storylines across different places and times, but magically comes together in the end

Barbara KingsolverBEST OF2022#2 of 2022

Demon Copperhead

★★★★★BEST OF2022#2 of 2022

An ode to Charles Dickens in the form of a modern retelling of David Copperfield, set in Appalachian Virginia over the last 30+ years.

Christie TateBEST OF2020#2 of 2020

Group

★★★★★BEST OF2020#2 of 2020

When author Christie Tate hits rock bottom, she decides to try a radical form of group therapy, where everything is NOT confidential.

Percival EverettBEST OF2024#2 of 2024Audiobook

Nonfiction Memoir

James

★★★★★BEST OF2024#2 of 2024Audiobook

More than a retelling of "Huck Finn" from the point of view of Jim, this is a brilliant treatise on race and slavery in 1860s America.

Abraham VergheseBEST OF2023#2 of 2023

The Covenant of Water

★★★★★BEST OF2023#2 of 2023

It's long, but it's also a brilliant tour de force, presenting a multi-generational character study spanning nearly 80 years in India.

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest

Aubrey HartmanBEST OF2025#2 of 2025Audiobook

★★★★★BEST OF2025#2 of 2025Audiobook

A children's book about life's most difficult subject—death—told with compassion, humor and grace at a level on par (or above) any adult literature.

A grieving scientist encounters a glowing dome in Antarctica whose particle physics may prove a universe where time runs backward — and offer her a way to undo her own past.

Children's Lit

Under Story

Chloe Benjamin#2 of 2026

★★★★★#2 of 2026

All the Colors of the Dark

Chris WhitakerBEST OF2024#3 of 2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024#3 of 2024

Whitaker delivers another masterpiece of character development while tackling several tough topics -- a challenging but uplifting read

Clare Leslie HallBEST OF2025#3 of 2025Audiobook

Broken Country

★★★★★BEST OF2025#3 of 2025Audiobook

A small town, a love triangle, a murder, and a trial form the foundation of this twisty, emotional novel set in mid-1900s England.

Literature & Fiction Mystery and Thriller Romance

Chain-Gang All-Stars

Nana Kwame Adjei-BrenyahBEST OF2023#3 of 2023

★★★★★BEST OF2023#3 of 2023

Set in a near-future society that feels all too possible, prisoners fight in gladiatorial death matches for a chance at freedom.

Rachel Hochhauser#3 of 2026Audiobook

Lady Tremaine

★★★★★#3 of 2026Audiobook

A brilliant retelling of Cinderella from the "wicked" stepmother's perspective, this witty, inventive historical drama completely reimagines a classic villain.

Andy WeirBEST OF2021#3 of 2021

Project Hail Mary

★★★★★BEST OF2021#3 of 2021

A scientist trapped alone in space trying to survive. What worked for The Martian does again and this time might be even better.

Sarah Beth DurstBEST OF2020#3 of 2020

Race the Sands

★★★★★BEST OF2020#3 of 2020

Part Seabiscuit, part palace politics, part commentary on societal boundaries and castes -- this novel was great on multiple levels.

Saara El-ArifiBEST OF2022#3 of 2022Book 1 · The Ending Fire Trilogy

The Final Strife

★★★★★BEST OF2022#3 of 2022Book 1 · The Ending Fire Trilogy

A land where one’s blood color determines their race is the setting while a secret sect try to infiltrate to infiltrate the government

Taylor Jenkins ReidBEST OF2025#4 of 2025Audiobook

Atmosphere

★★★★★BEST OF2025#4 of 2025Audiobook

Filled with tragedy, perseverance, and love, the novel focuses on the fictional first women in the NASA space program in the early 1980s.

S.A. CosbyBEST OF2021#4 of 2021

Razorblade Tears

★★★★★BEST OF2021#4 of 2021

When two young gay men are murdered, their fathers join forces to take solving the murders into their own hands.

Dennis LehaneBEST OF2023#4 of 2023

Small Mercies

★★★★★BEST OF2023#4 of 2023

A masterful book, Lehane's best since Mystic River, set against the racial tensions of Boston school busing during the summer of '74.

The Mayor of Maxwell Street

Avery CunninghamBEST OF2024#4 of 2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024#4 of 2024

Skillful dialogue and prose adorn this debut that combines a love story with the search for a mysterious gangster in 1920s Chicago.

Sarah Stewart TaylorBEST OF2020#4 of 2020Book 1 · Maggie D'arcy

The Mountains Wild

★★★★★BEST OF2020#4 of 2020Book 1 · Maggie D'arcy

Years after her cousin's disappearance, detective Maggie D'Arcy is asked to consult an a case with eerie similarities.

Caro Claire Burke#4 of 2026

Yesteryear

★★★★★#4 of 2026

A "tradwife" and Instagram influencer has cultivated a seemingly idyllic life for herself and family, but it's all upended when she wakes up one day in 1855.

Literature & Fiction Science Fiction Mystery and Thriller

Five

Ilona Bannister#5 of 2026

★★★★★#5 of 2026

Jaw-dropping dialogue and moral judgement set the tone for this dark exploration of five neurodiverse characters, one of which we're told will die by the end of the book.

Kevin WilsonBEST OF2020#5 of 2020

Nothing To See Here

★★★★★BEST OF2020#5 of 2020

An old friend desperatly needs Lillian's help caring for her kids. There's one catch, though: when the kids get upset, they catch fire

Sarah WinmanBEST OF2023#5 of 2023

Still Life

★★★★★BEST OF2023#5 of 2023

A beautifully written character study of a cast of memorable souls that spans 30 years from the end of World War II until the mid-70s.

The Last Watch + The Exiled Fleet

J.S. DewesBEST OF2021#5 of 2021Books 1–2 · The Divide

★★★★★BEST OF2021#5 of 2021Books 1–2 · The Divide

A ragtag group of soldiers (and a few criminals) are staffed at the end of the universe. Things are mostly boring...until they're not

James IslingtonBEST OF2024#5 of 2024Book 1 · Hierarchy

The Will of the Many

★★★★★BEST OF2024#5 of 2024Book 1 · Hierarchy

A truly excellent start to a trilogy about an orphan who infiltrates an Academy for societal elites in order to uncover a conspiracy.

Maurene GooBEST OF2025#5 of 2025

Throwback

★★★★★BEST OF2025#5 of 2025

Goo's sweet time travel tale sees a 17-year-old from 2025 transported back to 1995 to try to help her own mother win homecoming queen.

Rebecca YarrosBEST OF2023#6 of 2023Book 1 · The Empyrean

Fourth Wing

★★★★★BEST OF2023#6 of 2023Book 1 · The Empyrean

Perhaps the most-hyped book of 2023 lives up to it, as we follow the journey of a young girl as she attempts to become a dragon rider.

Liz MooreBEST OF2020#6 of 2020

Long Bright River

★★★★★BEST OF2020#6 of 2020

When sex workers start to turn up murdered, a Philly cop investigates, hoping to stop the trend before her sister becomes a victim.

Andre AgassiBEST OF2024#6 of 2024Audiobook

Open

★★★★★BEST OF2024#6 of 2024Audiobook

Among the best autobiographies I have read, Andre Agassi shares an honest account in vivid detail of his life in tennis (and beyond).

Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It

Brooke Averick#6 of 2026Audiobook

★★★★★#6 of 2026Audiobook

One month shy of her thirtieth birthday, Phoebe Berman is determined to conquer her neuroses and finally lose her virginity in this laugh-out-loud rom-com.

Jeanine CumminsBEST OF2020#7 of 2020

American Dirt

★★★★★BEST OF2020#7 of 2020

The journey of a mother and her son as they flee Acapulco for the United States after becoming targets of the local cartel.

Rebecca YarrosBEST OF2024#7 of 2024Book 2 · The Empyrean

Iron Flame

★★★★★BEST OF2024#7 of 2024Book 2 · The Empyrean

Yarros gives us a rarity -- a sequel to a force-of-nature debut that's just as good as the original, and in some ways possibly better.

J.S. DewesBEST OF2023#7 of 2023

Rubicon

★★★★★BEST OF2023#7 of 2023

A stand-alone novel unrelated to her "Divide" series, author Dewes elegantly explores immortality, AI, and what it means to be human.

Alix E. HarrowBEST OF2023#8 of 2023

Starling House

★★★★★BEST OF2023#8 of 2023

Harrow returns to top form with a genre-blending story of a young woman trying to scrape by in a town haunted by its past and secrets.

Fantasy Literature & Fiction Mystery and Thriller

The God of the Woods

Liz MooreBEST OF2024#8 of 2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024#8 of 2024

Set in 1975, the search for a missing child acts as the foundation for Moore's tactful exploration of societal themes of the time.

60 Songs That Explain the '90s

Rob HarvillaBEST OF2024#9 of 2024Audiobook

★★★★★BEST OF2024#9 of 2024Audiobook

A nostalgia-inducing romp through the most impactful songs of the '90s, focusing on their meaning to the decade and to music overall.

Jane HarperBEST OF2023#9 of 2023Book 3 · Aaron Falk

Exiles

★★★★★BEST OF2023#9 of 2023Book 3 · Aaron Falk

A stellar offering from author Harper about a missing woman and a history of complicated relationships among friends in a small town.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Angela DuckworthBEST OF2023#10 of 2023

★★★★★BEST OF2023#10 of 2023

Both entertaining and helpful, Duckworth systematically lays out a plethora of evidence for why passion + perseverance = success.

Amy TinteraBEST OF2024#10 of 2024

Listen for the Lie

★★★★★BEST OF2024#10 of 2024

A woman returns to the small town where she grew up, despite being the prime suspect in the 5-year-old murder of her best friend.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion

Beth BrowerGuest reviewAudiobookBook 1 · The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion

★★★★★Guest reviewAudiobookBook 1 · The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion

Think Gilmore Girls meets Jane Eyre: a witty Victorian heroine, a quirky London neighborhood, and the journal series that became my happy place.

Kristin HannahGuest review

The Women

A historical opus that examines the horrors of the Vietnam War and its turbulent aftermath through the eyes of a young female nurse.

Sabaa TahirBEST OF2022#4 of 2022

★★★★Four and three-quarter stars 32 books

Book

Rating

Genre

All My Rage

★★★★BEST OF2022#4 of 2022

An exploration of the immigrant experience through the story of 2 high school students of Pakistani descent, growing up in rural CA.

Emily HenryBEST OF2022#5 of 2022Audiobook

Book Lovers

★★★★BEST OF2022#5 of 2022Audiobook

A better version of the "city dweller finds love in a small town" trope, while also ranking as the funniest book I read in 2022.

Angeline BoulleyBEST OF2022#6 of 2022Book 1 · Firekeeper's Daughter

Firekeeper's Daughter

★★★★BEST OF2022#6 of 2022Book 1 · Firekeeper's Daughter

A high school girl is thrust into an FBI investigation to try to uncover a drug ring that is terrorizing Native American tribes

S.A. CosbyBEST OF2025#6 of 2025

King of Ashes

★★★★BEST OF2025#6 of 2025

Edgy, violent, and dark, Cosby's latest sees a successful money manager sucked into working for a sadistic gang in order to save his brother.

Ashley AudrainBEST OF2021#6 of 2021

The Push

★★★★BEST OF2021#6 of 2021

What happens when a mom can't connect with her child, and she starts to wonder if her child isn’t just different, but maybe truly a bad kid?

Jakob KerrBEST OF2025#7 of 2025

Dead Money

★★★★BEST OF2025#7 of 2025

Kerr's mature and tightly-plotted debut follows the murder investigation of the founder of a fictitious tech company in San Francisco.

Maggie ShipsteadBEST OF2021#7 of 2021

Great Circle

★★★★BEST OF2021#7 of 2021

Meet protagonist Marian Graves, a woman in determined to fly planes in the early 1900s at a time when women, quite simply, didn't.

Seventeen: Last Man Standing

John BrownlowBEST OF2022#7 of 2022Book 1 · Agent Seventeen

★★★★BEST OF2022#7 of 2022Book 1 · Agent Seventeen

The greatest assassin in the world, Seventeen, must take on his predecessor, against a backdrop of a threat against global security.

A moving generational novel that authentically captures a litany of life moments, from the highs of true love to the challenges of addiction.

The Bright Years

Sarah Damoff#7 of 2026

★★★★#7 of 2026

Jess KiddBEST OF2020#8 of 2020

Things in Jars

★★★★BEST OF2020#8 of 2020

A private investigator in 1860s London looks into the disappearance of a young girl who may have special (and dangerous) powers.

Mystery and Thriller Fantasy

We Are All Guilty Here

Karin Slaughter#8 of 2026Book 1 · North Falls Thriller

★★★★#8 of 2026Book 1 · North Falls Thriller

Two teenage girls are abducted in a small Georgia town in this mystery filled with twists and family dynamics that will keep readers guessing.

Charlotte McConaghyBEST OF2025#8 of 2025

Wild Dark Shore

★★★★BEST OF2025#8 of 2025

When a woman washes ashore on a remote island, the lone family living there nurses her back to health. But both parties have secrets...

Annabel Monaghan#9 of 2026

Dolly All the Time

★★★★#9 of 2026

When a $50k debt meets a fake-dating scheme with a wealthy heir, love blooms in Annabel Monaghan's modern retelling of Pretty Woman.

Alix E. HarrowBEST OF2025#9 of 2025

The Everlasting

★★★★BEST OF2025#9 of 2025

A time-traveling tale that dissects the most famous legend in the land, Harrow once again creates a binge-worthy blend of fantasy and creativity.

The House in the Cerulean Sea

TJ KluneBEST OF2020#9 of 2020Book 1 · The Cerulean Chronicles

★★★★BEST OF2020#9 of 2020Book 1 · The Cerulean Chronicles

A lovely and cheeky queer story, this traces the evolution of a man as he comes to grips with his professional and sexual identity.

Andy CorrenBEST OF2025#10 of 2025Audiobook

Dirtbag Queen

★★★★BEST OF2025#10 of 2025Audiobook

Sparked by a viral obituary, this unlikeliest of memoirs introduces us to the crazy Corren family and their larger-than-life mother.

James Islington#10 of 2026Book 2 · Hierarchy

The Strength of the Few

★★★★#10 of 2026Book 2 · Hierarchy

The sequel to The Will of the Many sees the footprint expand from a single world into three, an ambitious choice that is impressively executed.

When a professional matchmaker meets her "fated" match, she must choose between her prophesied destiny and an undeniable connection she has with someone else.

One and Only

Maurene Goo#11 of 2026

★★★★#11 of 2026

William Kent Krueger#11 of 2023

Ordinary Grace

★★★★#11 of 2023

A 1961 coming-of-age story about a boy in rural Minnesota, who is forced to deal with tragedy as he navigates his path to manhood.

Florence KnappBEST OF2025#11 of 2025Audiobook

The Names

★★★★BEST OF2025#11 of 2025Audiobook

A mother debates what to name her son, and her three choices create three parallel timelines in this mature and solidly composed debut.

Alison EspachBEST OF2024#11 of 2024

The Wedding People

★★★★BEST OF2024#11 of 2024

A woman travels to a luxury hotel with plans to kill herself but instead gets wrapped up in the wedding festivities happening on site.

Lily KingBEST OF2025#12 of 2025

Heart the Lover

★★★★BEST OF2025#12 of 2025

A short read that explores the all-encompassing experience of young love and how it is put in perspective upon reflection later in life.

Stacy Willingham#12 of 2023

Only If You're Lucky

★★★★#12 of 2023

A story of a four tight knit girls at a small college turns dark when it seems they might have been involved with a frat boy's death.

Terry HayesBEST OF2024#12 of 2024

The Year of the Locust

★★★★BEST OF2024#12 of 2024

Another great spy thriller from Hayes after 10 long years. Despite some questionable supernatural plot choices, it's still a winner.

Emily Henry#13 of 2023Audiobook

Happy Place

★★★★#13 of 2023Audiobook

An exploration of relationships and friendships in Henry's most mature offering yet, centered on a week-long vacation in Maine.

Christina LynchBEST OF2024#13 of 2024Audiobook

Pony Confidential

★★★★BEST OF2024#13 of 2024Audiobook

Part mystery, part odyssey, the story follows a sardonic pony as he seeks to reunite with his human, on trial for a 25-year-old murder

James LoganBEST OF2025#13 of 2025Book 1 · The Last Legacy

The Silverblood Promise

★★★★BEST OF2025#13 of 2025Book 1 · The Last Legacy

A strong start to a new fantasy series that can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel, a roguish young man travels to a distant city to solve the mystery of his father's death.

A twisty plot-driven novel about a woman who manufactures a relationship, only to find she might be the one being played.

First Lie Wins

Ashley Elston#14 of 2024

★★★★#14 of 2024

Saara El-Arifi#14 of 2023Book 2 · The Ending Fire Trilogy

The Battle Drum

★★★★#14 of 2023Book 2 · The Ending Fire Trilogy

El-Arifi builds on her stellar debut The Final Strife (my #3 book of 2022), and does so both ambitiously and successfully.

James LoganBEST OF2025#14 of 2025Book 2 · The Last Legacy

The Blackfire Blade

★★★★BEST OF2025#14 of 2025Book 2 · The Last Legacy

A worthy continuation of what started with The Silverblood Promise, Book 2 is filled with heists, mini quests, and more of everything you loved in Book 1.

Dave Grohl#15 of 2024Audiobook

The Storyteller

★★★★#15 of 2024Audiobook

Dave Grohl -- former drummer for Nirvana, and founding member of the Foo Fighters -- shares stories of his life in rock in this memoir

J. S. Dewes#16 of 2024Book 3 · The Divide

The Relentless Legion

★★★★#16 of 2024Book 3 · The Divide

A satisfying conclusion to one of the better sci-fi trilogies I have read, the Sentinels once again try to defy odds to save humanity.

Leila MottleyBEST OF2022#8 of 2022

★★★★Four and a half stars 38 books

Book

Rating

Genre

Nightcrawling

★★★★BEST OF2022#8 of 2022

The story of Kiara, a young woman 3 months shy of her 18th birthday, living in East Oakland and trying to scrape by on her own.

Richard OsmanBEST OF2021#8 of 2021Book 1 · Thursday Murder Club Mysteries

The Thursday Murder Club

★★★★BEST OF2021#8 of 2021Book 1 · Thursday Murder Club Mysteries

What happens when 4 septuagenarians entertain a hobby of solving cold cases, only to have a body turn up at their retirement home?

Sarah Stewart TaylorBEST OF2021#9 of 2021Book 2 · Maggie D'arcy

A Distant Grave

★★★★BEST OF2021#9 of 2021Book 2 · Maggie D'arcy

Maggie D'Arcy is back in a solid sequel to The Mountains Wild that confirms (for me) that Sarah Stewart Taylor is for real!

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Gabrielle ZevinBEST OF2022#9 of 2022

★★★★BEST OF2022#9 of 2022

Spanning 30 years of the main characters' lives, it's the story of 3 friends inspired to create something great in the world of gaming

Samantha Jayne AllenBEST OF2022#10 of 2022Book 1 · Annie McIntyre Mysteries

Pay Dirt Road

★★★★BEST OF2022#10 of 2022Book 1 · Annie McIntyre Mysteries

A waitress in rural Texas gets thrust into a murder investigation, with enough nuance that it rises above garden variety mysteries.

Janelle BrownBEST OF2020#10 of 2020

Pretty Things

★★★★BEST OF2020#10 of 2020

Two women with a tangled past -- one a con artist, the other a wealthy influencer -- are reunited in this well-crafted yarn.

Christopher BuehlmanBEST OF2021#10 of 2021

The Blacktongue Thief

★★★★BEST OF2021#10 of 2021

A thief with a wry sense of humor is reluctantly paired up with a badass female knight on a quest to save the knight's queen.

Caitlin Mullen#12 of 2026Audiobook

Heather

★★★★#12 of 2026Audiobook

A young police chief returns to her hometown and is met by an onslaught of mysteries: a missing mother, a drug surge, and a dead-baby cold case from decades prior.

This Story Might Save Your Life

Tiffany Crum#13 of 2026

★★★★#13 of 2026

One half of a famous podcasting duo goes missing in this unique debut that artfully blends mystery with a will-they-or-won't-they romance.

Mystery and Thriller Romance

Whistler

Ann Patchett#14 of 2026

★★★★#14 of 2026

A chance museum encounter reunites a woman with her long-lost former stepfather, unearthing a decades-old secret that reshaped every life it touched.

Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan#15 of 2023

Mad Honey

★★★★#15 of 2023

It's a love story and a legal thriller, but its authors' deft handling of many tough subjects is what elevates this novel even more.

Rebecca YarrosBEST OF2025#15 of 2025Book 3 · The Empyrean

Onyx Storm

★★★★BEST OF2025#15 of 2025Book 3 · The Empyrean

The most anticipated book of 2025 mostly delivers, as author Yarros continues the Empyrean series and Violet Sorrengail's evolution.

Bonnie Garmus#15 of 2026Audiobook

Peck & Peck

★★★★#15 of 2026Audiobook

A poetry lover lands his dream job at the world's top poetry quarterly and then gets caught in a feud between its warring editors in this whimsical, feel-good novel.

Django Wexler#16 of 2026Book 1 · The Sigilist

The Only Way Out Is Up

★★★★#16 of 2026Book 1 · The Sigilist

A scavenger and his homemade robot risk everything in an underground world's multi-level fighting tournament to save his found family in a fresh, addictive progression fantasy opener.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay

Science Fiction Fantasy

Kate Fagan#16 of 2025

★★★★#16 of 2025

An author who has fiercely protected her anonymity—despite writing the biggest book series on the planet—finally tells all in a memoir.

Gillian McAllister#16 of 2023

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

★★★★#16 of 2023

A mother sees her son commit a murder, and must find out why while stuck in a backwards time loop. Sounds weird, but it works well!

When a young woman goes missing, kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel, her mother makes it her life's mission to bring them to justice.

Fear Is Just A Word

Azam Ahmed#17 of 2023

★★★★#17 of 2023

Sally Hepworth#17 of 2026

Mad Mabel

★★★★#17 of 2026

A funny, heartwarming character study of a sardonic 81-year-old former convict whose quiet life unravels when a neighbor turns up dead.

Thomas Fuller#17 of 2024Audiobook

The Boys of Riverside

★★★★#17 of 2024Audiobook

The account of the California School for the Deaf, Riverside, and their football team's pursuit of a championship across two seasons.

Nearly twenty-five years after a home invader destroyed their lives, a couple reunites to provide victim personal statements at his trial.

The Death of Us

Abigail Dean#17 of 2025

★★★★#17 of 2025

Suzanne Collins#18 of 2025Audiobook

Sunrise on the Reaping

★★★★#18 of 2025Audiobook

Collins returns to give us the origin story of Haymitch Abernathy in a way that might make this the best Hunger Games novel to-date.

Kathryn Stockett#18 of 2026Audiobook

The Calamity Club

★★★★#18 of 2026Audiobook

In her first book since The Help, Kathryn Stockett transports us to 1933 Mississippi where a female-driven cast exposes the misogynistic society of the time.

Inspired by historical events, a midwife in 1789 finds herself in the middle of both a murder and a rape investigation in her town.

The Frozen River

Ariel Lawhon#18 of 2024

★★★★#18 of 2024

Historical Fiction Mystery and Thriller

I Have Some Questions For You

Rebecca Makkai#19 of 2025Audiobook

★★★★#19 of 2025Audiobook

A woman returns to the elite boarding school she attended after 20+ years to search for answers about the murder of her roommate senior year.

Joe Hill#19 of 2026Audiobook

King Sorrow

★★★★#19 of 2026Audiobook

An epic story about friendship and betrayal, this behemoth of a novel follows six college friends who make a Faustian deal with a dragon.

Horror Fantasy Literature & Fiction

Night Objects

Eli Raphael#20 of 2026

★★★★#20 of 2026

A coming-of-age novel set at an elite boarding that focuses as much on class, race, and outsider status as it does on the central murder mystery.

Nina Willner#20 of 2025Audiobook

The Boys in the Light

★★★★#20 of 2025Audiobook

The intersecting journeys of the author's father, who survived years in WWII concentration camps, and the American soldiers who found him.

Neal Shusterman#21 of 2025Book 1 · Arc of a Scythe

Scythe

★★★★#21 of 2025Book 1 · Arc of a Scythe

Two teenagers are forced to compete to become a Scythe, whose job is to control overpopulation by killing a set number of people each year.

Dani Francis#22 of 2025Book 1 · Silver Elite

Silver Elite

★★★★#22 of 2025Book 1 · Silver Elite

A young woman with special powers infiltrates a training program for the military while working undercover for a resistance organization.

Science Fiction Fantasy Romance

One Golden Summer

Carley Fortune#23 of 2025

★★★★#23 of 2025

A photographer spends a summer at a lake house where she meets a cocksure man whose charms threaten their mutual vow of friendship.

Emily Henry#24 of 2025Audiobook

Great Big Beautiful Life

★★★★#24 of 2025Audiobook

Two writers compete for the opportunity to author the memoir of a reclusive heiress while coming to realize they might just be soulmates.

Romance Literature & Fiction

No More Tears

Gardiner Harris#25 of 2025Audiobook

★★★★#25 of 2025Audiobook

Decades of missteps and immorality by J & J are laid bare as they repeat a pattern of placing profits over people's health and lives.

The daughter of a convicted serial killer has kept her identity a secret for 20 years, but someone has found out and is determined to expose her.

Haven't Killed in Years

Amy K. Green#26 of 2025

★★★★#26 of 2025

A teacher's aide who dreams of adopting a young boy from her school competes in a contest for the sole copy of a reclusive author's new book.

The Wishing Game

Meg Shaffer#27 of 2025

★★★★#27 of 2025

Another gritty offering from Mottley, who this time explores teen pregnancy and a small group of teen moms who help each other through it.

The Girls Who Grew Big

Leila Mottley#28 of 2025

★★★★#28 of 2025

David Nicholls#29 of 2025Audiobook

You Are Here

★★★★#29 of 2025Audiobook

A sweet and heartfelt story about finding love when you least expect it, told with a distinctly British cheekiness and sense of humor.

Jonathan Haidt#30 of 2025

The Anxious Generation

★★★★#30 of 2025

A thoroughly researched exploration of the rise in mental illness among Gen Z, paired with several suggestions for how we can fix it.

A quick 50-page read, the story of a young girl who is delivered by her father to stay with a family in a neighboring town in Ireland.

Foster

Claire Keegan#31 of 2025

★★★★#31 of 2025

Liane MoriartyBEST OF2021#11 of 2021

★★★★Four and a quarter stars 32 books

Book

Rating

Genre

Apples Never Fall

★★★★BEST OF2021#11 of 2021

When the matriarch of the famous Delaney tennis family goes missing, family dynamics and long-held grudges are on full display.

Ann NapolitanoBEST OF2020#11 of 2020

Dear Edward

★★★★BEST OF2020#11 of 2020

When a 12-year-old boy is the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed 183, including his parents and brother, what happens next?

Alexandra BrackenBEST OF2021#12 of 2021

Lore

★★★★BEST OF2021#12 of 2021

When Lore Perseous makes a deal with the goddess Athena, she is thrust into the middle of a once-every-seven-years event.

The Once and Future Witches

Alex E. HarrowBEST OF2020#12 of 2020

★★★★BEST OF2020#12 of 2020

Three sisters join forces to influence the suffragist movement, but they must tap into old magic to level the playing field.

Alex NorthBEST OF2020#13 of 2020

The Shadows

★★★★BEST OF2020#13 of 2020

25 years ago, a small town was rocked by the grisly murder of a teenage boy, the main suspect never caught. Now it's happening again.

Tana FrenchBEST OF2020#14 of 2020Book 1 · Cal Hooper

The Searcher

★★★★BEST OF2020#14 of 2020Book 1 · Cal Hooper

An American ex-cop settles in a small Irish town to try to make a fresh start, but a local kid needs his help finding his brother.

Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond

Henry Winkler#18 of 2023

★★★★#18 of 2023

An honest autobiographical account of a showbiz life, infused with humor, self-deprecation and a joie de vivre oozing from every page.

Reminiscent of "The Shield", it's a split between a missing persons mystery and a dirty firefighting crew committing thefts in NYC.

Memoir Nonfiction

Devil's Kitchen

Candice Fox#19 of 2024

★★★★#19 of 2024

Michael Finkel#19 of 2023

The Art Thief

★★★★#19 of 2023

A thoroughly researched examination of the exploits of Stéphane Breitwieser, the most prolific art thief the world has ever known.

Thinking this is going to be the "Indian Godfather" is setting your expectations way too high, but it's an intriguing character study.

Age of Vice

Deepti Kapoor#20 of 2023

★★★★#20 of 2023

Rob Hart#20 of 2024Book 1 · Assassins Anonymous

Assassins Anonymous

★★★★#20 of 2024Book 1 · Assassins Anonymous

A fresh take on the assassin genre, balancing globetrotting action with a main character truly trying to change via a 12-step program.

Brandon Sanderson#21 of 2023Book 7 · Mistborn

The Lost Metal

★★★★#21 of 2023Book 7 · Mistborn

A fitting and satisfying conclusion to what author Sanderson refers to as "Era Two" of his outstanding Mistborn series.

The Return of Ellie Black

Emiko Jean#21 of 2024AudiobookBook 1 · Chelsey Calhoun

★★★★#21 of 2024AudiobookBook 1 · Chelsey Calhoun

A borderlined-5-star thriller that unveils what happened to Ellie Black, who went missing for more than two years but has now returned

An immense and dense epic literary journey through the South Pacific of 1000 years ago that explores the struggle for power on Tonga.

The Wayfinder

Adam Johnson#21 of 2026

★★★★#21 of 2026

Tana French#22 of 2024Book 2 · Cal Hooper

The Hunter

★★★★#22 of 2024Book 2 · Cal Hooper

French's sequel to The Searcher again slowly builds up the plot -- and the tension -- until a murder mystery dominates the second half

Richard Swan#22 of 2026Book 1 · The Decurion Saga

The Infinite State

★★★★#22 of 2026Book 1 · The Decurion Saga

A woman attempts to found a fledgling nation to escape the suffocating control of a totalitarian empire in this interesting sci-fi space opera.

A war novel blended with humor and social commentary that pits peace-loving settlers of a planet against an invasion of giant robots intent on killing them.

Operation Bounce House

Matt Dinniman#23 of 2026

★★★★#23 of 2026

Christina Lauren#23 of 2024Audiobook

The True Love Experiment

★★★★#23 of 2024Audiobook

A funny and heartwarming romance novel in the style of Emily Henry about a woman who is cast as the lead on a reality dating show.

After a flight to a remote island goes missing, a dual-timeline thriller follows two sisters—one who was on the flight and one who missed it.

The Castaways

Lucy Clarke#24 of 2026

★★★★#24 of 2026

The American Way of Killing

Malcolm Gladwell#25 of 2026

★★★★#25 of 2026

Malcolm Gladwell aims his signature storytelling and research at America's gun violence epidemic, probing why the U.S. sees far more homicides than its peers.

A grisly dive into the dark underbelly of Los Angeles that blends the hunt for a serial killer with commentary on the corrupt world of the ultra-wealthy.

A Violent Masterpiece

Jordan Harper#26 of 2026

★★★★#26 of 2026

A tragic accident on a remote sheep station eventually leads to a dark family secret in this character-driven exploration of duty and psyche in the Australian Outback.

A Far-flung Life

M.L. Stedman#27 of 2026

★★★★#27 of 2026

Tayari Jones#28 of 2026Audiobook

Kin

★★★★#28 of 2026Audiobook

Bound as cradle friends after both losing their mothers, two girls grow into wildly different adult lives—one of privilege, one chasing reunion.

Melissa Albert#29 of 2026

The Children

★★★★#29 of 2026

A haunting, dual-timeline tale of estranged siblings reckoning with a traumatic childhood serves up a unique blend of family drama and dark fairy tale.

Literature & Fiction Horror Fantasy Mystery and Thriller

What Happened to the McCrays?

Tracey Lange#30 of 2026Audiobook

★★★★#30 of 2026Audiobook

A man returns home to Potsdam, NY to care for his father after a stroke, forcing him to confront past demons that led to his abrupt departure.

Emma Brodie#31 of 2026Audiobook

Into the Blue

★★★★#31 of 2026Audiobook

Two actors with an undeniable connection explore a relentless on-again, off-again romance in this spicy, love-it-or-hate-it read built for the theater crowd.

Romance Literature & Fiction

A Court of Mist and Fury

Sarah J. Maas#32 of 2026Book 2 · A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)

★★★★#32 of 2026Book 2 · A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)

Following the events of A Court of Thorns and Roses, the story continues in a longer and more polished follow-up that's a step up from Book 1.

A woman returns home to ghostwrite her estranged father's memoir while trying to unravel if he was responsible for the 50-year-old murder of his siblings.

The Ghostwriter

Julie Clark#32 of 2025

★★★★#32 of 2025

A girl grows up in a remote cabin with just her father, whose distrust of technology and government snowballs with each passing year.

What Kind of Paradise

Janelle Brown#33 of 2025

★★★★#33 of 2025

A novel premise gives way to a well-structured mystery in which a young woman must solve her own murder before an aneurysm kills her.

Not Quite Dead Yet

Holly Jackson#34 of 2025

★★★★#34 of 2025

A generational character study centered on the intertwined lives of two families in a small Ohio town, focused mostly on identity and the impact of war.

Buckeye

Patrick Ryan#35 of 2025

★★★★#35 of 2025

Chris Chibnall#36 of 2025Book 1 · Detective Nicola Bridge

Death at the White Hart

★★★★#36 of 2025Book 1 · Detective Nicola Bridge

A local publican is found dead with a crown of antlers on his head in this multi-layered mystery taking place in a small English town.

Andrew David MacDonaldBEST OF2020#15 of 2020

★★★★★Four stars 27 books

Book

Rating

Genre

When We Were Vikings

★★★★★BEST OF2020#15 of 2020

Zelda, a 20-year-old with mild developmental disabilities, channels her love of vikings and embarks on a “quest to become legendary".

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store

James McBride#22 of 2023

★★★★★#22 of 2023

Set in the 1930s, an expansive cast from the Black and Jewish section of Pottstown, PA come together to rally around a common cause.

A sometimes dark exploration of a world where humans and sentient machines coexist, balanced by Klune's trademark humor and heart.

In the Lives of Puppets

TJ Klune#23 of 2023

★★★★★#23 of 2023

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Sarah J. Maas#24 of 2024Book 1 · A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)

★★★★★#24 of 2024Book 1 · A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)

After a bit of a slow and clunky start, the story of a young human woman imprisoned in faerie lands barrels to an excellent climax.

Deanna Raybourn#24 of 2023Book 1 · Killers of a Certain Age

Killers of a Certain Age

★★★★★#24 of 2023Book 1 · Killers of a Certain Age

A well-executed (pun intended) novel about 4 female assassins in their 60s who must unretire when they are targeted by their agency.

Following up her excellent debut Group, Tate returns with another memoir, this time focusing on her struggles with female friendship.

B.F.F.

Christie Tate#25 of 2023

★★★★★#25 of 2023

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

Robert Dugoni#25 of 2024

★★★★★#25 of 2024

A book club darling of a novel about a boy born with ocular albinism (red eyes), whose life I found less extraordinary than expected.

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder

Kerryn Mayne#26 of 2024

★★★★★#26 of 2024

Lenny Marks lives a carefully crafted and ordered life for herself until her stepfather's parole sparks memories of childhood trauma.

A memoir that exposes the role of PR firms in our news cycle and the ways they manipulate information to support their wealthy clients

All the Worst Humans

Phil Elwood#27 of 2024

★★★★★#27 of 2024

Emily Henry#28 of 2024Audiobook

Memoir Nonfiction

Funny Story

★★★★★#28 of 2024Audiobook

Desperate for a place to stay after her fiancé cheats on her, Daphne moves in with the ex of the woman who broke up her engagement.

Revenge of the Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell#29 of 2024Audiobook

★★★★★#29 of 2024Audiobook

Gladwell revisits how social epidemics take off with a new set of stories to illustrate variations of concepts from The Tipping Point.

William Kent Krueger#30 of 2024

The River We Remember

★★★★★#30 of 2024

While a murder mystery is at the heart of this novel, a cast of flawed characters enable the exploration of several weighty topics.

Pamela Colloff#33 of 2026Audiobook

Catch the Devil

★★★★★#33 of 2026Audiobook

A career conman traded fake jailhouse confessions for lighter sentences, sending multiple men to death row on his word in this noteworthy (and infuriating) work of investigative journalism.

Carley Fortune#34 of 2026Audiobook

Our Perfect Storm

★★★★★#34 of 2026Audiobook

When a woman's fiancé leaves her on their wedding day, she ends up taking her lifelong (gorgeous, heterosexual) male best friend on her honeymoon. What could happen?

Patrick Radden Keefe#35 of 2026Audiobook

London Falling

★★★★★#35 of 2026Audiobook

A gripping and fascinating piece of investigative journalism that seeks to uncover the truth behind the mysterious death of a young London man in 2019.

A two-tiered whodunit focused on the murder of a prominent Baton Rouge lawyer and its potential connection to a hit-and-run from a decade prior.

Anatomy of an Alibi

Ashley Elston#36 of 2026

★★★★★#36 of 2026

In this thriller that reads like a spicy version of The Da Vinci Code, an academic races across three countries to solve five deadly puzzles before her identity is wiped forever.

The Enigma Challenge

S.C. Godfrey#37 of 2026

★★★★★#37 of 2026

Mystery and Thriller Romance

The Intruder

Freida McFadden#37 of 2025Audiobook

★★★★★#37 of 2025Audiobook

As a major storm approaches, a woman living alone in the woods finds a girl hiding in her toolshed, covered in blood and clutching a knife.

Chloe Liese#38 of 2026Audiobook

Happy Ending

★★★★★#38 of 2026Audiobook

When a pair's exes start dating each other, the two jilted spouses fake a past friendship—only to watch that invented history turn into something very real.

Deanna Raybourn#38 of 2025Book 2 · Killers of a Certain Age

Kills Well With Others

★★★★★#38 of 2025Book 2 · Killers of a Certain Age

Author Raybourn runs it back with everyone's favorite female assassins in their 60s in a sequel that's just as good as the original.

Sarah Wynn-Williams#39 of 2025Audiobook

Careless People

★★★★★#39 of 2025Audiobook

A no-holds-barred account by a former high-ranking employee that lays bare secrets about Facebook and its executives that are shocking to see in print.

Chuck Wendig#39 of 2026Book 1 · The Fiends

The Calamities

★★★★★#39 of 2026Book 1 · The Fiends

A half-demon heir bands with a ragtag crew to locate his missing father and uncover the meaning behind a mysterious structure in this gore-soaked horror-fantasy.

Will Leitch#40 of 2025Audiobook

Horror Fantasy

Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride

★★★★★#40 of 2025Audiobook

An Atlanta cop with a secret terminal brain tumor attempts to orchestrate his death in the line of duty to help his family financially.

The One Day You Were My Husband

Rosie Walsh#40 of 2026Audiobook

★★★★★#40 of 2026Audiobook

Years after her husband was captured by armed men on their wedding day, a woman discovers that he's alive. She's happily remarried, but compelled to seek him out.

Mystery and Thriller Romance

Cherry Baby

Rainbow RowellGuest review

A 36-year-old woman navigates divorce and reclaims her identity from a comic character based on her in this latest adult novel from Rainbow Rowell.

Real Americans

Rachel KhongGuest review

A multi-generational novel that focuses on a Chinese-American family while tackling issues of class, race, technology, and belonging.

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club

Helen SimonsonGuest review

Set at the end of WWI, a novel about a group of British women and their shifting roles following the return of men from the war.

Naomi Alderman#26 of 2023

Historical Fiction

★★★★Three and three-quarter stars 32 books

Book

Rating

Genre

The Future

★★★★#26 of 2023

Filled as much with philosophy and social commentary as with plot, Alderman envisions a near-future society rocketing toward disaster.

Ann Napolitano#27 of 2023

Hello Beautiful

★★★★#27 of 2023

Napolitano once again tugs at heartstrings by creating memorable characters who share moments of happiness amid plenty of tragedy.

Stacy Willingham#28 of 2023

All the Dangerous Things

★★★★#28 of 2023

A distraught mother tries to solve the disappearance of her son a year later, only to realize the most likely suspect might be her.

Societal commentary abounds in this story of a white author stealing the final manuscript of an Asian American author after her death.

Yellowface

R.F. Kuang#29 of 2023

★★★★#29 of 2023

Tess Gerritsen#30 of 2023Book 1 · The Martini Club

The Spy Coast

★★★★#30 of 2023Book 1 · The Martini Club

Another story about retirement-age spies? You better believe it! It doesn't quite match up to Killers of a Certain Age, but it's close

Edward Ashton#31 of 2023Book 2 · Mickey7

Antimatter Blues

★★★★#31 of 2023Book 2 · Mickey7

The sequel to Mickey7 finds our hero once again trying to find a way to save the colony while somehow avoiding yet another death.

Sharon McMahon#31 of 2024Audiobook

The Small and the Mighty

★★★★#31 of 2024Audiobook

An entertaining look at a few lesser-known influential people throughout U.S. history, presented in a conversational and engaging way.

Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg#32 of 2024Audiobook

The Formula

★★★★#32 of 2024Audiobook

Focused not just on the recent rise of F1 but its entire 75-year history, this is an entertaining look at the evolution of the sport.

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder

David Grann#32 of 2023

★★★★#32 of 2023

The author of Killers of the Flower Moon returns with an account of a shipwreck in the 1740s and the tale of survival that follows.

A father goes missing, and his son knows what happened but cannot tell anyone due to a disability. Mostly satisfying, but with flaws.

Daniel James Brown#33 of 2024Audiobook

The Boys in the Boat

★★★★#33 of 2024Audiobook

A thoroughly-researched and compelling account of the University of Washington rowing team's quest to win gold at the 1936 Olympics.

Emily Henry#34 of 2023Audiobook

Beach Read

★★★★#34 of 2023Audiobook

The book that launched Emily Henry's romance writing career! Despite a few clunky moments, Beach Read checks all of the romance boxes.

A story of love, growth, and second chances, the novel follows a set of siblings as they discover their family's complex history.

When the World Tips Over

Jandy Nelson#34 of 2024

★★★★#34 of 2024

Veronica Roth#35 of 2024Book 1 · Curse Bearer

When Among Crows

★★★★#35 of 2024Book 1 · Curse Bearer

A memorable novella, inspired by Polish folklore, that follows a guilt-ridden hero's journey through the magical underbelly of Chicago

Be Ready When the Luck Happens

Ina Garten#36 of 2024Audiobook

★★★★#36 of 2024Audiobook

A glimpse into one of the more spontaneous people on the planet, who balances that spontaneity with a fierce determination and will.

Richard Osman#37 of 2024Book 1 · We Solve Murders

We Solve Murders

★★★★#37 of 2024Book 1 · We Solve Murders

A new setting and cast of characters, but the same humor, heart, and layered mystery that readers have come to expect from Osman.

Equal parts funny, heartwarming, and sad, the story of a gay uncle pressed into temporary custody of his niece and nephew for a summer

The Guncle

Steven Rowley#38 of 2024

★★★★#38 of 2024

Fredrik Backman#41 of 2025Audiobook

My Friends

★★★★#41 of 2025Audiobook

Told mostly via flashbacks about four childhood friends, the novel focuses on resiliency and found family in the face of domestic violence and neglect.

A house fire is the jumping off point for this novel less about the partial loss of a home and more about the fractured relationship in it.

The Burning Side

Sarah Damoff#41 of 2026

★★★★#41 of 2026

James Islington#42 of 2026

Scion

★★★★#42 of 2026

An assassin hired to protect—not kill—leads to a brisk, twisty cyberpunk mystery about immortality, secrets, and a job that isn't what it seems.

Neal Shusterman#42 of 2025Book 2 · Arc of a Scythe

Thunderhead

★★★★#42 of 2025Book 2 · Arc of a Scythe

A continuation of the Arc of a Scythe series, the novel picks up where book one ended as the scythedom becomes increasingly divided.

Max Marshall#43 of 2025Audiobook

Among the Bros

★★★★#43 of 2025Audiobook

An exposé on a fraternity-led Xanax trafficking ring, focused on Greek life and the pervasiveness of benzodiazepine use at colleges.

The Parkwood MurdersOut Dec 1

AVAILABLE DEC 1, 2026

Chris Chibnall#43 of 2026Book 2 · Detective Nicola Bridge

★★★★#43 of 2026Book 2 · Detective Nicola Bridge

A body in a holiday-resort pool, hundreds of guests, and a web of secrets that have nothing to do with murder. A clever, satisfying procedural.

Emiko Jean#44 of 2026Book 2 · Chelsey Calhoun

Before You Were Anne

★★★★#44 of 2026Book 2 · Chelsey Calhoun

A woman lies dead and her sixteen-year-old daughter is missing, sending a detective into a trafficking case that cuts painfully close to home.

Jeremy Renner#44 of 2025Audiobook

My Next Breath

★★★★#44 of 2025Audiobook

Actor Jeremy Renner recounts the harrowing events of an accident that left him with 38 broken bones and clinging to life by a thread.

Annabel Monaghan#45 of 2025Audiobook

Summer Romance

★★★★#45 of 2025Audiobook

A 38-year-old nearly-divorced mother of three starts a summer fling with a dashing, slightly younger man. Can it last?

When Lemons Give You Life

Anna Johnston#45 of 2026

★★★★#45 of 2026

A former chef fakes dementia in a nursing home before finding redemption and a new reason to live in this latest from the author of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife.

A mysterious and private man appears one day in a small Georgia town and begins to have a profoundly positive impact on several residents.

Theo of Golden

Allen Levi#46 of 2025

★★★★#46 of 2025

When the Cranes Fly South

Lisa Ridzén#46 of 2026Audiobook

★★★★#46 of 2026Audiobook

An 89-year-old Swedish man narrates as we sail along this sad journey focused on the challenges and indignities encountered at the end of life.

When a lawyer starts to dig into the murder of his best friend, all signs seem to point to conspiracies involving his own law firm.

Christina Applegate#47 of 2026Audiobook

You With the Sad Eyes

★★★★#47 of 2026Audiobook

In this unflinchingly honest memoir, Christina Applegate lays bare her life in Hollywood and her private battles with breast cancer, MS, and self-loathing.

Nate Bargatze#48 of 2025Audiobook

Big Dumb Eyes

★★★★#48 of 2025Audiobook

One of the biggest comedic acts touring today shares random tales from his life, from early days in Tennessee to his rise in comedy.

A decent but unremarkable debut about a young girl's disappearance, its impact on her family, and ultimately their path to reuniting.

★★★★Three and a half stars 24 books

Book

Rating

Genre

The Berry Pickers

Amanda Peters#35 of 2023

★★★★#35 of 2023

Zamora's memoir of immigrating from El Salvador to the U.S. as a 9-year-old is compelling but lacks some deeper emotional connections.

Solito

Javier Zamora#36 of 2023

★★★★#36 of 2023

A young Iranian-American man muddles through life trying to find his purpose before eventually fixating on martyrdom as the answer.

Martyr!

Kaveh Akbar#39 of 2024

★★★★#39 of 2024

N. K. Jemisin#40 of 2024Book 1 · The Broken Earth

The Fifth Season

★★★★#40 of 2024Book 1 · The Broken Earth

A uniquely creative fantasy novel, it's ultimately a struggle between those in power and those powerful enough to overthrow them.

Margo's Got Money Troubles

Rufi Thorpe#41 of 2024

★★★★#41 of 2024

When a 19-year-old finds herself desperate for cash after having a child with her professor, she turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet.

John Brownlow#42 of 2024Book 2 · Agent Seventeen

Assassin Eighteen

★★★★#42 of 2024Book 2 · Agent Seventeen

In this action-packed and entertaining sequel, the world's greatest assassin must emerge from self-exile to stop a global terrorist.

An inventive concept suffers a bit when the inevitable potential plot holes that come with time travel emerge. Entertaining but flawed

The Book of Doors

Gareth Brown#43 of 2024

★★★★#43 of 2024

Mystery and Thriller Fantasy

The Six Pack

Brad Balukjian#44 of 2024Audiobook

★★★★#44 of 2024Audiobook

An in-depth look at six of the wrestlers (and the rise of wrestling in the 80s) based around the Iron Sheik becoming champion in 1983.

Alex Aster#48 of 2026Book 1 · Starside

Starside

★★★★#48 of 2026Book 1 · Starside

A young woman enters a deadly competition to retrieve a goblet of magic in this romantasy that feels like the love child of The Hunger Games and Silver Elite.

People We Meet on Vacation

Emily Henry#49 of 2026Audiobook

★★★★#49 of 2026Audiobook

An homage to When Harry Met Sally in which two opposites form a deep platonic friendship before eventually wondering if it could be more.

Mary Roach#49 of 2025Audiobook

Replaceable You

★★★★#49 of 2025Audiobook

Author Mary Roach is back with her signature blend of wit as she examines the human body and all of the potential ways we attempt to modify it.

Set in a dying Australian mining town, Harper's latest centers around a couple trying to solve the mystery of their son's disappearance five years prior.

Last One Out

Jane Harper#50 of 2026

★★★★#50 of 2026

Lauren Ling Brown#50 of 2025

Society of Lies

★★★★#50 of 2025

A woman who was part of a secret society while at Princeton investigates her sister's death, who was also part of the same society.

John Green#51 of 2026Audiobook

Hollywood, Ending

★★★★#51 of 2026Audiobook

A former child star and an unknown actor fall for each other on an indie set while dealing with their personal demons in this novel that is part romance, part Hollywood rebuke.

Romance Literature & Fiction

Memorial Days

Geraldine Brooks#51 of 2025Audiobook

★★★★#51 of 2025Audiobook

Brooks recounts the ongoing impact of the unexpected death of her husband of 35 years and her process years later to properly grieve.

Willy Vlautin#52 of 2026Audiobook

The Left and the Lucky

★★★★#52 of 2026Audiobook

A housepainter and an eight-year-old escaping an abusive brother forge an unlikely friendship in blue-collar Portland in this quiet, Steinbeck-tinged read.

A woman must set aside losing her job the day before her daughter's wedding as she navigates the intricacies of the wedding weekend.

Three Days in June

Anne Tyler#52 of 2025

★★★★#52 of 2025

Jane and Dan at the End of the World

Colleen Oakley#53 of 2026Audiobook

★★★★#53 of 2026Audiobook

A heist/hostage situation at an elite restaurant is the vehicle for this novel to explore marriage and parenting as much as the heist.

Nathalia Holt#53 of 2025Audiobook

The Beast in the Clouds

★★★★#53 of 2025Audiobook

Teddy Roosevelt's sons embark on a quest in 1929 to obtain a specimen of a giant panda, an animal rarely seen and wholly unknown at the time.

Jess Kidd#54 of 2025Book 1 · Nora Breen Investigates

Murder at Gulls Nest

★★★★#54 of 2025Book 1 · Nora Breen Investigates

A nun leaves her convent to investigate the disappearance of her friend, only to encounter multiple murders at her boarding house.

A thought-provoking sci-fi debut exploring identity and immigration through "instances" where a copy of a person is created when they immigrate to a new country.

Sublimation

Isabel J. Kim#54 of 2026

★★★★#54 of 2026

Oz Pearlman#55 of 2026Audiobook

Read Your Mind

★★★★#55 of 2026Audiobook

A self-help book from the "World's Greatest Mentalist" in which he shares advice for how best to connect with people based on how the human mind works.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

Anna Johnston#55 of 2025

★★★★#55 of 2025

A chance set of events leads to a down-on-his-luck elderly man assuming the identity of another in this sweetly sappy feel-good story.

While clearing a neglected Victorian mansion, university students find journals pointing to a parallel realm in this trippy slow burn that blends mystery with the supernatural.

Solace House

Will Maclean#56 of 2026

★★★★#56 of 2026

Horror Mystery and Thriller

★★★★Three and a quarter stars 31 books

Book

Rating

Genre

Weyward

Emilia Hart#37 of 2023

★★★★#37 of 2023

Hart's tale of women finding their power through witchcraft is diluted by her one-dimensional portrayal of universally horrible men.

All That Is Mine I Carry With Me

William Landay#38 of 2023

★★★★#38 of 2023

11 long years after Defending Jacob, Landay returns with another family-based mystery focused on the disappearance of a woman in 1975.

When a prominent businessman is murdered, all clues point to the father of the story's protagonist, who has to prove his innocence.

Carolina Moonset

Matt Goldman#39 of 2023

★★★★#39 of 2023

Jonathan Freedland#40 of 2023

The Escape Artist

★★★★#40 of 2023

A difficult (but important) read about one of the first Jews to escape from Auschwitz and alert the world to the atrocities there.

Jonathan Evison#41 of 2023

Again and Again

★★★★#41 of 2023

A 105-year-old man shares seemingly true stories of his multiple reincarnations and past lives. But is he making everything up?

Sabaa Tahir#45 of 2024Book 1 · Heir Duology

Heir

★★★★#45 of 2024Book 1 · Heir Duology

A mostly average offering from an author I normally enjoy, which follows the next generation of her "An Ember in the Ashes" heroes.

When a man falls from the cliffs adjacent to his seaside home, his son and daughter collaborate to uncover the truth behind his death.

The Night We Lost Him

Laura Dave#46 of 2024

★★★★#46 of 2024

A reimagining of the events leading up to and surrounding the crimes of Ted Bundy, with a focus on the victims rather than the killer.

Bright Young Women

Jessica Knoll#47 of 2024

★★★★#47 of 2024

Abby Jimenez#48 of 2024Book 3 · Part of Your World

Just for the Summer

★★★★#48 of 2024Book 3 · Part of Your World

When online banter turns to real-life dating, Emma and Justin must overcome significant obstacles to make their relationship last.

Richly rendered characters living in a deteriorating society, Enger's novel merges bits of beauty into an overwhelmingly sad world.

I Cheerfully Refuse

Leif Enger#49 of 2024

★★★★#49 of 2024

Seanan McGuire#50 of 2024Book 3 · Alchemical Journeys

Tidal Creatures

★★★★#50 of 2024Book 3 · Alchemical Journeys

McGuire's unparalleled creativity is again on display as she explores Lunar deities working to solve a murder of one of their own.

Freida McFadden#51 of 2024Audiobook

The Boyfriend

★★★★#51 of 2024Audiobook

A quick bubblegum thriller from the queen of the twist which will keep you guessing even when you know the misdirection is coming.

Rob Hart#56 of 2025Book 2 · Assassins Anonymous

The Medusa Protocol

★★★★#56 of 2025Book 2 · Assassins Anonymous

Our assassins hell-bent on *not* killing return in a sequel to Assassins Anonymous that is satisfying but falls short of the original.

A speculative historical novel that imagines what might have happened if Japan gained possession of an atomic bomb near the end of World War II.

Daikon

Samuel Hawley#57 of 2025

★★★★#57 of 2025

Chris Bohjalian#57 of 2026Audiobook

The Amateur

★★★★#57 of 2026Audiobook

A golf prodigy's stray practice shot kills a teenage caddie, and the legal and societal fallout snowballs until she finds herself on trial for involuntary manslaughter.

Mystery and Thriller Historical Fiction

Before We Were Yours

Lisa Wingate#58 of 2025

★★★★#58 of 2025

Two lives unexpectedly intertwine as a Senator's daughter connects with an elderly woman who might be secretly connected to the young woman's family.

Dani Francis#58 of 2026Book 2 · Silver Elite

Broken Dove

★★★★#58 of 2026Book 2 · Silver Elite

Wren Darlington's journey picks up immediately where Silver Elite ended, continuing to explore the conflict between the Uprising and Command.

Claire Alexander#59 of 2026Audiobook

Meredith, Alone

★★★★#59 of 2026Audiobook

A depressing, poignant look at agoraphobia and abuse in many forms, focused on a woman who hasn't left her home in over three years.

Vincenzo Latronico#59 of 2025

Perfection

★★★★#59 of 2025

A portrait of Gen Y from the perspective of a couple who "came of age with the internet" and spend their days seeking happiness, mostly without success.

Evelyn Clarke#60 of 2026Audiobook

The Ending Writes Itself

★★★★#60 of 2026Audiobook

Six authors compete on a remote Scottish island to finish a dead writer's final novel in this middling Clue-like send-up of the publishing industry.

Jordan Thomas#60 of 2025Audiobook

When It All Burns

★★★★#60 of 2025Audiobook

Part memoir, part history of fire, author Thomas recounts his time with the Los Padres Hotshots while positing ways to deal with megafires.

Gillian McAllister#61 of 2025

Nonfiction Memoir

Famous Last Words

★★★★#61 of 2025

When her husband goes off the rails, taking three people hostage, his wife tries to save him while unraveling the why behind his act.

The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree

India Hayford#61 of 2026

★★★★#61 of 2026

A snake-handling drifter crosses paths with a soldier recently back from Vietnam; together they help his family escape an abusive situation.

A "Book Witch" must use her ability to teleport into books to solve a mystery in her own life when her grandfather and most prized possession go missing.

The Book Witch

Meg Shaffer#62 of 2026

★★★★#62 of 2026

Fantasy Literature & Fiction

Life, and Death, and Giants

Ron Rindo#63 of 2026Audiobook

★★★★#63 of 2026Audiobook

A giant Amish boy becomes a national sensation through his record-breaking athletic feats before the story leans hard into tragedy that starts to feel gratuitous.

Matthew Aldrich#64 of 2026

The Natural Order

★★★★#64 of 2026

On the brink of launching his revolutionary anti-aging treatment, a tech mogul must avoid assassins and heal his bond with his estranged son before his legacy kills them both.

Science Fiction Mystery and Thriller

Under the Falls

Richard Russo#65 of 2026

★★★★#65 of 2026

A rock star returns to the rural NY mountain town he abandoned at eighteen, forcing him to confront a past that brings long-buried secrets to the surface.

Gabriel Tallent#66 of 2026Audiobook

Crux

★★★★#66 of 2026Audiobook

Two high school friends use rock climbing to try to escape a seemingly predetermined future in this emotionally heavy character study from Gabriel Tallent.

Lou Berney#67 of 2026Audiobook

Crooks

★★★★#67 of 2026Audiobook

A short story collection masquerading as a novel, it follows the exploits of a family who consistently find themselves on the fringe of honest society.

Emily St. John Mandel#68 of 2026Audiobook

Exit Party

★★★★#68 of 2026Audiobook

In a fractured near-future world, a set of bizarre events at a party suggest that there may be a parallel universe, and potentially a path to reach it.

This Book Made Me Think of You

Libby Page#69 of 2026Audiobook

★★★★#69 of 2026Audiobook

Six months after her husband dies, a woman finds out he left her a year of books, one per month, to help her heal and move forward.

Literature & Fiction Romance

★★★★★Three stars 23 books

Book

Rating

Genre

City of Dreams

Don Winslow#42 of 2023Book 2 · The Danny Ryan Trilogy

★★★★★#42 of 2023Book 2 · The Danny Ryan Trilogy

The 2nd book in the Danny Ryan Trilogy fails to live up to the 1st, but it's a quick read if you want more time with the Dogtown crew.

Strange is an understated descriptor for the protagonist of this novel, which follows a woman as she tries to find her way to normalcy

Strange Sally Diamond

Liz Nugent#43 of 2023

★★★★★#43 of 2023

Britney Spears#44 of 2023

The Woman In Me

★★★★★#44 of 2023

A memoir of a life lived in the public eye, but it fails to add enough depth to those public moments that we already know so well.

A mostly tragic decades-spanning debut about a young woman dealing with adversity while growing up in rural Colorado circa 1950.

Go As A River

Shelley Read#45 of 2023

★★★★★#45 of 2023

Mother-Daughter Murder Night

Nina Simon#46 of 2023

★★★★★#46 of 2023

A so-so debut that follows the exploits of a grandmother, mother, and daughter as they work to solve a mystery on the California coast

William Kent Krueger#47 of 2023

This Tender Land

★★★★★#47 of 2023

Inflated expectations probably diminished my enjoyment of this river odyssey tale. It's an okay story, but Ordinary Grace it is not.

Ransom Riggs#52 of 2024Book 1 · Sunderworld

Sunderworld, Vol. I

★★★★★#52 of 2024Book 1 · Sunderworld

The first book in a series with plenty of potential, it establishes characters and foundation but fails to deliver a full story arc.

The Eyes and the Impossible

Dave Eggers#53 of 2024

★★★★★#53 of 2024

The 2024 Newberry Medal winner is the story of Johannes, a free dog who monitors the activities of a large woodland park as "The Eyes"

Travis Baldree#54 of 2024AudiobookBook 1 · Legends & Lattes

Children's Lit

Legends & Lattes

★★★★★#54 of 2024AudiobookBook 1 · Legends & Lattes

A sweet little story about friendship and starting over, focused on an orc who tries to leave violence behind and open a coffee shop.

A slightly-better-than-average southern noir thriller about a wife's search for her missing husband, who might not be who she thought.

Don't Let the Devil Ride

Ace Atkins#55 of 2024

★★★★★#55 of 2024

Exploring addiction, incarceration, and the impact of tragedy on a family, the story follows a father serving a 3-year sentence.

The River is Waiting

Wally Lamb#62 of 2025

★★★★★#62 of 2025

Loretta Rothschild#63 of 2025

Finding Grace

★★★★★#63 of 2025

A difficult novel to review without spoiling the story, it focuses on a family trying to have another child before a shocking event disrupts everything.

A modern take on Lord of the Flies, centered around a reality TV show, where winning depends on who can be the most self-absorbed and materialistic.

The Compound

Aisling Rawle#64 of 2025

★★★★★#64 of 2025

Literature & Fiction Science Fiction

The Warbler

Sarah Beth Durst#65 of 2025

★★★★★#65 of 2025

A woman tries to break a curse which causes the women in her family to transform into a tree forever if they stay in a place too long.

Mystery and Thriller Literature & Fiction Fantasy

Deadly Animals

Marie Tierney#66 of 2025

★★★★★#66 of 2025

Set in 1981, a 14-year-old girl—whose hobbies happen to include studying roadkill—helps police investigate several murders in England.

Daphne Woolsoncroft#67 of 2025

Night Watcher

★★★★★#67 of 2025

A serial killer returns to Portland after almost twenty years to terrorize a local radio host, targeting the one person who saw him and lived.

The Adventures of Juan Planchard

Jonathan Jakubowicz#70 of 2026Audiobook

★★★★★#70 of 2026Audiobook

Explicit BDSM romance in the first half, Don Winslow-style cartel thriller in the second: an ambitious mashup that never quite meshes but stays fun.

Elizabeth Strout#71 of 2026Audiobook

The Things We Never Say

★★★★★#71 of 2026Audiobook

A brief, introspective read in which themes of free will, identity, and interpersonal relationships are explored through a teacher's midlife crisis.

A woman returns to a mythical floating island she once visited as a child, only to become stranded with the ageless man who is living there.

Habits of the Sea

Shea Ernshaw#72 of 2026

★★★★★#72 of 2026

Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney#73 of 2026Audiobook

Romance Fantasy

Lake Effect

★★★★★#73 of 2026Audiobook

An exploration of the fallout of a 1977 affair and divorce over several decades. Despite nuanced characters, this family drama mostly missed the mark for me.

When an encroaching "rogue black hole" gives Earth less than a month before annihilation, two men travel by RV from Maine to Washington to complete one final task.

We Burned So Bright

TJ Klune#74 of 2026

★★★★★#74 of 2026

Liane MoriartyGuest review

Here One Moment

Another attempt to imagine "what would you do if you knew you when you would die", but like other similar novels this also falls flat.

The Emperor of Gladness

Ocean VuongGuest review

A young Vietnamese-American man and an elderly Lithuanian woman form a bond in this bleak book which should have be titled "The Emperor of Sadness".

Sarah Stewart Taylor#48 of 2023Book 3 · Maggie D'arcy

★★★★Two and three-quarter stars 19 books

Book

Rating

Genre

The Drowning Sea

★★★★#48 of 2023Book 3 · Maggie D'arcy

Book 3 in the Maggie D'Arcy mystery series fizzles compared to prior books; fully set in Ireland, the story feels muddled and forced.

Angeline Boulley#49 of 2023Book 2 · Firekeeper's Daughter

Warrior Girl Unearthed

★★★★#49 of 2023Book 2 · Firekeeper's Daughter

A rushed sophomore slump of a novel that fails to live up to Boulley's first book, Firekeeper's Daughter, in almost every way.

The Last One at the Wedding

Jason Rekulak#56 of 2024

★★★★#56 of 2024

An unfortunately average mystery about a father and his growing concerns that his daughter's fiancé could have a dark and sordid past.

TJ Klune#57 of 2024Book 2 · The Cerulean Chronicles

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

★★★★#57 of 2024Book 2 · The Cerulean Chronicles

A continuation of the "Cerulean Chronicles", but lacking the sweetness, joy and novelty that made the first book delightful & special.

A rare ho-hum effort from an author I enjoy, Bardugo's novel of 16th century Spain struggles to blend history, fantasy, and romance.

The Familiar

Leigh Bardugo#58 of 2024

★★★★#58 of 2024

Historical Fiction Fantasy Romance

Faebound

Saara El-Arifi#59 of 2024Book 1 · The Faebound Trilogy

★★★★#59 of 2024Book 1 · The Faebound Trilogy

A new set of characters and worlds from El-Arifi, but a book that is far more in the "romantasy" category than her previous novels.

Don Winslow#60 of 2024Book 3 · The Danny Ryan Trilogy

Fantasy Romance

City in Ruins

★★★★#60 of 2024Book 3 · The Danny Ryan Trilogy

The Danny Ryan trilogy coasts to a conclusion, wrapping up open plot points but mostly just checking the box in this mailed-in effort.

Stacy Willingham#68 of 2025Audiobook

Forget Me Not

★★★★#68 of 2025Audiobook

A woman returns to her hometown in South Carolina, only to be confronted with clues that help her unravel her sister's disappearance twenty years prior.

Dan Brown#69 of 2025Book 6 · Robert Langdon

The Secret of Secrets

★★★★#69 of 2025Book 6 · Robert Langdon

Robert Langdon is back for another romp through an international city—this time, Prague—and a secret about human consciousness that could rock the world.

Jen Hatmaker#70 of 2025Audiobook

Awake

★★★★#70 of 2025Audiobook

Focused mostly on the abrupt dissolution of a twenty-six-year marriage, too many random detours leave it feeling scattered and incohesive.

Sophie Elmhirst#71 of 2025Audiobook

A Marriage at Sea

★★★★#71 of 2025Audiobook

A British couple decide to sail from England to New Zealand in the 1970s, only to be stranded in the middle of the Pacific after a whale destroys their boat.

A B-52 bomber that has been missing for over 60 years suddenly returns to U.S. airspace in 2025...and it's carrying a nuclear bomb.

Departure 37

Scott Carson#72 of 2025

★★★★#72 of 2025

Science Fiction Mystery and Thriller

Black Woods, Blue Sky

Eowyn Ivey#73 of 2025

★★★★#73 of 2025

A young mother falls for a strange, disfigured man and chooses to live with him and her 6-year-old daughter in a remote Alaskan cabin.

Ashley Winstead#74 of 2025

This Book Will Bury Me

★★★★#74 of 2025

A novel about true-crime aficionados that uses the recent University of Idaho murders as its source material, an ill-conceived choice.

The search for a missing hiker in Maine serves as the backdrop for this novel more focused on the complexities of human relationships.

Heartwood

Amity Gaige#75 of 2025

★★★★#75 of 2025

Neal Shusterman#75 of 2026Book 3 · Arc of a Scythe

The Toll

★★★★#75 of 2026Book 3 · Arc of a Scythe

The third and concluding book the "Arc of a Scythe" trilogy answers a myriad of open questions but plods along for much of the story.

Jeff Rake, Rob Hart#76 of 2026Book 1 · Detour

Detour

★★★★#76 of 2026Book 1 · Detour

An interesting start to a series, but be warned that this is purely setup for a broader story with no resolution in this first installment.

Allison Brennan#77 of 2026

Whisper Creek

★★★★#77 of 2026

A Texas farm family faces a massive storm, corporate threats, and a string of burglaries in this multi-layered, yet muddled, thriller.

A stranded group faces predators—both animal and human—in a South African game reserve in this twisty thriller that falls short on execution.

The Night Hunter

Natalie Moss#78 of 2026

★★★★#78 of 2026

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

★★★★Two and a half stars 10 books

Book

Rating

Genre

Sherman Alexie#50 of 2023

★★★★#50 of 2023

The semi-autobiographical account of the author's childhood, focused on him leaving the reservation to attend a white high school.

Memoir Literature & Fiction

Romantic Comedy

Curtis Sittenfeld#51 of 2023

★★★★#51 of 2023

It's not especially romantic or comedic, and it lacks any type of misdirection. Weirdly, I still sort of enjoyed it, but I wanted more

A character study of two neighboring families on the outskirts of New York City. I hoped for spellbinding; what I got was milquetoast.

Signal Fires

Dani Shapiro#52 of 2023

★★★★#52 of 2023

Ashley Audrain#53 of 2023

The Whispers

★★★★#53 of 2023

Audrain once again examines the trials of parenting, but this time fails to balance character flaws with anything remotely redeemable.

Another thriller from Alex North, whose previous novels I enjoyed. This one was decent, but ultimately missed the mark a bit for me.

The Angel Maker

Alex North#54 of 2023

★★★★#54 of 2023

A series of loosely-related vignettes spanning 400 years show off Mason's literary prowess but fail to coalesce into something special

North Woods

Daniel Mason#61 of 2024

★★★★#61 of 2024

A woman's life is upended when a half-brother she didn't know she had convinces her to join him on a road trip to find their father.

Run for the Hills

Kevin Wilson#76 of 2025

★★★★#76 of 2025

A colonizer from Earth is stuck on an alien planet and must unravel the internal politics of the local species while trying to survive

The Fourth Consort

Edward Ashton#77 of 2025

★★★★#77 of 2025

Graham Norton#78 of 2025Audiobook

Frankie

★★★★#78 of 2025Audiobook

A recounting of the fictional life of Frankie Howe, from Ireland to London to America and back, spanning the 1950s to today.

A boy band cruise tries to offer nostalgia but fails to set sail in this disappointing look at fame and aging that lacks the heart and romance expected.

American Fantasy

Emma Straub#79 of 2026

★★★★#79 of 2026

Literature & Fiction Romance

★★★★Two and a quarter stars 7 books

Book

Rating

Genre

Abandon

Blake Crouch#55 of 2023

★★★★#55 of 2023

Perhaps it was inflated expectations, but this novel about a town whose residents mysteriously disappeared missed the mark for me.

Rebecca Hardiman#56 of 2023

Good Eggs

★★★★#56 of 2023

It's primarily a character study, but for all the time spent developing the characters, I unfortunately didn't especially like them.

Mostly character study plus social commentary, it follows a fictional female journalist in Japan as she interviews a convicted serial killer.

Butter

Asako Yuzuki#79 of 2025

★★★★#79 of 2025

Jenny Jackson#80 of 2026Audiobook

The Shampoo Effect

★★★★#80 of 2026Audiobook

A writer joins a tight-knit coastal town only to feel isolated by decades of shared history in this slice-of-life character study full of people I couldn't care less about.

R.F. Kuang#81 of 2026Audiobook

Taipei Story

★★★★#81 of 2026Audiobook

Informative about Taipei and the slow grind of language immersion, but with little plot and an unlikable cast, this novel that reads like a memoir fell flat for me.

Matt Haig#82 of 2026Book 2 · The Midnight World

The Midnight Train

★★★★#82 of 2026Book 2 · The Midnight World

While not exactly a sequel, Matt Haig revisits the premise of 2020's The Midnight Library with another examination of the different paths our lives can take.

The List of Suspicious Things

Jennie Godfrey#83 of 2026Audiobook

★★★★#83 of 2026Audiobook

Two young girls try to catch the Yorkshire Ripper in 1979, but their "list of suspicious things" is just a vehicle to clumsily comment on prejudice.

Jeannette Walls#57 of 2023

★★★★★Two stars 9 books

Book

Rating

Genre

Hang the Moon

★★★★★#57 of 2023

A disjointed mess of a novel about a young woman growing up during Prohibition in rural Virginia. I wanted this to be so much better.

Abir Mukherjee#62 of 2024

Hunted

★★★★★#62 of 2024

A frustrating thriller, packed with unlikable characters and plot holes I could drive a truck through. Significantly disappointing.

Kaliane Bradley#63 of 2024

The Ministry of Time

★★★★★#63 of 2024

An alternative take on Stranger in a Strange Land; social commentary abounds as an 1847 explorer tries to acclimate to modern society.

Science Fiction Literature & Fiction

The Fury

Alex Michaelides#64 of 2024

★★★★★#64 of 2024

A whodunit about a murder on a private Greek island, recounted by a conversational narrator who had me wishing for a second murder.

Tlotlo Tsamaase#65 of 2024

Womb City

★★★★★#65 of 2024

An unfocused debut that combines elements of Minority Report with a grisly ghost story, an all-powerful being, and more. It's a mess.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng

Kylie Lee Baker#80 of 2025Audiobook

★★★★★#80 of 2025Audiobook

A serial killer targeting Asian women during the pandemic combines with a ghost story to form one of the more racist books I've read.

Horror Mystery and Thriller

The Oligarch's Daughter

Joseph Finder#81 of 2025

★★★★★#81 of 2025

Part international espionage, part man on the run, a novel that suffers from plot holes big enough to drive a Russian tank through.

A picture-perfect French honeymoon ends in a double abduction, followed by a CIA rescue scheme so implausible the plot holes swallow every ounce of suspense.

The French Illusion

John Grisham#84 of 2026

★★★★★#84 of 2026

A multi-timeline story that had me hopeful for something akin to Cloud Cuckoo Land unfortunately sputters to a disjointed and wholly unsatisfying conclusion.

Homebound

Portia Elan#85 of 2026

★★★★★#85 of 2026

Science Fiction Literature & Fiction

★★★★One and three-quarter stars 4 books

Book

Rating

Genre

A Tale for the Time Being

Ruth Ozeki#58 of 2023

★★★★#58 of 2023

Welcome to A Tale for the Time Being, or as it may alternatively be known, “the most depressing book I've read in years".

A strange and polarizing story, focused mostly on a New Hampshire family and their youngest grandson as he searches for identity and belonging.

Queen Esther

John Irving#82 of 2025

★★★★#82 of 2025

Catherine Newman#83 of 2025Audiobook

Sandwich

★★★★#83 of 2025Audiobook

A menopausal mother narrates her family's week at the beach on Cape Cod—their 20th in a row—while musing on the changes life brings.

A false missile alert sparks eighteen minutes of panic, but the stories that follow are vindictive and repetitive, and the premise never pays off.

Seek Immediate Shelter

Vincent Yu#86 of 2026

★★★★#86 of 2026

Elizabeth Kaufman#84 of 2025

★★★★One and a half stars 2 books

Book

Rating

Genre

Ruth Run

★★★★#84 of 2025

A cyber thief is forced to flee from Homeland Security when her crimes finally come to light in this poorly-plotted mess of a book.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Becky Chambers#85 of 2025

★★★★#85 of 2025

A non-binary monk leaves on a journey to find themself and in the process encounters a robot who is seeking to learn what humans need.

Science Fiction Literature & Fiction

★★★★★One star 2 books

Book

Rating

Genre

Wordhunter

Stella Sands#66 of 2024

★★★★★#66 of 2024

A forensic linguistics student begins helping police solve crimes, while engaging in the most unrealistic dialogue I read all year.

★★★★★