During my normal, nightly routine, I always carve out about 30 minutes to read on my Kindle before bed. I love that it helps me relax and ease my mind before going to sleep; plus it gets me away from my phone for a while, too! Less blue light before bed makes it easier to fall asleep & I’ve noticed this to be true after trading TV in for reading before bed.
Although I had more “downtime” this year due to COVID, I also lost my commute on the train where I normally read for at least 20 minutes every day. In 2019, I read 24 books but this year I’m only on 13.
Instead of just sharing my top books from this year, I’ve rounded up my favs from the last 2 years. If you’re looking for the best books to read, especially thrillers, I’ve got you covered ☺️
Best Books: Thrillers & Mystery
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
Okay, this was for sure one of the best books I read in 2020 because of all the twists and turns the story had. 10 years after her daughter Ellie went missing, Laurel starts to date a man she met in a café, Floyd. She falls head over heels in love with him quickly. Soon after meeting, Laurel meets his daughter, Poppy, who is a spitting image of her missing daughter. There are almost toooo many similarities, but how come? Laurel starts to question Floyd and begins to piece together the answers to her daughter’s disappearance. You’ll really never guess how this story ends…
Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
A book I remember not being able to put down was Turn of the Key. Rowan starts looking for a new gig and stumbles across a newspaper ad for a nannying gig. She moves into the smart home but little does she know, she’s moving into a nightmare. The book starts with Rowan writing her lawyer from jail to help explain her side of the story. She claims she isn’t guilty of murdering the kid. But she looks very guilty; she lied about her background to obtain the job and she wasn’t always kind to the children. But she claims she’s innocent, at least for murder.
Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry by Mary Higgens Clark
Since I was a journalism student and worked at the college newspaper and local news station in college, this story really resonated with me. This book follows a freelance reporter, Casey, working on a #MeToo story that includes a story of her own. She finds out that the guy who drugged and assaulted her in college is now a wealthy industrialist. On the eve of his company’s merger, which will make him a billionaire, he will do anything to stop Casey’s story from debuting, even murder.
Pines (Wayward Pines #1) by Blake Crouch
A friend recommended this book series to me and when I started it, I was skeptical. It’s a thriller but it’s also kind of sci-fi, which I normally don’t like. But I was pleasantly surprised. Secret agent Ethan Burke went to look into two missing federal agents, landing himself in the hospital. When he wakes up, things feel off. Turns out, he woke up in this exterior world and can’t contact his family back in Idaho. I haven’t gotten to the other two books in the series but it’s definitely on my list for 2021.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Although the ending was a little predictable for me, I really enjoyed this thriller. I’m sure this isn’t the first time you are hearing about this book if you are into thrillers.
Alicia Berenson is a famous painter married to a fashion photographer. One evening after her husband returns home after work late, Alicia shoots her husband five times in the face and goes mute. Because she refuses to talk, this murder case turns into a mystery that the public follows closely. The case becomes so popular that she is taken to a secure forensics unit for her sentence. A criminal psychotherapist gets a job at this specific unit to work with Alicia to get her to speak. Does she ever talk?
Best Books: Fiction
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Growing up, Ani endured serious trauma, deception and identity issues during her years at the prestigious Bradley School. Her friend Arthur killed six of their classmates in a school shooting and Ani was accused of being an accomplice because of their friendship. Dean, Ani’s rapist, alleged that Arthur handed her a gun and told her to kill Dean.
Ani now lives in New York with a glamorous life, job and fiancé. She is approached about participating in a documentary about Bradley School. She’s so close to tying the knot with her soon-to-be-hubby and “having it all” when her secret starts to bubbles to the surface.
I love this book because I see a lot of myself in Ani. She faces a lot of the pressure young women face dying to have it all; the amazing job in the city, the man of her dreams and the established life she always dreamed about. But in the flick of a switch, that could all go away. If you were a fan of Gone Girl, like me, this is a must read for you. And this book could soon turn into a movie since it was purchased by Reese Witherspoon’s production company, Lionsgate Studios, a few years ago.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
In the streets of Chicago, Jason is walking home to his wife and son when he is kidnapped at gunpoint. He wakes up in a lab strapped to a gurney in a world he’s never been before where his wife is not his wife and his son was never born. This world is full of other Jason’s trying to “get back” to their life before they were taken. It’s a trippy book but one you won’t be able to put down.
This is the same author of Pines (mentioned earlier), and he might be one of my favorite authors now.
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
I remember reading this book in days and I always refer to it as one of the best books of 2019 that I read. 10/10 a must-read book for everyone.
The story is about a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. Four siblings sneak out one day to hear their fortunes which inform their lives.
I loved this summarizing paragraph from GoodReads: “A sweeping novel of remarkable ambition and depth, The Immortalists probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, this world and the next. It is a deeply moving testament to the power of story, the nature of belief, and the unrelenting pull of familial bonds.”
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
I’ve heard mixed reviews about this book from family and friends but I really enjoyed it since it was something outside of my traditional pickings.
Kya Clark grows up being called the “Marsh Girl” and sticks out in their small town like a sore thumb. She never really attended school, her family up and left and she’s left alone fending for herself. When one of the local boys, Kya’s age, Chase Andrews, is found dead, many point to her as a suspect.
In the synopsis on GoodReads, they say “The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.” A must read, if you ask me.
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
This book was unlike anything I had ever read before, and maybe unlike anything I’d traditionally seek out. The story is about a family with five boys growing up with one little secret. The youngest, Claude, wants to be a girl and starts wearing dresses and playing with “girly” toys at age 5. During this time, being trans was soooo taboo and the parents wanted to keep this confidential. So the whole story is about them moving across the country to Seattle to live while hiding their secret. Like I said, this book was something outside my norm, but it was really good and I highly recommend it.
Best Books: Memoirs
Educated by Tara Westover
I read this at the beginning of 2020 and I felt really inspired afterward. Educated essentially is about Tara who had a hard life growing up and was determined to make something of herself. She didn’t have a birth certificate, attend school or have medical records because her dad didn’t believe in doctors. Her brother and father grew violent over the years, and that’s when she decided to get educated. The perfect coming-of-age story to indulge in this year.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
This book needs no introduction, especially if you’re as big of a fan as I am of Michelle. I loved this book because it gave so much insight into the Obama’s life before the White House and how much they had to give up to have it all. Specifically, Michelle talks about the struggles she had growing up in the South Side of Chicago and as a mother raising her children while Barack was working late in Springfield, IL during his state government days. She had to give up so much of her own career to support her husband and family so he could become the first African American president of the United States.
I especially loved hearing about their love story and how it wasn’t always picture perfect. Her story was truly inspiring and I really encourage everyone to read this book, whether you are a republican or a democrat.
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Back in the day in Africa, having a child between a white Swiss man and a black Xhosa woman was a crime, punishable up to 5 years in jail. The host of The Daily Show Trevor Noah lets us into his life and shares what it was like growing up in Africa being almost kept as a secret. The book is a collection of 17 personal essays about a young boy growing up in a world where he was never supposed to exist and how he eventually made a name for himself in the U.S. We read this book for my workbook club and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book.
Best Books: Self-Help
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you’ve probably heard of this book. Mark explains how to stop being “positive” all the time and in turn stop caring about things that don’t matter. He advises us to know our limitations and accept them, embracing who we are and confronting our painful truths to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek. There’s a sequel called “Everything is F*cked” which I haven’t read yet but I may add it to my list for 2021.
The reason I loved this book so much was the tone. It’s kind of raunchy and explicit and full of jokes, making it a fun self-help book. Now that I’m writing this blog, I kind of want to reread the book because the contents could have new meaning and different points in your life.
When’s Happy Hour by The Betches
If you follow Betches on Instagram, you’ve probably seen this book before. I ordered it when it first came out and I thought it gave a nice perspective on how to work harder so you can work less and enjoy work more. The Betches grew their media business from the ground up right out of college, so they are definitely amazing people to take career advice from on how to be the boss of your career.
In addition to this read, two of the founders of Betches and authors of the book, Aleen and Sami, did a podcast episode with Freckled Foodie, where they discussed how they built their empire. Listen here if you are interested!
Best Books: Romance
One Day in December by Josie Silver
I am not one to like love stories, ever. They’re normally too tacky and predictable so I’m never hooked. But for some reason, I really loved this book. Maybe it was the author’s fun and explicit tone, which kept me turning the pages quickly.
The main character, Laurie, stares out of her bus window one December day and sees a man who she instantly knows is the one, but the bus drives away and she’s not sure if she will ever see him again. For a year, Laurie scans every bus stop and café in London to find him. But she meets him the following December at a Christmas party when her best friend, Sarah, introduces him as her boyfriend. Dun dun dun.
Happy Reading!
I hope you find a book or two to enjoy from this list like I did over the last few years.
Before I wrap up, I wanted to share that I’ve been reading on my kindle for the last few years and am OBSESSED. I used to be a physical page-turner, but now I’m sticking with the digital version whenever possible. I love laying in bed on my side and being able to easily hold the book up and reading outside with ease in the sun during the summer. If you are interested in trying a kindle, I’m linking to the kind I have here!!
And if you haven’t already, I highly recommend signing up for your local library and getting your books that way. If you have a kindle, you can download the e-books for free, saving you money and the hassle of stopping at the library. A win-win in my book. ☺️
SNACKS TO ENJOY WHILE YOU READ:
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