My Bookshelf
Hello, bookworms! I’m always looking for a new read and love when people share their recommendations, so I’m sharing mine. These are the books I’ve read that I genuinely recommend. If you want to keep up with what I’m reading in real-time, I’m Ginka on Goodreads or sign-up to get my newsletter at the bottom of this page.
Last year I challenged myself to read a book a week. Check out my post on the Best Books of 2019.
Fiction
The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid
Mohsin Hamid has the remarkable talent of telling a gripping story in a mere 228 pages. I devoured it in a day! It’s a story of a Pakistani young man before, during , and after 9/11. I highly recommend this book along with How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. I’ll be adding more Mohsin Hamid books to my list.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton
This wasn’t at all what I thought it would be. It started out murder mystery and went into Groundhog Day. I really enjoyed it, though. It was defiantly “brainy” fiction. I had to be totally engaged to keep up with the thread and found myself going back to refresh my memory on the characters. Not sure if the ending was satisfying because it was a great ending or because it was finally over.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows - Balli Kaur Jaswal
A fellow traveler in India recommended this book and I downloaded it for the trip home. It was perfect light reading with enough Indian culture mixed in that kept it from being total fluff.
The Clockmaker’s Daughter - Kate Morton
I put off reading this book for so long. It had very mixed reviews. Most of the bad reviews noted how confusing it was and that she introduced characters out of nowhere. I can get confused reading books that bounce around in time but this one, I didn’t. I LOVED this book. The ending was a fizzle out I enjoyed it so much until then that I didn’t mind.
Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
Even though this is a murder mystery, the most compelling part of the story for me was the survival story of the main character, Kya. It’s one of the parts of the book that divide people. Either you think it’s great storytelling or you think it’s too farfetched that 6 year-old could raise herself without any adult intervention. I prefer to think of her as supernatural.
The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
I started reading this as soon as a friend posted on Instagram that she was reading it. I think we both finished in a couple of days! It’s pretty much one big long therapy session until, at the very end, the twist is revealed. Be patient with The Silent Patient. It will be worth it.
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk - Kathleen Rooney
I adored this book! It’s the reflections of 85-year-old Lillian as she walks around New York City on New Years Eve, 1984. I loved that it was set I the ‘80s! So many flashbacks. I was surprised to find out the author is only 36. She did a great job portraying Lillian. I have many highlighted passages from this book. Didn’t want it to end!
Daisy Jones and the Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book about a band in the 70s gave me all the feels. If you know me you know I love everything about the 70s. The book was written in interview form and was so interesting and well done. I half expected to find their music on iTunes, the song descriptions were so true.
Rules of Civility - Amor Towles
I loved Towles’ book Gentleman in Moscow and figured I would like this one as well. I think I loved it more. It set in the time between the crash and WWII. It’s a great story about a single girl making her way on the big city.
Yellow Crocus - Laila Ibrahim
I wasn’t sure I would like this story solely based on the cover. What made me bite the bullet was it was on KindleUnlimited and I could read it for free (almost). I ended up loving the story and the relationship between Lisbeth and her slave wet-nurse, Mattie.
Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng
I love Ng’s writing. This is a pretty depressing story but she guides the reader through it delicately so I didn’t feel battered and spent at the end.
I Liked My Life - Abby Fabiashi
The story about a mother's suicide and the aftermath. It sounds completely depressing and I questioned my judgment reading it on the heels of Everything I Never Told You but this story is told in a completely different way with a lot more hope at the end. I couldn't put it down.
An American Marriage - Tayari Jones
I put off reading this because it just didn't sound appealing. It ended up being on sale last week and I can't pass up a bargain and I LOVED it!! More interesting than depressing.
The Hate You Give - Angie Thomas
Very current topic of police brutality against people of color and a family doing everything right in a system that is looking for them to do everything wrong. It’s a heartbreaking but very important story that should be required reading in schools.
Fleishman Is In Trouble - Taffy Brodesser-Akner
This was recommended to me as the book to read for the summer because at every party I go to everyone is going to be talking about it and I’ll feel left out. That happened to me with Big Little Lies and I was determined to not be left out of the conversation. I knew it was a story about marriage and that was about it. It’s hard not to talk about it without spoiling it but what I will say is it is bleak and also relatable. This would be a great book club read.
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
If Charles Dickens wrote about India. A terrifically written story even though it has its share of cruelty. Most reviewers (including the friend who recommended it) have read this book multiple times. It’s a long one but I didn’t mind.
Evvie Drake Starts Over - Linda Holmes
I saw someone raving about this book on Instagram and I put aside the book I was going to read for this one. That’s the problem with having a Kindle. I did love this book. It’s kind of a romantic comedy but the kind I like. The characters were flawed but in a good and realistic way. It’s an easy beach read.
Excellent Women - Barbara Pym
A comedy about a clergyman’s daughter in the 1950’s that makes being a spinster not seem so horrible. I can’t wait to get my hands on other Barbara Pym books.
Florida - Lauren Groff
A collection of short stories set in or about Florida. Kept seeing this in people’s beach bags on Instagram and honestly had no interest in anything to do with Florida. Finally downloaded it because I’m easily led that way. I really liked it and liked the short story format so much a downloaded another collection right after finishing this one. These are well written, smart nuggets of storytelling that you can easily get through while waiting on a load of laundry or a doctors appointment.
A Manual for Cleaning Women - Lucia Berlin
My love for short story collections continue. These stories are much darker than those in Florida and deal a lot with alcoholism. Still well written and great for when you don’t have extended periods of time to sit down with a big epic novel.
The Life We Bury - Allen Eskens
Joe Talbert is a college student trying to complete an assignment by interviewing a convicted murderer who is dying in a nursing home. It’s a murder mystery but I was really taken in by the character of Joe. Having to grow up with a dysfunctional alcoholic mother and a vulnerable autistic brother gave him a lot of life experience to draw on for his age. The author gave him just enough youthful recklessness to keep him realistic.
A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder - Dianne Freeman
This was an easy-listen murder mystery set in Victorian England (this was my last book to listen to on the dreaded Chirp app). The American accent of the narrator got on my nerves, but after a while I got used to it. A good rainy day read.
The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison
After the death of Toni Morrison, I realized I haven't read any of her books. The Bluest Eye is a tragic story but is told in such a poetic way that it's almost uplifting and beautiful.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies - John Boyne
A Dickensian tale that follows the life of a man in post-war Ireland. It has tragedy and humor and definitely made me hate Ireland, at least post-war Ireland. Even with all that, I highly recommend it.
The Bear and the Nightingale - Katherine Arden
This is the perfect wintery magical book. It takes place in the Russian wilderness and is so descriptive it will make you grab a blanket. Many books of this genre are difficult reads because they are introducing a whole new world. This book, however, was gripping and so well told you will get lost in it. I think what helps is the historical aspect of the book. A lot is already understood about the setting but the setting is also totally new. If you liked The Night Circus you will love this book.
The Giver of Stars - Jojo Moyes
I resisted this book for a while because it was so hyped but after reading the blurb I couldn’t resist. There are so many aspects to this book to discuss (it’s a perfect book club book): the Depression, abuse, poverty, government. Is book brought up a lot of issues that we are struggling with today. It sounds pretty heavy and depressing but it was a pleasure to read.
The Water Dancer - Ta-Nehsi Coates
I wanted my last book of the year to be a good one. This is a very complex book about slavery in the United States and the Underground Railroad. I thought the author did a great job with the conflicting feelings of a person born into slavery and the struggle for freedom. The prose was delicate enough that, like Toni Morrison, it can take you though some pretty heavy subject matter leaving you moved but not completely hopeless.
Non-Fiction
Catching The Big Fish - David Lynch
I wish the people in my life would read this book so that they could understand the process of creativity. That part of the book I totally get! His practice of transcendental meditation was intriguing and took me down a rabbit hole.
Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret - Craig Brown
If you are a fan of The Crown, you will love this book! Princess Margaret is compelling, fun, and tragic. I really wish I could use some of her one-liners in real life but somehow I don’t think they would work as well coming from a commoner.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark - Michelle McNamara
I download this as an audiobook for the long bus rides in India. I think that was a mistake. This book is complicated with maps and timelines. Anytime they say there is a PDF download available with the audio version it means you need a printed reference which I didn’t have the ability to do. I still recommend it as a crime procedural. Knowing that they actually found the Golden State Killer, I wanted to hurry to the end and see if it was addressed. It was but there is still so much more to know.
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption - Bryan Stevenson
I knew the American justice system was broken before I read this book but I had no idea about how many children are condemned to die in prison and how many are on death row for non-violent crimes. This is an important book to read to help understand the issues around justice reform. I laughed, I cried, I shook my head at the absurdity of it all.
Half the Sky - Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
It was a struggle to get through because the women's stories were so brutal. When faced with anything daunting, even in the US, it's hard to know where to start. The authors laid out what they have seen work and what didn't work and what else needs to be done in a way that gave me a new perspective and more importantly, hope.
The Woman’s Hour - Elaine Weiss
It took me WEEKS to finish this book! Not because it's a bad book but because the amount of work and fortitude the suffragettes had was overwhelming. It took 72 years to finally get the vote and it wasn't pretty. The book centers around the final state they needed to ratify, Tennessee. So many parallels in this history and what we are going through right now. Reads like fiction.
Through a Window - Jane Goodall
I grew up thinking Jane Goodall was the ultimate right along with Jacques Cousteau. I had never read one of her books and when I saw this pop up on the Chirp app I was trying out I took the opportunity. It is the most calming book to listen to. The inflection and pace of the narrator make even the most brutal parts of chimp life a little easier to take. Unfortunately, the Chirp app was a dud and I didn’t get the whole book and there is no way to leave feedback or get in touch with anybody. It also kept stopping and restarting on all three books I bought before I knew how bad it was. Yes, audible.com is more expensive but, you get what you pay for.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Books - Leah Price
When I was getting ready to list our house, a real estate agent I interviewed walked through the house and said, “You’ve got to get rid of all your books”. I didn’t realize how many I had until I had to pack them up and when I started calculating the cost of moving them across the state I had to make some tough decisions. Looking through my bookshelf was like looking at my life. I had “Marie Kondoed” everything in my house except the books. Leah Price is a book historian not a literary critic. This book is about the physical book NOT literature. I found it fascinating but it’s not well reviewed and I think that’s because of the expectation that it’s something that it’s not. If you love books you’ll love this.
Keep It Moving - Twyla Tharp
I loved her book The Creative Habit so much, I’ve read it twice. It’s one of the best book on creativity around. I knew I wanted to read her latest on aging because she has remained vital and relevant in her 70’s. This is a very practical book without any of the “wellness” mumbo jumbo. I’m a firm believer in movement and exercise for mind and body and she confirms that in this book. It’s an easy read and I honestly think it could have covered more but I still recommend it for anyone. We’re all aging so we might as well do it the best way we can.
Memoir
I.M. A Memoir - Isaac Mizrahi
I love a good memoir and I needed a book to listen to. This is the perfect genre for an audio book. Isaac Mizrahi is a great personality and I have loved everything he has done.
Series
A Dangerous Place (A Maisie Dobbs Novel) - Jacqueline Winspear
This is book eleven in this female-driven detective series. The novels take place pre-post WWI. This book is pre-WWII. I love the character of Maisie. She smart and battle-worn. She has ups and downs but keeps pushing forward. This is one of my favorite book series.
The Deep End (The Country Club Murders)- Julie Mulhern
This is another book I read for book club and thank goodness I finally got a good one! You have to kiss a lot of frogs, right? This is a murder mystery set in the ’70s and, since I grew up in the ‘70s, I love all the references. It was a real page turner and I ended up binging it in a weekend. Best thing, it’s a series! You’ll see more of these on the list.
A Better Man (Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery) - Louise Penny
The Chief Inspector Gamache series is by far my favorite series to date. I devoured this without stopping as soon as it was released. I like the stories when they spend more time in the fictional Quebec town of Three Pines where it is set. This one didn’t spend as much time there with the characters of the town but it was still a great read. I think this is her 15th in this series and I will definitely be reading the 16th.
A Bitter Feast (Duncan Kincaid/Gemme James) - Deborah Crombie
This was another “recommended for you” book. It takes place in the Cotwolds but it’s modern. This is book 18 in a series and I enjoyed it as a stand-alone story but I did fell like I was missing a little background. The main characters are married Scotland Yard detectives that weren’t treated with romantic sentimentally which I appreciate. This is a series I would love to start from the beginning.
Death Comes to the Village (Kurland St. Mary Mystery) - Catherine Lloyd
I have been trying to find more bargains in my reading material. I found this series on Kindle Unlimited and downloaded it for a long-haul flight. I loved this book and finished it on the first leg! It was easy to read but interesting enough to keep me awake.
The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth Book 1) - N. K. Jemisin
I read this after the disappointment that was The Starless Sea. I wanted a palate-cleanser for the genre. I loved this book! The storytelling was intricate but not impossible to follow. I’ll start the rest of the series in 2020.