I’ve had visions of sharing biannual roundups of my favorite books on the blog so my recommendations can be found in one place but after Ryder was born, this vision fizzled out because I couldn’t keep my eyes open at the end of the day and fell asleep reading ALL of the time. Then, I somehow ended up in a book funk and read a bunch of not-so-great books back-to-back. Finally I found my reading rhythm again and while I’ve shared many of the books I’ve read and loved in random Things I’m Loving Friday posts, I’ve received requests from you guys in the past to share periodic roundups of books I’ve loved to make my book recommendations easier to find.
The ten books I’m highlighting below are all books I loved and would highly recommend. They’re all a little different and cover everything from political thrillers and breezy reads to thought-provoking memoirs compelling novels and I hope you find at least one book to add to your must-read list! As always, I’d love to hear about some of the books you’ve read recently that you loved because you guys deserve the credit for recommending some amazing books to me throughout the years.
And just FYI, you can always find a constantly-updated list of books I’ve read and loved on the Books page of my blog!
10 Books I Recently Read and Loved
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THE QUEEN OF HEARTS BY KIMMERY MARTIN
Add this book to your must-read list if you are a fan of medical dramas or enjoy shows like Grey’s Anatomy, though this book has more depth to it than the usual episode of Grey’s.
The book follows the lives of Zadie and Emma, two best friends who met in their early 20s when they were in med school. Now successful doctors with families they love and adore, a blast from the past in the form of a former chief resident, Dr. Xenokostas, reappears in their lives when he accepts a job at the hospital where Emma works and brings with him pain, secrecy, regret, guilt and the ability to potentially cause a long-lasting friendship to unravel.
I absolutely loved reading The Queen of Hearts and my fellow Charlotte-area friends may also enjoy the fact that this book takes place in the Queen City.
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THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO BY TAYLOR JENKINS REID
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo begins when Monique Grant, a talented but relatively unknown young writer, is selected by iconic actress Evelyn Hugo to write her biography. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime and one Monique is determined to do well. As Evelyn begins to tell her story to Monique, we learn all about her life, including the details behind her marriages and secret loves. The book is filled with scandal in a way that doesn’t feel cheap or cheesy and I feel like it is only a matter of time before this one is scooped up and made into a movie.
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EDUCATED BY TARA WESTOVER
When I asked for memoir recommendations on the blog earlier this year, Tara Westover’s Educated was mentioned a few times and for good reason. The book is captivating, complicated and fascinating. I enjoyed reading Tara’s story very much and would absolutely recommend it for anyone looking to dive into a compelling memoir for their next read.
Tara Westover’s memoir documents her life as a child in the mountains of Idaho where she was raised by survivalist parents opposed to traditional education and follows her journey to receiving her PhD from Cambridge, despite having never set foot in a classroom until she was 17 years old. Tara’s story is one of complicated family ties, a young girl’s thirst for knowledge, abuse, loyalty, discovery and incredible resilience.
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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING BY DELIA OWENS
It’s been a long time — years, probably — since I started and finished a book in one night but it happened with Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I read this book until 2 a.m. and couldn’t stop thinking about this novel for days after I finished reading. (And yes, it was a book that made it worth sacrificing precious sleep!) Where the Crawdads Sing was recommended to me by one of my best friends and a handful of you and it was an absolutely wonderful read with beautiful writing, an intriguing plot and interesting characters.
The book follows the life of Kya Clark, an intelligent and resilient girl knows to locals as the “Marsh Girl,” a young woman as mysterious and intriguing as she is elusive. Kya grew up in the marshland of North Carolina with an abusive family and eventually survives on her own at an incredibly young age thanks to her knowledge of the marsh she calls home and her resourcefulness. Used to living on her own, Kya is surprised when she finds herself intrigued by two local men as she grows up and opens herself up to love and heartache, despite her natural inclination to remain isolated from others. After one of the men, Chase Andrews, is found dead, locals immediately begin to suspect the “Marsh Girl.”
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The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams
Having previously read and loved A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams, I turned to Amazon to check out some of her other novels and The Secret Life of Violet Grant immediately caught my eye. I finished reading this book last night and absolutely loved the main character, Vivian, because she really is a character. She’s funny, kind of ridiculous, intelligent, unconventional and her voice is amusing and fun.
The book follows Vivian Schuyler, a recent college graduate and member of a wealthy New York City family, as she works at a magazine and goes against the Schuyler family grain. Vivian’s life takes a turn when a package containing her aunt’s suitcase from 50 years ago — an aunt thought to have murdered her husband before she mysteriously disappeared — shows up on her doorstep.
The book goes back and forth from following Vivian’s life in 1964 and the life of her disappearing aunt Violet Schuyler Grand, a scientist who moved to Europe, entered into a disastrous marriage with a notable scientist and went missing. Vivian is determined to figure out what happened to Violet and her curiosity takes her on a road that unveils secrets, mysteries and relationships that have a direct impact on Vivian’s life today.
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THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING BY BILL CLINTON AND JAMES PATTERSON
If you enjoy political suspense books, add this one to your reading list! Recommended to me by both my mom and my dad, I had a feeling The President is Missing would be a winner from the beginning and it was fantastic! This book was so good that I kept getting mad at myself when I would be too tired to keep reading at the end of the night.
The President is Missing is captivating from the beginning as a threat on the United States looms over the head of the President. As the story unfolds, a traitor in the cabinet is revealed and the President must do his best to protect his country from the most serious form of cyberterrorism while simultaneously questioning those around him as he tries to figure out who he can trust within the White House.
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ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL STRANGERS BY ELIZABETH KLEFOTH
This book is what CW TV shows are made of — rich, beautiful teenagers, secret clubs, boarding school,backstabbing, disappearing people and mystery. All These Beautiful Strangers sucked me in right away and was a serious page-turner.
The book centers around the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Grace Fairchild, wife of real estate mogul Alistair Calloway, and mother of two daughters, Seraphina, now 15, and Charlie, now 17 years old. Charlie Calloway currently attends Knollwood Prep, a prestigious boarding school, where she receives an invitation to join the A’s, an extremely exclusive secret society. Membership within the A’s is contingent upon the completion of The Game, an intense and often dangerous scavenger hunt that may end up revealing more about the past and the disappearance of Charlie’s mother than Charlie ever imagined as her past and present begin to collide.
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ONE DAY IN DECEMBER BY JOSIE SILVER
After a few back-to-back more serious reads, I was on the lookout for a an easy, breezy read and this one fit the bill. One Day in December is the wintery version of a beach read and I enjoyed curling up with this book at the end of a long day.
The book begins with Laurie feeling the most intense jolt of love when she sees a man from her seat on a bus window in the middle of winter. She feels frozen but also battles the intense urge to get off the bus when the man locks eyes with her… and then it’s too late and the bus rolls on. A year passes with Laurie looking for her beloved bus guy until one day her best friend Sarah introduces Laurie to her new boyfriend, Jack. Laurie cannot believe it when the new boyfriend Laurie’s heard Sarah rave about also happens to be the very man Laurie fell in love with at first sight from her bus seat one year earlier. One Day in December follows the next 10 years of Laurie and Jack’s lives through fierce friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, growth and change as they strive to find happiness.
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Becoming by Michelle Obama
I read Michelle Obama’s memoir over Christmas and enjoyed learning more about her life from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her time in the White House as the First Lady of the United States. I admittedly was interested in hearing some behind-the-scenes stories about the presidency, the Secret Service and the inner-workings of the White House and while Michelle touches on those things briefly in her memoir, her book is a more about her journey and her growth from a small, intelligent little girl in Chicago into a lawyer, mother, First Lady and powerful advocate.
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THE FIRST PATIENT BY MICHAEL PALMER
The First Patient by Michael Palmer is an interesting and intriguing political and medical mystery. The book follows Dr. Gabe Singleton and takes off when Marine One lands on the doctor’s rural Wyoming farm. The President of the United States and Gabe’s former roommate at the Naval Academy, Drew Stoddard, asks Gabe to come with him to Washington, D.C. to be his personal physician after his previous doctor mysteriously disappears.
After Gabe agrees to help his friend, he flies to the White House and soon witnesses the president in the middle of what appears to be a mental breakdown, complete with hallucinations and other odd behaviors. It doesn’t take long for Gabe to suspect that the President’s condition may not be attributed to natural causes and Gabe soon finds himself searching for answers, a process that proves more challenging and life-threatening than he ever imagined.
Question of the Day
What books have you absolutely loved lately that you think everyone should read?
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I justtt finished One day in December after having not ready anything so light in a while and i LOVED it. it’s alot like One Day or The Light We Lost. Such lovely reads. Thanks for the list. xo
If you liked Becoming and want more behind the scenes on the Secret Service and life in the White House, you will LOVEEE From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Dorey-Stein. It was a huge hit at my book club–a perfect combo of memoir, White House stories, travel, drama, and love story written by a young stenographer to the Obama admin. I don’t know if you have a Goodreads profile, but I use mine all the time to get book recommendations. You log the books you’ve loved and it provides pretty solid advice for other authors you might enjoy.
Thank you Abbie!! I will absolutely check out that book. It sounds right up my alley!
You both HAVE to read The Residence! It’s an amazing BTS look at the logistics and other inner workings of the White House. It’s seriously fascinating!
You should read sisters first!
I just finished Always Watching by Lynette Eason and it was AMAZING I couldn’t put it down!
It’s a suspenseful read about a stalker and I haven’t finished a book so fast in a very long time!
I love reading your recs because I have just recently fallen in love with suspense and thriller type reads.
I’ll be adding a few of these to my TBR!
Great roundup! I have read quite a few of the ones on your list! I have a book blog so I post book reviews quite frequently, but time always gets away from me before having a chance to do a roundup. I did manage to list the top 10 books I read in 2018, in case anyone wants to check it out!
https://bmoregirlreads.com/2018/12/top-ten-books-2018.html
My favorite of 2019 so far was Where the Crawdads Sing. OMG sooo good!
Thanks for sharing this link! I’ve read and enjoyed quite a few that made your top list from last year so I think we have similar taste!
Great minds think alike 🙂
Hey Colleen,
Loving your page! I bookmarked for future reference.
Thank you so much! New to the blogging world and I appreciate that.
I actually chose Educated for my book club to read, because I just HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT WITH SOMEONE! (Especially considering that she grew up less than an hour from where I live). I’m also super eager to get my hands on Where the Crawdads Sing and have been on the holds list at the library forever, it seems.
Lately I’ve been reading a ton of nonfiction, including Cozy Minimalist Home (which I just finished), Never Split the Difference (all about how to be a better negotiator, written by the former lead hostage negotiator at the FBI), The Whole Brain Child (which took forever to get through but which has revolutionized my parenting forever), and Little Soldiers (about an American-born set of parents who move to Shanghai and put their boy in the schools there, and this book is all about the mom’s research into the Chinese education system).
I’m excited to look into some of these other titles you mentioned! I’ve heard of many of them, but not all.
I always look forward to your book lists. I actually searched on your blog right before the new year to add some books to my list. One of my goals for 2019 is to read more.
Some of the books you have listed here are on my to-read list: Where the Crawdads Sing, The President is Missing. I also read Becoming and I loved it.
I am currently reading The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker. I’m only 3 chapters in so far, but the reviews I read all stated the book is similar to All The Light We Cannot See and Beneath a Scarlet Sky. It’s a WWII historical fiction novel.
Yes! I agree! I loved Beneath a Scarlet Sky and All the Light We Cannot See, also! Great books! Just finished The Great Alone and it was one of the best books I’ve ever read! Highly recommend!
Will check it out!
Great Alone was one of the top books for me last year! Also Where the Crawdad Sings, its a must read, too!
I recently read The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware & loved it. Thanks for your list, I’ll check some of these out!
I enjoyed that book, also! Have you read The Lying Game or In a dark, dark wood by Ruth Ware? Both are excellent just like The Woman in Cabin 10.
I’ve read that one as well — definitely a page turner!
JUST finished Queen of Hearts and LOVED IT. THIS post was JUST what I wanted! Definitely bookmarking it and reading comments to get more ideas! And most of the books on this list are on my to-read list!
I really liked The President is Missing, Becoming, Educated as well! I have Where the Crawdad Sings on hold at the library and will be putting The First Patient on hold as well! I recently finished and really enjoyed And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready by Meaghan O’Connell, The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery, and Waiting for Eden by Elliot Ackerman.
So many books, so little time!
I adored Seven Husbands and Crawdads! Both were on my Best Books of the Year lists the years they were published!
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris is a must read if you love a thriller!!
I loved, loved, LOVED It’s Okay To Laugh, Crying is Cool Too by Nora McInerny Purmort- great inspiring funny and touching memoir. I’ve recommended to friends and so far everyone enjoyed it!
I also like The Magician’s Daughter by Judith Janeway – a funny mystery
Next up- Marriage Vacation —-from the Younger TV series.
Thanks for all the recommendations!
I have read and enjoyed most of these on your list! Waiting on Becoming from the library. Have you read the other Violet Grant novels? I loved loved that series!!! I always look forward to your book lists – thanks for the recommendations!
I just finished The Other Woman… whoa! It was a Reese Witherspoon recommendation from her book club. So intense, sooooo good.
Ruth Ware is a great author for intense thrillers – I recently read The Lying Game, but also enjoyed In a dark, dark wood and The Woman in Cabin 10.
I haven’t read the others in that series yet but want to now! I’m excited there are more! And thanks for the additional recommendations!
One Day in December is at the top of my list. Currently tky reading The Library Book and it’s really good!
I just started reading Becoming and so far I love her writing style. I haven’t read any of the others, so I’m adding them all to my must-read list! I have loved so many of your past book recommendations. Thanks for putting the list together 🙂
Julie, I love the list and can’t wait to tackle it!
I’m a book worm too and I think you would love the Book of the Month club!
It’s a monthly subscription and each month they pick 5 books from you to choose 1 from.
They have all ranges of books to choose from and super fast shipping!
I always love to see what you are reading! We seem to have very similar tastes! I typically get my recommendations from your blog, People magazine, and Us Weekly :-). I just picked up An Anonymous Girl, Watching You, and Behind Closed Doors. I am soooo happy when I am in the middle of a book!
Hi Julie! I’ve been reading your blog for years…love it! Your reviews here are great. I write a book review blog if you are looking for more book suggestions 🙂 http://www.bookcoffeehappy.com
Absolutely! Thank you for sharing, Jenny!
I recently finished Becoming and loved it!
I enjoyed Dear Evan Hansen and will be seeing the musical in a couple months so I am excited to see how the book looks on stage.
I also really enjoyed A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza.
I would LOVE to see that musical! Hope you enjoy every second!
Check out Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. It’s a non-fiction book about a phony silicon valley startup, but reads like a thriller! Might be my fave book from last year!
I love your book lists, thanks for taking the time to put them together! I’m working my way through Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis and it’s pretty funny!
I read that book as well and enjoyed it! I think that would be a great book club book because it seems to be so polarizing — so many people love it but a lot of people really dislike it, too.
Oh wow, I haven’t heard anyone disliking it! Just curious did they tell you why? I could see why people some would feel that way.
Hi Julie! I have been reading your blog for years but for some reason cannot remember if you’ve ever touched on this. Do you purchase hard copies of books that you read- and if so, what do you do with them when you’re done?! I hate hoarding books, but I got a kindle last year and at first was really into it, but now I miss the feel of a real book (and knowing how far along you are just by looking at the bookmark spot!) Do you have a kindle or would you get one? Thanks!!
I have a Kindle and it is the bessst! I also get library books (you prob know this but you can also check out books on your e-readers now) and I honestly prefer reading with my Kindle because I love the night mode (black screen + white text) for reading at night!
I just finished All the Ugly and Wonderful Things and The She Was Gone. Both were excellent page turners. I feel like I hit the lottery when I read two books back to back and love them both!
ME TOO! I’ve been on a great book streak lately which is SO nice because I was in a rut with not-so-great reads for two months or so at the end of last year!
I will check out some of these books. Another great read is Mudbound by Hillary Jordan as is The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah!
I’ve heard wonderful things about Kristin Hannah’s books but haven’t read them because I’m afraid they’ll all make me cry and want to be in the right frame of mind before tackling an emotional read. Was The Great Alone another heart-wrenching one?
Winter Garden is my favorite and it will make you ugly ugly cry. The Great Alone did not make me cry at all but it was great.
I finally read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and loved it!
I’m currently reading How to Break Up With Your Phone and An American Marriage.
An American Marriage was wonderful! I also really, really enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine — that book was unlike any other book I’ve read!
I’m trying so hard not to scoop all these books up at once!! You have the BEST recommendations!!! I just finished One day in December and now reading The last Mrs. Parrish…which I hope keeps me on my toes!! Cant’ wait to read these
A City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller is a recent favorite! The descriptions of baked goods are drool-worthy but it’s also a heartwarming story about a woman finding her place.
I just snagged Where the Crawdads Sing from the library and I can’t put it down!! So so good!
Thanks for this post-I can’t wait to make my way through them.
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah is the most incredible book! She is such an amazing author, and after reading the Nightingale, i couldn’t wait to try another of her books. Also the Great Alone is another if her books that is really good.
Oh and pretty much any book written by Kate Morton is a win we. The Lake House is one of my personal favorites.
I just got One day in December but haven’t started reading it yet, but I’m excited to start it as everyone seems to love it! I just finished an amazing book called The Women in the Window by A. J Finn. It’s a psychological thriller, full of suspense and so many twists!! It took me a few chapters to get into it but once it got me hooked I couldn’t put it down till I had finished it!
If you liked Seven Husbands, Taylor Jenkins Reid has some other amazing novels you might like. One True Loves is incredible as well as Maybe in Another Life. By far, she is one of my favourite authors. My Oxford year by Julie Whelan is definitely worth a read, as well as Swear on this Life by Renee Carlino.
The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly ! It sounds right up your alley if you liked Beatriz Williams. Defiantly a historical fiction / mystery piece.
Just finished Where the Crawdads Sing – thanks to your recommendation – and absolutely loved it!! I certainly could have finished it in one sitting, but I forced myself to put it down multiple times to stretch it out over a few days – although it was torture! I haven’t enjoyed a book that much in a long time. Thanks for your continued recommendations.
that book was an incredible one. i’m so glad you liked it, too! i STILL think about it and absolutely loved the ending.