This year started off with more than a handful of books I truly and utterly loved. Sometimes I find myself in a bit of a book rut, where 3 books in a row will be duds — and in this case, it’s just the opposite. It seems like the majority of books I’ve read this year have all been fantastic. Like pull on your heartstrings fantastic, so I thought I’d share them with you today. Giving you a one or two sentence recap, letting you decide for yourself if you want to add it to your TR list.
Seven Excellent Books I’ve Read Recently
The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
A touching and unforgettable Black Lives Matter story that won all the awards in 2017. Enough said. More here.
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
When Abraham Lincoln’s twelve year old son, Willie, dies from typhoid fever both father and son have a very tough time saying their goodbyes. President Lincoln isn’t able to carry on and neither is Willie, who in turn is now stuck in a state of limbo in the graveyard. Reads like a gorgeous poem from nearly two hundred different character’s POV. READ!!! Though, I listened to it via Audible and can’t recommend listening to it enough.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Motherhood, secrets, and a progressive town in Cleveland, Ohio. Celeste Ng is an exceptionally talented writer who is somehow able to perfectly articulate the inner most thoughts of each and every one of her characters. More here.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
I LOVED this book, literally loved everything about it. In fact, The Heart’s Invisible Furies shot up to my top 10 of ALL TIME. Cyril Avery isn’t a real Avery. And he grows up as a homosexual man in a very repressed Ireland. We follow him from utero through death, his struggles, his triumphs, and everything in between. Yes, it was that fantastic. More here.
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
This was a really sweet story. There are three central characters: Natasha, Daniel, and The Universe. If you liked Eleanor and Park, you’ll love this. Also, I listened via Audible — the narration was EXCELLENT! Another book I highly recommend you listen to vs. read
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenide
Middlesex was recommended to me by a friend, who knows I enjoy all things weird. Cal is a hermaphrodite, male born female, and he wants to tell you his story. He wants you to understand how this mutation came to be in his blood, and in order to do so, he needs to take you back to a small mountain town in Greece in the 1910’s through the 1970’s in Detroit. EXCELLENT READ, it was an absolutely fantastic story.
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Oh my. This book was profoundly heartbreaking, beautiful, and so richly colorful. Lyrical language is the best way I can describe the writing. It was GORGEOUS and twisted up my insides. It sort of shook me to my core, this was a family drama at it’s finest.
I really loved each and every book for it’s own gorgeous and heartwarming story. For each of the rich characters, the humor, the sadness, and everything in between. Each and every book made me cry at some point or another, and to me — if a book is able to tug on your tear ducts, the writing has more than likely done it’s job. I highly recommend each of these seven novels to you, my dear readers. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.