We are now rapidly approaching the midpoint of 2021 and with that I have compiled my list of the five best books I have read so far.
5.
A good memoir is like a leisurely conversation with a spellbinding friend. A good short memoir is like a too brief catch up with the same spellbinding friend. Jacqueline Woodson has the ability to make the mundane come alive. In this short essay, she writes about her single days in New York before she met her partner. I loved every minute of it.
4.
If you read this blog regularly, you know that suspense is my jam. Finding a new author is cause for celebration. I was immediately drawn into this story and couldn’t get up until I found out how Ainsley and Peter were going to get out of their fine mess. What Kiersten Modglin lacks in style, she makes up for in twists.
3.
This memoir reads like a dark Nora Ephron movie. Christie is in a bad head space when she joins a therapy group. As she is forced to share her secrets with strangers, her life and outlook begin to improve. I have my doubts about the overly optimistic trajectory, but experiencing her transition is riveting.
2.
The subject of domestic violence between women is largely taboo. Carmen Maria Machado does something remarkable with the topic, showing the complex emotions that go into surviving the experience. She is a gifted writer telling uncomfortable truths.
1.
There are better written books on this list, but this gets the top slot because no other book this year has riveted me quite like this one. Theo Faber is a psychologist who takes a job at a London psychiatric hospital. His patient is a mute woman convicted of murdering her husband. The author takes what could be a painfully boring premise and executes a gripping page-turner. I love losing a few days to a good story.
Books Smitten 