favorite reads

write meg!’s 2021 reading honors

/ Meg / 1 Comment

You know how a really great book just sort of … ruins you for others? We’re talking a novel so engrossing, so ingenious, so thought-provoking that you can’t help but feel saddled by that unmistakable book hangover after you’ve closed the last page? These reads inspire the push/pull we live for as readers: too good to put down, but too bittersweet to finish.

I was fortunate to discover several new favorites in 2021 — year of the continuing pandemic. As we all sought escape in different ways, I binge-read into the wee hours or sank into the couch while my kids got lost in Minecraft. After getting very into memoirs in recent years, the vast majority of my books read this year were fiction — and only one non-fic read made my top five this year.

Probably not a ton of surprises in this grouping, but here they are: the best o’ the best in what I happily enjoyed in 2021, in no particular order!

Tia Williams’ Seven Days in June (2021) is as thought-provoking as it is drool-worthy. This story of two successful writers reconnecting after a tumultuous teen romance was riveting. I absolutely loved Eva’s character — strong and flawed … in other words, human. And Shane is a hero truly worthy of the moniker. Williams created a heart-stopping world in which two people revisit the past in order to determine if there is a path for them in the future. As a writer and all-around book nerd myself, I really enjoyed the depictions of Eva’s vampire fic fandom and the crossover of how both leads are processing their past through their writing. Listened to this one on audio, and the production was excellent. Part of me still expects to bump into Williams’ characters on the street — less far-fetched given that part of the plot is set in Washington, D.C. The local flavor for this Marylander was the icing on top.

Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation (2021) needs no introduction from the likes of me, but I found the heaps of praise totally justified. When done well, the friends-to-lovers slow build is so satisfying. And this book? Satisfying. For sure. Couldn’t stop reading until I knew how their feelings would eventually bubble up to the surface, and whew — steamy. Then passed along my copy to relatives, friends, coworkers … everyone, basically. It’s still floating around in Southern Maryland. I’ll eventually try to get it back — it’s one of the few books I could actually see myself re-reading.

Hilarie Burton Morgan’s The Rural Diaries: Love, Livestock, and Big Life Lessons Down on Mischief Farm (2020) was an impulse buy that made me grateful I have zero self-control in Target. I knew little about Hilarie beyond her early fame on “One Tree Hill,” but the cover spoke to me. This book was just fresh. I loved her honesty on universal topics like family, love and marriage — and less relatable (but fascinating!) musings on fame. Its setting in Rhinebeck, New York evoked such a strong sense of place that I found myself idly browsing AirBnBs so I could camp out near Samuel’s Sweet Shop. A tender, memorable memoir that will, I think, make an especially strong impression on mothers. Hilarie just gets it.

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Malibu Rising (2021) is a whole mood. This family saga manages to be both epic in scope and uniquely and memorably detailed. Reid doesn’t waste a word. I listened to the story on audio and appreciated the narrator’s impressive ability to coax separate intonations from each character, particularly brothers Hud and Jay. And like the incredible Daisy Jones & the Six, Malibu Rising found me again wanting to google Reid’s characters, so convinced was I that the Riva siblings were all actually surfing away their afternoon out there along the California coast. A must-read from a must-read author.

Finally, coming off the heels of my late “Hamilton” obsession, Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie’s My Dear Hamilton (2018) started my reading year off with a bang. Eliza Hamilton, wife of Alexander, is the heroine of a story that follows her from general’s daughter to new bride to mother to famous widow, with passion and devotion and loss running deeply through the narrative. I loved the examinations of early America alongside the stirring romance between Alexander and Eliza. Very engrossing and wonderfully written.

Looking forward to more up-until-2-a.m. reading moments in 2022!

What were your favorite reads this year?
Share your recs in the comments, or join me on Instagram!

Past reading honors:
2020 | 2019 | 2013 | 2012
2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008

write meg!’s 2013 reading honors

/ Meg / 24 Comments

Reading honors


So this was a big year for me.

Planned two weddings, moved out of my childhood home, married the love of my life. All that fun stuff. There were a few getaways, some serious weight loss, new friendships and lots of photography.

What there wasn’t much of?

Reading.

I could make excuses all day, y’all, but the long and short of it? My reading was really down this year. Like, really down. Last year I read 71 books, then correctly predicted wedding planning would occupy much of 2013. In 2011, I read 83 books, and finished 2010 with 85 books read.

This year? Fifty. Fifty even.

Still nothing to snort at, I guess, but I feel like I’ve failed literature somehow. Realistically speaking, I was often too consumed with errands to hunker down with a story. And when I radically changed my eating habits in 2013, I stopped going out for lunch — my former devoted reading time — entirely.

But I want to get back on track next year. When I’m not emotionally invested in a story (like now), I really miss that feeling. I love looking forward to the end of the day, when I’ll curl up in bed with my current read and lose myself for an hour or so. I’ve been too tired to do much more than collapse at the end of the day, so . . . I guess I hope to catch up on sleep in 2014, too.

Even with a smaller list than usual, there were some stand-out reads in 2013. Some were recently published; others are from a few years back. All of them were awesome. And so, without further ado . . .


Meg’s Top Five Reads of 2013

Cascade1. Cascade by Maryanne O’Hara

Gripping, moving, absorbing, fantastic . . . all terms I’d use to describe O’Hara’s novel, set in a Massachusetts town slated for ruin. From the atmosphere and setting to the rich, complicated romantic life of Dez, our heroine, I was entranced from the start. It’s a story that has lingered with me long after I turned the final page, and it’s my favorite read of 2013.


The Rosie Project2. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Fans of “The Big Bang Theory” may see shades of Sheldon in Don, our main squeeze, but Don is determined to succeed where his counterpart has failed (or has little interest): finding a “perfect mate” who satisfies his exhaustive criteria. A geeky love story with tons of heart, this was an incredibly fun read that had me cheering for Simsion’s rag-tag group of characters.


Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures3. Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures
by Emma Straub

Described by yours truly as “part family saga, part cautionary tale, part love story,” Straub’s novel of an aspiring small-town actress is as engrossing as it is heartbreaking. I really wasn’t sure how it would pan out — and stayed glue to the narration to find out. Though long, it was a memorable and worthwhile read.


Yes, Chef4. Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson

One of two audio books to crack my Top 5, Samuelsson’s memoir of working hard and rising in the culinary world was an eye-opening, interesting experience. Born in Africa and raised in Sweden by adopted parents, Marcus relies on his tenacity and diverse background to gain traction as a chef. He’s humble, devoted and honest — and I loved learning his story.


Wild5. Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Strayed’s memoir — another audio — found me at just the right time. Her story of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail solo was very moving, even if the twists and turns in her adventure made my stomach turn. I can’t imagine walking in her footsteps . . . which was what made her introspective, challenging journey so engrossing.


—–


Most Moving Family Story

As part of my personal goal to read more non-fiction each year, I picked up Kelle Hampton’s Bloom, a memoir about welcoming her daughter Nella — who has Down’s Syndrome — into the family. Knowing readers could judge her, Hampton honestly recounts the difficult days surrounding Nella’s birth and how the family has moved forward and thrived in the years since.


Book That Made Me Grateful For My Relationship With My Sister

Lucina Rosenfeld’s The Pretty One. Ladies be crazy!


Book Most Likely to Make You Miss ‘Gilmore Girls’ Like Crazy

Lauren Graham’s Someday, Someday, Maybe, of course! With the trademark wit that made Lorelai Gilmore such a heroine for many of us, Graham’s debut novel follows a young woman trying to make it as an actress in ’90s New York. Funny, poignant, fresh.


Most Inspirational Read

Bank of BobI dare you to pick up Bob Harris’ The International Bank of Bob and not make a mad dash for your wallet. A travel writer who visits some of the most lavish resorts on Earth for a living, Harris can’t help but be affected by the great disparity between the world’s wealthy and its desperately working poor.

He makes microloans, has great success helping others, travels to meet some of them, writes an awesome and influential book to tell us all about it. Bob is humble, funny, self-effacing and hugely inspirational. Loved him, loved the book. Go change the world, y’all.


Most Scandalous — Both In Its Day and, Like, Now

Sex, drugs, discontent . . . just another day in the world of Pamela Moore’s Chocolates for Breakfast. Courtney is a total mess, and it totally works.


Strangest Storyline — In a Good Way,
I Think?

Shine Shine ShineLydia Netzer delivers Shine Shine Shine, a book about astronauts and baldness and young love and abuse and aspiring to more and . . . probably some other things, but I can’t puzzle them all out. Months after finishing, I still can’t decide if I really liked this book or was completely confused by it. Maybe both. Regardless, it’s memorable and certainly different — both excellent qualities in a novel!


Most Confusing and Totally Too Cool for Me (and You)

Choire Sicha’s Very Recent History. Seriously, what the heck was going on? I’d tell you, but I’m still not entirely sure. It was occasionally interesting but often rather dull and disjointed and just . . . not my cup of anything.


Best Use of Bees as Characters

. . . That would be Sarah-Kate Lynch’s Wedding Bees, my friends! As you might have gathered, this modern-day fairytale incorporates honey and its creators in a lovely story of redemption and love. Perhaps a little sticky-sweet at points, but that’s part of the fun.


Happy Reading (And New Year), Friends!


See past reading honors: 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008