This year I read 148 books! Here are the ones I rated five stars on GoodReads.
The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M. H. Boroson
This was my favorite book I read this year!!! A great mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Kung Fu movies, I learned a lot about Chinese folklore in this historical fiction-fantasy-adventure. Set in 1800s Chinatown, this book follows Li-lin, a Daoist priestess who can see into the spirit world as she tries to save her city from the vengeful ravages of a man-made monster.
Lumberjanes Volumes 1 & 2 by Noelle Stevenson
These graphic novels are awesome! The Lumberjanes are like more badass girl scouts who must survive a summer camp in a forest full of mythical monsters. Also, friendship bracelets!!
Illuminae by Alice Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
This book fucked me up. It’s a sci-fi/horror/epistolary/adventure of badassness.
Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt
This memoir tells the story of Nicole, a transgender girl, and her family’s experiences as she grew up. It’s a really interesting portrait, not just of a transgender individual, but of the family and community around her and how they react and are affected by her transformation.
Voracious: A Hungry Reader Cooks Her Way Through Great Books by Cara Nicoletti
This book talks about one book per short chapter, a personal essay about it followed by a recipe. I liked the essays so much, because they mirrored some of my experiences with certain books (Anne of Green Gables) and otherwise just spoke to growing up as a reader and how books can affect your life. Plus delicious food!
Rad American Women A-Z by Kate Schatz
I learned a lot from this book!!! There were plenty of rad American women I’d never heard of.
The Wacky and Wonderful World Through Numbers by Steve Martin
This was a fun, interesting book that anyone who likes statistics or world records would enjoy!
Dietland by Sarai Walker
THIS BOOK. I loved its message of militant body positivity and feminism, and all the different variations of each. It’s so rare to have a fat lady protagonist who doesn’t end the book living happily ever after by losing weight. I found this book really inspiring, especially when the main character muses that being fat is kind of a super power in that it shows you how people really are. The people who are jerks to her may have hid their inner jerkiness if she were pretty, but she knows their reactions to her are their genuine selves, good or bad. I think about that a lot.
The Folded Clock: A Diary by Heidi Julavits
This was like a cross between a diary and a series of personal essays on many different subjects. I really like Heidi Julavits’ voice and sense of humor.
Microshelters: 59 Creative Cabins, Tiny Houses, Tree Houses, and Other Small Structures by Derek Diedricksen
I don’t know if I could ever live in a tiny house myself (especially not with Steven and Olivia), but it was so interesting seeing the different creative ways people packed what they needed into such a small frame.
An Age of License by Lucy Knisley
This is a travelogue graphic novel about a pretty epic trip through Europe. I’ve read a few of Knisley’s graphic novels, and I really enjoy her art style and down-to-earth writing.
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