Here are some of my favorite books of all time and some of my favorite books from this year and some of my kids’ favorite books. Have you read any of them?
Current favorite books ever?
Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick DeWitt - Whimsical, just a hint of magical realism, funny.
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead - Great characters and descriptions and tension.
Sellout by Dan Ozzi - If you were a teenager in the 90s steeped in punk culture saying selling out was bad, you’ll like this one.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin - All different kinds of love written about beautifully.
The Last Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton - I love books about fake bands, and this is one of the best.
Favorite books this year?
Eager Beaver by Ben Goldfarb - I’m beaver-pilled now. It seems like they can rehabilitate a lot of habitats just by letting them be.
North Woods by Dan Mason - Intricately woven stories about… well, not not about apples.
Martyr by Kaveh Akbar - Inventive story and a fresh voice.
James by Percival Everett - We all love retellings of well-known stories from alternate perspectives..
Piglet by Lottie Hazell - This was charming and sad, but nice.
The Stolen Coast by Dwyer Murphy - A good, tense regular guy detective story that takes place in Onset.
Audiobooks for long car rides with kids.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit - Remember this one from when you were a kid.
Song For A Whale by Lynn Kelly - How you gonna not love a book about a deaf whale?
Once and Future King by T.H. White - This ones for a longer drive.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Sweeney - Very nice, but I’m afraid the sequels are rubbish.
Gracie’s recommendations:
Novels:
Blended by Sharon M Draper - “The author has a knot in my stomach in the really anxious scenes.” (11+)
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin - “I love the twist of story in this one.” (9+)
The Penderwicks Series by Jeanne Birdsall - “I like how each book has it’s own character that it focuses on, so you get to know each one well.” (9+)
Graphic Novels:
Frizzy by Claribel Ortega - “This book makes me feel all the emotions, happy, sad, excited, nervous.” (9+)
Drama by Raina Tegelmeier - “This is one of the books that got me into theater.” (9+)
Click by Kayla Miller - '“Olive makes me feel welcome from inside the book.” (9+)
Just Roll With It by Veronica Agarwal - “ This book taught me a lot about mental health” (9+)
*Muhammad Najem, War Reporter by Muhammad Najem - “I love this book even in the roughest, saddest parts.” (10+)
*Callum liked this one too.
Callum’s recommendations (he wouldn’t write blurbs, sorry.)