The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

I enjoyed this novel about women following the Trojan War, but I think I preferred The Silence of the Girls.

finished January 6, 2024

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

This was a fun novel—sort of Pride and Prejudice meets Sherlock Holmes.

finished January 7, 2024

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

I first read this novel by a Palestinian American author in 2019; I wanted to reread it now because of current events and to refresh before the sequel.

finished January 11, 2024

Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

These books are tough to read because it takes a while to get to any sort of hopefulness.

finished January 12, 2024

The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

This was a really interesting book written by a Christian historian about how political and social structures throughout history, often more than any original Biblical texts, have informed the subjugation of women in the church.

finished January 15, 2024

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

This was one of my top books of 2021, and I was ready for a reread. As John Green writes in the collection of essays, “For me, reading and rereading are an everlasting apprenticeship.”

finished January 17, 2024

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I reread this because I went to see the musical. It was really interesting to compare the book and movie, both excellent. Rereading this made me miss English classes in college.

finished January 17, 2024

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I read the ACOTAR series nearly two years ago, and I’ve been meaning to read her other series for nearly as long. This fantasy series hooked me immediately. ACOTAR is a series driven by characters and their relationships to one another; while of course I love the characters and their relationships in the Throne of Glass series, it’s the plot and tension that have me devouring the books.

finished January 19, 2024

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

It’s early, but this could be a top 10 contender. What a weird, fascinating little book this is. I think it’s unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It’s written in journal entries, and the main character unravels mysteries about himself and his world through his past journals—and the meticulously curated Index he has for his journals. I loved this book for its unique diction, quiet wisdom, and very fun Doctor Who reference.

finished January 20, 2024

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Like I said—devoured. Second books in a series can often be a struggle, but Ms. Sarah J. Maas has a special skill. I just finished reading this at 1:30 a.m.

finished January 20, 2024

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

I enjoyed this collection of prequel novellas, most of which were very engrossing because they revealed new information about the main character’s past. The last novella dragged a little for me because it should’ve been one of the most interesting but the limited amount of new information wasn’t really worth it.

finished January 21, 2024

Everything/Nothing/Someone by Alice Carrière

This memoir was fine—the last third was the best part—but to me it fell into the memoir trap of “anything sad or hard makes a good memoir.”

finished January 25, 2024

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

I have definitely fallen into a pattern of doing nothing but read this books on the weekends. I’m halfway through the series now.

finished January 28, 2024

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

This one was a lot of fun—so many earned plot twists and well-written details.

finished January 31, 2024

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I was sorely disappointed by the first season of the Disney+ show—and I’d had such high hopes—so I needed to reread the book.

finished February 3, 2024

All’s Well by Mona Awad

When, at the beginning of a book, I think I won’t like it very much, I should trust myself.

finished February 7, 2024

The Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

Well-researched historical fiction about a time and region I’m not that familiar with, plus vampires—this was a great read. It was more rushed than I wanted at the end, but I’ll mark that down as a strength of the characterization, not a weakness of the plot.

finished February 12, 2024

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

My husband is a huge D&D nerd, so this YA romance caught my eye. It was a fun read.

finished February 18, 2024

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

My interest flagged at times, but this was a fairly captivating twist on Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

finished February 20, 2024

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

This was a reading experience I’ve never had before—I read this and Tower of Dawn in tandem. The events happen concurrently, with two different sets of characters, so the fandom recommends reading them in tandem. My sweet husband (almost-husband when he did this) tabbed both books so I would know where to switch back and forth. I definitely read these together a little slower than if I had read each separately—not least because it was difficult to take two 700-page books with me on the go—but I liked that often one book was really tense and exciting while the other was a little slower.

finished February 25, 2024

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

This book had such great characterization of some new and formerly minor characters.

finished February 25, 2024

Weyward by Emilia Hart

I enjoyed this novel about three really strong, witchy women from the same family line, across 400 years.

finished February 27, 2024

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

This was a really great conclusion to the Throne of Glass series. Loui watched me cry many times throughout the last 500 pages, all of which I read on a Friday night…

finished March 1, 2024

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Sometimes it felt like I was trudging through this novel and its ever-present air of “you haven’t figured this out yet.” But it was quite inventive.

finished March 5, 2024

I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott

This was a good essay collection. There were many times—like when Philpott wrote of her lifelong fear of being wrong—that I read something aloud to my husband and said, “Did I write this?”

finished March 7, 2024

Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj

This was a lovely collection of short stories about a Palestinian community in America. I keep reading short story collections that make me rethink my typical aversion to short story collections.

finished March 7, 2024

We Got the Beat by Jenna Miller

This was a cute but pretty juvenile romance novel—and yes, it’s YA, but I wouldn’t describe all YA as juvenile, and I’m probably mostly talking about the journalism content of the book (which was still fun!) when I use that adjective.

finished March 10, 2024

Goodbye Earl by Leesa Cross-Smith

Unfortunately, this book was not good.

finished March 12, 2024

The Correspondents by Judith Mackrell

This book was excellently reported, researched and written—my favorite set of three Rs! I learned not only about six extraordinary women reporters during World War II but also about facets of WWII to which I had never before been exposed. This book is long and packed with information, but it’s really a pleasure to read. I highly recommend it, and I plan to read Mackrell’s other works—even about topics in which I have less interest.

finished March 13, 2024

Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

This is sort of a Frankenstein retelling, with gravedigging and moral questions and sewn-on limbs. It also has a young woman determined to be a physician, a sweet first romance, and some exquisite phrasing—as well as one of the most gorgeous and clever book covers I’ve ever seen. Occasionally the text felt repetitive, and there was one character continuity error that was hard for me to overlook. But I just loved this book overall, and I think it’s a top 10 contender.

finished March 17, 2024

Immortality by Dana Schwartz

For a little bit, I wished that Anatomy had stayed a standalone book—not because what I had read so far of Immortality was bad by any means, but just because it hadn't yet lived up to the excellent ending of Anatomy. But Immortality ended up being very good as well. The use of real-world events and people was great.

finished March 24, 2024

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

I was SUCH a Jodi Picoult girl as a teenager, and she’s been popping up on my TikTok recently. Like all of her books, this was a complicated, nuanced story… and yes, there’s a murder trial. Not until I started telling my husband about my favorite books of hers did I realize that she really does write mystery/thrillers.

finished March 26, 2024

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta

This book was excellently reported and written by a believer, journalist and son of an evangelical pastor. I highly recommend this book to anyone within or without the evangelical denomination.

finished March 27, 2024

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

This book suffered under the weight of my expectations. I saw this book on must-read lists for years, and it was… fine.

finished March 27, 2024

Morphinomena by Joshua Moore

A fellow Lexington writer asked me to beta read his book about Power Rangers, forthcoming in 2025. If you love Power Rangers, you should definitely plan to read this book—and even if you don’t (like me, who just mostly missed the phenomenon), you will still find a lot to enjoy!

finished March 28, 2024

It’s Hard for Me to Live with Me by Rex Chapman with Seth Davis

I really enjoyed this memoir written by a former Kentucky and NBA player who has struggled with addiction.

finished March 30, 2024

First to the Front by Lorissa Rinehart

This was about another unsung journalism hero of the 20th century, Dicky Chappelle, who was the first woman journalist and first journalist period to do many impressive feats as a war correspondent. Like with The Correspondents, this book also taught me a lot about 20th century history.

finished April 5, 2024

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

I’ve been meaning to read this for a long time because of its popularity and because the typewriter keys on the cover match my necklace. The book feels slightly underdeveloped at times, particularly in regard to world building— multiple times while reading, I thought, “No world building, just vibes.” But it was a really fun read with compelling characters. It was funny that I read this right after First to the Front— two very different books that both involve war correspondents.

finished April 5, 2024

Groundskeeping by Lee Cole

I enjoyed this novel, but I remember thinking during the latter half of the book that how it ended would have a big impact on how I felt about the book overall, and the ending was lackluster for me.

finished April 6, 2024

Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

A really good conclusion to the duology. I am so on board with the duology trend right now. There were weak parts of these two books, but there’s something really special about them—I would definitely return to them.

finished April 8, 2024

The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco by Talia Hibbert

I didn’t love the characters the way I have loved other Talia Hibbert characters, but this was a fun romance novel.

finished April 9, 2024

Jazz by Toni Morrison

Obviously, Toni Morrison is a genius. I really loved this novel.

finished April 11, 2024

Young and Restless: The Girls Who Sparked America’s Revolutions by Mattie Kahn

This book was interesting, well-reported and written in a very conversational tone, which was a good teaching experience.

finished April 13, 2024

Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl

This is a collection of really excellent essays, originally published in The New York Times, about the South—plants, people, culture, and much more. It was a great read.

finished April 14, 2024

Medea by Eilish Quin

I enjoyed this retelling of the myth of Medea.

finished April 15, 2024

What Is Love? by Jen Comfort

This Jeopardy!-inspired romance was a very fun read. Perfect for all romantic dorks. Reading about these rivals-to-lovers main characters greatly increased my trash talk while playing pickleball against Loui that day.

finished April 15, 2024

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson

This was a fun novel about community and coming into your own in your 20s—with books and romance!

finished April 16, 2024

Every Time You Hear That Song by Jenna Voris

This book swung pretty wildly from cute, poignant moments to really stupid details (like the names Decklee, Mickenlee, and so on). Back and forth, over and over. I would still say it was a fun read overall.

finished April 21, 2024

The Power of Her Pen: The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne by Lesa Cline-Ransome

This is a children’s book, but just as much care and research and craft go into a children’s book as any other book, so it counts. Ethel Payne was a contemporary and friend of Alice Dunnigan. Anilah, the middle schooler I tutor, and I read this together; when we finished, she said, “Amen!”

finished April 24, 2024

Grimoire Girl by Hilarie Burton Morgan

The witchy practices of this book went beyond what’s interesting or useful to me, but I love the premise: that we should all construct a grimoire that chronicles our life and can be passed down. For me, my journals are grimoires.

finished April 24, 2024

The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell

I went in expecting this book to be fantastic—because of recommendations and because of the gorgeous cover. It was good, but it wasn’t life-changing.

finished April 27, 2024

This is Happiness by Niall Williams

From the very first page, I loved this book. A novel about a town in rural Ireland getting electricity for the first time, this might find its place among my favorite books.

finished April 28, 2024

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

This was a romance novel with some pretty heavy topics. It was good.

finished April 28, 2024

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

This is a very good example of a nonfiction book that includes a lot of research and a lot of personal writing. It’s about the author’s experience climbing Mt. Everest, on an expedition that resulted in several fatalities.

finished May 5, 2024

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

My uncle is a huge Neil Gaiman fan so I’ve always meant to read more of his books, and my dental hygienist recently recommended this particular book. Gaiman really has a masterful, distinctive writing style. I enjoyed this book but am eager to read more of his writing, with plots I might like even more.

finished May 8, 2024

American Queenmaker: How Missy Meloney Brought Women into Politics by Julie Des Jardins

I read this book about an unsung American woman hero because I’m taking a class about writing women’s stories with the author. I enjoyed learning more about a woman whose fingerprints were all over the twentieth century.

finished May 8, 2024

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

This wasn’t the most well-written book, but the story was suspenseful enough to keep me reading.

finished May 11, 2024

Brave the Wild River by Melissa L. Sevigny

I also read this book for my writing women’s stories class. I liked that it combined my interests with some of Loui’s—the subjects were pioneering women botanists.

finished May 13, 2024

The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond

Give me magic in Lexington any day. This heist novel, with found family, romance, and demons mixed in, was so fun.

finished May 17, 2024

The Birdcatcher by Gayl Jones

I had this checked out from the library for a long, long time. I was very excited to read it but knew I would miss having a class to discuss it with, since I read Corregidora in two different college classes. This book just barely lagged for me about three-quarters in, but overall it was brilliant and Gayl Jones is brilliant.

finished May 18, 2024

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Unsurprisingly, this was a very good romance novel. I really liked Daphne, one-half of the book’s main couple, who was grappling with balancing a career and a romantic relationship and friends in her late 20s.

finished May 19, 2024

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake

This was a Christmas gift from McKenna in the form of a Blind Date with a Book! It was a fun Shakespearean romance.

finished May 23, 2024

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid

I feel as if this book held me hostage. I listened to an hour, in another unsuccessful attempt to like audiobooks, then my library app glitched and I couldn’t return it early, so I decided to finish reading it rather than waste a library check-out. It was fine.

finished May 26, 2024

Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter

This author interviewed Kaitlyn Hill at her book launch this week, so I purchased one of her books. This was a fun romance!

finished May 27, 2024

The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser

I’ve read the titular essay before and loved it. I loved many of the essays in this book; others I didn’t connect with as much.

finished May 29, 2024

Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley

I really loved this essay collection about grief—in this case, the grief of having family jewelry stolen, followed almost immediately by the suicide of the author’s best friend, then followed by the worldwide grief of the COVID pandemic. From 2019-20, my grandfather died, my great-grandfather died, Kobe Bryant died, then the COVID pandemic started, and I remember feeling a similar way about all of the different types of grief mingling.

finished May 31, 2024

Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong

After the first couple essays, I wasn’t sure how I felt about her writing style, but the latter half were brilliant.

finished June 4, 2024

Just My Type by Fallon Ballard

Loui fell asleep on me on the couch for about three hours; luckily I had multiple books in reach. I really liked the characters in this romance novel. I was drawn to it because I’ve read and liked this author before and, obviously, because of the typewriter pun.

finished June 4, 2024

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Okay, I have absolutely loved her books before, and this has been heralded as the book of the summer. I was so confused as I read because I thought the first half was written pretty terribly. It picked up by the end and still made me cry, but it’s definitely not a new favorite.

finished June 5, 2024

The Tradition by Jericho Brown

I struggle to offer any sort of overall commentary on a collection of poetry because I’m not a poet. These poems were very moving. I’ve been hearing good things about Jericho Brown for a long time, so I’m glad I finally read some of his work.

finished June 7, 2024

Play to Win by Jodie Slaughter

If asked, I would say I don’t like second-chance romances, but I enjoyed this one a lot. It was a sweet story.

finished June 7, 2024

Unearthed: A Lost Actress, a Forbidden Book, and a Search for Life in the Shadow of the Holocaust by Meryl Frank

This book was a really instructive blueprint for the kind of book I have written and am trying to polish. I really enjoyed it.

finished June 8, 2024

This Is Not a Book about Benedict Cumberbatch: The Joy of Loving Something—Anything—Like Your Life Depends on It by Tabitha Carvan

This collection of essays is exactly in line with what I have fixated on for a while: It is cool for people to love something, and it’s really uncool when others make people feel bad for what they love, and it seems to especially happen to girls and women. I enjoyed this book a lot.

finished June 11, 2024

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

I’m torn on this book. It was engrossing enough to pull me out of a multi-day reading slump, and I liked many of the characters. The pacing and the amount of action that happened off-page was just a bit off. I’m still excited for the sequel next year.

finished June 16, 2024

Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons by Ben Riggs

My love language is reading nonfiction about my husband’s hyperfixations. This could have used another thorough edit, but it was still an interesting and relatively well-written read.

finished June 19, 2024

The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi

I learned a lot from this book that I didn’t previously know. I wish I’d had the opportunity to learn more recent American and international history. I could read only books on this topic for a year and still not understand everything, but this was a great introduction.

finished June 21, 2024

Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti

I want another book on the process of writing this book. One of the alphabetical sentences in this book is, “Good editing skills.” Those were certainly required when Sheila Heti took 10 years of journal entries, alphabetized them by sentence, then edited them down until she had this magnificent book. It is a fascinating writing and editing project to have undertaken.

finished June 21, 2024

Make It Scream, Make It Burn by Leslie Jamison

This book of essays was recommended by writer Minda Honey when I took an essay class with her earlier this year. This collection was excellent; I’m eager to read more of Leslie Jamison’s essays. I finished this in the Salt Lake City Public Library, with a wonderful view of the mountains.

finished June 23, 2024

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

“This octopus book is going to make me weep by the end,” I texted Loui, and indeed it did. This lovely novel reminded me of Fredrik Backman’s novels.

finished June 23, 2024

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I read this book in airports and airplanes on the way back from Salt Lake City. I was probably reading this book exactly as I caught coronavirus. Having covid gave me extra time to read the sequels (when my head wasn’t splitting open). I’m really compelled by this series, though I do think the writing craft could be a bit stronger at times.

finished June 26, 2024

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout

One thing this author loves is a big cliffhanger.

finished June 29, 2024

The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I think the lore got a little messy in this book. Then again, I might just have covid brain. I’m still excited for the rest of the series.

finished July 1, 2024

Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe

I’d had this library book for, I think, a literal year. I finally read it, and it’s just as good as I’ve always heard. It’s a remarkably well-written account of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, specifically through the lens of two families.

finished July 4, 2024

The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The lore just kept getting messier. Maybe it was just me, but I never felt like I had the foundation of the story under me before yet another big reveal or plot twist would happen. I’m also disappointed because I thought the series was complete, but more books will still come out. And I’m not sure I’ll care enough to reread the books so far (which is what I prefer to do when a new book comes out) and finish the series.

finished July 6, 2024

Just Kids by Patti Smith

This was recommended by my thesis director a long time ago, and I finally read it. Even though I know little about Patti Smith, I enjoyed this memoir.

finished July 19, 2024

A Secret History of the IRA by Ed Moloney

This book tried to kill me. It’s a dense book with tiny tiny text, and I struggled to get through. Despite Ed Moloney’s frequent refusal to put commas where they belong, I did enjoy learning from this book.

finished July 22, 2024

Motherfoclóir by Darach Ó Séaghdha

I wanted this book to be something different than it was. It was basically an annotated dictionary, with some interesting tidbits, but I was hoping for more cultural analysis and history of the Irish language.

finished July 23, 2024

Daphne by Will Boast

The cover was gorgeous; the book was fine.

finished July 25, 2024

On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss

This nonfiction book was so good that I stayed up until 2 a.m. to read it. Yeah, an essay collection about vaccination, and it kept me up half the night.

finished July 26, 2024

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

This book did very little for me.

finished July 27, 2024

Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann Powers

I’m not sure I enjoyed the writing style a whole lot, but reading a book with this structure was instructive for my own book.

finished July 31, 2024

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian

I loooooved this romance novel.

finished August 4, 2024

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda

I really enjoyed this fantasy novel and am looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

finished August 6, 2024

The Story of Art without Men by Katy Hessel

This was basically a textbook about women artists throughout history. It was very engaging and interesting.

finished August 9, 2024

Flamefall by Rosaria Munda

I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. to finish this sequel to Fireborne. It was really good, and I’m eager to finish the third book to find out what happens.

finished August 10, 2024

Furysong by Rosaria Munda

I really enjoyed the conclusion to this trilogy. A great series!

finished August 11, 2024

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian

I enjoyed this romance novel, though not nearly as much as her other that I recently read.

finished August 15, 2024

Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg

I really loved this novel for the writing style and for what it conveyed about relationships and being creative.

finished August 17, 2024

The Third Rainbow Girl by Emma Copley Eisenberg

This true crime documentary/memoir has long been recommended to me because of its similarity to my Alice project. I really enjoyed it and found it instructive. It was cool to read an author’s fiction and nonfiction back to back.

finished August 20, 2024

My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shapland

This is another book with a similar premise to mine. I liked it less than others but found it really instructive as well. I made a lot of notes and might quote from it directly in my next revision. Woo, 100 books!

finished August 22, 2024

A History of Women in 101 Objects by Annabelle Hirsch

This was an interesting collection of mini-essays. It would be a good way to study for Jeopardy!

finished August 22, 2024

Miss Peregrine’s Museum of Wonders by Ransom Riggs

This is a companion anthology to the Miss Peregrine series, which is one of my favorites. I attended Ransom Riggs’ book launch for his next series this week, so I wanted to read the last of the Miss Peregrine series before moving to the new book.

finished August 28, 2024

1000 Words by Jami Attenberg

“You didn’t want to save this for your 1000th book of the year?” Loui asked when I texted that I had finished this. This was a collection of encouraging and instructive essays from writers about writing.

finished August 30, 2024

Appropriate: A Provocation by Paisley Rekdal

This was an informative collection of essays about writing outside your own experience.

finished August 31, 2024

Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

I listened to much of this book as an audiobook! That’s huge for me because normally I can’t stand listening to them. I already love this author, this plot was very gripping, and the reader was fantastic.

finished September 2, 2024

Icons and Inferno by Marie Lu

This is the conclusion to the duology, which I also partially listened to and partially read.

finished September 4, 2024

Wild About You by Kaitlyn Hill

This was probably my favorite yet by this Lexington romance author! Very fun.

finished September 5, 2024

Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer by Rax King

This was a collection of fun, well-crafted essays.

finished September 6, 2024

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Ashtyn bullied me into rereading this because she’s reading it. It’s a very good book; now I need to watch the show.

finished September 9, 2024

World Running Down by Al Hess

When I was at a fantastic bookstore called Legendarium in Salt Lake City, the staff recommended this local author. I would still say AI is not my favorite thing in real life or fiction, but I liked this book more than I thought I would.

finished September 12, 2024

This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings

I heard this author at the National Book Festival and wanted to read her debut novel. There were things I liked about it, but I think the lore should have been refined more before publication.

finished September 13, 2024

You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World, edited by Ada Limón

I adore Ada Limón. This collection was part of her work as U.S. Poet Laureate.

finished September 14, 2024

The Defender: How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America by Ethan Michaeli

This was a very good history of The Defender specifically and the Black press in general, with a few Alice Dunnigan mentions! I was also excited when the author brought it personal at the end—he worked at The Defender for several years.

finished September 16, 2024

The Mango Tree by Annabelle Tometich

I am so impressed at myself for how many books by National Book Festival authors I’ve already read in the last month. I enjoyed this, though it made me realize I’m really trending toward memoir + reporting lately. This book is straightforward memoir, about food and family.

finished September 20, 2024

Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson

I remember reading this when it was just an essay, along with gorgeous illustrations. The book is breathtakingly beautiful—the photos, the typefaces, the colors! I enjoyed the writing, though The Birds of Opulence still holds my favorite spot.

finished September 21, 2024

The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I devour the books in this series every time. I read it in one sitting—aided by my immobility from a twisted ankle.

finished September 23, 2024

What’s Next by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack

I adore The West Wing, so I loved this behind-the-scenes look written by two actors on the show. Sometimes books written by celebrities suffer a bit, but this was extremely well-researched and well-organized.

finished September 24, 2024

Reporting from Washington: The History of the Washington Press Corps by Donald A. Ritchie

I would have enjoyed reading this history even if Alice Dunnigan hadn’t been featured. I met Donald Ritchie last week, when he gave a lecture at UK. He told me he has also long been fascinated by Alice Dunnigan and immediately gave me his card.

finished September 25, 2024

Kentucky, Y’all by Blair Thomas Hess and Cameron M. Ludwick

A very fun and informative read for any Kentuckian—or anyone interested in Kentucky! I knew I would buy this book for many reasons, the first of which is that Blair held two of my jobs before I did—Kentucky Kernel editor and KSU Land Grant media manager. The second reason is that many would forget that perfect and necessary comma in the book title.

finished September 26, 2024

Death in a Promised Land: The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 by Scott Ellsworth

I read Ellsworth’s books about Tulsa out of order; this is the first and I’ve already read the second. Though it’s quite different from Alice’s story and circumstances, reading about the Tulsa Massacre and how it was covered up for decades has been educational for me.

finished September 27, 2024

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

This is a gorgeous novel that reads like some of my favorite nonfiction. Choosing my top 10 is going to be very difficult this year.

finished September 28, 2024

Once A City Said, edited by Joy Priest

Though I certainly don’t know Louisville intimately, I really enjoyed this anthology for and about Louisville.

finished September 30, 2024

Built from the Fire by Victor Luckerson

We heard a lecture by this author at UK in March, and I finally read his book about the Tulsa Race Massacre. Another book relevant to my book in both structure and content.

finished October 2, 2024

A Few Honest Words: The Kentucky Roots of Popular Music by Jason Howard

This was a good collection of profiles of Kentucky musicians. This was written in 2012; I’d love a sequel. I just love Kentucky.

finished October 4, 2024

Pushed: Miners, a Merchant, and (Maybe) a Massacre by Ana Maria Spagna

I heard this author speak at AWP last year and finally read the book. My goal for the rest of the year is to read all of the Alice-relevant books I’ve collected; this was another one of those.

finished October 4, 2024

Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo’s Hidden History by Kristina R. Gaddy

I met Kristina at the Kentucky Book Festival in 2022 and was really intrigued by her work. I learned a lot from this book about the banjo’s roots in the African American experience. I loved the sections in which the author offered more personal analysis and personally would have liked more of it in the book. I’m really enjoying the reading I’ve been doing lately that relates to my book, and I feel very confident in how I see my work fitting in.

finished October 6, 2024

Olivetti by Allie Millington

This is a book for readers younger than I, but it’s about a sentient typewriter with a beautiful cover, so of course I bought and read it.

finished October 9, 2024

My Black Country: A Journey through Country Music’s Black Past, Present, and Future by Alice Randall

I struggled through parts of this book, but I learned a lot. The last 30 pages were remarkable.

finished October 14, 2024

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

I have always enjoyed Ashley Poston’s books—romance with a little bit of magic—but I have often thought her books needed one more strong edit. This book’s writing was much stronger. It’s fun to read a writer’s latest book and think it’s the best yet.

finished October 15, 2024

The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath by Leslie Jamison

This memoir/literary analysis about drinking and recovery was really well-crafted.

finished October 18, 2024

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

I read most of this book at the park on back-to-back gorgeous fall days. I enjoyed this book about living creatively, though I don’t think it was life-changing for me like I’ve heard it was for other people.

finished October 18, 2024

Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story by Leslie Jamison

Leslie Jamison is a very good writer, but I enjoyed the content of this book less. Ever since I married the most supportive person in the world, I love reading authors’ thanks to their spouse in the acknowledgments. It was a little depressing to finish The Recovering and reads its acknowledgments, then immediately read a book about her divorce.

finished October 20, 2024

And Then? And Then? What Else? by Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket

I really liked the premise of this book that each writer has a literary canon. The book itself was decent.

finished October 23, 2024

Scissors, Paper, Rock by Fenton Johnson

This was a really lovely collection of interconnected short stories, about a Kentucky family.

finished October 25, 2024

At the Center of All Beauty: Solitude and the Creative Life by Fenton Johnson

Hearing Fenton Johnson talk about his writing practice at the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame induction is what made me want to read this book. I enjoyed parts of it, but it was more philosophy than writing craft—which is just not what I personally wanted. Exciting note: With this book, I have tied my 2023 total!

finished October 27, 2024

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers

I really liked this romance novel! A good love letter to books, and the romance was supplemented by other strong interpersonal relationships.

finished October 28, 2024

Survival Is Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbs

This book was excellent! It’s a biography, but its structure and style are different than anything else I’ve read. As I was reading this, I was telling Loui, “Picking my top 10 is going to be TOUGH this year.”

finished October 30, 2024

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

As I was reading this, too, I was saying, “Picking my top 10 is going to be TOUGH this year.” This was a perfect Halloween read while riding in the car to Florida and an excellent novel by a fellow Kentuckian.

finished October 31, 2024

Empire of Light by Alex Harrow

At an awesome bookstore in Salt Lake City called Legendarium, I asked for local book recommendations. This one especially got my attention because of the Kentuckian Alix E. Harrow. Then Alex Harrow was actually in the Legendarium when I was and signed my book for me. I was really intrigued by the first two-thirds of this futuristic sci-fi novel, but the story lost me a bit at the end.

finished November 1, 2023

The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

This was an interesting historical novel about the friendship and working relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune.

finished November 4, 2024

All the Women in My Family Sing, edited by Deborah Santana

I didn’t love this collection, but just because my expectations were different from what the book was. It was still valuable to read so many different perspectives from many different women.

finished November 6, 2024

Percy Jackson: The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan

I reread this book ahead of reading the sequel.

finished November 8, 2024

Percy Jackson: Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

I enjoyed this book more than the previous. This felt more like a classic Percy Jackson adventure.

finished November 8, 2024

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop

This was a fun memoir by Emily Gilmore herself.

finished November 10, 2024

Suffrage: Women’s Long Battle for the Vote by Ellen Carol Dubois

I always enjoy learning more about the suffrage movement, but the end of the book was a bit slow for me to get through.

finished November 11, 2024

A Simple Justice: Kentucky Women Fight for the Vote by Melanie Beals Goan

This book suffered, through no fault of its own, from my being in a reading slump. I loved that the writing style matched Dr. Goan’s teaching style, when I took Kentucky history with her in college.

finished November 15, 2024

Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music by Rob Sheffield

This was a really great book about Taylor Swift, by a music journalist who has frequently written about her. I learned things I didn’t know and felt many moments of emotion, reading about something I care so deeply about. My only major issue was that the author hypothesized that “Long Live” is about a romantic interest, when I have always understood it to be about a group of friends/her band.

finished November 15, 2024

The Evolution of the Gospelettes by Tammy Oberhausen

Mrs. Rastoder (her teaching name) was my yearbook adviser in high school, and this is her STUNNING debut novel. From the cover art to the pacing of the story to the family dynamics, including the bossy oldest sister, I loved everything about this book.

finished November 17, 2024

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

I made the mistake of going in the library, so of course I came out with more books to distract myself from my TBR at home. This was a really fun enemies-to-lovers romance in a magical setting. It had high emotional stakes, so of course I cried.

finished November 21, 2024

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen

I love a friends-to-lovers trope since I’m in a friends-to-lovers marriage myself, plus this book added dragons to the setting.

finished November 22, 2024

Anti-Intellectualism in American Life by Richard Hofstadter

Someone recommended this to me in 2017, when she saw me reading The Final Days by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein at Panera Bread. I have owned it for years but hadn’t gotten around to reading it. This was a good time to finally read about this particular topic. There was a lot of interesting analysis in this 1964 book, though the lack of discussion about race or gender was conspicuous.

finished November 24, 2024

Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi

This was a very fun, witchy romance!

finished November 24, 2024

Mama Said by Kristen Gentry

I really enjoyed this collection of linked short stories about a family in and around Louisville.

finished November 25, 2024

The Darkening by Sunya Mara

I bought this book quite a while ago because the author’s social media marketing was so good. It’s been sitting on my shelf for so long that the conclusion to the duology was already out. I loved this fantasy novel. It reminded me of other books I love, like The Hunger Games, but it was new and distinctive.

finished November 26, 2024

The Lightstruck by Sunya Mara

This sequel suffered a little bit for me in the middle, but overall I liked it a lot.

finished November 27, 2024

Official Taylor Swift The Eras Tour Book

I debated whether to count this as a book since it’s predominantly photos, but I read every word in it, so I’m counting it. I really want more prose writing from Taylor Swift than was in this book—maybe someday.

finished November 29, 2024

House of Champions: The Story of Kentucky Basketball’s Home Courts by Kevin Cook

I loved this book. It covers so much University of Kentucky history that was incredibly interesting to me. I wish I had written it.

finished November 30, 2024

There She Was: A Secret History of Miss America by Amy Argetsinger

I heard this author speak at the Kentucky Book Festival a couple years ago and bought her book, which I finally read. I enjoyed her writing a lot.

finished December 4, 2024

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez

This was a fun novel, with romance and dragons!

finished December 4, 2024

Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa

This novel had Mexican and English history, pioneering characters, good romance and a bond among three sisters. I really liked it!

finished December 7, 2024

Real Americans by Rachel Khong

A friend suggested this at a Christmas party, and it was available at the library, so I started reading. It definitely got me out of a reading slump. I really loved it and am continuing to have to make tough decisions about my top 10.

finished December 12, 2024

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

I loved Cleopatra and Frankenstein, so I’m not surprised I loved this novel about sisters. The text I said to Loui when I finished it said, “It was really good. I am crying.”

finished December 13, 2024

Woman: The American History of an Idea by Lillian Faderman

This overview of womanhood in America took me a bit to get through, but I did enjoy it.

finished December 13, 2024

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

I downloaded this book because it was recommended by library staff and because I’ve been interested in reading more Palestinian authors this year. It is a very short novella, but it was quite impactful.

finished December 14, 2024

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer

I took measures this week to diminish my social media usage, so what I’ve been doing instead of going to Instagram is going to the library app on my phone, which has led to increased reading this weekend. This was a good romance novel with some unique elements.

finished December 14, 2024

My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

I’ve been in a vampire mood because Loui and I are watching the final season of What We Do in the Shadows. I was so engrossed by this romance novel that I could hardly put the book down on a mostly lazy Sunday.

finished December 15, 2024

Isabel and the Rogue by Liana De la Rosa

This is a sequel; I read the first in the romance series a few weeks ago. I think I liked the woman protagonist in the first better (I am biased toward the oldest sister) but the man protagonist in this one better.

finished December 17, 2024

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

A woman named Cassandra suddenly finds herself able to time travel within the last four months of her life. I enjoyed how this made her slightly prophetic, like her Greek namesake. The ending completely surprised me, so I respected that a lot.

finished December 18, 2024

There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib

I have anticipated reading this book since Minda Honey had us read an excerpt in her essay class early this year. I bought it ages ago, then I put off reading it—perhaps because I wanted to save it, perhaps because I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to expectations? It did, of course; it’s a masterpiece of a book. It’s really unlike anything I’ve ever read before. When you’re a brilliant writer, people trust you to write the book you want to write. I aspire to ascend to that level.

finished December 18, 2024

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

Ashtyn came across this book on the library app, then she recommended it to me. I loved it. It’s a weird little book, but it was surprising and it has settled into my brain.

finished December 19, 2024

Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans

This commentary on the American church was really insightful and helpful to me. It grieves me that Rachel Held Evans died young and unexpectedly—of course for her loved ones but also because I would love to read her thoughts on current events.

finished December 21, 2024

Dear Mr. You by Mary-Louise Parker

I have a love-hate relationship with the character of Amy Gardner on The West Wing, but I was still intrigued enough to read her actress’s memoir. She’s a skilled writer. Like most collections of essays, I liked some more than others.

finished December 23, 2024

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

My coworker Grace loaned me this book when I said I needed more fiction to close out the year. I stayed up very late on Christmas night to finish this intriguing book about a family of parents and adult children.

finished December 25, 2024

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

I’ve long heard this is really good, and I wasn’t disappointed.

finished December 27, 2024

Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World by Leslie M. M. Hume

This was well researched and written; I read it basically in one sitting. I’m going to teach from it in my class next semester.

finished December 29, 2024

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

I finished this very early in the morning, when I couldn’t fall asleep. I’m excited the third book will be published in February! By finishing this book, 2024 is my top year of reading!

finished December 30, 2024

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

I first read this excellence novel in 2020. It was before I did a top 10, but this likely would have been on it. I reread it before putting it in my book swap today.

finished December 30, 2024

The Associated Press Stylebook

Yes, I did actually read the whole thing, cover to cover.

finished December 31, 2024 (technically a little after midnight)