Book recommendations time!
We’re trying out a new bookish series around here. In the interest of helping you find great new books to add to your TBR, I’m sharing my favorite book recommendations at the end of each season.
To help you determine if a book is a good fit, I’ll include a short preview of what I loved about each book and what kind of reader might enjoy it. Books are also linked to both Amazon and Bookshop for easy browsing. (If you’re unfamiliar, Bookshop is an online bookstore whose proceeds support an independent bookstore of your choice.)
Full disclosure that I’m an affiliate for both sites. Buying through the links below does not raise the cost for you, but it does send a few pennies my way to help support my behind-the-scenes work.
Heads up, subscribers to my email list get bonus recommendations and literary confessions on posts like these, plus monthly book recs straight to their inboxes. If you’re into that, sign up here!
Now let’s get to the books, shall we?
Fall 2021 best Book Recommendations
Nonfiction
Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us Out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode – And Into a Life of Connection and Joy – Aundi Kolber
This is one of those books whose contents I’d like to download into my brain. Using a combination of neuroscience, real-life examples, and exercises she’d incorporate with clients in her therapy practice, Kobler talks through a gentler way to approach your mind, emotions, and body. After reading this book and doing the exercises, I feel like I have a better grasp of how my emotions actually feel and how to sit with them. (Truly, don’t skip the end-of-chapter exercises. I see you, homework-avoiders. They’re transformative, and I don’t use that word lightly.)
I’ll also absolutely plug reading this with trusted friends. My virtual book club read this together (hi Stranger Friends!), and it felt sort of like group therapy. Great for discussion and highly recommended.
You’ll love it if: you’re down for a faith-based approach to move through life in a more aware, restful way
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters – Priya Parker
I first heard high praise of this book from Anne Bogel, and it definitely deserved all the accolades. In this book, Parker talks about what makes a successful gathering, whether it’s a birthday party or a work conference, and how to implement those strategies for your own gatherings. This book is a great blend of practice and theory – the examples are memorable, and the tips are easily applicable. You can bet I’ll be referencing this one the next time we host. (It’s worth buying, or at least taking really good notes, for that reason.)
You’ll love it if: you are a leader of any type of gathering and want to make it worth your guests’ while
Fiction
The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
A friend recommended this one years ago as a read-alike for Brideshead Revisited, and she was spot on. In this novel, a butler takes his first-ever road trip across England to visit a woman who used to work in the same house. As he drives, he reflects on his position and how life in great houses has changed.
The point of view in this book was absolutely fascinating. So is the slow, creeping significance of the story the butler tells. You won’t understand why the reviews call this book heartbreaking until suddenly the story is ending and then you’ll get it. Gah. So good.
You’ll love it if: the idea of Carson from Downtown Abbey narrating a reflective novel like Gilead sounds up your alley
Who is Maud Dixon? – Alexandra Andrews
This one was a ride. Florence, a down-on-her-luck publishing assistant, is offered a job by “Maud Dixon,” the pseudonym for a best-selling author. Since Maud’s identity is fiercely protected, Florence cannot reveal where she’s working or whom she’s working for. The story unwinds on a slow-burning rollercoaster of suspenseful twists and turns from there. I rocketed through this one quickly and really enjoyed it.
You’ll love it if: you want to escape into a zippy, twisty mystery
Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen
I’m very slowly working my way through the Jane Austen canon and picked this up after a friend said how much she enjoyed it. My dad claims all Austen novels are the same, but this one proves him wrong. (Really, Dad! It does!) Sure, it’s a Regency romance – but it’s not about sisters! And it has some great satire on Gothic novels! And Catherine is a very different heroine than Austen’s usual!
The difference between Catherine and other Austen characters was actually one of my favorite parts of the story. Another firecracker Lizzy Bennet, or even a whip-smart meddling Emma, she is not. But Austen is aware of her heroine’s faults and low-key mocks her quite frequently, so you’ll find some excellent sarcastic humor as a result.
This wasn’t a perfect book – I didn’t find the structure to be seamless or the Tilney family especially swoon-worthy – but it is still worth a read.
You’ll love it if: you’re a Jane Austen stan
Memoir
Crying in H Mart – Michelle Zauner
Oof. This book was beautiful and also a lot. Michelle Zauner tells the story of her relationship to her mother, through her teenage years into adulthood, and ultimately into her mother’s diagnosis with cancer. It’s brutal, obviously, but also tender and honest. You’ll need to brace yourself for some heartbreaking details – Zauner does not sanitize anything here – and maybe some cathartic crying, but I thought it was definitely worth it.
You’ll love it if: you enjoy a detailed “tough stuff” memoir
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet – John Green
I felt compelled to include this because, well, it’s John Green, and he is a treasure of our time. But I also want you to know what you’re getting into when you pick this one up. I think I would have enjoyed this one even more had my expectations been different going in.
This book is a collection of snappy little essays on all manner of topics, from Green’s adopted home of Indianapolis to sunsets to the backstory of an old photograph that hangs in his house. Together, the essays explore what it’s like to live during the Anthropocene age, where human decision-making shapes the planet. Green’s characteristic humor and attention is on full display here, and these essays are absolutely enjoyable and relatable. They are not, however, page-turner-y like his fiction. I found I enjoyed this one most when I read slowly, a few at a time, right before bed. He also spends a not-insignificant time on the topic of the pandemic. I wish there had been a little more distance between those reflections and the actual event – or maybe I’m just not quite ready to see this era explored in print!
You’ll love it if: you’ve ever wanted to sit down with John Green for coffee
If you’re craving more book chat, keep an eye out for my favorite books of 2021, coming the first week of January! You can also hop on my email list, where you’ll get book recs, updates and behind-the-scenes on blog posts, and other fun stuff in your inbox about twice a month. I’m not annoying, promise, and you can unsubscribe at any time.