I started tracking the books I read with The Story Graph in 2021. I love reflecting on the books I've read and recommending them to others. Around December each year, I create my reading recommendation list. I pick the top 10 books (5 non-fiction, 5 fiction) that I've read in the past 12 months and aren't in the middle of a series. Depending on how busy I am that year, I may write up why I'm recommending it.
Coming soon: Books to Read During a PhD
Non-Fiction:
Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World
by Theresa MacPhail
Vibes: Thoughtful, investigative
Have you thought that your allergies are getting worse over time? Or that more people have allergies than when you were younger? It’s not your imagination. Allergy prevalence is growing throughout the world. This book does a great job at explaining allergy causes from a biological perspective and also explores the trends around the world. It turns out the topic is a lot more complicated than we previously thought and straight-forward seeming hypotheses (ie, we’re cleaner so our bodies over-react) don’t hold up when we consider all the data.
Invisible Labor: The Untold Story of the Cesarean Section
by Rachel Somerstein
Vibes: Rage, trauma, hard truths
Maternal mortality is hugely concerning to me and the terrible state of maternal mortality in the US is a debacle. [Note: traditionally a debacle is a failure, particularly one due to poor planning or organization, but my favorite definition of debacle is a failure worthy of public shame. Believe me, the deaths of these women in America is shameful.] Invisible Labor is a hard book to read. I had to set it down several times just to breathe and rage and the inadequacies women receive from our healthcare system. The cesarean section (C-section) is an operation rooted in racism and continues to contribute to the racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. Did you know that it’s (statistically) safer for black women to give birth in Mexico than in the US? That the US maternal mortality rate has been *rising* since the late 1990s? This book highlights some of the reasons behind these statistics interwoven with the author’s own trauma surrounding a C-section. A hard read, but so important.
Thinking with Your Hands: The Surprising Science Behind How Gestures Shape Our Thoughts
by Susan Goldin-Meadow
Vibes: Curious, exciting
I love telling a good story and I think that facial expression and tone of voice are the most important parts of getting an audience engaged. This book challenged me to rethink the use of gestures and I’ve been making a conscious effort to use more of them. “An encompassing picture of human communication contains both language and gesture.” Susan Goldin-Meadow is a developmental psychologist and in this book explores the interplay between gesture and communication. Full of studies and actionable advice, I was entertained and fascinated through this whole book.
Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet
by Ben Goldfarb
Vibes: Concerning, inspiring, informative
Breaking Through: My Life in Science
by Katalin Karikó
Vibes: Inspiring
Fiction:
Teller of Small Fortunes
by Julie Leong
Vibes: Cozy, hopeful
Tress of the Emerald Sea
by Brandon Sanderson
Vibes: Funny, adventurous
Dreadful
by Caitlin Rozakis
Vibes: Funny
Cascade Failure
by L.M. Sagas
Vibes: Moving, fast-paced
A Sorceress Comes to Call
by T. Kingfisher
Vibes: Dark, fascinating
Non-Fiction
How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis
The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms that Sustain Life by Johan Eklöf
Water Always Wins: Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge by Erica Gies
Cultured: How Ancient Foods Can Feed Our Microbiome by Katherine Harmon Courage
Where We Meet the World: The Story of the Senses by Ashley Ward
Fiction:
Middle Grade
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
YA
When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb
Adult
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Sangu Mandanna
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Non-Fiction
The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts That Make Us Overeat by Stephan J. Guyenet
Dark and Magical Places: The Neuroscience of Navigation by Christopher Kemp
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet by Chelsea Wald
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
Fiction
Middle Grade
The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu
Alanna by Tamora Pierce
YA
The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna (Deathless #2)
Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria
Adult
A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts That Make Us Overeat by Stephan J. Guyenet
Who should read it: Age 16+, people who are interested in health
What I liked about it:I don’t buy into the narrative that “fat people are lazy” and this book shows a lot of evidence why you shouldn’t either. It’s well supported with properly cited research and tells a story about how and why humans' eating habits have changed. This is not a weight loss book, but it does provide some insight on what things might make you gain or lose weight.
Dark and Magical Places: The Neuroscience of Navigation by Christopher Kemp
Who should read it: Age 18+, anyone who wonders why they (or their friend) always gets lost
What I liked about it: I never really thought about how amazing it is that our brains can store maps and navigate us through constantly changing environments, but it’s a pretty crazy process. The author walks you through what type of cells in your brain support navigation and how those cells were discovered. From there, you’ll learn about different ways we navigate (Tim and I use different methods) and what makes certain people bad at it (sorry parents, it seems to be partially genetic, though GPS and city design play roles as well). The author interviews many scientists throughout and starts each section with their self rating of how good they are at navigating (I’m an 8.5/10). Lots of online resources listed with this book to explore after reading. It also provides great conversation topics.
This book is heavy on the nomenclature so I think having had a few high school science classes would improve the reader’s enjoyment, but it’s by no means necessary.
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
Who should read it: Age 14+, nature enthusiasts
What I liked about it: This book has such a beautiful narrative and I highly recommend the audiobook which is excellently read by the author. **Non-sponsored plug to please use Overdrive/Libby through your public library for your audiobooks. It’s free. It helps library usage numbers. It avoids giving any money to a large corporation named after a feature in South America.** I grew up in central Illinois with the firm belief that eating cows and corn is good and mushrooms were likely poison, even if some grownups insisted they were food. My palate has greatly expanded since then, but before this book my understanding of fungi was limited to the species I interact with the most: mushrooms, mold, yeast. This book expands into so many different facets of how fungi interact with the human existence. My views of how my body functions and what is important for a healthy planet were shifted by this book.
Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet by Chelsea Wald
Who should read it: Age 14+, city dwellers, global travelers, and anyone who knows the phrase, “if it’s yellow, let it mellow”
What I liked about it: Like many people, I use a toilet daily, but that experience is driven by the place and culture I live in. For me, a toilet is a comfy location to get rid of waste that then is kept separate from drinking water and daily life, thus keeping me and my community safe. This book explores what happens in places where toilet use isn’t prevalent and asks if toilets could be doing more than they are now. There’s a lot of information contained in our poop and it’s only recently that we have the technology to harvest that data in a meaningful way (for example, some cities used sewer testing to predict COVID-19 outbreaks). Is a smart toilet that could test for disease going to be in each home? What about all the water usage for moving poop and the growing frequency of draughts? So many questions are brought up in this book, many of which need global attention in order to get answered. I thought the author did an excellent job at supporting thoughtful reading.
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
Who should read it: Age 16+, people who are interested in health, athletes and musicians that want a performance boost, chronic stuffy nose sufferers
What I liked about it: Oh boy, this book… I really enjoy non-fiction books that can tell a narrative about a topic with clear support from scientific literature and well controlled studies. This book is not that. At all. I’m putting it on my reading recommendations because I can’t stop thinking about it. Breathing practices are a part of many religions and cultural traditions going back thousands of years, but are still poorly studied and understood, though not for a lack of trying. Scientific studies on breathing have come and gone in waves for the past several hundred years and after each one, the knowledge is put away and ignored, instead of being built upon. Like many things that our ancestors understood to be true and science hasn’t discovered why, breathing appears to be more foundational to our health than just the surface level exchange of gasses. I’m not prepared to endorse the author’s views in this book, but it definitely should be further studied. If you read this book, prepare to be incredibly self-conscious about your breath for an extended period of time. If you’re not ready to read this book, my brief summary is: breathing through your mouth is bad for you.*
*Most likely. Still to be confirmed.
The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu
Who should read it: Grades 5-8
What I liked about it:First, it’s a captivating story that I would have loved to read in middle school. On top of that, this book does not shy away from misogyny and gaslighting that children may face because of their gender. By placing this abuse in a world with magic, it loses some of its sting and shows strong examples of how to stand up for yourself, even against adults in authority.
Alanna by Tamora Pierce
Who should read it: Grades 3-6
What I liked about it: I read this book because it was listed in an article about best world-building in high fantasy. It was originally published in 1983 and I don’t understand how I hadn’t read it before because I would have devoured the whole series. It’s a story about a girl who wants to be a knight so she pretends to be her twin brother. It’s a simple and approachable story that grows in depth in the later books, some of which aren’t appropriate for ages as young as this one. Alanna is a very lovable character and I’m planning to get this for one of my nieces who I think would also have made a great knight.
The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna (Deathless #2)
Who should read it: Age 14+
What I liked about it: Look, I really try not to recommend books that are sequels, but this one was so powerful. If you haven’t read ‘The Gilded Ones’ by Namina Forna, go read that first and then come back to this. I don’t usually like book 2 more than book 1 or 3 in a trilogy. I’m not sure what it is, but they usually feel like too much character development and not enough action. This book struck a really good balance and addressed issues and themes that were missing from the first book. I needed to take a few days off reading after this book to process everything. Strong theme of smashing the patriarchy for the benefit of women AND men. Content warning: death and dark themes, violence, mentioned sexual violence.
Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria
Who should read it: Ages 12-18
What I liked about it: A good standalone fantasy with well written characters. A friend recommended this to me as a book with good ace representation and I really enjoyed how authentic the characters felt. The focus of the book isn’t the LGBTQ+ characters; they’re there just like these people are a part of our lives. I also appreciated how the book depicts anxiety and panic attacks. I will say over and over that representation matters and this book covers that in multiple ways.
A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
Who should read it: Ages 18+
What I liked about it: I don’t really know what people mean when they say, “beach read”, but I think this book would be that for me. Excellent world building and well thought out magic system with a slow-burn romance that turns steamy. It’s the first book in a trilogy and I read all three in four days. The romance is predictable, but the plot has some fun surprises and I especially enjoyed the Greek gods portrayed in a different manner. Content warning: sexual content, violence, child abuse, torture.