Every year I say I hate best-of lists but then I do them! The pandemic has reignited my love for reading and nothing makes me happier than someone reading a book I recommend. Usually, with these lists, there’s a blurb about why it’s on the list and why it is good. No need for that. You can read about the book yourselves and decide.
Most, if not all have dark themes. I read lighter books too, but these are the ones that really stayed with me for a long time after I read them, my measure for being a “good” book.
Fiction
The Idiot by Elif Bautman. The college angst I wish I had.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Ian Red. Better than the movie (of course).
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. For lovers of bad decisions.
Cat Person and Other Stories by Kristen Roupenian, The title story went viral, the other stories are better.
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips. This is one of those books that makes me want to quit writing because I will never be this good.
Luster by Raven Leilani. See above.
Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh. Woman grows old, lives in an isolated cabin, chaos ensues.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert. Not just for theater nerds.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. Worth the hype.
Memoir
Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener. The deceptive allure of working for start-ups. Reads like literary fiction.
Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Crawford. I’m obsessed with boarding schools.
Dancing with the Octopus by Debora Harding. Come for the survival of a horrific crime, stay for the treacherous family dynamics.
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino. The best writing on internet culture.
Gone at Midnight: The Mysterious Death of Elisa Lam by Jake Anderson. The author not only gives Lam the care that true crime victims need but chronicles his own breakdown while investigating.
Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett. Escaping a cult and narcissistic parents.
What is this? A semi-regular newsletter about culture and academia and academic culture with occasional creative essays.