This year I set myself the challenge of reading 100 books. I tried to set myself a challenge every year and as I get further into the year I tend to increase the number of books I eventually want to read. It’s the 11th of December and I’ve read 85 books out of the 100 so I don’t think I’m going to meet my challenge this year!

As I’m sure you know by now, I absolutely love reading and I love to recommend books that have really grabbed me, made me laugh, made me think and made me want to pass them on.

So here is a list of 10 books in no particular order that I recommend you read next year:

1. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins: I read this along with my book club and it was a massive hit for most who read it. I’ve already talked about it in a previous post but it’s a hard hitting book about immigrants making the journey from Mexico to the US. There are moments of real tragedy but also joy and it’s very evocative in its use of imagery. A must read.
2. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: one of those books with a lot of hype but that was actually worth the hype. Despite it being about making video games, I found it really engaging and absolutely loved the friendships portrayed through it. It’s beautifully written and an easy read.
3. Still Life by Sarah Winman: this was the first book of hers that I’ve read and I absolutely loved it. A sprawling, long book with intercepting characters, beautiful prose and real heart. Set in Florence for a large chunk, it made me want to visit the city again as it makes it sound so beautiful.
4. Carrie Sotto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid: I absolutely love Taylor Jenkins Reid and this book did not disappoint. It follows a tennis superstar over her career and, despite not being into tennis at all, I really enjoyed it.
5. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn: not normally the type of book I would choose to read but I picked it up because an Bookstagram person I follow raves about it. It follows female code brokers in Bletchley Park in the second world war and gives an incredible insight into what it would have been like. Again, beautiful characters and relationships and just really well-written and engaging despite being a genre I wouldn’t normally read.
6. I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes: It’s a very long (700+ pages) tome of a book but it is a-mazing. Definitely the best thriller I’ve ever read, really layered and complex but easy to read with short chapters so it feels like you fly through it. If spy thrillers are your thing, seriously, give this one a read!
7. Darling by India Knight: wonderful book. I took it on retreat and it was just the right mix of whimsical, beautiful, humorous and moving literature that I needed. Most enjoyable book to read this year I think.
8. Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors: there’s quite a lot of hype around this one (at least on my social media), but it seems to be quite a Marmite one! I really loved it. I loved the way it was written and the relationship between the characters. I couldn’t put it down.
9. All my Mothers by Joanna Glen: another book with a lot of hype! A beautiful beautiful beautiful book around female friendships and maternal relationships.
10. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah: this is probably my favourite author at the moment and there were a number of books I could have recommended here. But I’ve gone for Firefly Lane. A brilliant book spanning decades of a female friendship.

So there you go. There were so many more books I could have added, and maybe I’ll wish I had included different ones in the future! I love being recommended books so please do let me know of a good book that you have read that you think I should read next year.

Have you read any of the books on my list? Do you agree or disagree with my choices?