I read over 400 books this year, if I’m including picture books. I read a lot of stuff, and some of it was great. Some of it was terrible. These are the best books I read this year.
Her Body & Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado: A collection of short stories that blends realism and science fiction, humor and horror. These stories are all knockouts, racing towards conclusions while keeping the reader riveted. Subversive, feminist, and unforgettable. I can’t wait to see what Machado does next.
Always Happy Hour by Mary Miller: Another short story collection makes the list, with Mary Miller’s excellent collection of stories about women on the brink of something. At times claustrophobic, and at other times blisteringly acerbic, this collection of women all in search of different things was one of the best and most accomplished collections of the year. I loved it.
There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce by Morgan Parker: A collection of poetry that uses pop culture references (and a lot of Beyonce references) to explore black womanhood in modern day America. This is intersectional feminism at its most sharp and inciting, and it’s a must-read, even for those who don’t dabble much (or at all) in poetry. 
Bonfire by Krysten Ritter: Part legal thriller, part coming-of-age novel, the debut novel from actress Krysten Ritter knocked my socks off. She hooked me from the first pages and didn’t let up until the story’s gripping, violent end. This is a knockout of a novel, one that demands to be read. I can’t wait to see what Ritter offers next, whether it’s a film or TV project or another novel. Seriously, go read this one.
Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed: The island is the only safe space left in a world that is burning. The fathers run the island, and their daughters are the wives-in-training in this dystopian fiction piece from Jennie Melamed. The book is a gripping account of a patriarchy gone wholly wrong (well, I mean, all patriarchal societies are), and Melamed’s tight prose makes this a haunting read, especially given the current political climate. Comparisons to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale abound, but this one stands on its own.
Grit by Gillian French: Darcy Prentiss and her sister and their cousin work the blueberry fields in the summer in rural Maine. Darcy knows how to have a good time, and her reputation reinforces that. But all of this is her way of distracting her from the secrets she’s keeping, including one about the disappearance of her ex-best friend. This slow burn of a novel had me riveted from the start. It was a surprise of a book, one I just picked up out of a stack of new arrivals at the library, and I was so pleasantly surprised.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: Starr Carter is there when her best friend is shot and killed by a cop. He wasn’t armed, but the media surrounding the event becomes an absolute circus. Starr isn’t sure whether standing up and saying something is the right thing to do. One of the most buzzed about books of the year, this fresh, smart, moving take on racialized police violence and the Black Lives Matter movement is required reading.
What did I miss?
Hey, Library Girl! 