Books I Can't Stop Thinking About

The Goodreads reading challenge hates to see me coming.

Each year, I succumb to the Goodreads reading challenge. I used to set outrageous goals for myself, taking pride in being an English major and knowing that I was expected to read as much as possible in a year. After all, my mom didn’t spend the last twenty(ish) years calling me Rory Gilmore or Belle for nothing.

This year, however, I vowed to be more fair to myself. So, instead of my usual high-stakes goal, I settled on 25 books. To my surprise, I hit this number by mid-November. (Thank you, I can hear your applause through the screen.) I’m super proud of this number, to be honest. As a teacher, I spend so much time reading essays that, more often than not, the last thing I want to do is pick up a book.

But throughout the year, I found myself on BookTok and discovered new ways to make reading fun again. I read many YA novels that made me feel like I was fifteen, revisited stories I loved years ago, and soaked up memoirs that inspired my writing for the first time after a two-year drought.

Out of the 28 books on my roster, a select few stuck with me after I turned the final page. Call it an emotional attachment or maybe some invisible string connecting me deeply with these books, but I couldn’t shake them. So, here they are for you to explore and connect with, too.

It’s Okay to Laugh, Nora McInerny

I discovered Nora McInerny from her TED Talk on moving forward with grief. Her talk makes my college freshmen cry—tears of joy and sorrow—every time I play the video in class. (This says a lot, by the way. Most days, I’m lucky to get a smile out of those kids, let alone a complete, emotional response.)

McInerny’s memoir gives greater insight into her relationship with grief and how she’s worked to live with hard feelings instead of running away from them. I laughed, listened, and sobbed, and I know you will, too.

The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros

I know, I know. This book isn’t necessarily anything new. But I didn’t say this was a list of the hottest new books on the market— just ones that have stuck with me this year.

I revisited Miss Sandra Cisneros over the summer when I found her book while lesson planning for my nostalgia-themed writing class. I spent weeks thinking about the stories that meant the most to me when I was younger, and The House on Mango Street was one of the first that jumped out to me. While I picked it up for its nostalgic connection, I held onto it for its poetic prose, adolescent angst, and emphasis on the importance of family and community. If you haven’t read this yet or just haven’t thought about it since middle school, give her a shot!

How to Hide in Plain Sight, Emma Noyes

BookTok pulled me tightly into Emma Noyes’ latest novel and refused to let go. I loved every part of this book. The witty banter between characters, the honesty of our protagonist, and the realistic tones of a family in utter chaos.

I connected deeply to Eliot’s experience and didn’t want the book to end. (Tears did indeed fall!)

Girl, Interrupted, Susanna Kaysen

It's another oldie, but a goodie nonetheless, and it deserves its moment in the spotlight again. I read this book in high school and nearly forgot it until I hit my reading rut halfway through the year.

I love this book. I love women-centered narratives more than anything. And I especially love Susanna Kaysen’s candid reflection on her experiences. If you haven’t read Girl, Interrupted, let this be your sign to finally jump on board.

First Love: Essays on Friendship, Lilly Dancyger

I had the pleasure of meeting Lilly Dancyger shortly after she published her memoir Negative Space (an honorable mention on the list) in 2021, when she visited a workshop I was a part of. In the hour she spent with us amateur memoirists, Lilly had us hanging onto every word she spoke. Her presence was inviting and warm, and I thought she was the coolest writer I had ever met.

This collection of essays left me with the same feeling I had the day I met her. Dancyger captures nostalgic feelings of childhood, growing up, and finding true love within our platonic connections through a series of love letters dedicated to friendship and girlhood.

While these are some great reads, they’re just a selected few of the incredible books that hit my desk this year. Should we… connect on Goodreads? Learn more about each other? Make a new friend? I think so.

What books stuck with you most this year?