I loved reading Between the Lines so much. It’s a beautiful, well-paced collection of interviews that blends a love of New York City, books, and our shared humanity.

Hell of a Book is a really creative, really affecting novel that’s as funny as it is devastating. One heck of a ride, it will surprise you and move you.

Bewilderment is a gorgeously written, heartbreaking, highly consumable novel. I didn’t think it was perfect, but I definitely did enjoy it.

Zorrie is a quiet but emotional novel. It’s short, and yet contains a woman’s whole life — with deep characterization. I read it in one day and enjoyed it very much.

Abundance is a book that accomplishes exactly what it sets out to — humbling and frustrating, it’s an empathetic look inside the trap of poverty in America today. I think you should read it.

Oh my gosh, I loved The Acutal Star so much. It’s so creative and smart and well-written. Every chapter was a puzzle. This is one to savor and enjoy!

I’m late to the game with both Elizabeth Strout and Olive Kitteridge, but I’m so glad I finally arrived! What beautifully rendered characters. I loved it.

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois is a true feat. This one feels like a new great American novel, sweeping and forceful. I loved all 800 pages, and I expect it to win many awards.

The Anthropocene Reviewed is a really beautiful, perfectly digestible collection of essays that reflect on the state of the world in a way that touches something deep inside you.

Nightbitch is a wild trip of well-written, feminist magical realism. Rachel Yoder’s depiction of motherhood and the animal that lives inside us rings true, even for those (like me) who aren’t mothers.

I’m really glad I read The Promise, which brings South Africa from the end of Apartheid to the present day to life on the page, vividly and impressively. Damon Galgut is obviously a masterful writer.

Those who loved The Silence of the Girls will love The Women of Troy, its sequel. It offers a powerful look, through the eyes of Briseis, into the aftermath of Troy’s defeat and what it meant for the Trojan women who became slaves.

The Once and Future Witches is the best kind of witchy historical fantasy book: atmospheric, feminist, well-researched, emotional. Also, gorgeous prose. I loved every second of it.

The Five Wounds is simultaneously big-hearted and unflinching, with characters who feel like they could literally step off the page. I really liked it.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built is a beautiful, funny, hopeful novella full of heart and what it means to be human. I really, really loved it.

Olympus, Texas is a roller-coaster read full of heart — part contemporary literary fiction, part Greek mythology retelling. I enjoyed every second.

What can I say about Bird by Bird that hundreds of aspiring writers before me haven’t already said? Required reading for anyone who writes — or wants to.