I have always been an avid reader. From the time I was a little girl, I’ve just loved picking up a book and getting lost in it. When I was younger, fiction books were my jam, but now that I’m an adult, I find myself gravitating toward non-fiction books.
At the beginning of this year, I set a goal for myself to read three books a month for the entire year. So far, I’ve actually exceeded my goal for the first three months and read four books each month. You can see what I read in January and February (March is coming soon!).
Since I’m always on the hunt for more great books to dive into, I thought it might be fun to crowdsource some book ideas for you guys on Instagram. HOLY COW did y’all deliver.
I’m seriously blown away at all of the amazing recommendations you provided — both fiction and non-fiction. I decided to put dedicate an entire post to your list that I can update regularly as I get new suggestions or read more books myself.
But if you’re like me and looking for a book you know is good, hopefully, this list will serve as a great resource. Happy reading!
FICTION BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
As I mentioned, I typically stick with non-fiction books that revolve around faith, parenting, or business (just the season of life I’m in!), but some of these books look so good. I’ve always been a sucker for a good thriller/mystery book. Oh, and Redeeming Love is one I read not too long ago for the first time and it was also really incredible.
THRILLER/MYSTERY
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
A Painted House by John Grisham
Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger
CONTEMPORARY
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
FANTASY
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
ROMANCE
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
American Royal (trilogy) by Katharine McGee
Dancing on Broken Glass by KA Hancock
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
Before We Were Strangers: A Love Story by Renée Carlino
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
HISTORICAL
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Daisy Jones & The Six by Jennifer Beals
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Wine Maker’s Daughter (a short story) by Vanessa Perry
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
NON-FICTION BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Gosh, y’all. SO MANY good books here. I’ve read (or listened) to a lot of these and highly recommend. I think books are such a great way to educate yourself on a topic and hear from people who are more experienced or seasoned than you. I’ll definitely be adding to this list!
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
PSYCHOLOGY
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky
The Brain: The Story of You by David Eagleman
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
The Soul of Shame by Curt Thompson
The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker
12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gettlieb
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
SELP HELP
The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter
The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera
WRITING
Dryer’s English by Benjamin Dreyer
FAMILY
Let Them Be Kids by Jessica Smartt
Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham Jr.
M is for Mama by Abbie Halberstadt
HISTORY
The Warmth of Other Sons by Isabel Wilkerson
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams
The Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth
Becoming Mrs. Lewish by Patti Callahan
Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett Graffiti
The Serve: How the World Became Modern
MONEY
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
Know Yourself Know Your Money by Rachel Cruze
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallam
Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
MEMOIR
Becoming Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park
Dreams and Visions by Tom Doyle
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
Raising a Rare Girl by Heather Lanier
The Only Road North by Erik Mirandette
Boys in the Boy by Daniel James Brown
Dispatches from Pluto by Richard Grant
Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
The Cobbler by Steve Madden Memoir
My Life in France by Julia Child
From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Doreystein
Kind is the New Classy by Candace Cameron Bure
FAITH
The Attentive Life: Discerning God’s Presence in All Things by Leighton Ford
A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God by Brian Zahnd
Praying Life by Paul E. Miller
Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
The Genius of One by Greg Holder
Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges
12 Faithful Women by Melissa Kruger
The Light Within Me by Ainsley Earhardt
Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley
Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose
God Does His Best Work With Empty
The Burden is Light by Eugenia Price
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop
Gently and Lowly by Dane Ortlund
