Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

This is a fun, sweet book that shares the mother-daughter relationship between Bernadette and her high school daughter Bee. Set in Seattle, Semple's hilarious story will leave you laughing out loud. Even though this came out in 2012, put this one at the top of your list if you haven’t read it yet.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

I have loved everything Ruta Sepetys has ever written, and her newest novel did not disappoint. I’m not usually one to pick up a YA novel, but I’ll always make an exception for her beautiful and captivating writing! I went in knowing absolutely nothing about Romanian history, and was hooked by the first page.

I was unbelievably moved by this memoir. I was skeptical, expecting a fun, low-stakes memoir about fame but as the book developed, I found myself rooting for Paris. Paris Hilton writes openly and honestly about her experiences going through the troubled teen industry in the late 90s and her own advocacy work as a result of that experience. She charts her career through the changing media landscape of the early aughts and portrays a culture that “revel[s] in the degradation of young women.” Some parts are very hard to read, but I laughed, I cried, and ultimately found a lot of wisdom in this book. Go Paris! 

Sea Of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

A meditation on the ethics of love and time travel.

At Home by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson has the lightest touch of any historian. Like his other books, At Home is a jovial tour of a subject close to Bryson's heart, his house. He goes through each room and gives the reader an in-depth look at the reasons why we have pantries, why they're full of mice no matter what we do, why salt and pepper are the spices kept on the table while others remain in the kitchen cupboard. You'll learn. You'll laugh. You'll wish you owned a house with a dumbwaiter.

Deacon King Kong by James McBride

A book I couldn't stay away from, endearing, moving and laugh-out-loud funny. Read this book!!!!

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

I love a good shipwreck story, and The Wager by David Grann is one of the best. It’s not just about the sinking of a British warship off Chile in 1741 but how human nature adapts to the struggle for survival. Think Lord of the Flies meets Titanic.