Recently, the Currently Reading podcast released an episode where they ranked the books they listed as their favorite book of the year, going back six years. Since I have ranked my favorite book going back to 2011, I thought, why not go all the way to the beginning? Some of these favorites are embarrassing, honestly, as I have since learned how problematic they are. But they are a glimpse into the reader I was then. (For those books, I’m going to select an honorable mention, another favorite book of that year that has better stood the test of time.)

Without further ado, here are my ranked favorites, from least favorite to most favorite:

14) The Help by Kathryn Stockett (2011)

There’s a reason this book is in the lowest spot. While I loved this book and its subsequent movie, it is a book filled with problematic elements and I cannot in good faith recommend it anymore. My honorable mention for this year is The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen, one of my all-time favorite YA novelists. I can still remember how I felt when I read this novel; it gave me the warm fuzzies!

13) Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (2013)

Oh, how I loved this book when it came out! I was all aboard the Jojo Moyes train. But this book stereotypes people with disabilities and is basically about a guy who wants to die rather than live as a disabled man. My honorable mention is A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, which honestly should have been my favorite of this year. This is one of my all-time favorite books, and it would be much higher on my list if I had chosen it.

12) Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018)

This was the last book I read in 2018, and I think recency bias is the reason I listed it as my favorite of the year. Was it a good book? Yes, especially on audio. But looking at my other favorites of that year, I should have given it to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, as that book stands out more than this one. Honestly, I can’t even remember most of Michelle’s memoir. I’m not sure if that’s an indictment on me or her, though.

11) The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (2014)

I truly do not have any recollection of this book. Like, I vaguely have an idea of what it was about but if you asked me to name any of the five people, I’d be lost. But it was the best book I read in 2014. Maybe I should reread it to see if I can recapture the magic.

10) The Women by Kristin Hannah (2024)

I loved this book so very much, but there just hasn’t been enough time for it to sit with me and see if it’s going to be an all-time favorite. I learned so much about the Vietnam War and what it’s like to be a nurse in combat, and it’s a book I can easily recommend to just about anyone.

9) The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (2016)

It’s not often that a romance makes my all-time favorite book of the year, but this romance was a standout for me. I’ve reread it multiple times and it continues to be one of my favorites. It’s just so cute!

8) The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall (2020)

I have such a strong sense memory of reading this book. It was during the early days of the pandemic that the only place I was going was the grocery store. I wasn’t even seeing my mom! But I remember sitting on my bed with the sun high in the sky and devouring this book on my Kindle. It was a perfect book.

7) The Martian by Andy Weir (2015)

Oh, my god, this book! My first Andy Weir novel and certainly not my last. I have grown to love the way he tells his stories, even all the technical, science-y jargon that usually goes over my head, but is still fascinating to read about. This one remains my favorite of his. I loved it so much that I’ve been scared to see the movie, even though I know it’s great.

6) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (2012)

I loved this book. I loved that when I got to the big twist in the middle, I threw the book across the room. I loved the ending. I loved how dark and twisty it was. It was the pioneer in the thriller genre, and maybe it was too good at what it did since it launched hundreds (thousands?) of books promising to be “the next Gone Girl.” I’m glad I read this book when I did because it gives me such a sense of appreciation for the genius of Gillian Flynn.

5) Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau (2022)

This book was so unexpected. I did not expect to love it as much as I did, but it was one of the best stories I’ve ever read. It had such a strong sense of place and the characters were so alive and vibrant. I want this book to be an HBO miniseries.

4) We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres-Sanchez (2023)

There was a whole controversy surrounding the book American Dirt, and through that controversy, people began recommending other books with similar plots, but written by people of color. This book stood out in a sea of recommendations, and I am so glad it did, because it was sensational. It truly shone a light on what it means to come to this country as an undocumented immigrant and how harrowing that journey is. This is not a happy book, but I am so glad I read it.

3) Know My Name by Chanel Miller (2021)

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. This is not an easy book to read, as it details Chanel Miller’s rape, the aftermath, and the trial that follows. She was raped by Brock Turner, who was convicted but only served three months in jail. Chanel has such a beautiful writing style, and she is honest and vulnerable in this book. This is an important book for everyone to read to better understand what it is like for the victims of rape.

2) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017)

This book should be required reading in all high school classrooms, but we all know that won’t be happening anytime soon. It’s a fictionalized story about the very real epidemic that is Black people being shot and killed by police. But it’s about more than that. It’s also about the idea of being a “good” Black person, the power of standing up for yourself, and holding people accountable for their actions. Angie Thomas wrote a masterpiece with this book.

1) Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2019)

I knew from the beginning that my favorite book of the last 14 years was an easy choice. It was always going to be Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. This book tells the story of two half-sisters: one sister is sold into slavery and leaves for America, while the other is married off to an Englishman, living a life of luxury in Ghana. From there, we follow their family lines over the next 300 years. It’s a brilliant work of fiction and always my #1 recommendation.

Thoughts on my list? Have you read any of these books?

Almost two years ago, I wrote a post about what’s working in my reading life, based on a semi-frequent episode topic on the Currently Reading podcast. I thought it had only been a year since my original post, but time is a flat circle, I guess! So today, let’s talk about three things that are working really well right now in my reading life:

Using the Bookly app

Bookly is an app where you can track your reading time, star ratings, reviews, and more. I used it religiously many years ago, but it’s kind of annoying to use, so I stopped. For some reason, I decided to redownload it at the beginning of 2025 and track my reading time throughout the entire year. So far, so good!

The app is simple to use: you add the book you’re reading, log the page count and any details (like genre), and then start the timer whenever you sit down to read. When you’re done, you stop the timer and note the page (or percentage) you reached. Then, Bookly estimates how long it will take you to finish the book based on your reading pace, which is pretty fun. (For audiobooks, it only tracks listening time, so you don’t track where you stopped and won’t be able to see your reading pace.)

There are lots of different things you can track for the books you’re reading, too, like character notes, favorite quotes, random thoughts you have while reading, etc. You can also join readathons and set reading goals. I don’t really use all of that, though. Mainly, I like tracking my reading time and keeping up my streak of reading every day (I have yet to miss a day this year!). I’m also a whore for reading stats, so I love seeing things like how many hours I’ve spent reading this year (398 hours) and my average reading speed (85.2 pages an hour).

There’s also a widget option for your phone, so I love tracking my 7-day reading average. It’s fun to see if I’m keeping up my usual pace or not!

My audiobook routine

I love audiobooks, but I also have a long list of podcasts that I want to listen to every week. Since I live alone and there are parts of my job where I can put on a podcast or audiobook while working, I tend to have a lot of hours available for listening.

Anyway, I’ve developed a system that helps me get through a few audiobooks each month without falling behind on my podcast queue. I use Overcast, which lets me create custom playlists. So what I do is choose five episodes (30+ minutes in length; if an episode is under 30 minutes, I’ll choose two shorter episodes to count as one) and put them in a playlist. Once I’ve listened to those episodes, I switch to my audiobook for two hours. Then it’s back to podcasts. Back and forth, back and forth.

It’s a system that’s been working really well for me lately, even if it might sound complicated to some.

Keeping things light

I’m a highly sensitive person, so I always have to be careful about the books I read. While I try to push myself to read books that may not be fully in my comfort zone, I also recognize there are seasons of my life where I need to keep my reading light. And right now, I’m in one of those seasons. Is it because living in the United States feels like being plopped into one of the many dystopian series I’ve read in the past? Probably. Reality feels very dark, and I need my reading to be light. I need the escape. I need to forget what’s happening and how it’s only been nine months of this shit. I don’t want to read about WWII or people dealing with heartbreaking issues, and I definitely do not want to read anything resembling dystopian fiction. Give me romances and lighter fiction and funny memoirs and escapist thrillers, please and thank you.

What’s working in your reading life right now?