First of all, sorry I haven’t been posting much lately. I’ve been trying to redirect my time towards things that are actually profitable. In the wise words of Demi Lovato “sorry not sorry.” Additionally, I’ve been busy AF searching for apartments in New York. Things are going poorly, thanks for asking. Instead of posting weekly, religiously, I’ve been trying to publish only quality content– even if that means going 10 days without any new articles. Have no fear, i’ll never fully abandon you.
Anyways, as many of you know i’m running a 50 book challenge through my Bad Bitch Book Club. If any of you are interested in participating, we have two tiers– 25 books and 50. Just send a request to the Bad Bitch Book Club Facebook group + answer the questions. I’ll add you to the spreadsheet and we’ll keep each other accountable.
If you do decide to join, you’ll have access to a spreadsheet with my detailed options on everything I’ve read in the last 3 years. But otherwise, keep on reading on and i’ll share my absolute favorites.
BEST ROMANCE NOVELS
I ended the year by reading two game-changing romance novels. First, the Bad Bitch Book Club read Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton. I love a book that seamlessly integrates education into a beautiful story line– a heartwarming love story and a lesson in Cuba’s political history. Additionally, I read One Day in December by Josie Silver. If it were a movie, it’d go down as a timeless rom-com.
Honorable mentions: The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory, Still Me by Jojo Moyes, Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford and Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber.
BEST SCARY SH*T
I read Room by Emma Donoghue on the beach, a weird place to dive into a story about a mother and son in captivity. It was a book I probably should have read by now, but since I didn’t really develop my reading habit until 2017– better late than never. I couldn’t put it down and cried on more than one occasion. I also LOVED A Simple Favorby Darcey Bell. The incest story-line was f*cked up, but I appreciate when an author makes me uncomfortable. N
Honorable mentions: Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier (Bad Bitch Book Club), Need to Know by Karen Cleveland.
BEST MEMOIR
Not to sound dramatic, but Aly Raisman’s memoir Fierce changed my perspective on life. So many of the things she wrote about stuck with me and I now consider her a hero of mine. Immediately after finishing it I signed up for the kickboxing gym that altered the goals I set for myself and how I view my body. I’d highly recommend this book to any woman or athlete of any age. However, the absolute best memoir I read was I Should Have Honor: A Memoir of Hope and Pride in Pakistan by Khalida Brohi. If you’re looking for a book that will expand your world knowledge, while simultaneously keep you fully engaged throughout– this is it.
Honorable mentions: Beauty in the Broken Places by Allison Pataki (Bad Bitch Book Club) and Would You Rather by Katie Heaney.
BEST ESSAY COLLECTION
Roxane Gay is one of my queens. So when I found out she was releasing a essay series on rape culture– I knew it was meant for the Bad Bitches in my book club. Not That Bad made me sick to my stomach and most certainly required a trigger warning (that I didn’t give– sorry ladies.) It provided for powerful discussion. On a more lighthearted note– You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld was a much more digestible series of essays on the female experience. As a huge fan of her work, it did not disappoint. Though some of the essays were forgettable, one entitled “The Farmer’s Wife” will stick with me forever.
Honorable mention: All The Names They Used for God by Anjali Sachdeva (maybe would have made top 2 if I didn’t read tired on an airplane)
BEST FICTION (OVERALL)
Reading is my form of escape– thus, fiction is usually my genre of choice. I’ve read some pretty amazing books this year, and also some pretty awful. One of my absolute favorite books of the year was Small Great Things by Jodie Picoult. Two others that were top-tier fiction books were Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Both were Bad Bitch Book of the month picks *brushes shoulders off.* In order to be ranked as a five star book, in my opinion, you need to make me cry a minimum of 3 times. All of these books accomplished that.
Honorable Mention: All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin
