Expand your reading list while you have time at home
Now’s the time to clear off that stack of books on your bedside table.
Every year, you make the same New Year’s resolution. No, not the one about losing weight – the one about reading more books. ❚ And every year, you mean it. Maybe you join a book club, even if just virtually with Reese Witherspoon and Jenna Bush Hager. But that well-intentioned to-be-read pile of books on your nightstand just gathers dust. Well, now that the coronavirus pandemic has us all social distancing in our homes like hermits, we know for a fact that you’ve finally got all the time in the world to read. That latest best-seller you’ve been itching to devour?
That rom-com you hope you’re dying to fall in love with? Heck, even that copy of “War and Peace” you’ve had since you were feeling ambitious in college? Now’s your chance. In case you need a little inspiration, we’ve compiled this list covering all the bases.
Happy reading.
Celebrity memoirs
“Face It,” by Debbie Harry: Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll: The Blondie singer tells about it all in her revealing memoir.
“In Pieces,” by Sally Field: This brutally honest, bracing account of Field’s life takes on difficult topics, including the sexual abuse she says she suffered as a childat the hands of her stepfather.
“Me,” by Elton John: The music icon tells his story for the first time in an intimate autobiography, charting the stumbles and triumphs on his path to enduring superstardom.
“Brother & Sister,” by Diane Keaton: The Oscar-winning actress examines her upbringing with her only brother, Randy Hall, and tries to make sense of how their paths diverged and why he led “a life lived on the other side of normal.”
“Inside Out,” by Demi Moore: The famed actress charts her life from the insecurities of her childhood,
through addiction and skyrocketing fame, to motherhood and marriages. Her story is equal parts adversity and resilience, told with candor.
“Becoming,” by Michelle Obama: The former first lady shares stories from her childhood through to her time at the White House in this massive best-seller.
“The Beautiful Ones,” by Prince: Readers see the artist in his day to day more than the larger-than-life figure shrouded in mystery in this memoir started before the author’s death and finished by his collaborator, Dan Piepenbring.
“Dear Girls” by Ali Wong: The comedian and actress’s first book is everything her fans would expect: raunchy, real and uproariously funny.
Book club favorites
“The Wives,” by Tarryn Fisher: Thursday tries hard to be the perfect wife for Seth – even though he has two other wives who live in another city. Fans of “Gone Girl” will love it.
“Evvie Drake Starts Over,” by Linda Holmes:An extraordinarily ordinary adult love story about a widow falling for a baseball player past his prime.
“Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely
Fine,” by Gayle Honeyman: Eleanor Oliphant’s isolated lifestyle changes when she befriends Raymond, an IT guy from the office, and Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk.
“Writers & Lovers,” by Lily King: In this late-blooming coming-of-age story, 31-year-old Casey Peabody struggles to reconcile who she wanted to be with who she’s become after the death of her mother, a love affair gone wrong and with her novel still unfinished.
“The Giver of Stars,” by Jojo Moyes: An unlikely group of women defy society’s norms to deliver library books during the Great Depression. It’s a stellar celebration of the power of reading.
“Little Fires Everywhere,” by Celeste Ng: Mia Warren rents a house in suburban Cleveland and causes upheaval in the neighborhood. Read along as you watch the ferocious new Hulu series.
“Where the Crawdads Sing,” by Delia Owens: Reclusive Kya Clark is suspected in the death of handsome Chase Andrews.
Critically acclaimed modern fiction
“All This Could Be Yours,” by Jami Attenberg: One particularly damaged family experiences a reckoning when its toxic patriarch dies. Dark, witty and psychologically sharp.
“Fleishman Is in Trouble,” by Taffy Brodesser-Akner: “’Fleishman’ is a highly entertaining novel about 40-something foibles, but it also delivers a piercing message about just how much within a relationship is prone to misinterpretation,” says a ★★★g review for USA TODAY.
“Trust Exercise,” by Susan Choi: “In her masterful, twisty fifth novel … Choi upgrades the familiar coming-of-age story with remarkable command and sensitivity,” says a ★★★g review for USA TODAY.
“City of Girls,” by Elizabeth Gilbert: The author of “Eat, Pray, Love” sets this luscious love story in the New York City theater world of the 1940s, exploring female sexuality, promiscuity and fulfillment.
“Normal People,” by Sally Rooney: Two young people from different social and economic castes have an intense sexual affair, and an equally intense falling out in this novel that smartly explores dynamics between power, class and sex.
“Lincoln in the Bardo,” by George Saunders: This exhilarating, theatrical novel about a grieving Abraham Lincoln visiting his young son’s grave, narrated by a chorus of ghosts, is equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, and one of the best books of the century so far.
“The Nickel Boys,” by Colson Whitehead: The latest novel by the Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author of “The Underground Railroad” is a powerful tale of two boys at a reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. An instant classic.
Riveting nonfiction
“The Body,” by Bill Bryson: “Like a douser hunting water, Bryson is adept at finding the bizarre and the arcane in his subject matter,” our critic said in a
★★★g review. In this case, that subject is the human body.
“In Cold Blood,” by Truman Capote: Considered by many to be the first truecrime classic, Capote details the murder of four members of the Clutter family in Kansas and the killers behind it.
“Guns, Germs, and Steel,” by Jared Diamond: This 1998 Pulitzer-winning book reveals the geographical and environmental factors that shaped the modern world and allowed some cultures to become dominant over others.
“Catch and Kill,” by Ronan Farrow:
The Pulitzer-winning investigative reporter shares his riveting account of investigating and reporting on Harvey Weinstein. It’s nonfiction that reads like a thriller.
“The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral
History,” by Andy Greene: This oral history of the cult-favorite sitcom that exploded into a major phenomenon on Netflix years after it ended features interviews with nearly 90 cast and crew members plus executives and critics.
Classics
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood: Revisit the feminist dystopian masterpiece resurrected by the Hulu series. The long-awaited sequel “The Testaments” is also well worth a read.
“Emma,” by Jane Austen: Read this delightful comedy of manners about romantic misunderstandings, then catch the new film adaptation starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the would-be matchmaker.
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” by James Baldwin: A young black couple is tested when Fonny is falsely accused of rape and Tish finds out she’s pregnant. Read the tragically beautiful book, then watch the equally tragically beautiful film adaptation.
“Jane Eyre,” by Charlotte Brontë: An orphaned young governess, a love affair with brooding Mr. Rochester, a secret crazed wife locked in the attic – what’s not to love?
“Middlemarch,” by George Eliot: This is one of those big books you always meant to read that you definitely should (it’s probably been sitting on your shelf for decades). Read along with book podcast Literary Disco.
“The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Revisit the Roaring ‘20s, where the American dream goes to die over champagne cocktails. It’s just as decadent and relevant nearly a century after publication.
“To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee: We know, we know – nothing could be more obvious. But some things are obvious for a reason: This coming-ofage story set in the Jim Crow South was named “America’s best-loved novel” by the PBS series “The Great American Read.”
Modern romance and romantic comedies
“Bet Me,” by Jennifer Crusie: After going to dinner with a man who asked her out only to win a bet, Min Dobbs cuts her losses, but fate has something else in mind.
“Bridget Jones’s Diary,” by Helen Fielding: Thirty-something singleton Bridget Jones chronicles her yearlong quest for self-improvement, which includes reducing the size of her thighs and forming a functional relationship.
“The Proposal,” by Jasmine Guillory: When a public marriage proposal at a Dodgers game does not go as planned, Nikole Paterson’s life takes an interesting turn.
“Confessions of a Shopaholic,” by Sophie Kinsella: Financial writer Becky Bloomwood has a fabulous life filled with all of life’s must-haves. The only problem? She is in massive credit card debt.
“Red, White & Royal Blue,” by Casey McQuiston: Alex Claremont-Diaz is the handsome, single son of the American president, and he’s got a beef with Prince Henry across the pond that turns into something more.
“Me Before You,” by Jojo Moyes:This unlikely love story is set in a small English village, in which a young woman helps care for a 35-year-old quadriplegic.
“The Flatshare,”by Beth O’Leary:
This charming book is a traditional romance revival with a delightful twist: Two roommates on different work shifts share a bed and fall in love by communicating through sticky notes.
Sci-fi and fantasy
“Children of Blood and Bone,” by Tomi Adeyemi: This West African-inspired fantasy is set in the newly magical world of Orïsha, and is followed by the excellent sequel, “Children of Virtue and Vengeance.”
“Parable of the Sower,” by Octavia E. Butler: It’s 2024, society is collapsing due to the catastrophic effects of climate change, and teen narrator Lauren Oya Olamina begins to develop her own religion, called “Earthseed.” There’s even a graphic-novel adaptation.
“Dune,” by Frank Herbert: This sci-fi classic tells the story of a boy named Paul Atreides who goes undercover to seek revenge for his noble family, the victims of a traitorous plot. The novel was the first-ever winner of the Nebula Award and is being adapted into a new film this year.
“The Vanished Birds,” by Simon Jimenez: Nia Imani travels through space in a ship that speeds faster than light, a woman out of time. Until, while visiting one planet, a mysterious boy falls from the sky.
“Zed,” by Joanna Kavenna: This clever, satirical, dystopian novel imagines an orderly technotopia run by a megacorporation thrown into chaos by glitching tech. A world made perfect by an algorithm isn’t so perfect after all.
“A Game of Thrones,” by George R.R. Martin:You’ve seen the series, now read what it is based on. The first novel in “A Song Ice and Fire” series opens with trouble and winter descending on Westeros.
“The Martian,” by Andy Weir: An astronaut is stranded on Mars and must find his way home after he is unintentionally left behind. The novel was made into a 2015 film starring Matt Damon.
Mysteries and thrillers
“And Then There Were None,” by Agatha Christie: The whodunnit that is considered a classic example of the locked-room mystery follows strangers stranded on a remote island who discover there is a murderer among them.
“Gone Girl,” by Gillian Flynn: When Nick Dunne’s wife Amy disappears on their fifth anniversary, he’s suspect No. 1. But this book is a lot more demented than a simple whodunnit. A lot more.
“The Maltese Falcon,” by Dashiell Hammett: Private detective Sam Spade is hired by a mysterious woman to follow the man her sister has run away with and becomes entwined in the search for an elusive statuette. This is the real deal: Hammett’s prose goes down like a shot of whiskey.
“The Woman in the Window,” by A.J. Finn: Anna Fox, a 38-year-old woman in New York City who self-medicates and spies on her neighbors, is convinced that she has witnessed a crime committed in the townhouse across the park.
“Someone We Know,” by Shari Lapena: A teenage boy breaks into neighborhood houses and steals secrets off the families’ computers. “As the story quickly progresses, so do the clever plot twists and turns,” USA TODAY says in a
★★★g review.
“The Spy Who Came in From the
Cold,” by John le Carré: Facing retirement as head of the Berlin Station, Alec Leamas is given an opportunity to avenge his fallen comrades.
“The Chain,” by Adrian McKinty: When Rachel’s 13-year-old daughter is kidnapped, she receives a phone call letting her know she is now part of the Chain – and that she must kidnap another family’s child for her own to be released. If the chain is broken, her daughter will die.
“Big Little Lies,” by Liane Moriarty: The lives of three mothers are linked together by their kindergartners – and possibly a murder. In a ★★★☆ review, USA TODAY called it “a fun, engaging and sometimes disturbing read.”
Cookbooks
“The Bread Bible,” by Rose Levy Beranbaum: The cookbook contains 150 recipes, including yeasted bread, quick bread, flatbread and pizza dough.
“Mary Berry’s Baking Bible,” by Mary Berry: Fans of “The Great British Baking Show” have already streamed the series multiple times. With this book, they can try their own hand at the judge’s signature bakes, including Victoria Sponge, Mokatines and Madeira cake.
“How to Cook Everything: The Basics,” by Mark Bittman: The veteran cookbook author tackles the basics of cooking every home chef should know, from dicing to roasting and everything in between.
“Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck: The cookbook is a classic that inspired Child’s TV show, “The French Chef,” and later a blog, the Julie/ Julia Project, followed by the feature film “Julie & Julia.” “The Pioneer Woman Cooks,” by Ree Drummond: The origin of the Pioneer Woman was a blog that then begat cookbooks and a television show. This was the first of her cookbooks to be published and was an immediate success.
“Magnolia Table,” by Joana Gaines, Marah Stets: The co-star of HGTV’s departed design and renovation show “Fixer Upper” and co-founder of the Magnolia empire shares her favorite recipes for gatherings.
“Carla Hall’s Soul Food,” by Carla Hall with Genevieve Ko: The “Top Chef ” alum shares her favorite recipes and traces the history of comfort cuisine from Africa to the Caribbean to the American South.
“Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat,” by Samin Nosrat: The author espouses a new cooking philosophy – simply master those four elements and anything you cook will be delicious.
“The Martha Stewart Cookbook,” by Martha Stewart: Sure to keep you busy, this classic 1995 cookbook has more than 1,400 recipes that are compiled from Stewart’s original books.
“Cravings,” by Chrissy Teigen with Adeena Sussman: The model-turnedlifestyle celebrity’s first cookbook was also the first to debut at No. 1 on the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list. We took some of the recipes for a test drive and they passed.
Sports
“Friday Night Lights,” by H.G. Bissinger: An in-depth look at a single season of a high school football team, the Permian Panthers, of Odessa, Texas, where football is king.
“The Boys in the Boat,” by Daniel James Brown: The extraordinary journey of the eight-oared crew from the University of Washington and their quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympic. In a ★★★g review, USA TODAY called it “a suspenseful tale of triumph.”
“The Boys of Winter,” by Wayne Coffey: The story of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team, which defeated the Russians at the height of the Cold War in 1980.
“Ali: A Life,” by Jonathan Eig: Biography of the boxer who floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee and would go on to become “The Greatest.”
“Seabiscuit,” by Laura Hillenbrand: A small, crooked-legged racehorse rises from obscurity to become a champion thoroughbred.
“The Boys of Summer,” by Roger Kahn: A sentimental account of the Brooklyn Dodgers, from the author’s childhood memories, traces their path to victory in the 1955 World Series to later years.
“Moneyball,” by Michael Lewis: The book focuses on the 2002 Oakland Athletics and the team’s efforts in using a new statistical model to field a successful team.
“All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters,” by Joe Namath: The celebrated New York Jets quarterback led a remarkable life.