37 Books for My 37 Years

Why you should read my favorites

Photo by Lidya Nada on Unsplash

I'm very excited because my birthday is on Monday! I love birthdays. Celebrating something is always a good time, and I love celebrating another year of life and blessings. I'll be turning 37, so for this post, I want to share 37 of my most beloved books and tell you why you should read them. It'll be fun for me to reflect on some of the books I love most, and I hope you'll discover some great recommendations in the process.

I'd love for you to share one of my posts as a little birthday gift. You don't even have to wrap it, so it's a win-win for both of us.

Let's get to the books!

You should read The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt because. . .

. . .it’s an important book about the ways in which technology and social media are negatively affecting young people. It’s also just an interesting, well-researched read.

You should read The Bee Sting by Paul Murray because. . .

. . .it’s an absorbing family drama with a truly jaw-dropping ending. It took a couple of days for me to fully recover after finishing this fantastic story.

You should read Calypso by David Sedaris because. . .

. . .this book contains some essays about Sedaris and his family spending time at his beach house called The Sea Section, a name that fills me with unending delight.

You should read Cathedral by Raymond Carver because. . .

. . .few authors write short stories as well as he does. He writes about average people in an extraordinary way. I love the way he captures everyday life.

You should read The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor because. . .

. . .she’s one of the authors who writes better short stories than Raymond Carver. Her stories are so deeply her own. O’Connor has a voice unlike any other author I’ve read.

You should read Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen because. . .

. . .reading about the Hildebrandts will probably make you feel better about your own complicated family. I haven’t stopped thinking about these characters since I read this novel. This is supposed to be the first book in a trilogy, and I need book #2 ASAP.

You should read Easy Beauty by Chloé Cooper Jones because. . .

. . .it’s an unforgettable memoir about living with a visible disability. Jones shares her life and shows how it’s possible to live and thrive in a world that constantly questions your value and belonging.

You should read Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng because. . .

. . .Ng nails family tension and expectations in this gorgeous debut. It’s moody and heartbreaking and wonderful.

You should read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer because. . .

. . .it’s a heartfelt look at grief and love in the wake of the September 11 attacks that I still think about, even though it’s been over a decade since I’ve read it.

You should read Funny Story by Emily Henry because. . .

. . .this sweet romance is full of delightful characters, an idyllic small town, and the perfect amount of humor and tension.

You should read Gilead by Marilyn Robinson because. . .

. . .even though the Pulitzer Prize committee did not ask my opinion, I agree with them that Robinson deserved the prize for this quiet masterpiece in which an older father writes a letter to his young son. I think I underlined almost half of the novel.

You should read Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith because. . .

. . .it’s the perfect short novel capturing an ordinary day in the life of a young Portland woman. I’ve recommended this gem to several library patrons, and they’ve all enjoyed it. I was thrilled to see Tin House re-release this beautiful book.

You should read Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin because. . .

. . .Baldwin is a genius, so why not start with this masterwork about religion, relationships, and family? I reread this book recently and was blown away AGAIN by how good Baldwin’s writing is.

You should read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn because. . .

. . .this book is the catalyst to my love of mysteries and thrillers. I’m still not over this novel’s iconic twist.

You should read The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai because. . .

. . .it’s a beautifully written examination of friendship, art, family, and the AIDS epidemic.

You should read Happiness Falls by Angie Kim because. . .

. . .it’s a well-crafted mystery meets family drama that kept me turning the pages.

You should read Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America by R. Eric Thomas because. . .

. . .you could probably use a good laugh, and you’ll get plenty from this essay collection. Thomas can also be vulnerable and thoughtful, which makes for a perfectly balanced book.

You should read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi because. . .

. . .it’s a brilliant, important, and engaging book about the cruel legacy of slavery and the evil of racism. Gyasi packed so much brilliance into a relatively short book.

You should read How Can I Help You by Laura Sims because. . .

. . .it’s a thriller about a deranged library worker. Need I say more?

You should read In the Woods by Tana French because. . .

. . .it’s a near-perfect mystery with complicated characters and an unforgettable, foreboding Irish atmosphere. I compare all other mysteries to this one. (Sorry, other mysteries!)

You should read The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom by Henri J. M. Nouwen because. . .

. . .there might come a time when you need encouragement and spiritual guidance, and Nouwen will deliver those things with vulnerability, grace, and wisdom.

You should read Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez because. . .

. . .it’s a fascinating, noteworthy read that explains how white Evangelicals put Donald Trump in the White House. I could not put down this gripping nonfiction read when I picked it up.

You should read Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke because. . .

. . .Rilke’s advice and wisdom can apply to anyone, not just creatives. These letters are deeply moving and encouraging.

You should read My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh because. . .

. . .surely you’ve wanted to sleep through a year of your life at some point (looking at you, 2020). I know this is a love-it-or-hate-it book, but I love it a whole lot.

You should read Night Film by Marisha Pessl because. . .

. . .it’s creepy, fun, and one of the most creative books I’ve ever read. This story about a reclusive horror filmmaker and the journalist looking into his daughter’s mysterious death is unputdownable.

You should read The Nix by Nathan Hill because. . .

. . .it’s an underrated debut about a complicated mother-son relationship that makes for a great experience on audio. I was happy to see this book get more attention thanks to Hill’s popular second book, Wellness, which is also great.

You should read None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell because. . .

. . .you’ll never guess exactly where this thriller about a podcast host and her new acquaintance is going.

You should read The Norton Anthology of Poetry because. . .

. . .I couldn’t decide which poets to include on this list, and my college copy of this doorstopper of a book is still on my bookshelf, beloved forever.

You should read Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson because. . .

. . .it reads like poetry. This slim novel is about life and love as a Black man in modern London, and it’s truly stunning.

You should read The Secret History by Donna Tartt because. . .

. . .all the other dark academia books wish they were this one.

You should read The Sentence by Louise Erdrich because. . .

. . .it’s a mysterious novel set in Minneapolis during the early days of the Black Lives Matter movement. The story follows a bookseller who's convinced a recently departed customer is haunting the store.

You should read Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward because. . .

. . .this novel gives readers an unflinching look at how addiction haunts those it touches, but Ward fills her story with so much love and tenderness that there’s hope alongside the sadness.

You should read So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan because. . .

. . this trio of stories is a masterclass in how to say a lot with a few words. Keegan is perhaps best known for her wonderful novella Small Things Like These, but make sure not to miss her stories.

You should read Stoner by John Williams because. . .

. . .there are good reasons why it’s been called a perfect novel. Williams chronicles the story of one ordinary man’s life, and it’s beautiful.

You should read This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley because. . .

. . .Riley skillfully weaves memoir and theology in this wide-ranging collection of essays.

You should read Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith & Art by Madeleine L’Engle because. . .

. . .she talks about the intersection of faith and art better than anyone else I’ve ever read. This book was a formative read for me.

You should read Yellowface by R. F. Kuang because. . .

. . .it’s a witty and smart look at plagiarism and the fascinating world of publishing.

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Do any of my favorite books make your list, too? I’d love to hear your thoughts!