Literary Superlatives
The books most likely to. . .
Remember those superlatives schools gave out in their yearbooks? I was homeschooled, so my yearbook would have only included a picture of my face and my bookshelf, but if I had been in a brick-and-mortar school, I'd like to think I might have been awarded one of the following titles:
Most Organized
Most Obsessed with The X-Files
Best CD Collection
Most Likely to Know the Dewey Decimal System
I would have crushed those categories, but instead of continuing to talk about teenage me, let's talk about literature. Today, I want to award superlatives to some books. For each category, I'll recommend five other titles that also fit so that your TBR might overfloweth. Let's jump in!
BEST WRITING: Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
I read Open Water as a Kindle download from my public library. I underlined passage after passage on my Kindle, and then I took pictures of some of them. That's how strongly I felt about the excellent prose in this slim but powerful novel about a Black man's life and love in modern London. This debut is less than 150 pages, but Caleb Azumah Nelson packs so much character development and beauty into it. If you appreciate excellent writing, you'll love Open Water.
Additional titles with great writing include:
MOST LIKELY TO MAKE YOU THINK: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
I've been working in public schools for nearly 13 years, and I've seen how kids are influenced and seduced by their cell phones. I was waiting for a book to explore this topic and found it in The Anxious Generation. I thought I understood how smartphones affect young people, but I barely knew anything. This book is important and should be required reading for educators, parents, and anyone else who cares about teenage mental health.
Additional titles that taught me and made me think include:
The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race edited by Jesmyn Ward
How the Bible Actually Works: In Which I Explain How an Ancient, Ambiguous, and Diverse Book Leads Us to Wisdom Rather Than Answers--And Why That's Great News by Peter Enns
Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us by Rachel Aviv
MOST LIKELY TO BECOME A CLASSIC: There There by Tommy Orange
When I think about what constitutes a classic book, I think about texts with staying power. What will we still be talking about in ten or twenty years? What books will make their way into high school and college classrooms? There There is an obvious choice for this category, thanks to the way Tommy Orange expertly captures contemporary Native voices during the build-up to a life-changing powwow in Oakland.
Additional titles I think we’ll still be reading and discussing years from now include:
MOST LIKELY TO MAKE YOU WEEP: Know My Name by Chanel Miller
On my favorite podcast, The Popcast with Knox and Jamie, Jamie talks about how she's feelings-repressed and has to hack her crying by watching or reading something sad. If you relate to that need (or just want a fantastic memoir to read), have I got the book for you! Know My Name by Chanel Miller is a book that received so much praise that I was nervous going into it. Surely it couldn't measure up to the hype. Thankfully, it did and even surpassed all my expectations. Miller's story of sexual assault and the very public trial that came after is harrowing to read at times, but her story is vital for us to hear and understand. Plus, the prose is beautiful.
Additional titles that will probably make you cry like an infant include:
MOST FUN: Funny Story by Emily Henry
After you're done crying, you'll probably want to have fun. Funny Story by Emily Henry is the most fun I've had in a book all year. This romantic comedy is pure delight from beginning to end. Daphne and Miles are a couple you'll root for from the beginning. The book's small-town setting is charming and full of secondary characters who bring warmth and humor to the story. I've enjoyed all of Henry's books, but this one is my favorite.
Additional titles that are a fun hang include:
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl
How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope edited by James Crews
I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris by Glynnis MacNicol
BEST AUDIOBOOK: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson; read by Marin Ireland
I'm incredibly picky about audiobooks. The narration has to be just right, or I'm out immediately. Because of my pickiness, I'm thrilled when I find an audiobook I enjoy. I listened to Nothing to See Here expecting a lighthearted, funny read about a woman caring for her best friend's children who occasionally catch on fire. What I got was a hilarious but surprisingly heartfelt story about friendship, reputation, and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are. This book is an absolute joy, beautifully brought to life by narrator Marin Ireland.
Additional titles that are great on audio include:
Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life by Steve Martin (read by the author)
Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In by Phuc Tran (read by the author)
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall (read by Karissa Vacker)
Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews (read by Therese Plummer)
MOST LIKELY TO KEEP YOU UP ALL NIGHT: The Butterfly House by Katrine Engberg
The Butterfly House is the second novel in the Danish crime series Korner and Werner. I liked the first book, The Tenant, but I loved The Butterfly House. In this thriller, bodies are being found around Copenhagen, and the trail leads to a mysterious hospital. I never knew where this story was headed, and I enjoyed each twist. Katrine Engberg excels at creating vivid settings and dynamic characters. If you love Tana French or Gillian Flynn, you must try this series.
Additional high-stakes mysteries and thrillers include:
MOST LIKELY TO HAUNT YOU: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Have you read books that stay with you long after you finish them? You don't have to love these books or even think of them very often, but they're stories that made an impact because of a surprising ending or emotional story. Never Let Me Go is one of those books for me. I read this book in college, knowing very little about the plot. It's about a group of friends at an English boarding school whose lives are not what they expected. I'll always remember this novel and the way it made me feel.
Additional titles that will stick with you for a long time include:
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I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed putting it together! What books would you add to certain categories? What categories would you like me to cover next? Share in the comments!
This is such a great post! I added a couple titles to my tbr and loved your section on books that make you weep- A Little Life is my favorite book ever and An Untamed State was my top read of the year a couple years ago- no one ever mentions that book and it's amazing
I also loved listening to "Nothing to See Here" as an audiobook. I also really enjoyed listening to "Lincoln in the Bardo" since Nick Offerman and David Sedaris (among many other famous names) read parts of it. As an aside, my senior superlative was "Most Likely to win Ben Stein's Money" 😂.