#1. BFF: a Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found by Christie Tate: I devoured this book in a few days because it was written with the same honesty, heart, self-awareness, humor, and tenderness as Tate’s previous memoir, Group. One of my favorite friendship memoirs in years. Christie and I spoke about friendship triangles and ghosting on episode 47 of Dear Nina. And we spoke about her previous memoir, Group, on episode four.
#2. Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson: Enjoyed Ginnifer Goodwin narrating this one. Wilson does great quirky characters, and I enjoyed the idea of something going viral long before social media. Very original story.
#3. Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett: This was a reread, but it was a careful reread so it’s going on the list. One of my favorite friendship memoirs for the intricacies of friendship it portrays, which is why I chose it for the first book for The Dear Nina Book Club.
#4. Ladyparts by Deborah Copaken: I listened to this one, and I found myself turning it on a lot to see what would happen next, but also to make a dent. It was long! It’s about so many things that I couldn’t possibly list them all here. I do think I would have skimmed some of this if I had the print.
#5. We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman: This novel features a beautiful friendship during one friend’s last weeks in hospice. It was a quick, heartfelt, and witty book.
#6. My Life as a Villainess by Laura Lippman: Quick, easy essays with a nice sense of humor and self-awareness. I liked reading about the friendship between Lippman and Ann Hood.
#7. My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin: I loved this one! The main character is a senior in college around the time I was a senior in college, making the time and place—a college campus—especially fun for me. Campus novels are a favorite genre of mine. Listen to Daisy and I talk about college friendships on episode 60 of Dear Nina.
#8. The Unlikely Village of Eden by Emma Nadler: A beautifully told story about raising a child with a rare genetic condition. I cannot say enough good things about this book, and I can’t wait to discuss it with more people. I was just incredibly moved by Nadler’s honesty and rawness and the way her village came together. Emma and I had a great conversation on episode 55 of Dear Nina.
#9. We Should Not Be Friends: The Story of a Friendship by Will Schwalbe: A beautifully written memoir about an unexpected friendship and the real keys to maintaining a long-term successful friendship. Listen to Will on episode 49 of Dear Nina where we talked about those two aspects of the book.
#10. The End of Solitude: Selected Essays on Culture and Society by William Deresiewicz: I liked the sections on friendship and on higher education. Had to skim other parts.
#11. I’m Wearing Tunics Now by Wendi Aarons: Fun essays about aging. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane of the early blogging days.
#12. The Glory Was I Had Such Friends by Amy Silverstein: An extremely moving story of Amy’s wait for a heart transplant and the crew of friends who didn’t even all know each other, but got organized and made sure at least one of them was with her at all times to keep an eye at the hospital and get her through the pain, the waiting, the uncertainty, and everything else.
#13. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: I reread this one for the Dear Nina Book Club. I loved it just as much the second time.
#14. The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs by Laura Tremaine: Listen to Laura on episode 54 of Dear Nina when we talked about the period of Laura’s life when her friends basically demanded she improve her communication with them. “Text Your Friends Back.”
#15. Life in Five Senses by Gretchen Rubin: I always appreciate Gretchen’s books because I learn something new about myself. Her experiments and research make me examine myself and force more patience with other people. Gretchen and I had a great talk about this book as it relates to friendship in episode 57: “Listen for What’s Not Being Said and Other Friendship Solutions From Studying the Five Senses.”
#16. Congratulations, The Best is Over! by R. Eric Thomas: I really love R. Eric Thomas’s humor and his deeper moments. This book was no exception. I laughed/cried so hard in the Oprah chapter. I nodded so hard in others. One of my favorite reads of the year. Thank you to netgalley.com for the early release. Edited months later to add: I ordered a signed copy from Parnassus Books when I was in Nashville this summer and read it again in hard cover. The best.
#17. You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith: I did the audio, and I for sure recommend this quick, honest story of a marriage ending told in short prose in such an artful way.
#18. Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby: I loved this one like I love all the Samantha Irby. I listened to the audio, and I did have to fast forward through the pee and poo chapters. Sorry, just not my thing. But I adored the rest, and I always recommend Irby to essay lovers.
#19. The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa Damour, Ph.D.: Dr. Lisa is the master when it comes to teenagers. Her thesis: It’s not normal to expect teenage life to be free of any negative emotions and trying to make sure teenagers don’t feel sad, anger, frustrated and so on is making things worse. She talks about theories of how things got this way and how to help teenagers feels their pain and handle it rather than try to avoid it all. Listen to Dr. Lisa on Dear Nina, episode 65, “Teen Friend Groups and Accepting Teen Friendship Strife.”
#20. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld: Started a bit slowly, but I stayed up until 3AM to finish. That’s always a good sign. I probably can’t do another Covid-era novel for a long time though. I jsut have zero desire whatsoever to revisit those days.
#21. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano: This was a quiet and sometimes sad book, but I really enjoyed reading it. I’m generally a fan of books about four kids. I haven’t been this engrossed in a novel for a while.
#22. Unorthodox Love by Heidi Shertok: I had so much fun reading a romance starring an Orthodox Jewish woman and a secular Jewish man. I’m not Orthodox, but I call myself “frum friendly” and am fairly observant, Jewishly, with lots of Orthodox friends. I think anyone who enjoys a rom-com, no matter your background, would enjoy this one. You can hear Heidi on episode #66 of Dear Nina, “Introvert Energy in Friendships.”
#23. Incurable Optimist: Living With Illness and Chronic Hope by Jennifer Cramer-Miller: You can read this one in a few sittings, and if you’re looking for a hopeful, moving, insightful memoir, then you should do just that. Jennifer writes with humor and wisdom about having her life turned upside down at the age of 22 because of a rare kidney disease. Throughout her multiple kidney transplants (four!), Jennifer learns so much about life, strength, and hope — and we get to learn along with her. I was inspired by the spirit and truth in this book. In episode #69 of Dear Nina, we debunked the whole “what not to say friends who are sick” vibe that’s out there on the internet.
#24. Kiss Me In The Coral Lounge by Helen Ellis: Quick read! I always love Helen Ellis’s sensibility and I adore how much SHE adores her friends and husband. The chapter on keeping grudges for her friends was hilarious.
#25. Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson: Wow, what a fun, well-written, juicy family drama. I really enjoyed all the family dynamics. Quick read and there was even some tennis. I loved it! Great summer read.
#26. The Anthropocene Reviewed Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green: I loved this collection of somewhat unusual essays. It’s hard to describe. If you’re an essay lover and a John Green lover, this one is for you. I recommend the audio, when John reads so beautifully.
#27. From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks: It’s hard to recommend this one because it’s more informative than enjoyable. All of it is topical for my podcast. It’s been sitting on my desk to write down some quotes from it, but there are so many that I keep putting it off.
#28. Oldest Twin Cities by Julie Jo Severson: I can’t imagine anyone knows more about the Twin Cities than Julie! This is a book full of fun, unexpected facts and quirky stories about my town.
#29. My Song, Unleashed: A Memoir by Marnie Dachis Marmet: Many of us can relate to feeling unsure about the worthiness of our own voice and self-worth. This is a story of one woman coming into her own.
#30. The Miracle Child: Traumatic Brain Injury and Me by Kelly Lang and Michael Lang: The trauma the Lang family went through after horrific car crash is well-documented in this moving and powerful memoir. Kelly will be on Dear Nina in 2024.
#31. Worldwide Crush by Kristin Nilsen: I loved this book so much! Millie is the sweetest middle schooler, and it was fun to enter her world where she’s obsessed with a celebrity and she’s working so hard to meet him. The main friendship here and the family relationships felt real and satisfying. Listen to Kristin and I talk about the childhood friendships that shaped our identities on episode.
#32. The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner: This was a good book to take to bed with me and look away from the news for a bit. Weiner’s storytelling is always spot on, and The Breakaway was no different.
#33. The Young Man by Annie Ernaux: I’m just going to say it. I do not get the big deal about this one. At all.
#34. Build the Life You Want by Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey: Liked the chapter on friendship, but the rest was more of a skim for me.
#35. Shoot the Arrows by Sally Vardaman: Another solid book of essays. Each essay is a letter to her grown children about life’s struggles. For example, facing addiction, telling the truth, nitpicking, communicating, kindness, and yes, neediness gets its own chapter. You can hear Sally on episode 80 of Dear Nina in a topic related to her book and a really hard/awkward one to tackle– “Neediness in Friendships.”
#36. End of the Hour by Meghan Riordan Jarvis: I listened to this one about trauma and grief. An important point of view from someone who has been treated and who has treated others.
#37. Verity by Colleen Hoover: This is my first Colleen Hoover book. People tell me it’s the worst one. There’s much to dislike, that said, I read it in 2.5 days on vacation, which counts for something. I started a thread in my Dear Nina Facebook Group to help me understand the ending. Because, what!?!?
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