40 Books I Love for my 40th Birthday
The first time I ever lost myself in a book was in 4th grade.
My teacher, Mr. Tally, had allowed us to bring in our sleeping bags and pillows and teddy bears and spend a day snuggled up in them, reading. I wasn’t as enthusiastic about the prospect then as I would be now – when both napping and reading hold more appeal – but, ever the people-pleaser, I followed his directions and slipped into my bag with a Baby-sitters Little Sisters book I had plucked hastily from his bookshelf.
For some reason, in the dim of my Umbro sleeping bag, I was immediately able to tune out the world in a way that I never have before. I lost myself in my book. The minutes flew by at a rate that would seem to be scientifically impossible and, before I knew it, the bell rang and it was time to go home.
Ever since that day, I have been chasing the high of that moment.
Today, I turn 40. And in the intervening years, I’ve caught that high a few times.
Here are 40 of the books that made me feel as awed by the power of reading as that tattered paperback I snuggled with oh-so-long ago.
Truths I Never Told You
by Kelly Rimmer
Genre – Historical Fiction
Emoji Summary – 👨👩👧👦 🤰 🤐 ❤️
Why I Love It – I wept real tears no fewer than 5 times while reading this book. Intense, powerful and timely, this novel makes for a thought-provoking and cathartic read.
An Abundance of Katherines
by John Green
Genre – Young Adult
The Book in Emojis – 🧠 🎓 🚗
Why I Love It – We’ve all been that awkward new adult, grasping at straws and trying desperately to figure out who we want to become. Green captures this tumultuous transition beautifully here, peppering in his signature brainy humor to add levity to an otherwise heavy topic.
Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Genre – Young Adult
The Book in Emojis – 😶🏫💔
Why I Love It – Being an adolescent is hard – and no one captures the struggle quite as effectively as Laurie Halse Anderson. I read this book nearly 20 years ago in my adolescent lit class in college and it has stuck with me ever since.
Watch Me Disappear
by Janelle Brown
Genre – Mystery / Thriller
The Book in Emojis – 👩👧⛰️⚰️🤯
Why I Love It – The protagonist of this novel – a queer teen who is struggling to deal with the disappearance of her admittedly often-shitty mother – was so distinct and so endearing. Also, as I have noted multiple times before, this book contained the single best epilogue I have ever read.
Followers
by Megan Angelo
Genre – Dystopian, Women’s Fiction
The Book in Emojis – 💄📺🏝️
Why I Love It – This book felt incredibly cinematic. A big, bold story set in a scary, complex world with damaged, needy characters. I could not put it down.
November 9
by Colleen Hoover
Genre – Romance
The Book in Emojis – 🚒📅💑
Why I Love It – I have probably watched Same Time Next Year staring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn 100 times – so, when I came across a CoHo book featuring the same they-meet-up-every-year premise, I was like, “Yeah, obvi.” This novel definitely surpassed my expectations, though. It contains a twist that I definitely didn’t seem coming (and I usually see them coming).
And There He Kept Her
by Joshua Moehling
Genre – Thriller, Mystery
The Book in Emojis – 👮💉🔫
Why I Love It – It doesn’t get much darker and grittier than this novel. What really set this one apart for me, though, was the protagonist. A queer cop who has decided to hide who he is in a rural Minnesota town, Moehling’s leading man is… literally perfect.
Together, Apart
edited by Erin Craig
Genre – Young Adult
The Book in Emojis – 🌆🌾🤟🏼😷
Why I Love It – You need to read this book if you lived through COVID – which you definitely did because, if you were born post-COVID, you would only be, like, 3 years old… and what you are doing on my blog? Go to bed, baby! This anthology of stories featuring teens who find their lives changed by the pandemic is an amazing reminder of life as we knew it.
And Then She Vanished
by Nick Jones
Genre – Science Fiction
The Book in Emojis – 🕰️ ⏰ ⏲️ 🏃♂️
Why I Love It – I spent many an hour in my youth watching Sam Beckett ricochet through time in Quantum Leap. Perhaps that is why I now have a bit of a soft spot for time-travel fiction. This novel, the first in the Joseph Bridgeman series, ripped my heart out and hurt me in the best possible ways.
Not My Boy
by Kelly Simmons
Genre – Thriller, Women’s Fiction
The Book in Emojis –
Why I Love It – Before I had kids, I thought the hardest part would be the dirty diapers. Since I have become a mother (3 times over now) I have learned that the worst thing truly is the constant worry. This terrifyingly realistic novel by Kelly Simmons did nothing to quiet those almost deafening fears. A powerful and beautifully written novel, Not My Boy is absolutely unforgettable.
The Friend Zone
by Abby Jimenez
Genre – Contemporary Romance
The Book in Emojis – 🐕 🚗 🤝 ⛔ 🍆
Why I Love It – I think it’s *a bit* unfair how many things Abby Jimenez is good at. The woman can bake the hell out of some cupcakes and pen contemporary romance novels that absolutely tear you apart and put you back together again. The Friend Zone, her first published novel, is among my favorite in the contemporary romance genre – just be prepared with a Costco-sized pallet of tissues.
Little Lovely Things
by Maureen Joyce Connolly
Genre – Literary Fiction, Thriller
The Book in Emojis – 👩⚕️ 👧 👶 💔
Why I Love It – This book was just… so special. This heartbreaking tale made me feel all the feelings. I am a different person now than I was before I read it.
Here and Now and Then
by Mike Chen
Genre – Science Fiction
The Book in Emojis – 👨💻 🌳 ⏪ 👨👧
Why I Love It – I remind you, again, of my aforementioned Quantum Leap obsession – like, legit, my college roommate and I could do the opening monologue verbatim. This Mike Chen novel was more about family than it was about science, though. It left me thinking about what I would do for my family and how my world would change if they weren’t a part of it.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
by Hank Green
Genre – Young Adult, Science Fiction
The Book in Emojis – 🤖 💡 🌐 💤
Why I Love It – An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is probably the smartest book I have ever read. Writing must run in the Green genes, because Hank Green managed to develop a rich, robust narrative that truly made me think about the connectivity of the world in which we live and out vulnerability is humans.
Her Pretty Face
by Robyn Harding
Genre – Mystery, Thriller
The Book in Emojis – 👩👦 🏫 💃 😨
Why I Love It – Why is it so hard to make friends as an adult? I was pondering this question when I picked up this Robyn Harding novel – about a mom who makes a new mom-friend only to find out that said friend might be a murder. Needless to say, I decided friendlessness wasn’t as big a deal as I had previously thought.
Holding
by Graham Norton
Genre – Mystery, Thriller, Literary Fiction
The Book in Emojis – 🍀 👮 🚌 👩👧
Why I Love It – I only picked up this novel because, during my college study abroad in England, I fell madly, deeply, and meaningfully in love with chat-show host Graham Norton. I was definitely not prepared for how much I would love this book, though. A mystery set in a quaint Irish village populated by an incredibly realistic cast of characters, Norton’s novel was the perfect mystery with just enough humor sprinkled in to make it sparkle.
Allegedly
by Tiffany D. Jackson
Genre – Young Adult
The Book in Emojis – 👧🏿 🧑⚖️ 🏚️
Why I Love It – The cover of this novel is fucking amazing. Spare and haunting, it sets the tone. And the contents of the novel is even more impressive. This Tiffany D. Jackson debut will absolutely gut you and leave you bereft for days – which doesn’t sound like a desirable state, but I guess I like to feel big things.
The Couple Next Door
by Shari Lapena
Genre – Thriller, Mystery
The Book in Emojis – 🚪 🍽️ 🍼 💵
Why I Love It – For me, this book was an example of picking up just the right read at just the right time. I grabbed this title shortly after the birth of my second child – a time when I would be particularly invested in the story of a baby that goes missing. Lapena’s narrative kept me guess throughout and has stuck with me in the 6(ish) years since I read it.
Attachments
by Rainbow Rowell
Genre – Romance
The Book in Emojis – 🖥️📧💑
Why I Love It – Everything that Rainbow Rowell writes has a certain sparkle to it – but this novel (which doesn’t get near the attention it deserves) sparkles a little brighter. An adorable office-place romance with a hero and heroine who you can’t help but fall in love with, this novel leaves you feeling and warm inside.
Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
Genre – Thriller
The Book in Emojis – 🎲🚓📰🎪
Why I Love It – I have spent more than a decade looking for the “next” Gone Girl. It seems to me that any book that you hold all other books against absolutely deserves a spot on the list of favorites that no one asked for but you are writing anyway. (Plus, the film version of this novel holds up way better than most – even if I do still have to squeeze my eyes shut during that scene with NPH. You know the one.)
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Genre – Young Adult
The Book in Emojis – 🏹🍞🏆
Why I Love It – Katness Everdeen. She is a full sentence. There is lots to love about Hunger Games, but the rest of the novel could be literally Suzanne Collins’ grocery lists and I would still be fucking obsessed with it, thanks to her unforgettable protagonist.
The Shining
by Stephen King
Genre – Horror
The Book in Emojis – 🏔️👻🔪🌨️
Why I Love It – When I was on a high school marching band trip, my friend, Heather, snuck in the bathroom while I was taking a shower and wrote “Redrum” in the steam on the mirror. I have been mad at her since. That is how much this book scared me.
Things You Cannot Say
by Kelly Rimmer
Genre – Historical Fiction
The Book in Emojis – 💑 ⚔️ 😢 😭
Why I Love It – Without a doubt, the best WWII historical fiction I have ever read. In fact, prior to reading this novel, I didn’t even particularly care for historical fiction. Now I know I do – particularly if Kelly Rimmer writes it.
Local Woman Missing
by Mary Kubica
Genre – Thriller, Mystery
The Book in Emojis – 💀 🍷 🏘️ 🏡 🏠
Why I Love It – I am a pretty basic 39 (well, now 40) year old woman. So, obviously, I love true crime. This Mary Kubica novel gave me true-crime-podcast vibes – and I am a big fan of those vibes!
No Exit
by Taylor Adams
Genre – Thriller, Mystery
The Book in Emojis – 🚗 🌨️ 🚙 🛣️ 🚧 😱
Why I Love It – No Exit is the literal definition of unputdownable. With a similar, straight-forward plot and a totally linear timeline, Taylor Adams managed to amp up the danger – and, by connection, by pulse rate – page by page by page. (Note – I do not in any way recommend the No Exit Hulu movie. Big mistake. Huge.)
Hidden Pictures
by Jason Rekulak
Genre – Thriller
The Book in Emojis – 🧑🏻🎨😱
Why I Love It – Probably the most distinctive book I have ever read. This thriller incorporates pictures to tell a truly immersive tale. I asked my husband to read it 6 months ago. He hasn’t yet. That is why we are fighting.
Big Little Lies
by Liane Moriarty
Genre – Mystery, Thriller
The Book in Emojis – 👩👧 👩👦 👩👦👦 🏫 🏖️
Why I Love It – I live in the suburbs. I am a mother. Reading Big Little Lies is kinda a contractual obligation. I absolutely adored the mix of thriller and social drama in what is, in my opinion, inarguably Liane Moriarty’s best work to date. Also, I didn’t see the twist coming until right before it happened.
The Match
by Harlan Coben
Genre – Thriller
The Book in Emojis – 🧬🌳☠️
Why I Love It – I’ve never met my father – which is a trauma I bring up way more often in casual conversation than you would expect. This fact leaves me pre-disposed to (1) be abso*fucking*lutely obsessed with Mamma Mia (the play, not the movie. Never the movie) and (2) love Wilde, a boy who mysteriously strode out of the woods years ago and is the protagonist of this Harlan Coben novel.
Fade Into the Bright
by Jessica Koosed Etting
Genre – Young Adult
The Book in Emojis – 👩 🏖️ 💊 🌴
Why I Love It – Sometimes, I want to cry. If you do, too, this might be the book for you. I wept real tears multiple times while reading this novel.
Yes, Daddy
by Jonathan Parks-Ramage
Genre – Thriller, Literary Fiction
The Book in Emojis – 🌇 🍸 😧 📵
Why I Love It – Fucking brutal. This Jonathan Parks-Ramage debut had me biting my nails from start to finish. An incredibly fresh and brave story that thrusts in front of readers’ eyes the horrors that individuals in historically marginalized groups continue to face.
You Can Go Home Now
by Michael Elias
Genre – Thriller, Mystery
The Book in Emojis – 🌃 ☠️ 👮🏽♀️
Why I Love It – This book just read so well. Michael Elias’ fluid prose had me fully engrossed in this novel. Also helpful, the protagonist had a backstory that gives readers no choice but to root for her.
Tiny Imperfections
by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans
Genre – Romance, Women’s Fiction
The Book in Emojis – 🏫 🧑🏿❤️💋👩🏿
Why I Love It – This novel was just… the cutest. I was naturally drawn to the protagonist, who works in admissions at a ritzy private school in San Fransico (what can I say, us girls in education have got to stick together). With romance, family drama, and a twist or two peppered in for good measure, this novel was perfect.
Hide Away
by Jason Pinter
Genre – Mystery, Thriller
The Book in Emojis – 👩👧👦 🔪 🧳
Why I Love It – I love a strong protagonist. Give me a good protagonist – preferably with a damaged one who I can become invested in the success of – and I will read all the books. Pinter did that, here, introducing one of my favorite protagonists to date, Rachel Marin. (Literally the only challenge I have with this protagonist is that I always think Whitney Houston’s character in The Bodyguard – spelled differently – Rachel Marron – but pronounced the same… at least in my head).
Adequate Yearly Progress
by Roxanne Elden
Genre – Literary Fiction
The Book in Emojis – 👩🏽🏫🍎🚸
Why I Love It – I have worked in education for nearly 20 years at this point. If you, too, wear the battle scars of a life spent teaching, this novel is an absolute must-read. Thing, The Office but in a school.
The Wives
by Tarryn Fisher
Genre – Thriller
The Book in Emojis – 💍💒👰
Why I Love It – I had not a fucking clue what was going on for more than half of this book. Once I figured it out, though, I loved it.
The Line Between
by Tosca Lee
Genre – Mystery, Thriller
The Book in Emojis – 🙏🏻 🦠 🔌 🏃♀️
Why I Love It – Imagine that you have just escaped a cult, are acclimating to a world you never knew, and suddenly it all goes to shit. This is the plot of The Line Between. I read this novel pre-pandemic, but suspect that I would be even more invested in it now that I have experienced a world in the brink of chaos.
Ghosted
by Rosie Walsh
Genre – Romance, Mystery
The Book in Emojis – 👨 👻 👩 💔
Why I Love It – I was on winter break when I started this book. And thank God for that, because I devoured it in, like, half a day. Both the hero and the heroine of this novel – which is equal parts romance and mystery – were utterly loveable. I wanted to grab them and scream and them and force them to figure their shit out.
Her One Mistake
by Heidi Perks
Genre – Thriller, Mystery
The Book in Emojis – 🎈 🧒🏻 ☔
Why I Love It – I tend to avoid playdates because, whenever I am left to watch a handful of kiddos, I feel tremendously anxious that something is going to happen to one of them (which is odd because I work in education so monitoring children and ensuring their safety is literally my job). It is probably because of this ever-present fear that I was so drawn to this novel, a thriller about a mom who turns her back for just a second only to find that her friend’s child – who had been left under her care – has disappeared.
The Final Six
by Alexandra Monir
Genre – Science Fiction, Dystopian, Young Adult
The Book in Emojis – 🌌 🔭 🚀 👽
Why I Love It – If this list has shown you anything, it is probably that I freakin’ love me some dystopian fiction. Humans are doing a pretty epic job of destroying this planet, which makes this novel – about a group of teens who are tasked with colonizing Jupiter’s moon, Europa, terrifyingly prescient. My 13 year old is reading it now. I like having him read it is preparing him for the challenges he will face when his generation inherits this smoggy planet full of trash and catastrophic weather events.
The Butcher and the Wren
by Alaina Urquhart
Genre – Thriller, Mystery
The Book in Emojis – 🔪 🕊️ 💎
Why I Love It – You know, like, 30 books ago when I said it doesn’t get much grittier than Moehling’s And There He Kept Her? Well, this novel – by Morbid podcaster Alaina Urquhart – gives that one a run for its money. This novel was deliberately difficult to read, but also served as a reminder of the resiliency of the human spirit. Truly exceptional.
