It might seem odd to compile a list of books with one-word titles – after all, what do they really have in common? But I’ve seen a lot of book clubs and reading challenges use this as a prompt, so I figured I’d make it easier for everyone by putting together a list of them, all in one place. So, here’s a whopping 130 books with one-word titles (and a little info to help you decide if they’re what you’re looking for).
Abomination by Ashley Goldberg
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 288 pages
Summary: “Abomination lays bare the clash between religious and secular worlds in contemporary Australia and provides a revealing glimpse into a closed community.”
Read my full review of Abomination here.
Accomplished by Amanda Quain
Genre/s: Young Adult fiction, contemporary romance, classic re-telling
Length: 320 pages
Summary: “Georgiana Darcy gets the Pride & Prejudice retelling she deserves in Amanda Quain’s Accomplished, a sparkling contemporary YA featuring a healthy dose of marching band romance, endless banter, and Charles Bingley as a ripped frat boy.”
Read my full review of Accomplished here.
Adèle by Leïla Slimani
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 240 pages
Summary: “Adèle appears to have the perfect life: She is a successful journalist in Paris who lives in a beautiful apartment with her surgeon husband and their young son. But underneath the surface, she is bored – and consumed by an insatiable need for sex.”
Read my full review of Adèle here.
Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 464 pages
Summary: “Admission is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the complex college admissions process and an emotional examination of what happens when the secrets of the past shake a woman’s life to its core.”
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 400 pages
Summary: “Fearless, gripping, spanning three continents and numerous lives, the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning Americanah is a literary masterpiece, and one of the defining books of the decade.”
Anaesthesia by Kate Cole-Adams
Genre/s: Non-fiction, popular science
Length: 416 pages
Summary: “Haunting, lyrical, sometimes shattering, Anaesthesia leavens science with personal experience to bring an intensely human curiosity to the unknowable realm beyond consciousness.”
Anatomy by Dana Schwartz
Genre/s: Young Adult fiction, historical fiction, romance
Length: 352 pages
Summary: “In Anatomy, Hazel and Jack must work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.”
Read my full review of Anatomy here.
Animal by Lisa Taddeo
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 368 pages
Summary: “Animal is a depiction of female rage at its rawest, and a visceral exploration of the fallout from a male-dominated society.”
Appreciation by Liam Pieper
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 368 pages
Summary: “Outrageous satire of the highest order, Appreciation sets its sights on the question of authenticity in a time where image trumps talent, narcissism rules, and no canvas is so tarnished it can’t be painted over.”
Read my full review of Appreciation here.
Ariel by Sylvia Plath
Genre/s: Poetry
Length: 56 pages
Summary: “Made up of poems that are so original in their style and so startlingly accomplished in their confessional voice that they helped change the direction of contemporary poetry, Ariel is a masterpiece.”
Autumn by Ali Smith
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 272 pages
Summary: “A luminous meditation on the meaning of richness and harvest and worth, Autumn is the first installment of Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet, and it casts an eye over our own time: Who are we? What are we made of?”
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Genre/s: Books in translation, crime and mystery
Length: 496 pages
Summary: “Beartown is a story about a town and a game, but even more about loyalty, commitment, and the responsibilities of friendship; the people we disappoint even though we love them; and the decisions we make every day that come to define us.”
Read my full review of Beartown here.
Becky by Sarah May
Genre/s: Literary fiction, classic re-telling
Length: 432 pages
Summary: “A darkly entertaining and delicious read, Sarah May’s Becky charts the rise and fall of an unforgettable heroine.”
Read my full review of Becky here.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 464 pages
Summary: “Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations – and whose story inspires us to do the same.”
Read my full review of Becoming here.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Genre/s: Historical fiction, literary fiction
Length: 352 pages
Summary: “Beloved is a spellbinding novel that transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby.
Read my full review of Beloved here.
Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates
Genre/s: Literary fiction, historical fiction
Length: 752 pages
Summary: “A powerful portrait of Hollywood’s myth and an extraordinary woman’s heartbreaking reality, Blonde is a sweeping epic that pays tribute to the elusive magic and devastation behind the creation of the great 20th-century American star.”
Read my full review of Blonde here.
Booth by Karen Joy Fowler
Genre/s: Literary fiction, historical fiction
Length: 480 pages
Summary: “Booth is a startling portrait of a country in the throes of change and a vivid exploration of the ties that make, and break, a family.”
Read my full review of Booth here.
Bruny by Heather Rose
Genre/s: Contemporary fiction, Australian fiction
Length: 440 pages
Summary: “Bruny is a searing, subversive novel about family, love, loyalty and the new world order. It is a gripping thriller with a jaw-dropping twist, a love story, a cry from the heart and a fiercely entertaining and crucial work of imagination that asks the burning question: what would you do to protect the place you love?”
Read my full review of Bruny here.
Bunny by Mona Awad
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 336 pages
Summary: “The spellbinding new novel from one of our most fearless chroniclers of the female experience, Bunny is a down-the-rabbit-hole tale of loneliness and belonging, friendship and desire, and the fantastic and terrible power of the imagination.”
Read my full review of Bunny here.
Calypso by David Sedaris
Genre/s: Biography and memoir, essays, humour
Length: 272 pages
Summary: “With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny – it’s a book that can make you laugh ’til you snort, the way only family can.”
Read my full review of Calypso here.
Carrie by Stephen King
Genre/s: Horror
Length: 336 pages
Summary: “Carrie is the story of misfit high-school girl who gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers and uses them to seek revenge on those who mock and loathe her.”
Changeling by Matt Wesolowski
Genre/s: Crime and mystery
Length: 271 pages
Summary: “Intensely dark, deeply chilling and searingly thought provoking, Changeling is an up-to-the-minute, startling thriller, taking you to places you will never, ever forget.”
Read my full review of Changeling here.
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
Genre/s: Literary fiction, Australian fiction
Length: 480 pages
Summary: “Winner of the Miles Franklin Award and recognised as one of the greatest works of Australian literature, Cloudstreet is Tim Winton’s sprawling, comic epic about luck and love, fortitude and forgiveness, and the magic of the everyday.”
Columbine by Dave Cullen
Genre/s: Non-fiction, history, true crime
Length: 356 pages
Summary: “The classic account of the Columbine school killings and its shocking aftermath, now more relevant than ever.”
Read my full review of Columbine here.
Come by Rita Therese
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 264 pages
Summary: “Bold, brave and darkly funny, Come is the extraordinary story of Melbourne sex worker Rita Therese and the love, sex and death she has experienced in her life so far.”
Read my full review of Come here.
Damascus by Christos Tsiolkas
Genre/s: Historical fiction
Length: 440 pages
Summary: “Christos Tsiolkas’ stunning new novel Damascus is a work of soaring ambition and achievement, of immense power and epic scope, taking as its subject nothing less than events surrounding the birth and establishment of the Christian church.”
Read my full review of Damascus here.
Desire by Jessie Cole
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 272 pages
Summary: “A memoir of the body, Desire is a visceral book in which feeling and longing are laid bare.”
Read my full review of Desire here.
Devotion by Madeline Stevens
Genre/s: LGBTQ+, thriller
Length: 336 pages
Summary: “Crackling with sensuality and suspense, Madeline Stevens’s Devotion is a dizzying thriller in which roles are confused and reversed and nothing is ever quite as it seems.”
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Genre/s: Young Adult fiction, dystopian fiction
Length: 496 pages
Summary: “Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games and Maze Runner series, Divergent and its sequels, Insurgent and Allegiant, are the gripping story of a dystopian world transformed by courage, self-sacrifice, and love.”
Read my full review of Divergent here.
Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
Genre/s: Non-fiction
Length: 416 pages
Summary: “Combining comic memoir with chilling reportage and cobweb-clearing analysis, Klein seeks to smash that mirror and chart a path beyond despair. Doppelganger asks: What do we neglect as we polish and perfect our digital reflections?”
Read my full review of Doppelganger here.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Genre/s: Classic fiction, paranormal horror
Length: 560 pages
Summary: “Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.”
Read my full review of Dracula here.
Dry by Augusten Burroughs
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 336 pages
Summary: “What follows is a memoir that’s as moving as it is funny, as heartbreaking as it is true. Dry is the story of love, loss, and Starbucks as a Higher Power.”
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
Genre/s: Young Adult fiction
Length: 400 pages
Summary: “Dumplin’ is the feel-good YA of the year—about Willowdean Dixon, the fearless, funny, and totally unforgettable heroine who takes on her small town’s beauty pageant.
Read my full review of Dumplin’ here.
Dyschronia by Jennifer Mills
Genre/s: Dystopian fiction, Australian fiction
Length: 354 pages
Summary: “Oscillating between the future and the past, Dyschronia is a novel that tantalises and dazzles, as one woman’s prescient nightmares become entangled with her town’s uncertain fate.”
Read my full review of Dyschronia here.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
Genre/s: Books in translation, literary fiction
Length: 202 pages
Summary: “Dreamlike, sometimes shocking, and always strange and wonderful, Earthlings asks what it means to be happy in a stifling world, and cements Sayaka Murata’s status as a master chronicler of the outsider experience and our own uncanny universe.”
Read my full review of Earthlings here.
Echolalia by Briohny Doyle
Genre/s: Literary fiction, Australian fiction
Length: 320 pages
Summary: “Echolalia is an ambitious book, tackling the enormous impact of trauma and how the lineage of misogyny is passed down through the generations.”
Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
Genre/s: Australian fiction, literary fiction
Length: 442 pages
Summary: “Two extraordinary stories set five generations apart are connected by a violent colonial history, in Melissa Lucashenko’s stunning historical epic, Edenglassie.”
Read my full review of Edenglassie here.
Educated by Tara Westover
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 368 pages
Summary: “Educated is an unforgettable memoir about a young woman who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University
Read my full review of Educated here.
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 272 pages
Summary: “Creepy, mesmerizing, and sublimely funny, in the tradition of Shirley Jackson and early Vladimir Nabokov, Eileen is a powerful debut novel that enthralls and shocks, and introduces one of the most original new voices in contemporary literature.”
Read my full review of Eileen here.
Emma by Jane Austen
Genre/s: Classic fiction, romance
Length: 512 pages
Summary: “With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen’s most flawless work.”
Read my full review of Emma here.
Emmett by L.C. Rosen
Genre/s: Young Adult fiction, classic re-telling
Length: 272 pages
Summary: “Modern and very gay, with a charmingly conceited lead who is convinced he knows it all, and the occasional reference to the classic movie Clueless, Emmett brings you lush romance all while exploring the complexities of queer culture—where your lovers and friends are sometimes the same person, but the person you fall in love with might be a total surprise.”
Read my full review of Emmett here.
Faithless by Alice Nelson
Genre/s: Australian fiction, literary fiction
Length: 318 pages
Summary: “Faithless is a passionate love story and a profound reflection on the nuances of attachment, the nature of desire, the different connections and relationships that sustain us, and the ways that we deceive ourselves and others in the hope that, finally, we can reach stumblingly towards one another.”
Read my full review of Faithless here.
Fake by Stephanie Wood
Genre/s: Non-fiction, biography and memoir
Length: 352 pages
Summary: “Fake is a powerful, richly layered investigative story for our times, drawing on the personal stories of the author and other women who have been drawn into relationships based on duplicity and false hope.”
Read my full review of Fake here.
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Genre/s: Young Adult fiction, romance
Length: 448 pages
Summary: “Fangirl is a charming coming-of-age novel filled with complex subjects (such as divorce, abandonment, and mental illness) handled in a realistic manner.”
Read my full review of Fangirl here.
Fathoms by Rebecca Giggs
Genre/s: Non-fiction
Length: 352 pages
Summary: “Fathoms is a work of bright and careful genius, one that blends natural history, philosophy, and science to explore: How do whales experience ecological change? How has whale culture been both understood and changed by human technology? What can observing whales teach us about the complexity, splendor, and fragility of life on earth?”
Read my full review of Fathoms here.
Fauna by Donna Mazza
Genre/s: Australian fiction, dystopian fiction
Length: 320 pages
Summary: “Fauna is a transformative, lyrical and moving novel about love and motherhood, home and family – and what it means to be human.”
Read my full review of Fauna here.
Figuring by Maria Popova
Genre/s: Non-fiction, history
Length: 592 pages
Summary: “Figuring explores the complexities of love and the human search for truth and meaning through the interconnected lives of several historical figures across four centuries.”
Flights by Olga Tokarczuk
Genre/s: Books in translation, literary fiction
Length: 416 pages
Summary: “From the incomparably original Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk, Flights interweaves reflections on travel with an in-depth exploration of the human body, broaching life, death, motion, and migration.”
Fling by Joseph Murray
Genre/s: Romance
Length: 360 pages
Summary: “At once heartfelt and hilarious, Fling by Joseph Murray is the story of a fateful – and faithful – affair to remind us all that sometimes, what you’re looking for might just be closer than you think.”
Read my full review of Fling here.
Girl by Edna O’Brien
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 242 pages
Summary: “From one of the century’s greatest living authors, Girl is an unforgettable story of one victim’s astonishing survival, and her unflinching faith in the redemption of the human heart.”
Read my full review of Girl here.
Group by Christie Tate
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 304 pages
Summary: “Group is a wild ride, and with Christie as our guide, we are given a front row seat to the daring, exhilarating, painful, and hilarious journey that is group therapy—an under-explored process that breaks you down, and then reassembles you so that all the pieces finally fit.”
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
Genre/s: Romance, humour
Length: 194 pages
Summary: “In between trying to win Mark back and loudly wishing him dead, Ephron’s irrepressible heroine offers some of her favorite recipes. Heartburn is a sinfully delicious novel, as soul-satisfying as mashed potatoes and as airy as a perfect soufflé.”
Read my full review of Heartburn here.
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami
Genre/s: Books in translation, literary fiction
Length: 176 pages
Summary: “In Heaven, a shy high-school student is subjected to bullying from his classmates and the only person capable of understanding his ordeal is a young classmate who suffers similar treatment at the hands of her tormentors.”
Read my full review of Heaven here.
Honeybee by Craig Silvey
Genre/s: LGBTQ+, Australian fiction
Length: 421 pages
Summary: “Honeybee is a tender, profoundly moving novel brimming with vivid characters and luminous words. It’s about two lives forever changed by a chance encounter – one offering hope, the other redemption.”
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix
Genre/s: Paranormal horror, humour
Length: 240 pages
Summary: “A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör is designed to retain its luster and natural appearance for a lifetime of use.”
Read my full review of Horrorstor here.
Hunger by Roxane Gay
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 320 pages
Summary: “In Hunger, Roxane Gay explores her past—including the devastating act of violence that acted as a turning point in her young life—and brings readers along on her journey to understand and ultimately save herself.”
Read my full review of Hunger here.
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
Genre/s: Romance
Length: 448 pages
Summary: “A top ten bestseller and beloved TikTok sensation, Icebreaker is a swoonworthy college romance about an ice skater and the hockey captain she hates as they’re forced to share a rink.”
Read my full review of Icebreaker here.
Infamous by Lex Croucher
Genre/s: Romance, historical fiction
Length: 336 pages
Summary: “Infamous is a Sapphic Regency romance, where an aspiring writer may be forced to choose between her best friend and living the life of her dreams.”
Read my full review of Infamous here.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Genre/s: Literary fiction, philosophy
Length: 263 pages
Summary: “In Ishmael, Daniel Quinn parses humanity’s origins and its relationship with nature, in search of an answer to this challenging question: How can we save the world from ourselves?
James by Percival Everett
Genre/s: Literary fiction, classic re-telling
Length: 368 pages
Summary: “James is a thrilling and soulful novel that reimagines Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of the enslaved Jim, offering a fresh take on a classic American literature.”
Read my full review of James here.
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
Genre/s: Classic fiction
Length: 262 pages
Summary: “Rudyard Kipling’s Kim stands as a luminous testament to the spirit of adventure and cultural exploration. Set against the vibrant tapestry of British India in the late 19th century, this literary masterpiece follows the journey of a young orphan boy of Irish descent as he navigates the diverse landscapes and cultures of the Indian subcontinent.”
Read my full review of Kim here.
Lakewood by Megan Giddings
Genre/s: Science fiction and fantasy
Length: 288 pages
Summary: “Provocative and thrilling, Lakewood is a breathtaking novel that takes an unflinching look at the moral dilemmas many working-class families face, and the horror that has been forced on black bodies in the name of science.”
Read my full review of Lakewood here.
Lanny by Max Porter
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 160 pages
Summary: “Lanny is a ringing defense of creativity, spirit, and the generative forces that often seem under assault in the contemporary world, and it solidifies Porter’s reputation as one of the most daring and sensitive writers of his generation.”
Read my full review of Lanny here.
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
Genre/s: Historical fiction, literary fiction, science fiction and fantasy
Length: 320 pages
Summary: “Welcome to Lapvona. In a village in a medieval fiefdom buffeted by natural disasters, a motherless shepherd boy finds himself at the centre of a power struggle that puts all manner of faith to a savage test.”
Read my full review of Lapvona here.
Larrimah by Caroline Graham & Kylie Stevenson
Genre/s: Non-fiction, true crime
Length: 400 pages
Summary: “A dying town, a missing man. One of Australia’s greatest mysteries – two whodunnits, twisted together in Larrimah.”
Read my full review of Larrimah here.
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Genre/s: LGBTQ+, literary fiction
Length: 273 pages
Summary: “A scintillating satire of the American abroad, a rumination on time and the human heart, a bittersweet romance of chances lost, Less shows a writer at the peak of his talents raising the curtain on our shared human comedy.”
Read my full review of Less here.
Loner by Georgina Young
Genre/s: Young Adult fiction
Length: 254 pages
Summary: “Loner re-examines notions of social isolation experienced by young people, suggesting sometimes our own company can be a choice and not a failing.”
Read my full review of Loner here.
Longbourn by Jo Baker
Genre/s: Classic re-telling, historical fiction
Length: 331 pages
Summary: “Longbourn takes us beyond the drawing rooms of Jane Austen’s classic—into the often overlooked domain of the stern housekeeper and the starry-eyed kitchen maid, into the gritty daily particulars faced by the lower classes in Regency England during the Napoleonic Wars.”
Lowbridge by Lucy Campbell
Genre/s: Australian fiction, crime and mystery
Length: 380 pages
Summary: “In a town simmering with divisions and a cast of unforgettable characters, Lowbridge is a heart-wrenching mystery about the girls who are lost, the ones who are mourned and those who are forgotten.”
Read my full review of Lowbridge here.
Lucky’s by Andrew Pippos
Genre/s: Australian fiction, historical fiction
Length: 368 pages
Summary: “Lucky’s is a story of family. A story about migration. It is also about a man called Lucky. His restaurant chain. A fire that changed everything.”
Read my full review of Lucky’s here.
Luster by Raven Leilani
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 240 pages
Summary: “Irresistibly unruly and strikingly beautiful, razor-sharp and slyly comic, sexually charged and utterly absorbing, Raven Leilani’s Luster is a portrait of a young woman trying to make sense of her life―her hunger, her anger―in a tumultuous era.”
Read my full review of Luster here.
Maid by Stephanie Land
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 288 pages
Summary: “Maid is an emotionally raw, masterful account of Stephanie’s years spent in service to upper middle class America as a “nameless ghost” who quietly shared in her clients’ triumphs, tragedies, and deepest secrets.”
Mammoth by Chris Flynn
Genre/s: Historical fiction, humour
Length: 221 pages
Summary: “Narrated by a 13,000-year-old extinct mammoth, Mammoth is the (mostly) true story of how a collection of prehistoric creatures came to be on sale at a natural history auction in New York in 2007.
Read my full review of Mammoth here.
March by Geraldine Brooks
Genre/s: Historical fiction, classic re-telling
Length: 320 pages
Summary: “A lushly written, wholly original tale steeped in the details of another time, March secures Geraldine Brooks’s place as a renowned author of historical fiction.”
Matrix by Lauren Groff
Genre/s: Historical fiction, literary fiction
Length: 268 pages
Summary: “Equally alive to the sacred and the profane, Matrix gathers currents of violence, sensuality, and religious ecstasy in a mesmerizing portrait of consuming passion, aberrant faith, and a woman that history moves both through and around.”
Melmoth by Sarah Perry
Genre/s: Paranormal horror, historical fiction
Length: 287 pages
Summary: “In Melmoth, a mysterious dark-robed figure has roamed the globe for centuries, searching for those whose complicity and cowardice have fed into the rapids of history’s darkest waters—and now, it is heading in our direction.”
Middlemarch by George Elliot
Genre/s: Classic fiction
Length: 1,042 pages
Summary: Renowned for its psychological depth and rich character development, Middlemarch is celebrated as one of the greatest novels in the English language.
Read my full review of Middlemarch here.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Genre/s: Historical fiction, literary fiction
Length: 544 pages
Summary: “To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. Lyrical and thrilling, Jeffrey Eugenides’s Middlesex is an exhilarating reinvention of the American epic.”
Read my full review of Middlesex here.
Milk by Matthew Evans
Genre/s: Non-fiction
Length: 280 pages
Summary: “Milk celebrates the majesty of this noble liquid, and delves into the pretenders to its throne, from formula to Mylk. It’s an exploration of the science, history and politics of what makes mammals different from every other life form on earth.”
Read my full review of Milk here.
Milkman by Anna Burns
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 360 pages
Summary: “Milkman is a story of the way inaction can have enormous repercussions, in a time when the wrong flag, wrong religion, or even a sunset can be subversive.”
Read my full review of Milkman here.
Misery by Stephen King
Genre/s: Horror, crime and mystery
Length: 463 pages
Summary: “Misery by Stephen King is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the twisted mind of a former nurse who holds her favorite author captive.”
Read my full review of Misery here.
Mortals by Rachel E. Menzies & Ross G. Menzies
Genre/s: Non-fiction
Length: 441 pages
Summary: “Human society is shaped by many things, but underlying them all is one fundamental force – our fear of death. This is the ground-breaking theory explored in Mortals.”
Read my full review of Mortals here.
Mythos by Stephen Fry
Genre/s: Classic re-telling, humour
Length: 352 pages
Summary: “Mythos is a modern collection of Greek myths, stylishly retold by legendary writer, actor, and comedian Stephen Fry. Fry transforms the adventures of Zeus and the Olympians into emotionally resonant and deeply funny stories, without losing any of their original wonder.”
Read my full review of Mythos here.
Naked by David Sedaris
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 291 pages
Summary: “In Naked, Sedaris turns the current mania for the memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, his family, and his unique worldview, a sensibility at once take-no-prisoners sharp and deeply charitable.”
Read my full review of Naked here.
Oneiron by Laura Lindstedt
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 418 pages
Summary: “Deftly playing with genres from essay to poetry, Oneiron is an astonishing work that explores the question of what follows death and delves deep into the lives and experiences of seven unforgettable women.”
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Genre/s: Historical fiction, romance
Length: 640 pages
Summary: “Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is a captivating historical fiction novel that follows the story of Claire Randall, a nurse from 1945 who mysteriously travels back in time to 18th century Scotland.”
Read my full review of Outlander here.
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Genre/s: Non-fiction
Length: 336 pages
Summary: “In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of Outliers – the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different?”
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Genre/s: Historical fiction, literary fiction
Length: 546 pages
Summary: “Four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family fight to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan. Profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty.”
Panic by Catherine Jinks
Genre/s: Crime and mystery, Australian fiction
Length: 343 pages
Summary: “Panic is a thought-provoking examination of trust and safety in a world rife with misinformation and fear.”
Read my full review of Panic here.
Paula by Isabel Allende
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 480 pages
Summary: “Paula is a powerful memoir infused with the real, the magical, and the spiritual, creating a haunting, sad, and beautiful tale.”
Pearl by Siân Hughes
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 224 pages
Summary: “Heartbreaking and redeeming, Pearl is the story of a young woman in a small English village who is struggling with the disappearance of her mother, what feels like a lifetime ago.”
Read my full review of Pearl here.
Perfume by Patrick Süskind
Genre/s: Books in translation, crime and mystery
Length: 255 pages
Summary: “Told with dazzling narrative brilliance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.”
Read my full review of Perfume here.
Permafrost by SJ Norman
Genre/s: Short stories
Length: 178 pages
Summary: Whether recounting the confusion of a child trying to decipher their father and stepmother’s new relationship, the surrealness of an after-hours tour of Auschwitz, or a journey to wintry Japan to reconnect with a former lover, Permafrost unsettles, transports and impresses in equal measure.
Read my full review of Permafrost here.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Genre/s: Classic fiction
Length: 288 pages
Summary: “Set in the fashionable societies of Lyme Regis and Bath, Persuasion is a brilliant satire of vanity and pretension, but, above all, it is a love story tinged with the heartache of missed opportunities.”
Read my full review of Persuasion here.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Genre/s: Literary fiction, fantasy
Length: 272 pages
Summary: “Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds.”
Read my full review of Piranesi here.
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 406 pages
Summary: “Curtis Sittenfeld’s debut novel, Prep, is an insightful, achingly funny coming-of-age story as well as a brilliant dissection of class, race, and gender in a hothouse of adolescent angst and ambition.”
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 352 pages
Summary: “Queenie is a disarmingly honest, unapologetically black, and undeniably witty novel that will speak to those who have gone looking for love and found something very different in its place.”
Read my full review of Queenie here.
Quichotte by Salman Rushdie
Genre/s: Classic re-telling
Length: 416 pages
Summary: “Inspired by the Cervantes classic, Sam DuChamp, mediocre writer of spy thrillers, creates Quichotte, a courtly, addled salesman obsessed with television who falls in impossible love with a TV star.”
Rapture by Emily Maguire
Genre/s: Historical fiction
Length: 234 pages
Summary: “Rapture is inspired by a thousand year-old story about a clever girl who dresses as a man to follow her lover to a monastery where she becomes a brilliant scholar and teacher, and eventually ends up – still in careful disguise – the most powerful person in Rome.”
Read my full review of Rapture here.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 448 pages
Summary: “One of the most influential novels of the twentieth century, Rebecca has woven its way into the fabric of our culture with all the troubling power of myth or dream.”
Read my full review of Rebecca here.
Reckoning by Magda Szubanski
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 383 pages
Summary: “Heartbreaking, joyous, traumatic, intimate and revelatory, Reckoning is the book where Magda Szubanski, one of Australia’s most beloved performers, tells her story.”
Read my full review of Reckoning here.
Reputation by Lex Croucher
Genre/s: Historical fiction, romance
Length: 336 pages
Summary: “Bridgerton meets Gossip Girl with a dash of Jane Austen, in Reputation, a Regency-era historical romantic comedy with a deliciously feminist twist, from a hilarious new British voice, Lex Croucher.”
Read my full review of Reputation here.
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 417 pages
Summary: “In exploring the loneliness, moral ambivalence, and iron determination that characterize the quest for political power, as well as both the exhilaration and painful compromises demanded of female ambition in a world still run mostly by men, Rodham is a singular and unforgettable novel.”
Read my full review of Rodham here.
Rogues by Patrick Radden Keefe
Genre/s: Non-fiction, essays
Length: 368 pages
Summary: “Rogues brings together a dozen of his most celebrated articles from The New Yorker. As Keefe says in his preface “They reflect on some of my abiding preoccupations: crime and corruption, secrets and lies, the permeable membrane separating licit and illicit worlds, the bonds of family, the power of denial.”
Read my full review of Rogues here.
Room by Emma Donoghue
Genre/s: Crime and mystery
Length: 352 pages
Summary: “Room is a tale at once shocking, riveting, exhilarating — a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child.”
Read my full review of Room here.
Sadie by Courtney Summers
Genre/s: Young Adult fiction, crime and mystery
Length: 336 pages
Summary: “Alternating between Sadie’s unflinching voice as she hunts the killer and the podcast transcripts tracking the clues she’s left behind, Courtney Summers’ Sadie is a breathless thriller about the lengths we go to protect the ones we love and the high price we pay when we can’t. It will haunt you long after you reach the final page.”
Read my full review of Sadie here.
Sadvertising by Ennis Ćehić
Genre/s: Short stories
Length: 304 pages
Summary: “In the mind-bendingly upside-down world of Sadvertising, iPhones have feelings, brands come to life, creative directors disappear into parallel universes and lowly freelancers become immortal.”
Read my full review of Sadvertising here.
Sapiens by Noah Yuval Harari
Genre/s: Non-fiction
Length: 464 pages
Summary: “From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.”
Read my full review of Sapiens here.
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
Genre/s: Literary fiction, classic fiction
Length: 304 pages
Summary: “Scoop is Waugh’s exuberant comedy of mistaken identity and brilliantly irreverent satire of the hectic pursuit of hot news.”
Read my full review of Scoop here.
Servo by David Goodwin
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 308 pages
Summary: “For anyone who’s ever toiled under the unforgiving fluorescent lights of a customer service job, Servo is a side-splitting and darkly mesmeric coming-of-age story from behind the anti-jump wire that will have you gritting your teeth, then cackling at the absurdity, idiocy and utterly beguiling strangeness of those who only come out at night.”
Read my full review of Servo here.
Shmutz by Felicia Berliner
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 272 pages
Summary: Shmutz explores what it means to be a fully realized sexual and spiritual being caught between the traditional and modern worlds.
Read my full review of Shmutz here.
Shrill by Lindy West
Genre/s: Biography and memoir, essays
Length: 272 pages
Summary: “Shrill is an uproarious memoir, a feminist rallying cry in a world that thinks gender politics are tedious and that women, especially feminists, can’t be funny.”
Read my full review of Shrill here.
Shriver by Chris Belden
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 288 pages
Summary: “Filled with witty dialogue, hilarious antics, and a cast of bizarre and endearing characters, Shriver is at once a touching love story, a surreal examination of identity, and an affectionate tribute to the power of writing.”
Sociopath by Patric Gagne
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 368 pages
Summary: “Sociopath is a fascinating, revelatory memoir revealing the author’s struggle to come to terms with her own sociopathy and shed light on the often maligned and misunderstood mental disorder.”
Read my full review of Sociopath here.
Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 512 pages
Summary: “You’re about to meet Sybil – and the sixteen selves to whom she played host, both women and men, each with a different personality, speech pattern, and even personal appearance. You’ll experience the strangeness and fascination of one woman’s rare affliction, and travel with her on her long, ultimately triumphant journey back to wholeness.”
Read my full review of Sybil here.
Taboo by Kim Scott
Genre/s: Australian fiction
Length: 304 pages
Summary: “Taboo takes place in the present day, in the rural South-West of Western Australia, and tells the story of a group of Noongar people who revisit, for the first time in many decades, a taboo place: the site of a massacre that followed the assassination, by these Noongar’s descendants, of a white man who had stolen a black woman.”
Tampa by Alissa Nutting
Genre/s: Horror, literary fiction
Length: 272 pages
Summary: “With crackling, stampeding, rampantly sexualized prose, Tampa is a grand, satirical, serio-comic examination of desire and a scorching literary debut.”
Read my full review of Tampa here.
Temporary by Hilary Leichter
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 208 pages
Summary: “In Temporary, a young woman’s workplace is the size of the world. She fills increasingly bizarre placements in search of steadiness, connection, and something, at last, to call her own”
Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh
Genre/s: Crime and mystery
Length: 336 pages
Summary: “Thirteen is courtroom drama at its finest, blended with page-turning twists and characters you can’t get enough of.”
Throat by Ellen van Neerven
Genre/s: Poetry
Length: 152 pages
Summary: “Unsparing in its interrogation of colonial impulse, Throat is fiercely loyal to voicing our truth and telling the stories that make us who we are.”
Read my full review of Throat here.
Trace by Rachael Brown
Genre/s: True crime
Length: 304 pages
Summary: “Trace re-examines the 1980 murder of Maria James―the single mother of two sons, one with a disability―revealing abuse in the Catholic Church, cult activities, and claims of incompetence and corruption at the highest levels.”
Read my full review of Trace here.
Tracker by Alexis Wright
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 640 pages
Summary: “Tracker by Alexis Wright is a collective memoir of the charismatic Aboriginal leader, Tracker Tilmouth, who died in Darwin in 2015 at the age of 62.”
Read my full review of Tracker here.
Ulysses by James Joyce
Genre/s: Literary fiction, classic fiction
Length: 708 pages
Summary: “A masterwork of modernist literature, Ulysses used the structure of the Homeric Odyssey as a contrast to the lives of the Dublin working class.”
Read my full review of Ulysses here.
Unbreakable by Jelena Dokic
Genre/s: Biography and memoir
Length: 320 pages
Summary: “Unbreakable is a story of survival that transcends the game of tennis. From war-torn Yugoslavia to Sydney to Wimbledon, she narrates her hellish ascent to becoming one of the best tennis players in the women’s game, and her heartbreaking fall from the top.”
Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal
Genre/s: Classic re-telling
Length: 384 pages
Summary: “Told with wry wit and colorful prose, Unmarriageable is a charming update on Jane Austen’s beloved novel and an exhilarating exploration of love, marriage, class, and sisterhood.”
Vox by Christina Dalcher
Genre/s: Dystopian fiction, crime and mystery
Length: 352 pages
Summary: “Set in an America where half the population has been silenced, Vox is the harrowing, unforgettable story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter.”
Read my full review of Vox here.
Weather by Jenny Offill
Genre/s: Literary fiction
Length: 226 pages
Summary: “A marvelous feat of compression, a mix of great feeling and wry humor, Weather is an electrifying encounter with one of the most gifted writers at work today.”
Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
Genre/s: Science fiction & fantasy
Length: 336 pages
Summary: “Suspenseful and cinematic, Whalefall is a powerfully humane thriller about a young man who has given up on life… only to find a reason to live in the most dangerous and unlikely of places.”
You by Caroline Kepnes
Genre/s: Crime and mystery
Length: 448 pages
Summary: “A terrifying exploration of how vulnerable we all are to stalking and manipulation, debut author Caroline Kepnes delivers a razor-sharp novel for our hyper-connected digital age. You is a compulsively readable page-turner that’s being compared to Gone Girl, American Psycho, and Stephen King’s Misery.”
Read my full review of You here.
Zodiac by Robert Graysmith
Genre/s: True crime
Length: 707 pages
Summary: “Between December 1968 and October 1969 a hooded serial killer called Zodiac terrorized San Francisco. Claiming responsibility for thirty-seven murders, he manipulated the media with warnings, dares, and bizarre cryptograms that baffled FBI code-breakers. Then as suddenly as the murders began, Zodiac disappeared into the Bay Area fog.”
March 15, 2025 at 3:07 PM
This prompt makes for a very interesting list! Of the 9 I own, I’ve actually read 4 so I feel like that’s not too bad. 😂
March 17, 2025 at 10:23 AM
That’s almost half! 😉