A few years ago, I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I read a book start to finish that I didn’t have to read for my job. Last year, my goal was just to read more in general. This year I set a goal to read 100 books. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order:
Three Women by @LisaTaddeo. I think about this book and the characters all the time. indiebound.org/book/978145164…
Fleishman Is In Trouble by @taffyakner. This book really fucked me up and now every time I see a woman in a graphic t shirt or lo mein noodles I start shaking. 10/10. indiebound.org/book/978052551…
Billion Dollar Whale by @TomWrightAsia and @bradleyhope. The most insane tale of social climbing and ego and theft and fraud I have ever read. indiebound.org/book/978031643…
Republic of Lies by @annamerlan. I don’t think you can understand politics in 2019 if you don’t have a broad understanding of conspiracy theories. Reading this terrifying/but fun/but terrifying book is like having Anna tutor you on the subject. indiebound.org/book/978125015…
Personal History by Katharine Graham. I was NOT PREPARED! Graham was so candid about her life in a way that people rarely are in memoirs. And her life omfg! She was so interesting. I wish I could’ve talked shit with her. indiebound.org/book/978039458…
Daring: My Passages, by @GailSheehy. I love reading about magazine history, especially about my beloved @NYMag. That’s why I picked this up. But learning about Sheehy’s fight for independence and her love affair with Clay Felker was even more fascinating. indiebound.org/book/978006229…
Born Standing Up by @SteveMartinToGo. This was such a delight. And bonus, if you listen to the audiobook: it’s punctuated with the banjo. indiebound.org/book/978141655…
Heaven: Our Enduring Fascination with the Afterlife, by @lisaxmiller. Lisa is one of the best writers and reporters alive today and I loved the juxtaposition of her no bullshit reporting style with the subject matter. harpercollins.com/9780062002884/…
White House Warriors: How the National Security Council Transformed the American Way of War, by @johngansjr. I LOVED THIS BOOK. I was blown away by the level of detail in the reporting. indiebound.org/book/978163149…
The Book of Eating, by @plattypants. This was so much fun and so fascinating and the result for me was I really want to be adopted by the Platt family even though I don’t think they accept vegans. indiebound.org/book/978006229…
The Politician: An Insider's Account of John Edwards's Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down, by Andrew Young. This story is SO fucking insane I loved it so much. indiebound.org/book/978140011…
I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution, by @emilynussbaum. I don’t watch much television, but Nussbaum’s body of work here is about American society and how we’re changing as much as it’s about television. Just a total delight to read. indiebound.org/book/978052550…
Team of Vipers, by @Cliff_Sims. There are a lot of books about the Trump White House, but no book by an insider comes close to being as good as this one. Sims is an elegant writer with an extraordinary eye for detail. indiebound.org/book/978125022…
The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin, by Joe McGinnis. LMAO this fucking book. It’s so crazy. It’s like reading a bunch of Us Weekly’s that are strictly about Sarah Palin. I don’t know if I believe any of it but it was a TRIP to read. Just so fun. indiebound.org/book/978030771…
This Is London by @b_judah. A beautiful and empathetic and deeply reported investigation into who makes up the fabric of the city and what their lives are like. I laughed out loud several times because Judah’s reporting methods are so next level. panmacmillan.com/authors/ben-ju…
The Speechwriter, by Barton Swaim. I read this while I was writing a feature about Mark Sanford earlier this year. Swaim never mentions him by name, but it’s about his time working for him. One of those disgruntled ex-staffer memoirs that I love so much! indiebound.org/book/978147676…
The Payoff: Why Wall Street Always Wins, by @connaje. Another great burn it all down memoir by an ex- politico. Connaughton and Joe Biden never got along and his depiction of Biden is one of the more interesting/hilarious/sometimes sad that I’ve ever read. indiebound.org/book/978193521…
UPDATE: the last book I read in 2019 was also one of the best. How We Fight For Our Lives by @theferocity. Gripping and gorgeous and heartbreaking. indiebound.org/book/978150113…
