Happy 1st birthday, Read Voraciously!

It’s been a year since my first post and what a year it has been. I have had the pleasure of reading many great stories and have vastly expanded my taste in books. My voracious appetite for reading has expanded beyond measure but has been equally satiated by the experiences I’ve had. I am so thankful for the opportunities this blog has given me, most specifically to connect with other readers on this platform, to experience new books via Netgalley and to humbly interact with authors via Twitter (little compares to the thrill of seeing an author has liked and/or retweeted my review!). I wanted to put together a short list of my most favorite books that I reviewed this past year to highlight their merits and to help me to reflect on what I accomplished.  These are in order of date reviewed and all rank pretty equally at the top of the list of my favorites on Read Voraciously. Take some time to check them out and I would love to hear your opinions! Here’s to year one and many more to comes!

The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett

A unique perspective on the complexity of life that highlights how small experiences and choices can have a large impact. I loved the way this was written, where each version was explored deeply with the narratives alternating as time continues to pass.

Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett

I didn’t realize how much I liked this novel until well after I finished it. Only now, after experiencing a maturing in my appreciation of well writtin novels, can I fully understand just how well Haslett handles mental illness and the effect it has on families and the afflicted.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch 

If you haven’t read this yet you need to, as simple as that.

Leave Me by Gayle Forman

Books are meant to allow you entrance to otherwise unexplored avenues. As a wife and mother this story did that for me. While the subject is highly taboo in the family circle, it is something many wives and mothers fantasize (and often only that) about so it was enjoyable to watch that play out in the story.

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

I am and have been a long time Picoult fan so I will forever include her novels on my top lists. This one was particularly relevant, especially given the fact that her audience is made up largely of white, privileged women though of course not exclusively. Her authors note at the end was the most powerful piece of this story, in my opinion and I covered it in my review for that reason. Race needs to be talked about and our privileges, and at what or whose expense those exist, need to be acknowledged and understood.

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

This little known story of Albert Einstein’s first wife, Mileva Maric, is about the struggle of women to over come the constraints of society. This topic is still relevant today and one that resonated with me as a women who works in the sciences.

The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth J. Church 

In the same vein as The Other Einstein this story examines what happens to a woman’s dreams when the expectations of society come to call. Set in a more recent time, during the creation of the A-bomb, we see how the male agenda dominates and what that does to a marriage.

The Most Dangerous Place On Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson

A well-written tale of the struggles of adolescence. This resonated deeply and for anyone who has been bullied or been an accessory to that cruelty, or, really, went through high school, it will too.

The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker

A lifetime friendship between two weirdos trying to sift through their experiences. Dark and humorous in equal measure.

Exit West by Moshin Hamid

A uniquely surreal examination of the refugee crisis. The writing is so beautiful, for a lack of a better word. His lengthy sentences infuse a fluidity to the text which stands in deep contrast to the difficulty with which certain people move through this world these days. A timely read that is absolutely worth your time.

Thoughts?

Read voraciously.