The Midnight Library
Fiction

The Midnight Library

by Matt Haig  ·  2020

A beautiful meditation on regret, second chances, and the quiet courage it takes to choose your own life. Haig's prose is gentle yet piercing — the Midnight Library itself is a clever, moving metaphor that lingers.

Pachinko
Historical Fiction

Pachinko

by Min Jin Lee  ·  2017

A sweeping, multigenerational saga of a Korean family in Japan. Devastating and beautiful in equal measure — every character feels utterly real, and the weight of history never overshadows their humanity.

Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi

Project Hail Mary

by Andy Weir  ·  2021

Pure, joyful, unputdownable science fiction. I stayed up way too late finishing this — the friendship at the heart of it is unexpectedly moving, and the problem-solving is endlessly satisfying.

Lessons in Chemistry
Fiction

Lessons in Chemistry

by Bonnie Garmus  ·  2022

Witty, warm, and quietly furious. Elizabeth Zott is one of the most memorable protagonists I've encountered — competent, eccentric, and utterly uncompromising. A love story that isn't really a love story.

The Thursday Murder Club
Mystery

The Thursday Murder Club

by Richard Osman  ·  2020

Charming, clever, and so much fun. Four retired friends solving cold cases is exactly as delightful as it sounds. The humour is warm rather than sharp, and the mystery itself holds up beautifully.

Where the Crawdads Sing
Mystery Fiction

Where the Crawdads Sing

by Delia Owens  ·  2018

Lush, lyrical, and deeply atmospheric. The North Carolina marshes feel as alive as any character, and Kya's story of solitude and survival is both heartbreaking and triumphant.

Crying in H Mart
Memoir

Crying in H Mart

by Michelle Zauner  ·  2021

Devastating and gorgeous. A memoir about grief, identity, and the way food carries love across generations — I cried in a coffee shop reading this, which felt appropriate. Unforgettable.

Normal People
Fiction

Normal People

by Sally Rooney  ·  2018

Technically brilliant — Rooney's prose is precise in a way that feels almost cold — but I found the central relationship more frustrating than moving. Admired it more than I loved it.