Some of my favorite adult books, my personal reads...

  1. Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff (If you have a loved one or know someone that struggles with addiction, this is a must read. Raw-vulnerable-truthful- heartbreaking-gut wrenching- ) 
  2. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
  3. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese 
  4. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover (Why hasn't the movie been made yet?!) 
  5. The Elegance of a Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (This was a challenging read, but oh so worth it.) 
  6. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni (Was my read of the year a few years ago.) 
  7. Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family by Mitch Album (I loved every word in this book with all my heart. I recommend the audio version so you can hear recordings of Chika's sweet little voice recorded by Album.) 
  8. Firefly Lane and Fly Away (the sequel) both by Kristin Hannah, I liked Firefly Lane better than Fly Away, but I'm glad I read it to get more of the backstory.)
  9. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Right after I finished this book it won the Pulitzer. I agree with the award, well worth the investment of a huge read!) 
  10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (Great book for a book club, loved the structure of story through letters.) 
  11. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (We read this for our book club and then someone brought chocolate pie to the meeting!) 
  12. I'll Push You: The Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchair by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck (Warning, you're going to want to hike the Camino de Santiago after reading this book! Be sure to watch the documentary on Netflix after reading.) 
  13. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (I became obsessed with Frank Lloyd Wright after reading this book. What a cad!) 
  14. Maid, Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Stephanie Land (Set in the PNW- I could envision every moment of this heartbreaking memoir.
  15. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapists, Her Therapist, and our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb (Loved this book so much! It is such an insightful look into our brokenness and those we trust to heal.) 
  16. Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln by Janis Cooke Newman (One of three books I want to be buried with. I seriously grieved the end of this book.) 
  17. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (I made the mistake of finishing this book in the parking lot one morning outside a school. Read it and you'll know why that was such a big mistake!) 
  18. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert (A beautiful read about a time in history I knew little about.) 
  19. Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt (Young adult literature- caution: READ with a BOX OF TISSUE- hint hint!) 
  20. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain 
  21. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (At one point I yelled out loud while reading this book. Embarrassing.) 
  22. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 
  23. Reading with Patrick: A Teacher, A Student, and a Life-Changing Friendship by Michell Kuo (Seriously, this is a book that I would take to my grave- it's one of my top three in my lifetime.) 
  24. Shakespeare Saved My Life by Laura Bates (Again, one that I will never forget and a book for all teachers. This is why we are devoting our lives to literacy.) 
  25. Running With Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero by Christopher McDougall 
  26. The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Horrison (Better than Gone Girl in my humble opinion, although I did love G.G.)
  27. Still Alice by Lisa Genova (I read this in a book club, we are all 40 + women. It made us a little paranoid!) 
  28. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (Think Hamlet) 
  29. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt (Every middle and high school teacher in America should read this book! I got to hear him read aloud from it, it was an experience I was blessed to have and will never forget!) 
  30. The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese by Michael Paterniti (I know, weird title right?! BUT OH SO GOOOODDD!) 
  31. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt 
  32. Unbroken by Laura Hildenbran ( I was just leaving Buffalo, NY after a week of consulting and finished this book when I heard on the radio that the Louis Zamperini had passed away. What an epic story of a remarkable human being.) 
  33. Zeitoun by Dave Eggars (I have spent a good bit of time working in New Orleans and so had a real connection to this book.) 


This was the MOST difficult of the recommended books lists to create! I typically read fifty plus books a year and become hopelessly enthusiastic about most of them! I promise to keep this page updated often. I'd love to hear from other teachers about what they're reading. I hold the strong belief that we have to live the life of a reader and writer in order to teach our children how to live that life as well!