A friend of mine recently asked me for a list of books I read as a teenager that I would recommend.  She had a list, of which I had only read two and neither of those would make my list.  But, I thought I would put my list here, so here it is.

Books from my teenaged years that I love to revisit:
1. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou)
2. Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit (Janette Winterston)
3. The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)
4. The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
5. I Never Promised You A Rose Garden (Hannah Green)
6. A Brief History of Time (Stephen Hawkings)
7. Delores Claiborne (Stephen King)
8. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
9. The Bean Trees (Barbara Kingsolver)
10. Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery)

The Rules:  I read 50 books recommended by 50 different friends.
1. Only books I have not read, but if you recommend one in a series that I have not finished you can opt to recommend the next book in the series I haven’t read.
2. Only one recommendation per person. You have to pick just one
3. No duplicate authors.
4. Must be available from Audible or Learning Ally.
5. First 50 recommended are on the list.
6. Any genre, any length. Just make it a book you loved, loved to hate, hated but think I might like, found interesting, or think would be good for me to read.

1. Making It So
2. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
3. How To Speak Whale
*4. The Black Witch
*5. Ma and Me
*6. Against the Loveless World
*7. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
*8. The Betrayal Bind
9. Let Us Descend
10. Foster
11. Creation
12. Soldier of the Great War
13. Rosalind Parker Takes The Cake
*14. The Devil’s Chessboard
15. There There
16. The Joy of Missing Out
*17. The Winemaker’s Wife
*18. Las Madres
*19. Tom Lake
20. Book of Delights
21. The Covenant of Water
22. You Could Make This Place Beautiful
23. Under The Whispering Door
24. The Sweetness of Water
25. Hounded
26. Democracy Awakening
*27. The Lost Apothecary
*28. Take My Hand
*29.Misbelief
30. Entangled Life
**31. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
32. To Paradise
*33. Eve
34. The Pull of The Stars
35. Going Postal
36. The History of Sketch Comedy
37. The Postmistress of Paris
38. The Science of Stuck
*39. The Heart's Invisible Furies
40. Autobiography of a Face
41. Don't Know Tough
42. Daffodil Hill
43. The Labors of Hercules Beal
*44. G-Man
45. The Heart of Understanding
46. The Seed Keeper
47. Love & Saffron
48. Under the Skin
49. Surviving God
50. The Rediscovery of America 

2024 books not on the original list:

​*1. In The Dream House
*2. The Iron Flower
*3. The Shadow Wand
*4. The Demon Tide
*5. The Light Mage
*6. Wandfasted
7. The Deepest Well
*8. A Million Quiet Revolutions
*9. All I Love and Know
*10. Stand Up For Yourself, Set Boundaries, and Stop People Pleasing (If That's Okay With You)
11. Dirty Little Midlife Crisis
12. Sure, I'll Join Your Cult

*1. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (Rachel B)
*2. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Lela)
​3. The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki (Carla)
*4. Burnout by Emily & Amelia Nagoski (Krissy)
5. Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson (Judah)
6. The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls by Emilie Autumn (Shawna)
7. How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu (Karen S)
8. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor (Sequoia)
9. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (Sandra)
*10. Bittersweet by Susan Cain (Nell)
*11. Body Grammar by Jules Ohman (Julie)
*12. The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones (Evangeline)
13. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Beth)
​14. The People You Meet on Vacation by Julia Whelan (Becca)
15. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (Michele P.)
​16. Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead (Suzanne)
*17. The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson (LuAn)
18. Notes on an Execution by Dayna Kukafka (Karen L.)
19. Slip of the Knife by Denise Mina (Mina)
*20. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz (Tanya)
*21. The Last Chairlift by John Irving (Gerry)
*22. This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub (Amanda)
23. Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan (Mary B.)
*24. Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie (Sarah M.)
25. The Last Lie Told by Debra Webb (Melissa)
*26. Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
27. Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Diaz (Sarah D)
28. Women Talking by Miriam Toews (Vee)
29. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (Kathy)
30. A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore (Anneliese)
​31. Forever Young by Hayley Mills (Rachel C)
32. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara Tuchman (Raul)
*33. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Sybil)
34. Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard (Wendy)
35. Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett (Irene)
​36. Blood & Sugar by ​Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Susan)
37. Matrix by Lauren Groff. (Amy)
​*38. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (Tiara)
39. Still Life by Sarah Winman (Sarah F-M)
40. Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith (Micheal)
41. The Storyteller by Dave Grohl (Nikki)
42. Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman (Katy K)
*43. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict (Lisa)
​44. Sea of Tranquillity by Emily St. John Mandel (Emmy)
​45. The Secret Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams (Michele)
​*46. Tuesday Mooney Talks To Ghosts by Kate Racculia (Theresa)
47. The Female Persuassion by Meg Wolitzer (David)
48. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Dr Oliver Sacks (Hilary)
​49. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (Kristen)
​50. Vox by Christina Dalcher. (Anne)
​

Bonus reads
1. This Is How It Always Is
*2. Inside The Hotel Rwanda
3. Chasing Dreams
*4. A Thousand Hills
5. Love, Life, & Elephants
6. One Day I Will Write About This
7. Cocktail Hour Under The Tree of Forgetfulness
*8. Without You
*9. Come As You Are
10. If You Only Knew
11. The Cornish Midwife
12. On Second Thought
13. Not Until You
14. All Laced Up
*15. Sex, Lies, & Online Dating
16. A Thief In The Night
17. Happy Even Ninja
18. The Duplicate Bride
19. The Extra
*20. Geekerella
21. Now That You Mention It
22. The Naughty, The Nice, and The Nanny
23. Still Hung Up On You
*24. The Rebound
25. Love At First Psych
26. Neanderthal
27. City of Saint and Thieves
28. The Myth of Normal
29. Stamped From The Beginning
30. The Art of Seduction
*31. First Gen
32. Still Hung Up on You
33. Small Town Girl
*34. Carrie Soto is Back
*35. Malibu Rising
*36. Daisy Jones & The Six
37. A Not So Meet Cute
38. Lady Jayne Disappears
39. Still Just a Geek
40. Feel The Fear And Do It Anyways
43. Tempt Me
*44. Legends & Lattes
45. Bookshops & Bonedust
46-66. The Ghost of Marlow House series

1. The Henna Artist (Heather)
2. Spoiler Alert (Carolyn)
3. The Midnight Library (Krissy)
4. Akata Witch (Keiran)
5. The Last Green Valley (Shari)
6. Broken Horses (Anne)
7. Somebody's Daughter (Stephanie)
8. Mr. Midshipman Hornblower (Christian)
9. Project Hail Mary (Katy)
10. One for the Money (Anneliese)
11. Accidental Saints (Judah)
12. House of Rain (Wendy)
13. Cassandra Speaks (Heidi)
14. The House in the Cerulean Sea (Rachel)
15. Cosmos (Sandra)
16. Master and Commander (Scott)
17. Atomic Habits (Mel)
18. The Lincoln Highway (Beth)
19. Firekeeper's Daughter (Amanda)
20. Entry Island (Hilary)
21. Heart Berries (Luhui)
22. One Two Three (Lori)
23. Cloud Cuckoo Land (Sarah)
24. We Ride Upon Sticks (Irene)
25. I am a Stranger Here Myself (Elizabeth)
**Bonus 19. I am a Stranger Here Myself (the one Elizabeth actually recommended, not the other one)
26. Hunger...A Memoir Of (My) Body
27. Hamnet (Kim)
28. The Paris Library (Lisa)
29. The Priory of the Orange Tree (Nina)
30. Eleanor (Kate)
​31. Piranesi (Trish)
32. The Love Songs of W. E. B. Du Bois (Gretchen)
33. The Island of Sea Women (Tanya)
​34. Who Fears Death (John)
35. Dying to Be Me (Louise)
36. Hiding in Plain Sight (Lesa)
​37. Virtual Light (David)
38. Harlem Shuffle (Suzanne)
39. How to be an Anti-Racist (Laurie)
40. The Once and Future Witches (Theresa)
41. Emmet Till (Becca)
​42. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Michele K)​
43. All We Can Save (Shasta)​
44. Save Me The Plums (Mina)
45. Razorblade Tears (Karen)​
​46. Self Help (Ryan)
47. The Radioactive Boy Scout (Dan) 
48. Olive Kittridge (Mary)
49. Klara and the Sun (Natalie)
​50. My Grandmother Told Me To Tell You She’s Sorry (Michele P)

Books not on 50-Friends List:
1-4. Legend, Prodigy, Champion, Rebel
5. The Power of Attachment.
6. Illuminae
7. Chasing Ghislaine
8. Secondhand Time
9. Wanderlust
10. The Reckoning
11. Seatmate
​12. Kismet
13. The Wedding Date Disaster
14. Royally Remembered
15. Goodbye Paradise
16. Rescued Heart
17. You Can Thank Me Later
18. A Little Bit of Spice
19. I am a Stranger Here Myself (reprise)
20. Sweet Talk
21. Mama's Boy
22. The Heartbreak Bakery
23. The Love Con
24. I Kissed Shara Wheeler
25. Sweetest In The Gale
26. Crimes of Passion
27. Muffin Top
28. Butterface
29. Dear Heart, I Hate You
30. Save The Date
31. Ninja at First Sight
32. How To Be The Best Third Wheel
33. Love, Hacked
34. Finding Love at Hedgehog Hallow
35. Behind Closed Doors
36. The Package
37. Punk Love
38. A Walk in the Park
39. The Perfect Play
40. The Plus One Pact
41. Finding Me
42. Fake Date
43. Anne of Green Gables
44. Anne of Avonlea
45. Anne of the Island
46. Anne of Windy Poplars
47. Anne's House of Dreams
48. Anne of Ingleside
49. Rainbow Valley
50. Rilla of Ingleside
51. The Pretending Plot
52. Marriage of Inconvenience
53. Christmas in Eternity Springs
54. 33 Unplayed Voicemail
55. The Break-Up Artist
56. You Only Die Twice
57. The Summer of Jodi Perez
58. Friends Without Benefits
59. Make Mine Magic
60. Dating-ish
61. Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words
62. I Love You Luke Piewalker
63. The Best Kind of Magic
64. The Comeback
65. Better Than A Box Of Chocolate
66. Inconvenient Wife
67. Five French Hens
68. Accidental Tryst
69. Her Sexy Challenge
70. The Dating Proposal
71. ​Starry Skies Over the Chocolate Pot Cafe
72. Take A Chance On Me
73. Tales of a Female Nomad
74. Conditional Citizens
75. Dinners With Ruth
76. This Is How You Lose The Time War
77. Christmas At Carly's Cupcakes
78. Italy Ever After
78. The Queen's Gambit
79. What The Hex
80. The House of Seven Gables
81. Beauty and the Mustache
82. Things Are Looking Up
83. Royal Bastard
84. Waking the Tiger
85. Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief
86. The Push
87. The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton

Old Favorites I reread
1. The Goldfinch
2. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry


​

1. The Astonishing Color of After
2. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
*3. The Vanishing Half
​4. The Black Flamingo​
5. The Ten Thousand Doors of January
​6. Varina
7. Tightrope
8. Notes on a Silencing (see caveat in review)
9. The Weight of Ink
10. One Long River of Song
11. Cemetery Boys
​12. Caste
​13. Tokyo Ueno Station
​14. Deepest South of All
15. The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier and Clay
​*16. Heavy
17. The Eyes of the Dragon
​
Bonus Recommendations
1. Detransition, Baby
​2. Snitch
3. The Happily Ever After Playlist
​4. While Justice Sleeps
​5. What Child Is This?
6. When Harry Met Harry
​7. Love & Estrogen
8. Sunset Springs
​9. Bridesmates
​10. The Dream Guy Next Door
​11. Townie 
12. Part-Time Lover
13. Something That Cannot Die
14. Call Me Maybe
15. How Democracies Die
16. Believing
17. Normal People
​*18. Not That Bad
19. Authentically Mexican
20. Confessions of Sociopath
21. Fresh Water for Flowers
22. One Last Stop
23. State of Terror
​24. Life's Too Short
25. Nick & Noel's Christmas Playlist  
26. There is Something About Merry
27. The Stand-In
​​​
​*Favorites for the year
​

1. The Astonishing Color of After (Catherine)
2. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind (Sandra)
3. The Vanishing Half (Sarah Maxwell)
4. The Black Flamingo (Rachel)
5. The 10,000 Doors of January (Katrina)
6. The Way of Kings (Sarah Matson)
7. Varina (Christian)
8. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender (Amanda)
9. Why Fish Don't Exist (Lori S)
10. Tightrope (Wendy)
11. Notes on Silencing (Robin)
12. The Weight of Ink (Karen R)
​13. On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous (Nancy H)
14. Father-ish (Suz D)
15. Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man (Susie)
16. One Long River of Song (Anne)
​17. Transcendent Kingdom (Sarah F-G)
18. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel (Alicia)
19. We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Sloane)
20. Unaccustomed Earth (Erin D)
21. Cemetery Boys (Theresa)
22. Shantaram (Michele P)
23. The Moment of Lift (Lela)
24. The Wintering (Sarah L)
25. Ghost Rider (David L)
26. Caste (Carla)
27. Tokyo Ueno Station (Beth R)
28. We Were Eight Years in Power (Bree)
29. A Series of Fortunate Events (Trystan)
30. Make It Stick (Kelly)
31. The Glass Hotel (Gretchen G)
32. Lincoln in the Bardo (Ceci)
33. The Deepest South of All (Charlyn)
34. His Majesty's Dragon​ (Mike)
35. Lily and The Octopus (Julie)
​36. The Splendid and the Vile (Gretchen D)
37. Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Ryan)
​38. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Leah)
39. The Book of Lost Friends (Tanya)
40. The Black Widow (Stephanie D)
​41. The Men Who Would Be King (Dan)
​42. Heavy (Chris)
43. The Eyes of a Dragon (Andea)
44. The Fifth Season (Jessamyn)​
45. Mindset (Melissa)
46. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (Jones)
47. In the Woods (Susan)
48. Til the Well Runs Dry (Heather)
49. ​The Mountains Sing (Suzanne)
​50. Ten-Second Staircase (Mina)
​
Things I read that were not on the list:
Bonus #1: After the Fairy Tale
Bonus #2: Detransition, Baby
Bonus #3: Snitch
Bonus #4: Something To Talk About
Bonus #5: The Happily Ever After Playlist
Bonus #6: What Child is This?
Bonus #7: You Do You
Bonus #8: Pancakes in Paris
Bonus #9: When Harry Met Harry
Bonus #10: Love & Estrogen 
Bonus #11: Back To The Burbs
Bonus #12: Olive Oil & White Bread
Bonus #13: Sunset Springs
Bonus #14: Bridesmates
Bonus #15: The Dream Guy Next Door
Bonus #16: Your French Kisses
​Bonus #17: Sun of a Beach
Bonus #18: Sleepless Over You
​Bonus #19: Townie​
Bonus #20: Part-Time Lover
Bonus #21: The Private Rehearsal
Bonus #22: Owning It
​​Bonus #23: The Second Chance Plan
​Bonus #24: Next Year in Havana
Bonus #25: Chonburi International Hotel and Butterfly Club
Bonus #26: All In
Bonus #27: Happiness Becomes You
Bonus #28: Something That Will Not Die
Bonus #29: Seeing Serena
Bonus #30: Emma
Bonus #31: The Madness of Crowds
Bonus #32: Call Me Maybe
Bonus #33: How Democracies Die
Bonus #34: Believing
Bonus #35: Normal People
​Bonus #36: Not That Bad​
Bonus #37: Q & A
Bonus #38: Authentically Mexican
​Bonus #39: The Book of Salt
Bonus #40: Confessions of a Sociopath
Bonus #41: Fresh Water for Flowers
​Bonus #42: One Last Stop
Bonus #43: State of Terror
Bonus #44: Blindness
Bonus #45: Instant Karma
Bonus #46: Life's Too Short
Bonus #47: Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone
Bonus #48: Touch Me
Bonus #49: Home Shopped Holiday
​Bonus #50: Nick & Noel's Christmas Playlist 
Bonus #51: The Best Worst Christmas​  
Bonus #52: There is Something About Merry  
Bonus #53: Serendipity
Bonus #54: All I Want For Christmas
​Bonus #55: My Love Story
Bonus #56: Hold Me Closer, Toni Danzig
Bonus #57: The Stand-In
​Bonus #58: Losing Control

1. ​Washington Black (Bonnie)
2. Say Nothing (Joyce)
3. Second Hand Curses (Sandra)
4. The Great Alone (Stephanie, Dodie)
5. The Overstory (Evangeline)
6. Educated (Nancy)
7. Talking to Strangers (Marty)
8. The Lace Reader (Anneliese)
9. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (Judah)
10. Red, White, & Royal Blue (Rachel)
11. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (Ryan)
12. Where the Crawdads Sing (Lesley)
13. Girl, Woman, Other (Gretchen G)
14. How to Change Your Mind (Molly, Tiffany)
15. Johnny Got His Gun (Robin)
16. The Water Dancer (Kieran)
17. Recursion (Amanda)
18. Evicted (Diego)
19. I’m Fine and Neither Are You (LuAn)
20. A Tale for the Time Being (Erin)
21. Fleishman is in Trouble (Sarah Mc)
22. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (Tiffany)
23. The Woman in the Window (Dodie)
24. When They Call You a Terrorist (Gretchen D)
25. Long Walk to Freedom (Wendy R)
26. The Air You Breath (Tanya)
27. The Signature of All Things (Leah)
28. The Long Ships (Michael)
29. Deep River (Chris)
30. Station Eleven (Sarah M)
31. Summer of ’69 (Michelle B)
32. Trust Exercise (Amy)
33. Old Man’s War (Christian)
34. White Fragility (Carla)
35. The Dharma of the Princess Pride (Kirstin)
36. The Witches of New York (Theresa)
37. 1000 Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (Raul)
38. Love in the Time of Cholera (Becca)
39 Dare to Lead (Kimberly)
40. The Long Earth (Michèle)
41. 1491 (Jones)
42. Tipping the Velvet (Ellen)
43. Braiding Sweetgrasss (Suzanne)
44. White Tiger (Kelly)
45. The Serpent King (Karen)
46. Sold on Monday (Beth)
47. The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek (Michele K)
48. Split Tooth (Catsi)
49. Gingerbread (Caitlin)
50. Blackfish City (Cee)

***
Other things read & reviewed after the official list:
Too Much and Never Enough
Meet Cute
Being Heumann
Life Ever After
Malcolm and Me
A Woman of the World
Break Shot
Sea Wall/A Life
Certain Woman Of An Age
Tinica Jones
A Murder of Manatees
Exit Interview With My Grandmother

 1.  Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding
​2. Kiss The Girl
3. A Cold Day for Murder
4. Less
5. ​Neanderthal Seeks Human
​6. Welcome to Temptation
7. No Biking in the House Without a Helmet
8. Ninja Detective 
9. Becoming Jazz
10. Becoming
11. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
12. Man Down
13.  The Firebrand and the First Lady
14. A Curious Beginning
15. The Christmas Heirlings
16. The Things They Carry
17. Lucky Suit
18. Folsom Untold
​19. Desperate Duchess
20. The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell
21. A Mind of Her Own
​22. The Forever Ship
23. In Real Life
24. Better
25. Song of Solomon
26. City of Bones
27. The Sympathizer
​28. The Dispatcher
29. The List
30. Everyone Loces Kamau
31. Boyfriends of Dorothy
32. The Meuller Report
33. Elizabeth II
34.  Sing, Unburied, Sing
35. Cake
36. Practice Makes Perfect
37. Tart
38. The Android's Dream
39. Lush
40. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
41.Sarong Party Girls
42. From Scratch
43. The Existentialist's Survival Guide.
44. I'm Just a Person
45. The Virgin Romance Novelist Chronicles
46. A Queer History of the US
47. Whisky When We Are Dry
48. Sissy
49. Fates and Furies
50. A Room of Her Own
51. Tales of the Cities
52. It's Not What It Looks Like
53. Wally Roux
​54.  Gilgamesh 
55.  No Walls and the Recurring Dream
​56. Sex, Surrealism, Dali, and Me
57.  The Life and Legacy of Salvador Dali.
58. Two Steps Forward
59. The Pilgrimage
60. Island of a Thousand Mirrors
61. Junk
62. The Path Made Clear
63. The Peripheral.
64. We are Our Mothers. 
65. What's a Girl Worth?
66. Love & Death Among the Cheetahs
67. Know My Name
68. Besieged
69. I'm Afraid of Men
70. The Victory Garden
71. Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars
​72. Carnival Row