IT’S WORLD BOOK DAY!

in Random Crap, YOU ARE HERE

Two things, first off the paperback version of Furiously Happy is on the NY Times list and I was like, “Look Victor! I’m number 1 and 2!”

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NUMBER 12! #furiouslyhappy

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And he was like, “That’s a 12.  You’re number 12,” and I was all, “Whatever.  I’m using alternative math” and then he decided to stop reasoning with me which was a probably a good choice because it’s hard to argue with someone who’s #1 and #2.

Anyway, that would not have happened without you so I’m celebrating by giving out a whole bunch of copies of my next book (YOU ARE HERE) because it makes me happy to pay it forward.  Except I’m lazy so instead I’m just giving you an amazon gift certificate so you can order it (or something else if you don’t want it) yourself.

It’s also World Book Day and I need something new to read and you guys always have the best recommendations so tell me your favorite book that I should read.  (Right now I’m rereading The Wasp Factory.  It’s super dark, but it’s good.)  So leave me a comment recommending a book and I’ll pick a dozen of you at random to get a gift certificate for whatever you want.  (If you’re not in America tell me where so I can send you the right kind of gift certificate.)  You’ll get an email from me at the end of the week if you win.

Whoop!

Ferris Mewler reviewing my book. He thinks it's nice to sit on. Apparently.
Ferris Mewler reviewing my book. He thinks it’s very nice. To sit on.

1,171 thoughts on “IT’S WORLD BOOK DAY!”

Read comments below or add one.

  1. A Man Called Ove was super great if you haven’t read that. Also, when I feel like I can’t breathe, I listen to the audiobook version of the Ramona Quimby series. Oh! Also The Rosie Project.
    <3

  2. Nothing like being Number 1 and 2! I like Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon. It’s highly interesting and I’ve learned a lot.

  4. I recently got into The Chronicles of St. Mary’s series by Jodi Taylor. It’s basically a combination of Warehouse 13 & Doctor Who. I wasn’t super thrilled with her writing style in the first book, but I liked the premise enough to keep with it and I liked the second one enough that I’ve been foot-tapping impatient about getting the next ones from the library and they STILL HAVEN’T COME IN! Gr. There are…seven regular ones already out with two more scheduled to come out this year and a bunch of half number ones that I think only exist in e-books. Strong recommend.

  5. I’m currently reading a book called the Orphan’s Tale. It’s dark and touching and wonderful all at the same time. Oh and reading (but afraid to colour in) my wonderfully early copy of You Are Here. I just finished Orphan Train.. so maybe Orphans are a theme.. I don’t really want to explore that.

  6. Silicon Valley Girl: My Adolescent Life and Times, and an Ode to Generation X.
    I wrote this book and it will be launching in the next few months. I will gladly send a complimentary review copy to your PO Box, and you can read excerpts on my blog.

  7. You HAVE to read “Lily and the Octopus”. It’s about a man and his love for his dog. Sounds simple, but it’s beautiful and moving, happy and…..sad. I forced myself to read little bits each day, because I didn’t want it to end. Plus, I didn’t want my hard to completely break. (I would LOVE a copy of your new book. HUGE Canadian fan here.)

  8. I have “Empire’s End” by Chuck Wendig queued up, and I want to read “Thunderbird” by Wendig, too. If you haven’t read his Miriam Black series (Blackbird->Mockingbird->Cormorant), you should. Dark, violent, profane language, yet redemptive and almost sweet — it’s got everything.

  9. Currently reading Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman — a friend of yours, I believe. I also got the audiobook, and it’s ever so good. <3

  10. Oh I just read Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher!!! AWESOME….but I know she’s one of your favs so you’ve likely already read it:)

  14. A Snicker of Magic, by Natalie Lloyd. We all need a snicker of magic in our life.

  16. Well, the last book I read and really enjoyed was Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, but I suspect you’ve already been through that a few times; did you ever read Ava Moves the Furniture? Good living and ghost story. You’ll get it if you read the preview.

  19. For a fun action/fantasy read, The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes is a great read!

  21. Hmm…I’ve a different favorite book depending on my mood. So, if you’re in the mood for just plain funny, I’d recommend “I Am Better Than Your Kids” by Maddox, or anything by David Sedaris. In the mood for something a bit mind-bending? “The Illuminatus Trilogy” by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson or “The Game of God” by Arthur Hancock and Kathleen Brugger. Inspiring? Anything written by an ex-Scientologist or ex-Fundamentalist Mormon.

  22. Storm Front by James Butcher – helped me immensely – granted there is like 15 books in the series (Dresden Files) so its a commitment but SO worth it. I swear these books saved my life.

  23. First I got a secret that I’m sure nobody here knows… Ur good people Jenny.

    The Sellout by Paul Beatty is hilarious and still tells a truth that explodes my little brain. (Sounds like 2 other books I’ve read more times than Kindle was meant for) Definitely worth a read if you haven’t already.

    And if for some reason I get selected for a gift card, could you pass it along to someone else? Cheers!

  24. I highly recommend Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. I’ve read it a few times when I was down and I always feel less alone/down. The author has a great blog as well….

  25. How the Heather Looks by Joan Bodger. It’s lovely, I’ve read it at least a dozen times.

  26. I also enjoyed A Man Called Ove. A darker, deeper read was A Little Life. Amy Poehler’s book was fun. I also recently reread Angela’s Ashes, which is classic. And the book I’m currently reading, Furiously Happy, is also very good. 🙂

  27. My favorite book of all time is Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins. I have a tattoo of a whooping crane inspired by this book.

  29. My favorite book is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Time travel, romance, history and more…

  30. Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan. It’s about a woman who goes on walkabout with some Aborigines and finds herself and the important things in life. One of my faves! 😀 (you can probably tell by the “u”s that I’m Canadian XD)

  34. Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman! I didn’t understand what was happening for a while…and when I did, it was so brilliant I threw the book, yelling at it all the way down. Beautiful writing!

  35. Just read and loved The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak–fun story and great nostalgia trip for ’80s kids.

  36. My favorite book is To Kill A Mocking Bird. I typically don’t reread books but I’ve read it so many times, I had to buy a new copy.

  37. Neil Gaiman: The Ocean at the End of the Lane. One of my all time favs!!!!! Love him!!!!

  38. Good Omens by Neil Gamin and Terry Parchett. I love that book. Need to read it again

  39. Tam Lin by Pamela Dean. I read this book in college and it has become a yearly reread.

  40. My favorite book is The night circus by Erin Morgenstern. You read it once, want to immediately read it again. 🙂

  43. My favorite book is As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann. Talk about dark! It’s historical fiction set in England about a man who flees home after his wedding, joins Cromwell’s Army, and falls in love with a fellow soldier, which was a hanging offense at the time. (That last part is not a spoiler, just a bit of historical context.) I love it so much.

  44. A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles. It’s the middle book in a trilogy but can be read on its own. Or, you know, start with A Fashionable Indulgence, because the way the books fit together is wonderful. Congrats on being #1 & #2 at the same time!!

  45. Maia is one of my favorite books. Fantasy, old-time political, with prostitutes. It’s amazing! I didn’t expect to like it because of the political part, but it was so intriguing! Highly recommend it!

  46. Recommending a book is really hard – it’s like asking me to pick my favourite organ. I need them ALL to live. I’d suggest First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones. It’s the start of a brilliant series about a PI who also happens to be the Grim Reaper. And there’s sarcasm and sexiness so everyone should read it. (Oh, And i’m in the UK should i be lucky enough to win)

  47. In honor of Mary Tyler Moore, I’m currently reading Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong. Might not be my FAVORITE book of all time, but it’s the one nearest to me at the moment. I’m enjoying it very much.

  48. YAAAAAYYYY!! I absolutely fell in love with ‘ The Book of Joy’ by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu! Not religious. PROFOUND!!
    Love You Dollface!!

  49. I don’t even know if I have a favorite book anymore. I end up reading a lot of YA stuff though and I like 90% of Scott Westerfeld’s stuff. One of his newer books, Afterworlds, is really cool and so is the whole Uglies, Pretties, Specials series. Although, I warn with the latter, you will end of speaking different for a while and that’s weird-making.

    One of my older favorites is Possession by A.S. Byatt. Amazing.

  51. Drat! I forgot to say I’m in Canada. I also forgot to say that omg people You Are Here is amazing and if you know me in real life you’re probably getting it for a birthday or whatever because EVERYONE needs to read it. It’s also apparently your fault that I now want a pigeon as a pet but the pigeons here seem to have migrated for the winter. The swans are back, but I fully agree with your assessment of swans in Furiously Happy – they’re mean A.F. (Also.. FYI if one is sitting in the middle of the road and you honk at it.. it will honk back and then purposely not move for like 10 minutes because they’re assholes that way). So no pet swan here. A magical marking-changing pigeon that follows you everywhere around town sounds amazing though.

  52. The Lady Trent Memoirs by Marie Brennan are on my mind right now because the fifth and (sniff) final book is coming out next month. I also loved loved loved the EarthEnd Saga series by Gillian Anderson.

  53. I like your alternative maths, Jenny, but then I thrived in nonEuclidean Geometry in University so what do I know? If you have not read either Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson or American Gods by Neil Gaiman, please allow me to recommend both of them HIGHLY. Snow Crash is a dystopian slightly futuristic look at us in a lovingly cynical way and a brilliant novel. Love, hate, death and religion. American Gods is .. amazing. Immigrants come to America and bring their belief systems — but what happens when those beliefs begin to fade? And what replaces them? Only Gaiman could’ve woven this tale with this much force, compassion and power. Amazing book. Oh, and um. I’m a Texan too. From north of Dallas, small town. Not no more, though. I miss y’all. You’ve saved my life (literally) on more than one occasion. Depression lies. Besides, if I was dead, I’d miss your blog! <3

  54. Other than your books… To Kill A Mockingbird. Also anything by Cathy Lamb.

  56. The last book I read that just wowed me was The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino. It’s the third book in the series, but the first one that has been translated from Japanese to English. Even though it’s the 3rd in the series, the book itself stands alone. I won’t say anything more for fear of potential spoilers. (I’m in Vancouver Canada)

  57. I have enjoyed all of SG Redling’s books, but I’ll have to say that Ourselves was the best I’d read. It is kind of a vampire story, but it delves into what ‘they’ really are.

  59. Kokoro by Souseki Natsumei. It’s a novel. Warning: contains horrible sadness. But it’s soooooooooooooo gooooooooooooood! It is my favorite novel.

  60. Family History by Dani Shapiro. She mainly writes memoirs but this was an awesome work of fiction. Enjoy!

  61. Sherman Alexi’s Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian completes me, plus I had parents want to ban it from the MS library I work at, so that means it’s good.

  62. As a nerdy fangirl of the 80s reading “Ready Player One” was almost a religious experience. That is the first book I recommend to anyone, whether they were asking or not. Also, congrats on the new book!

  63. I’m obsessed with the Shades of Magic series. It’s about a world where there’s multiple London’s and magic exists. It’s such a vivid read. I shove this book at everyone I can. I’ve actually put it in the have of people at stores and been like, “Shh, don’t talk, just read this.”

  64. The Martian. I’ve read it. Listened to the audio book. And seen the movie (multiple times). I also just purchased the kid-friendly version for my 11yo son.

  65. Ok. Where to begin.
    Fantasy: anything in the disceorld series by Terry Pratchett
    Urban fantasy: The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
    Sci Fi: The Expanse series starting with Leviathan Wakes. (Bonus these are a tv show on sci-fi you can watch on Amazon prime)
    Things I read and loved last year: All the Birds in the Sky, Station 11, The Girl with All the Gifts, Fellside

  67. Seriously my favorite most recent read was Lets Pretend This Never Happened. Thanks for the laughs and tears!

  70. My favorite book is The Time Traveler’s Wife. BUT I just finished reading Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris and if you’re looking for something dark after you finish your current something dark – highly recommend it!

  71. I loved Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore. It’s a novel about nerds doing cool stuff with books and enjoying each other’s nerdy company and being really great at nerding.

  72. I will add a book by a canadian author to your list Adult Onset by Ann-Marie MacDonald

  73. I finally read “This Is Where I Leave You” by Jonathan Tropper and thoroughly enjoyed. If you’ve never read Anne Rice’s “Feast of All Saints”, you should, even though there are no vampires in it.

  74. Have you read James Ponti’s “Dead City” series? They’re children’s (YA?) books so maybe not. They’re good, though, and you should.

  75. Mistress of the Art of Death and the rest of the books in the series by Arianna Franklin, everything in the Kushiel’s universe by Jacqueline Carey, I am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits, anything by or recommended by Samantha Irby, The Bitchy Waiter by Darron Cardosa. I don’t have enough time to list them all!

  78. I’m currently reading Luvvie Ajayi’s book “I’m Judging You,” which is in turn hilarious and thought-provoking, but since you gave her a blurb, I’m guessing you’ve read it. I’m also reading Charles Blow’s “Fire Shut Up In My Bones,” which is a memoir and is very, very good.

  79. I am loving the Flavia de Luce series. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first. It’s a great mystery series, I read them to my cousins and they love them!

  80. I just finished Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and was so inspired by it! And, Pride and Prejudice has always been one of my favorites! Oh, and Splintered Reflections by Laura Kelly!

  81. Rereading “Drums of Autumn” by Diana Gabaldon (Book #4 in the Outlander series). I see she’s already been mentioned, for good reasons. Listening to “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” on Audible. My husband caught part of the latter and informed me “I love her. She’s great.” Duh dude.

  83. It’s hard for me to choose a favorite book, but my newest favorite series is the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. It’s a steampunk alternative history paranormal adventure romance, so yes she apparently got my letter 😉 The first book is called Soulless and it’s great fun 🙂

  84. This is like making me choose my favorite niece or nephew: impossible. I LOVE so many for so many different reasons. Right now, though, I’m loving the Phryne Fisher mysteries & the Brother Cadfael mysteries. But the book I am going to recommend is “The Ghost Bride” by Yangsze Choo.

  85. Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. He survived the hocaust. This book tells about his experience and why he survived. It’s inspirational and has helped me get through some really hard stuff that was very unjust. It’s just a great book.

  86. I will add a book by a canadian author to your list Adult Onset by Ann-Marie MacDonald

  87. I love The Time Travelers Wife. And the Outlander books. And the Wheel Of Time books. and the In Death books. I can read these books over and over. . .

  88. Check out “Snakes and Earrings” by Hitomi Kanehara. It’s a swirl of dark, scary, sexy, awful and beautiful.

  89. I just picked up a copy of Ready Player One. I loved the audiobook so much I wanted to read it again. (Or read it for the first time? Whatever.) (I’m in Canada.) (I like parentheses)

  90. My second favorite book I read last year was The Girls by Emma Cline…the first was Furiously Happy of course!

  93. The Body Farm by Dr. Bill Bass. There’s a sequel, too, called Beyond the Body Farm. Which is cool because they’re non-fiction.

  94. I ABSOLUTELY loved ‘The Book of Joy’ by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu!
    NOT religious. PROFOUND!!
    Love you Doll face!!

  95. The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant. A wonderful story and a favourite of mine.

    Melissa in Canada

  96. I love sci-fi and crime novels. If you want something quite chilling and superb, I highly recommend Val McDermid’s A Place of Execution. Not for the faint-hearted, as the saying goes, but it will grip you and the ending will definitely shock you.

    (PS I’m in the UK and Val is Scottish. She has a stand at her favourite football team’s ground named after her, because she sponsors them, which has me wondering what you would have named after you, if you were a sponsor g)

  97. One of my faves from when I was younger is Watership Down by Richard Adams. But my usual summer re-read is The Green Mile by Stephen King. And I could read The Hunger Games series over and over and never get sick of it.

  99. You’ve probably already read them, but the Fairyland series by Catherynne M. Valente are heartwarming and heartbreaking. Even the titles are amazing “The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.”

  100. I reread Beach Music by Pat Conroy any time I can. It’s a beautiful story of a dysfunctional family. I cry sad and happy tears every time! Conroy might be my spirit animal (because I believe my spirit animal is an old, southern man).

  101. Congratulations on being number 1 and 2! We had to read The Road by Cormac McCarthy for class and it was amazing. Normally books you are forced to read suck, if only because someone is making you do it. But the book was truly incredible. It’s about a man and his son in a post apocalyptic world. It was beautifully written. I’ve since reread it at least twice and given it as a birthday gift so as to force people to read it, it was that good.

  102. A Man Called Ove is wonderful! But “My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell you She’s Sorry” is even better.

  103. A Counjuring of Light just came out like a week or two ago. It’s the latest book in VE Schwab’s Shades of Magic trilogy which starts with two fantastic books about mirror worlds and a girl who wants to be a pirate so she goes and becomes a pirate using nothing but determination and a couple stabby murders of guys who had it coming. Also there’s magic.

  104. We Are Water by Wally Lamb – this book made me laugh, it made me cry but mostly it made me love my life.

  105. Among my favourites are The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint – Brady Udall, as it’s a sweet, quirky read about a boy who survives being run over and The House of the Spirits- Isobel Allend-e, because she just sweeps you up in her stories and nothing human is alien 👽 to her.
    Excuse grammar (I think?).

  106. One of my favorite books of all time is Lightning by Dean Koontz. And I’m buying Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology today! Happy World Book Day!

  108. The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge; it’s about the Roman conquest of Britain long but well worth it.

  109. Like many other, I am reading many books at the same time. Currently they include Redwall by Brian Jacques (which is excellent). But my go-to recommendation is the Tortall-set series by Tamore Pierce. They are fantasy novels with bad-ass heroines. Honestly, Hailey would love them too. I started reading them when I was her age. They start with Alanna: The First Adevnture, but my favorite one’s are the Protector of the Small quartet featuring Kel. They are just so awesome and they encouraged my to be strong in my own way and kind and that excelling at something, even when you are gifted, takes work and dedication. Really I could talk about them all day, or you could just go read them. The first books were published in the late 80’s so you could probably find a good deal on them at a used book store.

  110. One book that helped form who I am is the “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair. I always keep a copy of that book, so I can give it away. I never want America to be like it was in that time.

  111. I love these “new book recommendation” days. I always add some to my amazon wish list to either find at the library or buy someday. Jenny, I remember your blog from before you had a book. It thrills me that your books.now say “bestseller” on them! You are a gift to the world.

  113. When you said you were #1 and #2, I thought you meant you were both a hidden figure(s) and a hillbilly (elegy). It took me a minute. 🙂 Anyway, I’m gonna recommend Church of the Old Mermaids by Kim Antieau. Magic and mermaids, and the Sanctuary Movement, all wrapped in love.

  115. I’m a big fan of the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix! I think you’d like them too. I am in Canada.

  117. Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose. Fabulous. Crazy Murders. Secret rooms. Books!!! Medieval Italy. What doesn’t this book have going for it? I still don’t know how the movie version with Sean Connery and Christian Slater managed to slaughter it, how can anything with Sean Connery go so wrong?

  119. I love Christopher Moore. My favorites are; A Dirty Job, Lamb, and The Stupidist Angel 😀

  120. “Bunny Bunny” by Alan Zweibel he wrote it as a tribute to his friend Gilda Radner. Every time I read it I get something else out of it. You’ll laugh and cry and not be sorry.
    PS I love you

  121. The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss. Absolutely mind blowing novel about mental illness (obsessive compulsive disorder?) or maybe not, plus a wonderful stand-alone novel in the Kingkiller Chronicles verse with just enough sly and subtle humor to offset the darkness and a main character of radiant, furious happiness and light.

  124. I just read The Bear and the Nightingale, which I loved! Magical historical fiction set in medieval Russia. So so good.

  125. Congrats to you! Your book does rate as a number 1 and number 2 favorite of mine! =) My book(s) recommendation, The Darynda Jones Charley Davidson series!! Fantastic fun series…mystery, paranormal, romance all in one.

  126. Because I know we all love a good YA read I have to recommend The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George. Isn’t it funny how murder is always more intense when it’s on an Island? The superpowers the heroine is growing into don’t hurt either 🙂

  127. I just finished “The Order of Seven” by Beth Taliho. Good, it needs to become a movie!! I would love your new book. Thanks for paying it forward 🙂

  128. Recently finished June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore. Great depiction of different eras! Bit of a throwback – A Mango Shaped Space (Snyesthesia is fascinating). Finally: The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan

  129. The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge; it’s about the Roman conquest of Britain long but well worth it.

  130. Couldn’t name a true favorite.
    Right now I’m mildly obsessed with Kevin Hearn’s Iron Druid Series, they’re a lot of fun to read and have some fun humor.

  131. Congratulations on 1 & 2! And this is such a great way to build a reading list, I have a bunch of ideas from reading these comments 🙂 Here are a few more: “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern. “The Book of Speculation” by Erika Swyler. “Eleanor & Park” by Rainbow Rowell. And “The Soul of an Octopus” by Sy Montgomery (it’s a non-fiction book, but it’s absolutely fascinating and really well written so it feels more like you’re reading a novel.)

  132. Otherland by Tad Williams – very cool mix of genres that I can read over and over and not get bored with. 🙂

    Also, The Wind up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

    And dystopian fiction: Maddaddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood, Wool series by Hugh Howey and The Last Policeman by Ben Winters were all excellent!

  134. Anything by David Sedaris. He’s one of the few authors whose books I keep when I’m done because I know I’ll read them over and over.

  135. I just started ‘The Year We Turned Forty’ by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke and it’s great so far.

  136. I’m currently reading Fahrenheit 451, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, The Shepherdess of Siena, and Palm Trees in the Snow. It’s a weird eclectic mix, but it suits my different moods. I just finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It was amazing, but I’m geeky.

  137. Hi Jenny, I’ve never before posted here, but as so many others have said, you & the gift of your words have been a life raft to me more than once. Thank you for that. So for a long time now, my favorite book has been “The Brothers K”, by David James Duncan. I’m always amazed that more people haven’t heard of read nor heard of it

  140. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. And then Pigs In Heaven. And then, everything she’s ever written.

  142. I was permanently affected by Barbara Kingsilver’s Poisonwood Bible. If you haven’t read it, you really really should. Lately the book that sticks in my mind as having just been a lovely, lovely read, is Frederick Backman’s “Britt-Marie Was Here.” I loved his “A Man Called Ove” and “My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She’s Sorry,” but Britt-Marie is such a wonderfully flawed and fully fleshed character that this was my very favorite of Mr. Backman’s lovely books.

  143. I have 2 favorites. The first one is “The Walking Drum” by Louis Lamore. I don’t care for the author usually (I don’t care for cowboys) but this one is set in the 12th century. He paints such a vivid picture that I’m planning an imaginary trip to all the places the main character goes. My other favorite is the entire Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. The story is so unique in a world taken over by copycat fantasy/romance writers.

  144. The Enchanted Forest series by Patricia C. Wrede, it’s been my favorite book series since I was a kid

  145. Looking forward to your new book 🙂 Congratulations on being #1 AND #2 on the NYT bestsellers list. Quite an accomplishment!

    As for the book recommendation, check out “American Housewife” by Helen Ellis. Southern gothic but funny.

    Cheers from Estonia!

  146. Congrats! I’m so glad this happening for you. I’m rereading Seanan McGuires Price series which I love. You can’t go wrong with any of her stuff though.

  147. so many amazing ones lately! the mothers, sweetbitter, kitchens of the great midwest. and, whenever i need something happy, anything david sedaris will do 🙂

  148. Hyperion, Slaghterhouse 5, and I recently read Cinder which is a cyborg cinderella story and excellent.

  149. Big Machine by Victor LaValle is one of my favorites and highly underrated IMO. Lovely book about faith and redemption.

  150. Midnight in the Garden of Good an Evil is one of my favourites 🙂

    I’m from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada 🙂

  152. I don’t have anything new to recommend because I’ve been going back and reading old fairy tale and mythology anthologies lately. Someone was smokin’ some really weird shit and then writing for children!

    A few of my favorite books from when I was a kid: Champion Dog, Prince Tom by Jean Fritz and Tom Clute; Light a Single Candle by Beverly Butler; and Queenie Peavy by Robert Birch. (Of course, I’ve just given away my age by this list!) 😉

  153. It’s so hard to pick a favorite!! I have bookcases all over my house, so I MAY have a bit of a problem… 😉 I recently finished reading the final book of the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (YA series), and Ready Player One is always an enjoyable, nerdy read!

  155. We love Victor, but he can be such a jerk. You are totally #1 AND #2 (in our hearts).
    I’m going nuts because so many people are already getting You Are Here and Amazon won’t bring me mine until March 7. Amazon can be such a jerk.

  156. My favorite book has to be War For The Oaks by Emma Bull. It has bands, fae war, and humor. Close 2nd has to be Gossamer Axe by Gael Baudino. It also has rock music and fae. I think I’m seeing a trend.

  158. I’m a huge historical fiction fan so I’ve got to recommend “Code Name Verity” and “Rose Under Fire” by Elizabeth Wein. They’re about British female pilots during WWII. I LOVED them.

  159. They are light and silly and wonderful, and I go back to re-read them ridiculously often. On the off chance you haven’t read them, I recommend Tanya Huff’s Summoning Series. Snarky talking cat….plus great writing. I adore them. They are comfort books to me. 🙂

  160. Takes a bit to get into, but I loved The Drowning Girl by Kaitlin R. Kiernan. It’s dark and deals with mental illness and is a sorta ghost story. I also am loving Birds Art Life by Kyo Maclear, A memoir about.. well. birds, art and life. Greetings from a Canadian fan!

  161. You’ll always be #12 to me. Controversial subject but the best book I read in 2016. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood.

  162. I love love love The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. It tells the story through the eyes of a dog, Enzo. This is a heartwarming and funny tale that will make you love your pets even more 🙂

  163. Hmmmm does a series count as one book? If so, then The Otherworld series by Tad Williams. I read the series (four books, but I would have happily read another four as the characters became real people who I genuinely cared about, and that did not take long to happen). I read the series at least once a year, and each time I get drawn into it all and worry about what is going to happen even though I should know this and therefore not worry.
    If one book, then it would be either “Dune” (which I’ve read at least once a year since I was 10, and I am now 44, so that is a lot of times) with its Litany Against Fear which has come in most useful many times, or “Weaveworld” by Clive Barker which has woven itself into the fabric of my being since I first read that when I was 13 or 14, and which was one of the first books in the horror (well only kind of horror, there is just as much fantasy in there too, well kind of fantasy, ish) genre that seemed anchored in the real world that I lived in, and which was clever and intelligent and not a blood-and-guts kind of horror really…. I actually don’t think I can summarise the kind of book it is apart from marvellous and clever, it has poetry in it (the first time I came across Robert Frost), and pigeons.
    I’m in the UK btw, which might be why Weaveworld struck such a chord with me, what with it being set over here (apart from the desert bit, and other bits).

  165. I just read The Unseeing, which was really good. Sort of dark, but based on actual historic events. I’m in England! Thanks for the chance… currently reading Furiously Happy and it definitely deserves to be #1 and #2!

  168. It’s not possible to name one favorite book, so will offer up “Follow Your Heart” by Susanna Tamaro, which is just beautiful. If you’re looking for something amusing, “Sean and David’s Long Drive” by Sean Condon will have you in tears from laughing so hard. Something morbid & amusing? “Stiff: The Curious Lives of Cadavers” by Mary Roach is a great option.

  170. Congratulations! Furiously Happy helps me so much when I’m in a bad place, reading just a chapter is actually part of my wellness plan. So naturally that falls towards the top of my favorite books but probably not what you’re looking for.

    I always liked picking up “The Princess Bride”, not only one of my favorite movies but it’s more rich as a book. I’m currently reading “The Throne of Glass” and “Red Queen” series(..es?) and would recommend them. “Age of Miracles” and “Wild” were both powerful books and about as close to non fiction as I usually read.

  174. The Power of One by Bryce Courtney. If you have not read it , I highly recommend.

  175. My favourite book remains Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. And I’m super excited for his ‘sequel’ for it even though it may be awhile.

  177. Carry On Warrior by Glennon Melton Doyle and I also recommend Kindred if you haven’t already read it

  179. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. It is one of my favorites which reminds me it’s been a while since I read it and it might be time to revisit it.

  180. I got nothing for you, Jenny. 😩 I am ass deep in Hogwarts right now, and am praying Harry doesn’t get snuffed. I know. I know. I am probably the only person on the planet who hasn’t read the series but better late than never! The last books I read were your, Hyperbole and a Half and The Girl With the Lower Back Tatoo! I am sure you have been there
    done that because they were both fantastic!

  181. I just picked up Lexicon by Max Berry. I strongly second the Chronicles of St Mary’s books if you haven’t read them. Easy and fun. I’m rereading Pratchett’s Discworld books because Terry Pratchett.

  182. The girl with all the gifts by m.r. carey is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Highly reccomoned it!
    I’m in Canada.

  185. Hi, I thought I posted here but maybe it didn’t go through. I’ll post one more time. Sorry if it’s doubled. Sorry for me if this doesn’t through either. Just read Order of Seven by Bath Taliho. I loved it, it should be made into a movie.

  186. If you haven’t already, read Anne Rivers Siddons’ “The House Next Door”. Anyone associating with this evil house faces scandal, madness, or tragedy. Since you’re in the market for a Ghost Town, why not an Evil House?

  188. I just read “Smoke gets in your eyes- Tales from the Crematory” by Caitlin Doughty and I HIGHLY recommend it. I’m about to start rereading “American Gods” in preparation for the show.

  190. YEA!!!! Congrats for being on the NYT list, no matter what number you are.
    I am reading Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk. I am about 1/2 way through and I am really enjoying it. It is sort of like a weird love story to old and new New York City.

  191. For funny, you can’t beat Christopher Moore’s “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal”

    For just someone who has more fun with the English language than should be legal, try Nick Harkaway’s “The Gone-Away World.”

    Also, Jasper Fforde’s head is a fascinating place. Try “The Eyre Affair.”

  193. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle. Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon. Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman, by Richard Feynman. So many good books out there!

  194. My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix. High school in the 80’s, all the drama with big horror and even bigger hair.

  195. I read ‘The Lake House’ by Kate Morton recently and really, really enjoyed it. A good mystery with a lot of suspects, not stressful or gory kind of scary. Excellent read.

  196. I loved “Night Film” by Marisha Pessl. Dark, intriguing, very different to anything I’ve ever read.

  197. I am reading the memoir “The Clancys of Queens” and it is a hoot and a half. The author, Tara Clancy depicts her odd upbringing in a very detailed and funny way.

  198. Happy World Book Day!
    My favorite author (next to you) is Christopher Moore. The man is a damn genius. I love everything he’s written.

  199. I dint think my comment posted earlier, so I’m trying again because I love this book so much. Please read Peace Like a River by Leif Enger.

  200. I recommend The Liars’ Club by Mary Karr, followed by Cherry. Congrats on being No. 1 and 2!

  201. Some older recommendations you and Hailey might enjoy, featuring kickass female leads:
    – “The Blue Sword” & “The Hero and the Crown” by Robin McKinley
    – “Goose Girl”, “Enna Burning”, and “River Secrets” by Shannon Hale (she’s also just written a middle-grades novelization of Marvel’s Squirrel Girl, who is an utterly fantastic character)
    – “The Girl Who Drank the Moon” by Kelly Barnhill, which I’ve not read but am super excited about (it just won the 2017 Newberry Award)

  202. As a criminal defense attorney, my perennial favorite is To Kill A Mockingbird. I have read it at different ages and different things resonate each time I read it. I also think it is relevant in the current political climate.

  203. The best book I’ve read this year is Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. You get smarter, just by reading (or listening like I do) to it

  204. Hmmm I seem to be stuck in a cycle of re-reading American Gods, Harry Potter, and random cozy novels so nothing of note to recommend but I’m loving reading others recommendations!

  205. Haha, love it! I can’t pick just one favorite so here are a few!
    Historical Fiction: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
    Psychological Thriller: The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
    Juvenile: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
    Sci-fi: Red Rising by Pierce Brown
    Fantasy: Harry Potter

  206. My go-to re-reads are Lamb, Christopher Moore; The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee; Harry Potter (all) and The Dark Tower series, Stephen King. (I have a LOT more, but these are always at the top of my bookpile.)

  208. I know that you’ve already read this — Amanda Palmer’s “The Art of Asking” — because you wrote a glowing recommendation for the back cover. But I just read it for the second time and handed it off to my shy 14-year-old daughter with hopes that she’ll find her inner boldness some day, and then I thought, well, maybe bold just isn’t her thing, and that’s fine too, but I want her to know it’s an option.

  209. John Dies at the End by David Wong. It’s also a movie you can see on Netflix if you want the Cliffs Notes.

  210. My favorite book is Anne Lamott’s “Bird By Bird.” I find it incredibly inspiring, for life in general as well as for writing. I also think it’s pretty cool that you’re #1 and #2!

  211. “Lunatics” by Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel. Hilarious ‘don’t have to think’ humor that made me literally burst into laughter over and over (husband thought I was choking).

    Thank you for your generosity, Jenny, and to all your readers for the wonderful reading list!

  212. The Stardance trilogy by Spider Robinson and his wife Jean! Really anything by him though, his work is very hopeful… uplifting endings and he builds wonderfully believable characters that just live and breathe and become best friends that you can carry around with you!

  213. I loved Shonda Rhimes “Year of Yes”. It’s funny, witty, and inspiring!

  217. My favorite book is “A Prayer for Owen Meany,” which I’ve read so many times my copy has fallen apart – I recommend it to everyone. The book I read most recently that I really liked was “Behind her Eyes” – kind of a mystery, kind of a thriller, very twisty and can’t-put-down-able. I read it all in one day because I had to know how it ended.

  218. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Truly excellent bit of writing and is wonderful whether you’ve seen the movie or not. (William Goldman also wrote the screenplay.) But there are gems in the book that just aren’t in the film, so it’s always worth a read. Plus there’s an address where you can actually send off for an excerpted scene AND IT’S REAL.

  220. If you haven’t read the Shadow of the Wind, do so now. It’s one of my all time favorites.

  223. My fave book is Watership Down, by Richard Adams, but everyone’s read that. My second favourite is a YA novel that very few people have heard of: ‘The Ghosts’ by Antonia Barber. It’s a book about time travel… sort of.

  224. I’m reading too many things. Just finished The Light Between Oceans on my commute this morning (meh). Reading Eragon with the kids (also meh, although the kids are loving it). Have Wise Man’s Fear on my iPad (book #2 of the Kingkiller Chronicles) along with The Twelve (Book#2 of The Passage) (both series are good, although not I-can’t-stop-and-will-die-when-it-ends good). And finally, I have a dog eared edition of Rebel Queen (Michelle Moran) on my bedside stand. Loving that one so far. I’m also considering Women Who Run with the Wolves for Emma Watson’s bookclub.

  226. I am re-reading the Dina trilogy by Norwegian author Hjerbjørg Wassmo. Awesome read about a strong woman in 19th century Northern Norway. Bit grim at times, but such was life there and then.
    I’m in the Netherlands, have yet to read your books and can totally order them from Bol.com or Amazon.de 🙂

  227. “Lily and the Octopus” is a fabulous book about a man and his wiener (dog).
    Also, if you haven’t read “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry”, do it! and if you HAVE read that, then go read “The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy” which is the sequel.

  228. The Master and Margarita by Mikhael Bulgakov remains my favorite book of all time! It’s followed closely by LOTR and The Hobbit, Dune, and Guns, Germs, and Steel. Yay for books!

  229. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. It’s YA fantasy, so it’s an easy read and the protagonist is a seventeen-year-old girl. I first read this when I was in middle school, but I still go back to it when I need to make myself smile.

  230. Gosh! I can’t stop thinking of my favorites now…
    The Outsiders by SE Hinton
    Watchers by Dean Koontz
    The Moonlight Bay series by Dean Koontz
    ok, I’ll stop now

  231. Do yourself a favor and read Carrie Fishers autobiographies! They are super witty and relatable. Helped me a lot to find the funny side of depression (in my case borderline personality disorder)…!
    My favorite is probably shockaholic 🙂

    Also, a thriller – Never Knowing by Cat Stevens.
    Got it a few years from a friend ago and I still know the whole story bc it was so mesmerizing! Really good book 🙂

  232. I really love “The Long Walk” from Stephen King. There’s also “the princess saves herself in this one” by Amanda Lovelace. it’s a beautiful book of poetry. I cry through the whole thing – it’s really emotional and empowering. I could also recommend “Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monstee Hunter” by Joshua Gates. It’s all true stories from the author about his travels as a host of a tv show investigating strange occurrences around the world – like looking for yetis, mermaids, werewolves, and the like. It’s really funny and informative, and also provides great prospective of the world and people in it…plus a lot of weirdness.

  233. I really enjoyed Love Warrior for my recent non-fiction reading, and for fiction I have always loved the Gunslinger series by Stephen King. They are a very dark Western/Scifi mashup that makes me happy on the inside!!!

  235. I am re-reading the Dina trilogy by Norwegian author Hjerbjørg Wassmo. Awesome read about a strong woman in 19th century Northern Norway. Bit grim at times, but such was life there and then.
    I’m in the Netherlands, have yet to read your books and can totally order them from Bol.com or Amazon.de 🙂

  236. i’m reading the passage by justin cronin. i can also recommend wool. i think by comment 166 you will not have any books left, but i thought i’d try.

  238. In light of recent events in the U.S., I recommend When the Moon Was Ours, by Anna-Marie McLemore, which is a beautifully written book that explores transgender identity. Also, my husband and I are in the process of trying to adopt a child from foster care, and a friend recommended The Martian Child, by David Gerrold, which we enjoyed. And I second what others have said: I loved The Night Circus, The Rosie Project, and Lily and the Octopus.

  239. Someone Could Get Hurt by Drew Magary. My son suffered from a similar defect mentioned in the book so it really hit home. Six pages in, I was ugly crying with both heart break and joy. I’m not sure why but I enjoyed being reminded of how we overcome what seems so small now. And of course, everything you’ve written! Just pre-oordered the latest hit!

  241. Too many books to have favorites. But one of my faves and some I’ve recently read & enjoyed:
    – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (when you just need to escape the world)
    – A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (everyone has a story)
    – The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (sometimes going forward means looking back)
    – Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (all the kick-@ss women at NASA that history class didn’t teach us about)
    – Garden Spells by Sara Addison Allen (a little magical realism)

    And thanks to everyone else for the great recommendations!

  242. I highly recommend The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova if you enjoy fantasy or A Harvest of Thorns by Corban Addison if you want something more realistic and chock full of feelings. Both are on my favorites of 2017 list!

  244. Penryn and the End of Days trilogy by Susan Ee. The Queen of the Tearling trilogy by Erika Johanson. I am currently reading way too many cheesy romances by Tessa Dare.

  245. I’m reading fanfiction from the Orphan Black universe mostly (Cophine 4 eva) but I just finished Hannah Hart’s Buffering for the fourth or fifth time and am rereading The Secret Garden for the bazillionth time because I needed some nostalgia.

  246. Moon Dance “Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire.” She decides to become a private detective. She’s kinda awesome. She is just trying to be the best mom while having one more problem to deal with. She’s one of us. Girl in the Box it’s about a 17 year old girl who’s been kept hostage in her own home. She finds out she has some seriously mysterious powers. She finally gets out and the world better watch out. Both of these books are series. I sit I. Pins and needles waiting for the authors’ next books. I hope you give them a try!

  248. I can’t pick a favorite, I have too many! I don’t give 5 stars to books very often, so here are a few that made the cut: Faithful by Alice Hoffman, Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt, Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks, Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia, and I’ll stop now…

  249. I really enjoyed All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood. And I’m currently reading Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson, which I can’t wait to finish.

  250. My favorite book continues to be A Wrinkle in Time. I keep going back to it and the others in the series, even as an adult.

  251. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein! It’s a children’s book, but it is always good for me if I need a good cry. Congratulations on being numba 1 and numba 2!

  253. I love your courage (when you’re not hiding from the world!) Your books make me so happy to know I’m not the only super crazy one (besides in my head)…

  254. Congrats on the #1 and #2! And happy world book day! Seeing this makes me so happy ’cause I’ve been just feeling so low and having insane anxiety. Two really good books I’m reading now are Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher which I’ve been enjoying a lot and Dream House by Marzia Bisognin who’s a fav youtuber of mine!

  255. I just finished the Harry Potter series (I know, I’m several years late to the show, story of my life) and I’m going to hunt down #8 next. I already pre-ordered your book so if I win I’ll probably get one of the other books you’ve recommended like that Victorian etiquette one. That looks hilarious!

  257. I thought you meant #1 and 2 as in you were a Hidden Figure and a Hillbilly Elegy haha. I recommend Spell of The Sensuous by David Abram. 🙂

  258. I loved American Housewife by Helen Ellis. It’s a collection of short stories that are funny and dark.

  259. Terry Tempest Williams – An Hour of Land. Great book on the National Park system. love it!

  260. The first 15 lives of Harry August by Claire North. It is fantastic! It’s dark, and funny, and intriguing, and heart-wrenching and beautiful.

  262. I’m going to go with things that you probably haven’t read or that are odd enough that others might not recommend them. Holy Fools by Joanne Harris (yes, the one who brought you Chocolat). . Deerskin by Robin McKinley (a very dark fairy tale with an unforgettable message about the beauty of our flaws and scars). For beautiful, positive sci fi, try Sharon Shinn: Archangel (Samaria series), Troubled Waters (Elementals series), or Mystic and Rider (12 Houses series). Finally, a plug for Sharyn McCrumb, especially her Appalachian Ballad series, some of which are based on historical events (Ghost Riders is about Union spies, including the true story of a woman who posed as a man, and The Ballad of Frankie Silver is about the first woman hung for murder in North Carolina). Harder to find, but quite rewarding and hilarious, I highly recommend Bimbos of the Death Sun and Zombies of the Gene Pool for anyone who has ever attended a sci-fi convention! 🙂 Finally, my go-back-to is always Terry Pratchett and Discworld.

  263. I’ve loved “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern, “The Lost Sisterhood” by Anne Fortier and “The Gollum and the Jinni” by Helene Wecker.

    Happy world book day and No.1 and No. 2 for the win!

  264. Alternative math…perfect!
    Have you read the Outlander series? Diana Galbadon, eight books, she’s writing the ninth. It will suck you in. Im on my eleventh(?) reread.
    I just finished Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. Very dark and very good.

  265. Ok, now I’m nervous because I never win anything. Anyways, hello there! My name is Paloma.

    Since I’m from Brazil I thought I should recomend you a brazilian book, but I couldn’t find my favorite in English. The name is We Were Six, and it was writing by Maria Jose Dupre. Maybe you have better luck than I did finding it. However, I found a book that I absolutely adore, writing by Gabriel García Márquez (he’s not brazilian, but he’s latin… so I guess that’s fine). The name is MEMORIES OF MY MELANCHOLY WHORES. It’s a sad and beautiful book about getting old. Here’s the Amazon link: https://goo.gl/WBT6O1

  267. One of my all time favorite books is Watership Down, though i bet most here have read it (epic travels, social struggles, battles, and bunnies… seems on par for this group). “Silflay hraka u embleer rah”

    My favorite series of books is Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. One must not be scared of lots of giant books, but they are wonderful high fantasy.

  270. Lots of great recommendations already. I’ll put in a vote for All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. Two childhood friends, one a witch and the other a tech genius, are bound together by forces which may cause war or peace. It’s lovely.

  271. The Humans by Matt Haigh is brilliant. It’s funny, crazy, life affirming and it starts with a man running naked through a city. It’s also the only book my non book reading husband has ever read…GASP…. I know I know…..how does he survive?!!!! 😱
    Thank you Jenny for the laughter and solace xx
    P.S I am in the UK

  272. The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family. The Mitford’s are a really interesting upper class British Family. One sister was a close friend of Hitler, one married Oswald Mosley and one married a socialist who fought in the Spanish civil war.

  273. Oldie but goodie: “The Kin of Ata are Waiting for You” by Dorothy Bryant.

  274. One of my favorite books is the Name of the Wind. I suspect you’ve already read it, given you know and know of Rothfuss, but every time I read this book and wise man’s fear, it’s a different story to me. That’s being said, I also recently read the book of the unnamed midwife and greatly enjoyed it.

  275. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. It took me a while to get into it but it is such a wonderful book. And Jenny? Thank you for existing. There are days when your posts are one of the few things that make me smile. So thank you. You matter to me.

  276. I confess. My very favorite of all time is Charlotte’s Web. I”m 68 and still do not own a pig. Sigh

  277. People Who Say Goodbye by P Y Betts. Published 1989 by an old lady about her childhood in England – wickedly funny, sharp and honest. I think I’d be scared to meet her, she’s so feisty – but I’ve re-read her book about 4 times. Worth the hunt to find it. Make it a quest!

  278. Happy World Book Day!! I’m re-reading Good Omens at the moment (because it’s been a solid five minutes since I read it last), but finished The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz last week and it’s so good! Additional recommendation: A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon (who also wrote Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime).

  280. I love books. I don’t even know where to start. Mainly, because I am scrolling through my kindle app and trying to pick something that doesn’t make me feel slightly ashamed for enjoying. I am a huge fan of urban fantasy and young adult fantasy novels. Have you read Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning? It is a great start to a fantastic series.

  281. So how does one comment? I don’t have Facebook or instagram or… Anyway I am sitting at Newark airport waiting an extra 76 minutes for a trip to San Diego to paraglide and just heard no wind so no paragliding! This was my 65th birthday wish and a way to possibly check out my brand new Medicare plan. I was wandering through the overpriced kiosks where I discovered an actual bookstore ( harder to find where I live) and your new paperback version of “Furiously Happy” was highlighted with a “must read”! Bravo! I have already given copies of the hardcover to everyone I know with a sense of humor ( reminds me to unfriend some) so I didn’t buy more copies ( if I make new friends I will). By the way I also have your pillows, cards, statue ( lover’s quarrel for my husband on our 25th anniversary)… I need you more than ever if 4 years of Trump awaits. I hope I can receive your newsletter in Montreal where we are looking for a condo. Please be happy! You help make so many as happy as this world allows. Anne ( Teall)

    and so it goes…

    >

  282. OMG THAT’S AWESOME!!!!!

    On to books….Um have you read Furiously Hap…. never mind you’d probably hate it… LOL

    Looks I LOVE (besides Harry Potter, duh):
    – The Blessings of the Animals by Katrina Kittle
    – Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
    – for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange
    – Hannibal Lecter series (Red Dragon is the first) by Thomas Harris

  283. A Borrowed Man by Gene Wolfe. Future society has libraries full of clones of authors that you can check out. A mystery writer clone decides to solve one irl. Hijinks ensue.

    I just like to imagine the clones I would check out. I could have a literary cocktail party with all my favorites : Austen, Eliot, Dickens, Hemingway (and Bellows to keep him company), Chopin, Fitzgerald, Wharton, Rushdie, Ishiguro, Lawson…

  285. The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker is so so so amazing. I finished it a few weeks ago, and it’s one of those books I haven’t been able to shake. Southern white trash girls go to college to escape, find best friends in one another, major in art and shake off the pretentious “cartoons aren’t ART” bullshit that went with that, start making prize-winning R. Crumb-style animations…and that’s just the first chapter or so. I could not put it down, and I cannot stop fangirling over it, even 2 weeks after I finished it.

  286. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, and the second in the trilogy, Wise Man’s Fear. The third has yet to be published and the wait is killing me! It’s a fantasy series and it is amazing. There’s also a beautiful little side story in a separate volume about one of the minor characters in the book, who is broken (like me!) – The Slow Regard of Silent Things.

    And I have to also mention the Gentleman Bastard series of books by Scott Lynch. Advemture/fantasy about a group of con artists with huge personalities and smarts.

    I’m in the UK.

    THANK YOU for making a difference in my life on so many levels. 💜

  287. My all time favourite will remain Jane Eyre. Closely followed by The Commitments by Roddy Doyle and Holy Fools by Joanne Harris.

  288. Oh man this is gonna make my huge amazon “to read” list even longer! I recently finished Feed, the first in the Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant. It’s what society would be like if a third of the world was killed by zombies and everyone else was afraid to leave their houses and social media ruled the world (we’re not too far, away, huh?)

  290. I love the following books right now:
    Greg Iles by Penn Cage series
    The Sound of Glass by Karen White
    Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes
    Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat by Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella
    The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
    Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham (My Happy Booksgiving book)

  291. My absolutely favorite work of non-fiction is called Random Family by Adrianne Nicole LeBlanc. Basically the author embedded herself with what would be considered your typical impoverished family in New York starting in the late 80s/early 1990s for 11 years. The book sheds light on the struggle to survive poverty and it’s obstacles (drug dealing, going to prison, trying to raise children) and how we sort of “manufacture” the connections and bonds we need to survive. This is of course showing that people don’t have to be blood related to be your family, hence the title. It’s honestly one of the best works of non fiction I’ve ever read and I keep hoping she’ll do a follow up!

  292. My absolute favorite book ever is “Red Adam’s Lady” by Grace Ingram. Wonderful book set in fifteenth century England. Romance, history, intrigue–it’s got it all. It’s so awesome I’ve read it every year or two for almost 40 years now. It’s such a can’t-put-it-down that my good friend, The Most Conscientious Person In The World, MISSED WORK so she could keep on reading. The bad news: It’s out of print. The good news: I will gladly loan you one of my copies (I POUNCED when I found a second one) if you’re interested.

  293. Right now I’m reading “Pride and prejudice and Zombies”. It’s hilarious!
    My favorite book is “The Hobbit”. I think I’d make a good hobbit- lots of eating, and not going far from home.

  294. If you prefer non-fiction, I would definitely recommend “The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and other clinical tales” by Oliver Sacks. If you are in the mood for fiction, Chevy Stevens has some really great books. One of my favorites is “Never Knowing”.

  295. I know you’ve already read it, but in case others want a recommendation, I recently read Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman) and loved it! Also, have you ever read A Walk In the Wood (Bill Bryson)? Laugh out loud funny 🙂

  296. “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read it.

  297. Ahhhh! My tbr pile is ENORMOUS after reading all these recommendations. One of the books that stuck with me recently is Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. Such a great read.

  299. I love alternative math! It’s so much easier to understand:) I adored The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon♡ Gorgeous, thought provoking and time well spent. Your daughter will also enjoy it, so two birds-one stone, as they say!

  300. How could I ever choose just one book! I loved The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin and How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford. I am also currently enjoying Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams (although it is nothing like the TV show).
    Hugs from Canada

  301. It’s like asking for a favorite ice cream flavor – there are so many good ones! A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. My 20-something self recommends Shampoo Planet by Douglas Coupland. My 30-something self recommends The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood is also very good, but like all of her books, you have to stick it out til the end to get the payout.

  302. Rejected Princesses, by Jason Porath. It’s a book of women throughout myth and history that will never be Disney princesses because they’re too bloody or bad ass. It’s super funny, and there are Disney-esque illustrations!

  303. My next one? Er…yeah. Sorry. It’s not done yet. How about Crag Ferguson’s Between the Bridge and the River? It’s not new by any stretch, but it seems like a Jenny-book to me.

  304. Homegoing was a really good and not too disturbing. It’s definitely worth the hype.

  308. I can’t wait for You Are Here to arrive…but in the meantime, holy cow I love those pens.

  309. I recently read an older book, “On a Pale Horse” by Piers Anthony. It’s the first in the series and it’s not just a neat fantasy book about a guy who is the personification of death on earth, there are also some ethical dilemmas discussed which I found refreshing in the genre. Definitely a must read for anyone who is a fan of Piers Anthony and his billion other novels.

  311. I’m a big fan of all Sarah Addison Allen’s books if you haven’t read them. Congrats on your alt-math! 💟

  312. My favorite book is Neal Stephenson’s Diamond Age, so you should read that if you haven’t. If you have, then I’m going to heartily recommend the Squirrel Girl graphic novels by Ryan North and Erica Hendersen. If you’ve read those… well then you are set in life. Or maybe read the Wheel of Time series and feel good about your life because more happens in your life than in many of those books. Or you can read The Curious Incident of the dog in the night time, which is just funny (plus I had to google “Sausage dog book upside down” to find it to get the title, which is awesome, but apparently it as a poodle on the cover, so I’m all confused).

  313. Rejected Princesses, by Jason Porath. It’s a book of women throughout history that were to bloody or bad ass to be Disney princesses. It’s super funny, and has Disney-sequels illustrations!

  314. I recently got into a series by Deanna Raybourn. The first book is called A Curious Beginning. Great light reading with really cool characters.

  316. How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety: And Abstinence, Drugs, Satanism, and Other Dangers That Threaten Their Nine Lives. Critical in these trying times.

  317. My most recent favorite book is A Man Called Ove. Fredrik Backman is such a wonderful storyteller….he makes me feel all of the feels! I can’t wait for another of his books (originally published in Sweden) to be released in the US.

  318. I just finished gobbling up “Wool” by Hugh Howey and I can’t recommend it enough. I got it from a Little Free Library knowing nothing about it but what was on the cover and now I’m desperate to read the other two books in the series.

  319. Outlander series – all of em and the Lord John books too. Also the Harry Potter series. Anything by Kathy Reichs.

  320. Congratulations! I use alternative math when I step on the scale.
    Read The Book of Joy-a great compliment to Furiously Happy…different, though, as it is an account of conversations between The Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. I read them back to back…while wildly different, on this journey to happiness I found them both wildly valuable.

  321. the Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine. The first book is Ill Wind. If you’ve already read it, it’s a great second or third read as well. 😀

  322. Shout out from the UK!
    I’d also recommend ‘My grandmother sends her regards and apologises’ (mascara warning). Or anything by Scarlett Thomas (quirky and mindbending ‘The end of Mr Y) or anything by Karen Maitland (historical but in a good way).

  323. Oh yes! Congratulations on #1 & #2! That’s amazing! You beat out Hidden Fences! LOL

    This is such a good list! I need to copy these recommendations for my future reads. Honestly, I’d have to really think hard to pin down a favorite. I fall in love with every book I’m reading at the time. I’m a book slut. When I mentioned Anne Rivers Siddons “The House Next Door”, it’s not necessarily my favorite, but I love anything evil or haunted! It’s from 1978, so I figured it may not be on your radar. I’m always at least 5-10 years behind on current literature!

  324. I read too much to have a favorite book, but a current book I’m loving is Hidden Figures, the book the movie is based on. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to see a part of history through the lens of the African American perspective.

  326. My favorite books are Oh the places you’ll go by Dr. Seuss, Matilda, and let’s pretend this never happened.

  328. Tried to look at my shelf to see if I had any unique eniugh books that people hadn’t read them over and over, but the only one I could think of was “Zombies vs Unicorns” which is like an anthology of short stories about zombies and unicorns (obv) but like arguing which one is better. It’s kind of a YA book, but some of it is hilarious as hell.

  329. actually you’re 1, 2, and 3…if you add them..more math I know sorry. I’d recommend a walk in the woods. a fun book that is just 2 guys walking.

  331. roots around in kitchen junk drawer Drat. Not there.
    Checks dining room junk drawer nope.
    Bedroom junk drawer dang it!
    Mental junk drawer Ah-hah! Hauls out trusty cliche

    You’re number one in MY book Jenny! 😉

    My all time favorite book? I love the Island In The Sea of Time by S.M. Stirling. And the related series. Something about those books keeps me coming back again and again.

    Also, has anyone else read The Brief History of The Dead by Kevin Brockmeier? That is SOME story! Also also how is it we haven’t started a virtual book club yet? I’m going to have to look into this. I think I know an excellent forum location for it. Lord knows I have enough time on my hands right now anyway. Can use something to make me feel useful.

  332. If you’re up for some non-fiction, I highly recommend “Galileo’s Middle Finger” by Alice Dreger.

    For some light fiction, “The Cats of Tanglewood Forest” by Charles de Lint (illustrated by Charles Vess) is a delight.

  333. The Stand, by Stephen King. A sweeping tale of Good and Evil. I have read it several times… The first time I was in my late teens and the most recent time in my early 40s. Every time I read it, I experience it differently because of what I have lived and (hopefully) learned in years past. I am getting ready to read it again 🙂 Reading you in Canada.

  334. I couldn’t pick a favorite book if my life depended on it, there are just too many. However there is a series I read recently that I’ve been recommending to EVERYONE. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. The first book is Storm Front.

    Congrats on #1 & 2!

  335. Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Matarin series. Excellent and humane historical fiction

  336. I just finished The Passion of Dolssa (a YA historical fiction) and it was beautiful. About a girl in 13th century Provensa (Southern France, now, I believe) who is hunted for being a heretic because she’s in love with Jesus (or the idea of him, she’s essentially a mystic who performs miracles). She is rescued along the way by a girl named Botille who is the matchmaker of a small village and Botille and her sisters care for Dolssa until the friars eventually hunt her down. It sounds depressing, but it was a beautiful story of courage (and not overly religious) and sisterhood.

  337. Ender’s Game!!! It made me feel less alone as a brainy kid.

    Mental illness under-employment happening right now so I won’t be able to buy this unless I win it, just know that I totally would if I could because you are the best!!

  338. Jenny how do I go about getting the amazon gift certificate so I could get your new book?
    And I recommend The Host by Stephenie Myers

  339. I’m currently on the sixth book of the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch and they’re fantastic. A modern day police constable finds himself in the “demi monde” and world of magic when his star witness to a crime turns out to be a ghost. “Harry Potter meets CSI” so says the cover. I highly recommend.

  340. Jandy Nelson wrote two amazing YA novels, The Sky is Everywhere, and I’ll Give You the Sun. They are beautiful stories about coping with loss and finding sexuality and creativity. Since I read them I think about them every single day and I’m ready to buy them so that I can read them again and again whenever I need to.

  342. I am currently reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and I’m loving it! It goes really fast. Also, because I can’t be content with just one read and my mind goes in different directions depending on the day, I also started, today, This Is Really Happening by Erin Chack. The review says it’s “perfect for fans of Jenny Lawson”! So far so good!!

  343. I really loved Ender’s Game. I’ve reread it a number of times, and I’ve also enjoyed the series around it (although hard to beat the original). Count of Monte Cristo is another great one.

  346. Congrats! The last three books I read that I couldn’t put down were Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter, I Don’t Want To Be Crazy by Samantha Schutz, and The Sculptor by Scott McCloud.

  347. I’m re-reading “His Dark Materials” at the moment – it’s still wonderful, if for no other reason than it annoys the hell out of religious people 🙂

  349. Fredrick Backman is one of my favorite authors right now, besides you of course. I just watched the movie version of “A Man Called Ove” the other night (got it from Netflix..it’s in Swedish with English subtitles)and it’s just as funny as the book. I’m reading one of his other books “My Grandmother Said To Tell You She’s Sorry” which is really really awesome. 🙂

    “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed is another of my favorites.

  350. I have a lot of favorite books! A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg (But you can’t go wrong with any of her books), I loved Heart-Shaped box by Joe Hill, Behind the Gates of Gomorrah by Stephen Seager. All very different genres but all fantastic

  351. My favorite book is The Gates of Sleep by Mercedes Lackey. It’s part of her Elemental Masters series, which re-tell fairy tales but with her own particular sort of magic system. It’s kind of fluff, but I’ve found it to be a good escape when I need one. 🙂

  352. I LOVE the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. The 10th and possibly final book is due out later this year and I’m both super excited about it and super dreading it. The first nine books, taken collectively, are simply wonderful!

    Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is also really fantastic, as is the NIghtside series by Simon R. Green (both are set in hidden parts of “dark” London).

    And I love that you are both #1 and #2! (That’s a great way to look at being #12!)

  353. It’s absolutely impossible to only name one, so I’ll go with anything by Laurie Notaro. She’s mostly non-fiction but her most recent book is a novel- Crossing the Horizon- and it’s about female aviators vying to be the first to cross the Atlantic during the early days of flight. I met her at a signing in Austin and she’s just so lovely and fun. The book is fantastic!

    I also loved Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford about the early days of the BBC.

    And finally, Martin Turnbull’s Hollywood’s Garden of Allah series- Classic Hollywood at it’s most glamorous. There’s 6 books in the series and they’re each like $2.99 or so for the Kindle versions.

    And as a side note – can I just say how stinkin excited I am to see you at Book People next week!!! (Even if it means I have to deal with I-35 from San Antonio- but you’re so worth the struggle of Austin traffic.) And in case you’re wondering, I’ll be impossible to miss. I’m the socially awkward one over there in the corner.

  354. Sunshine by Robin McKinley and Uprooted by Naomi Rom are some of my favorite books. Always good for a reread when I feel sad.

  355. Sabriel by Garth Nix…that’s the 1st book in his Abhorsen trilogy and all three books are great!

  356. I am reading the outlander series right now, it’s very good especially if you like time travel !

  357. I’ve been reading the forensic anthropology books by Jefferson Bass… It all starts with a real life body farm in Tennessee! Really good series 🙂 tell Ferris Mewler he’s awesome but his butt book reviews are reverse osmosis, I think…..

  358. Additionally, since you like Wasp Factory you absolutely must read The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan. Mind-blowing. Bonus. It’s 2.99 for kindle version today. Also, The Collector by John Fowles is a classic. (Creepy.)

  359. Eleanor & Park – I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting, and then turned around and read it again; that’s how good it is. I also shared it immediately with my mom and one of my best friends (who both read it as voraciously as I did).

  360. Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein. I love reading books about average people in WWII doing their “bit” for the war. Mostly because I don’t think I could be that brave. Elizabeth Wein also wrote Code Name Verity but I can only halfway recommend it because I’m only halfway through the book right now. But I suspect if you like Rose Under Fire, you’ll like Code Name Verity.

    And if you like books about people doing stuff during WWII, Connie WIllis has a series of books where people from the future (2060, I think?) who are history majors at Oxford travel back in time to observe the bombing of London. My two favorites are Blackout and its sequel, All Clear.

    And speaking of WWII time-travelers, if you haven’t read the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, you should. Wow, can she write a sex scene! But it’s not all about sex. The author is fond of saying that the books are about life and life sometimes includes sex (for which I am extremely grateful, myself).

  361. One of my very favourite is She’s come Undone by Wally Lamb.
    All books by Audrey Niffenegger are great too.And Kate Atkinson. And and and…so many more!

  363. I love Sunshine by Robin McKinley. No problem reading it over and over again when I need a pick me up.

  364. The whole Jane Perry series of novels by Laurel Dewey are great, but Redemption is my favorite. Murder mystery with strong female lead.

  369. Seriously my new favorite book is Furiously Happy. But since you may be already familiar with that book one of my other favorites is Wish You Well by David Baldacci.

  371. My favorite book I’ve read this year (I’m a librarian, so I can’t pick just one favorite book), is Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. It doesn’t necessarily encourage others to say yes to everything, but it does show what she learned throughout her experience of saying yes. And any book that starts out with the author telling you that she’s a liar is page turner for sure.

  375. Esther the Wonder Pig: Changing the World One Heart at a Time by Steve Jenkins is a sweet – and hilarious! – true story of how adopting (what they thought was) a “micro-pig” led to the opening of the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary.

  376. The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson. It’s the first in his Longmire mystery series. He’s an amazing writer.

  377. I just finished the Throne of Glass Series. It’s a YA series, but it is awesome. My all time favorite book to read is The Lorax 🙂 I got a copy for my 18th birthday from my godmother who has since passed away. I read it at least once a week to my kids.

  378. I have what I call “comfort reads”, books that I can pick up when I’m feeling stressed. Almost all the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, “Neverwhere” by Neil Gaiman, “Good Omens” by both Pratchett and Gaiman.

    I’m currently reading (in between text books, so very slowly) “Every Heart A Doorway” by Seanan McGuire, and so far it’s really good!

  380. Have you read the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde? It’s wonderful in so many ways.

  381. I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. It’s an old one, but I re-read it often. It”s one of my favorites and dark and sad and thoughtful. Probably time to read it again.

  383. Favorite book? Well, that depends on my mood, the time of day and whether I am reading at lunch on a workday, or on a lazy Saturday afternoon, or at bedtime. But books that I have read over and over? Most epic fiction such as Tolkien and Terry Brooks. The Dresden books by Jim Butcher. Anything by Jane Austen (Persuasian is my favorite today). Anything by Ken Follett, especially The Pillars of the Earth. The Kate Shugak series by Dana Stabenow (fantastic strong, kick-ass female lead character). Robert Ludlam’s The Road to Gandalfo – normally he writes spy thrillers, which I enjoy too. The Road to Gandalfo is a hysterically funny twist to the thriller genre.

  384. I’m rereading the Outlander series of books (I’m on #3, Voyager, but if you’ve never read them then start with the first book: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon). But I’m also in yoga teacher training and have been reading Yoga Body Buddha Mind by Cyndi Lee for class and it’s also really good.

  385. Anything by Charles de Lint! I recommend starting with Someplace To Be Flying. He’s magical.

  386. My next book will be, “A Man Called Ove,” as I had the book on hold. I own all of your books and love them. I read about three books a week as it is something to do while I am dealing with physical and mental health concerns…reading and photography are two things I am very good at. This is wonderful and so are you….

  387. I loved the Riryia books by Michael Sullivan, all the Faith Hunter books and the Drood series by Simon R Green. I loved Uprooted and we just read Mr Pip for my bookclub. It was a quick and original read.

  388. Congrats Tenfold,or I should say Twelvefold.

    Leonard Cohen’s “Beautiful Losers” is still my favourite book. It’s a literary masterpiece of Canadian literature. It’s Cohen at his novelistic finest. If you have read that one, I can recommend one that is not as well-known outside Canada. “Down The Coaltown Road” by Sheldon Currie. It’s set in Cape Breton Nova Scotia (a few hours away from me). There are just no words for me to describe what a great story this is. The author (Dr. Sheldon Currie) is the man who wrote the original novel that would inspire the film “Margaret’s Museum”.

    Thank you for sharing your news.

    @WriterDann

  389. Tried to pick my favorite. Scrolled through comments. Oh, The Fireman! Yes! And A Man Called Ove! Definitely! The Flavia de Luce books! Night Circus! The Road! Oh, The Road. For sure. That one has stayed with me for a long, long time. Highly recommend.

  390. One book? You want ONE book recommendation? Damn that’s hard. So I’m taking a page out of your book and leaving one AND two. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult was AMAZING. Also, The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman. I could list many, many more, but those are recent ones I’ve read so they’re ruminating in my brain still.

  391. Congratulations! It’s not a “fun” read but The China Study is one of those books that I constantly, quietly recommend to everyone.

  394. I picked up a bunch of “vintage” books and have been reading Sue Grafton murder mysteries – totally not my usual genre. I just finished G is for gumshoe, yes, of course I am reading them in order! I grew up in California, so it’s fun to remember the way things were. Great if you’re looking for a quick, lightweight read.

  395. Read Fredrik Backman’s other books (My Grandmother. . . and then Britt-Marie) if you haven’t yet. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and her follow-up Crooked Kingdom. Anything in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series (old, but still fun). My all-time favorite book: Beginner’s Luck by Laura Pedersen. I probably listed the same books last time you called out for recommendations.

  396. I don’t get as much time to read adult books since my son was born. But I have some great recommendations for kids books that are still enjoyable. (You MUST do the voices!) “I Want My Hat Back” by Jon Klassen is a little dark for a kids book, but AMAZING nonetheless. “Toot” by Leslie Patricelli is great for new parents who can’t handle the endless cutesy crap for babies. And the classic “Monster at the End of the Book” is also available on audio if you can’t do a decent Grover impression. Pass the love of books through the generations!

  397. I loooove Lamb by Christopher Moore. It’s hilarious but a bit twisted. I’ve made a ton of family and friends read it and they all loved it. Yay for family and friends who share your sense of humour 🙂

  398. I loved The Girl With All The Gifts, but I know you read that because your recommendation of it is what caused me to read it. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is awesome, but I suspect you’ve read that too. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is so good that I’ve re-read it about 100