• ALEX NICOLLE

    books

    My Master Book List

    I frequently get asked for book recommendations so consider this my master book list. I’m only including titles I’ve enjoyed and will be updating regularly so be sure to check back for new reads!

    Beach Reads:

    Love & Other Words — Christina Lauren

    The No Show – Beth O’Leary

    Less — Andrew Sean Greer

    Book Lovers — Emily Henry

    Beach Read — Emily Henry

    It Ends with Us — Colleen Hoover

    It Starts with Us — Colleen Hoover

    Other Fiction:

    A Man Called Ove — Fredrik Backman

    Anxious People — Fredrik Backman

    Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine — Gail Honeyman

    The Alchemist — Paulo Cohelo

    Mexican Gothic — Silvia Moreno-Garcia

    The Silent Patient — Alex Michaelides

    In Five Years — Rebecca Sterle

    The Light We Lost — Jill Santopolo

    Verity — Colleen Hoover

    Novels:

    Gone Girl — Gillian Flynn

    Trust — Hernan Diaz

    Good Material — Dolly Alderton

    The Paris Apartment — Lucy Foley

    Demon Copperhead — Barbara Kingsolver

    The House of Spirits — Isabelle Allende

    Biographies / Memoirs:

    Tuesdays with Morrie — Mitch Alboom

    The Contender — William Mann

    Bad Blood (Theranos Story) — John Carreyrou

    My Body — Emily Ratajkowski

    That Will Never Work (Netflix Story) — Marc Randolph

    A Million Little Pieces — James Frey

    Bamboozled by Jesus — Yvonne Orji

    I Can’t Make This Up — Kevin Hart

    The Splendid and The Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance during the Blitz — Erik Larson

    The Ride of a Lifetime — Bob Iger

    Can’t Hurt Me — David Goggins

    I’m Glad My Mom Died — Jeanette McCurdy

    Believe It — Jamie Kern Lima

    Maybe You Should Talk to Someone — Lori Gottlieb

    Self Help:

    Find Your Mind — Andrew Feinstein

    The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron

    The Mountain is You — Brianna Wiest

    Worthy — Jamie Kern Lima

    After The Rain — Alex Elle

    Buy Yourself the F*cking Lillies – Tara Schuster

    You are a Badass — Jen Sincero

    The Gifts of Imperfection — Brene Brown

    Spirituality:

    The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings – Thich Nhat Hanh

    Ask and It is Given — Ester and Jerry Hicks

    The Four Agreements — Don Miguel Ruiz

    My 2023 Reads

    All of the books I read last year + a quick review of each, in case anyone needs recs for this year!

    I’m Glad My Mom Died By Jennette McCurdy

    I cannot even begin to describe this book. SO many shocking revelations. Shows we truly have no idea what someone is going through behind closed doors. 10/10 recommend. 

    The House of the Spirits by Isabelle Allende

    My second favorite book of the year! An epic that spans three generations. Beneath the political revolution it follows, this is a book about love and how the feeling can transform even the most stubborn of us. 

    The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

    This was a suggestion for my boyfriend from his dad, but due to the lack of book options around I started it on holiday and then had to finish it. It’s another epic tale, more engrossing than I initially imagined. If you’re into medieval times, this is a good pick for you. That said, at 1,000+ pages, it’s a big commitment. 

    The No Show by Beth O’Leary

    This book stole my heart! Such a sweet read with an unexpected ending. 

    Never Finished by David Goggins

    A motivational kick in the butt for anyone who is facing long odds, or wants to give up. His story will get you back on track. 

    Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

    One of those stories that creates a web of characters from different walks of life that are all connected in some way. Unlike most books that do that, this one balances the introduction of new characters with the development of current ones very well. That said, not much from the plot itself stuck with me.

    I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us by Ed Yong

    Very science-y book. If you’re interested in the topic then it’s great. The information is presented in a way that’s easy to understand.  

    Verity by Colleen Hoover

    A female centric thriller that I could not put down! If you liked Gone Girl, you’ll love this one

    Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney

    As much as I try to be, I’m just not a Sally Rooney fan. Maybe I don’t understand her books enough, but I always find not enough happens. They’re more commentaries on society than they are stories, which some people may revel in. I do not. 

    The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

    It’s been so long since I’ve read a mystery novel. This one was fun

    Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

    My favorite book of the year — you all already know I loved this one. See full review here. 

    The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

    Another story that creates a web of characters who are all intertwined. However, this one was confusing to me. Too many new characters, not enough development for any of them. 

    The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

    Sweet book but I wanted it to move me a little bit more

    Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

    A typical Reese Witherspoon book club pick — which is never disappointing! Part romance, part mystery. I read it in 2 days.

    The Most Important Book I Read in 2023

    “Age old story, who gets to look down on who, for what reason” – Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead

    I’ve always loved a story’s ability to expose us to worlds vastly different from our own. For better or worse, I want to see them. I want to understand. Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead full heartedly delivers on this front, offering the reader a window into the life of a boy grappling with poverty, foster care, and addiction in the Appalachian Mountains. The story broke my heart in a hundred different ways, reminding me how much of our lives is determined by the lottery of where we are born, and to whom.

    On the surface, Demon Copperhead and I have nothing in common. However, the spirit of his being remains relatable throughout the book. He is undoubtedly resilient, but nowhere close to perfect. Many times his choices do not line up with what the reader wishes for him, and yet I think any of us would be hard pressed to judge him. How can we after knowing everything he has been through? At the heart of it, he is just a person trying his best to play the hand he was dealt, much like the rest of us.

    By the end, I found myself overflowing with compassion for Demon, and the real children who are struggling with these issues. Wanting them all so badly to receive the love and care they deserve. In my opinion, that’s the real win of the book. It gets us to feel deeply for someone we have no ties with. Having empathy in spite of a life that has made us numb, feels like a collective step in the right direction.

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