A Look Back at My Best of Lists - Mia's Version
Let's see if my top ten lists of the past few years still hold up.
Top ten book lists of the year really capture a moment in time. Sometimes the books will mean something to us over a lifetime, but often it seems as if they’re capturing us at a particular time - whether something has happened in our lives, or it’s a type of reader that we are in that year. So we thought it would be fun to look back on our top ten lists of the past few years to see if those are still books we think back on fondly.
Don’t forget to check out Sarah’s list from yesterday!
Mia’s Top Ten of 2020
The Institute by Stephen King
If It Bleeds by Stephen King
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
The Boys in the Cave by Matt Gutman
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Miracles and Other Reasonable Things by Sarah Bessey
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Robinson
Stephen King is my favorite author of all time, so it makes me happy to see his books in the top two spots. And I’m also seeing a lot of nonfiction books, which feels very accurate for 2020 Mia. But I would say that this list definitely holds up and these titles hold special places in my heart. If I’m honest, though, I definitely forgot about Sarah Bessey’s book, so maybe that warrants a re-read in the near future.
Mia’s Top Ten of 2021
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight
A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
wow, no thank you by Samantha Irby
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
Dolly Parton, Songteller by Dolly Parton
Take What You Can Carry by Gian Sardar
I’ve always been a reader, but I think 2021 is the first year that I became more intentional with my reading. I delved more into book blogs and bookstagram and really paid attention to what other people were reading and I think it shows! Plus, we were doing the podcast and my reading was more public. I don’t remember much about The Dutch House, but otherwise, I stand by this list wholeheartedly. I discovered my love of Matt Haig and S.A. Cosby during 2021 and I’m so glad I did. I also very vividly remember reading Project Hail Mary right after Sarah did and texting her about *that part* and how much I loved it. Some great reading memories here!
Mia’s Top Ten of 2022
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Later by Stephen King
It Starts With Us / It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Oof, 2022 was clearly the year of tears for me with all these emotional reads. Looking at this list, I’d say that the only one that surprised me is A History of Wild Places - not because I didn’t love it, I did, but because I forgot all about it. All of the other titles are forever favorites of mine and this list is *chef’s kiss*. Also, a moment of silence for the utter destruction of my heart after A Little Life. I’ll never be the same!
Mia’s Top Ten of 2023
The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
Holly by Stephen King
These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant
The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias
Out of Esau by Michelle Webster Hein
Aloha Vietnam by Elizabeth Nguyen
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton
In the Land of Dead Horses by Bruce McCandless III
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger
Ahh yes, 2023, my year of cli-fi! I think The Light Pirate, The Age of Miracles, and The Displacements are my top 3 favorite cli-fi books ever and I have yet to read anything that top them in that genre. Horror is also well-represented here. I wish I could go back and re-read The Hollow Places again for the first time because I wasn’t expecting to love that book as much as I did. I also had the hardest time coming up with this top 10 because I read some incredible books that year. But there isn’t a single book that strikes me as questionable or forgettable on this list, so good job, me!
Overall, I’d say my top 10 lists of the past 4 years have held up really well. There were only 3 books out of 40 that I forgot about, that’s not too shabby. Now I want to go back and re-read all the things.
Were there any titles that made you think, yikes Mia, why’d you pick that one? Or do we share some favorites? Plus, I’d love to know how you decide what goes on your top 10 lists. Tell me all the things in the comments!