What books should I read over Winter Break? (Maybe just for fun?)
Ok… I LOVE finding the perfect read-alouds for the classroom, and even reading books about teaching, but when it’s cold and snowy outside and I’m finally off for an extended break from school… those aren’t the first on my list.
So, here are some of my favorite non-teacher-book reads that I’ve read in 2023 and think you should add to your TBR (To Be Read) list ASAP. Just click on the title or the image to grab a copy on Amazon (a lot are on sale as of posting this!)
Happy reading!
My Favorite Non-Teacher Books I’ve Read in 2023:
The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams
If you’re anything like me and your For-You search pages are filled with a certain singer and a certain football player (*cough* Tay and Trav forevs), this book may be right up your lane. This one is so stinking cute. I feel like Adams’ writing sounds just like my own inner dialogue. This friends-to-lovers/fake-dating novel has everything we love in a good rom-com novel: swoony main male character, relatable female protagonist, lovable side characters, and a believable enough plot. I fully recommend this one.
Cautions: As far as spice, this is pretty clean!
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
While we are on the topic of swoon-worthy rom-com books, this one HAS to make the list. This book follows Liz as she tries to snag her dream crush with the help of her obnoxious (but gorgeous) neighbor. As you can imagine from the title, it has all of the great rom-com-movie-magic moments and is just the sweetest of stories. To me, it felt like reading “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” or “The Summer I Turned Pretty” (both great series) without the trilogy length.
Cautions: Some talk of grief; very clean.
(The Do Over by Lynn Painter is also worth reading!)
Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson
Ok… one more rom-com… This one follows an editor-hoping-to-become-a-writer who’s manuscript is requested by a different publishing company (gasp) and all of the hoops she goes through to keep that a secret… especially from the attractive son of the owner of her publishing company who just keeps showing up. This one was sweeter than I was anticipating and I enjoyed every minute of it!
Cautions: Clean :)
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean Series) by Rebecca Yarros
This book is like if you put Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Divergent, and How to Train Your Dragon all into a pot and threw a little spice in it. Yarros does a great job of incorporating world building where it is easy to follow and digestible (read: you don’t have to continually flip to the map at the front of the book). This was the first fantasy book in a long time that hasn’t felt cringy to me (minus a few explicit scenes, but you can skip over those if you prefer). Top tier enemies-to-lovers romance with great character building. Lotsss of pages but a fairly quick read. One thing to note, as of writing this, she has only released the first 2 of this 5 book series so if you don’t like cliffhangers, you may want to wait until she completes the series in a few years.
Cautions: Explicit language and spice as well as violence, so please read trigger warnings prior to reading. There are guides available if you would like to avoid explicit scenes.
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
“Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why—or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.” (Amazon summary) Oh man, I am a wimp when it comes to mysteries and get scared verrry easily so this was the perfect amount of suspense without making me feel the need to sleep with the lights on. This book is riddled with riddles and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time (with some love triangles and interesting characters mixed in). This is the first of a 3 book series.
Cautions: Some trigger warnings in this book as well - please preview before beginning.
Lakeshire Park by Megan Walker
Looking for more of a historical/regency romance? This one is great! (I also loved “Edenbrooke” by Juianne Donaldson). This story is about a sister trying to help secure some family inheritance (as well as her sister’s happiness) by helping her sister match with Sir Ronald. Too bad there is another brother present trying to match his sister with the same man. Competition (and maybe a little romance) ensues.
Cautions: Pretty clean!
Divergent Minds: Thriving in a World that Wasn’t Designed for You by Jenara Nerenberg
This one is for my nonfiction loving folks. This book is SO good for educators, women, people that know women… you know, everyone. “A paradigm-shifting study of neurodivergent women—those with ADHD, autism, synesthesia, high sensitivity, and sensory processing disorder—exploring why these traits are overlooked in women and how society benefits from allowing their unique strengths to flourish.” (Amazon summary) I’m telling you, this book was so eye-opening for me as I relate to students, myself, loved ones, and women around me. The author is a Harvard and Berkeley-educated writer, entrepreneur, and mother, who discusses how she was shocked to discover that her “symptoms”-- only ever labeled as anxiety -- were considered autistic and ADHD. Being a journalist, she dove into the research and uncovered neurodiversity— a framework that moves away from pathologizing “abnormal” versus “normal” brains and instead recognizes the vast diversity of our mental makeups. You don’t have to read it over break, but definitely consider adding it to your To-Be-Read list.
Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
Another rom-com?? How’d that sneak in here?
Ok, this may have been one of my favorite reads in 2023 and I started it without even realizing it was the 2nd book in a series (ha). So… hear me out. I liked this one better than the first in the series (“When in Rome”), but feel free to read the 1st one first if you’re a purist with that kind of thing :) Anywayyy, this book has so many tropes well done: Teach Me to Date, Opposites Attract, Hint of Fake Dating, Bodyguard-ish, Small Town (read: Gilmore Girls vibe). Main male character was a dreamboat who could *actually* communicate (praise hands for no real miscommunication issues). The female main character was SO relatable. I connected to her life story of being underestimated and put into a box. The banter was so fun and I couldn’t put the book down.
Cautions: The majority of the book is fade-to-black with the exception of the epilogue which is very much NOT fade to black (read: explicit), so skip that if you don’t like reading that type of scene. The lead up to the fade-to-black is still fairly steamy, so consider that. Some language throughout.
These are just a few of my 2023 favorites - what books would you add to the list?
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