Top 10 Books

My taste in reading is very eclectic so there is something for everyone on this list! From non-fiction to fiction, science fiction, novels based on true stories, autobiographies, politically relevant documents, or audio books. It’s all here.

Born a Crime | Trevor Noah

It’s funny, it’s serious, it’s relevant. Everything you need right now and my number #1. I truly recommend you listen to this as an audio book instead of reading it as a novel. Only because Trevor himself does the reading and in some places he is speaking in Afrikaans. You really need to hear it in his native language, in his accent, with his delivery and personality to truly understand the message.

The World | Richard Haas

A really great brief overview of everything happening in the world, up until January 2020. A quick review of international relations worldwide as it stands right now, and I promise it’s not dense or boring either! I wanted to send this book to so many people…

What is A What | Dave Eggers

It is based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng, a Sudanese child refugee who immigrated to the United States under the Lost Boys of Sudan program. I read this book in high school, met Valentino at a signing,, and his first-hand experiences stuck with me for a lifetime.

The Stand | Stephen King

Other favorites include: 11/22/63 or The Outsider.

I’m such a big fan of Stephen King but I have a love / hate relationship with his style. Sometimes he's more realistic, like with those novels listed above, and those are the ones I end up loving. The ones that are a bit too far out there (IT, Pet Sematary) I can never fully commit to. I never end up liking the movies or TV shows though, so this recommendation is purely the novels.

The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck | Sarah Knight

Her and her series - magical if you need a boost or want to change your thinking!

The Black Book | Orhan Pamuk

A multi-layered novel (there’s a love, murder, philosophy, mystery, identity) based in Istanbul, Turkey. Pamuk is an award-winning author and this book was one of the first I read for school while I was there.

The Last Black Unicorn | Tiffany Haddish

While she has reached super-stardom now, this girl has truly been through a lot! Parts of her story are truly sad, parts are really motivational, but this biography gave me a new respect for her! This is another book that is funny, but serious all at the same time and I truly recommend the audio book version, since she does the reading herself.

Behind Closed Doors | B.A. Paris

Other favorites include: The Breakdown, Bring Me Back

Her titles always have some type of mystery, psychological twist and they are really so good that I have never been able to predict an ending before it happens. Definitely a page-turner for a weekend vacation or some personal time!

9/11 Commission Report | 9/11 Commission

This is where my trust issues with the U.S. government began. You want the whole story and some crazy facts - read this. This will truly teach you how to think for yourself and to research further into what media, politicians, and popular culture attempts to impose on you.

13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi | Michael Zuckoff

Want to know what really happened in Benghazi? This is the true story of what happened from an inside account of one of the military personnel who were there. (This is one of the issues that was brought to the forefront of elections when Hilary Clinton was running). My interest in reading it was less concerned with Clinton’s involvement, rather I wanted to know how the embassy responded when I was considering going into the foreign service.

*Bonus*

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Steig Larsson

This is one of the only novels I saw as a video before I read the book and I highly recommend both!