It was a good year for reading. I found new authors, enjoyed new books by favorite authors, and lucked into some books that have been around for a while that somehow missed me. This list is massively swayed by my own personal interests, but I recommend them all.
Let's start with my favorite book of the year!
LET'S CALL HER BARBIE by Renée Rosen
I've enjoyed several books by Renée Rosen and this one is my favorite. This is the story of Ruth Handler's days at Mattel when she got the idea for the Barbie doll, the constant push-back she faced, and the utter belief she had in what the doll could be for girls (who at the time had only baby dolls to play with). It took me back to my childhood memories of some of my own Barbie dolls, but it also satisfied the business/entrepreneur side of me. There was a Shark Tank vibe to it, a need to convince people, to pitch, to bet everything on an idea that for a while didn't seem like it was going to take off. If you like books about strong women, savvy businesswomen, fashion, pop-culture, and 60's history, you're going to like this one!
Other top notch reads:
THE STOLEN QUEEN by Fiona Davis
I studied Art History in college, and this book took me back to those dreams of working in a museum, of going on trips to discover important works of art. This features dual POVs and the second character becomes Diana Vreeland's assistant at the Met. There is a mystery in here too. Not murder, but sometimes that's okay.
ROCKET BOYS by Homer Hickam
I have a particular love for the early days of NASA and the space race. I found this book at the annual Book Bonanza on $5/all the books you can fit in a bag day. Book Bonanza can be overwhelming, so I had a very clear strategy: get anything related to space. Let's face it, $5/bag for books is pretty low-risk. I adored this book. I've already read the second in the series, and am holding off on getting the third so I can savor it. It's The Wonder Years with rockets, and it might just inspire you to dream a little bigger about what you think is achievable in life.
MR. CHURCHILL'S SECRETARY by Susan Elia MacNeal
I came late to this party too. I'm not a bit WWII reader, but I wanted to familiarize myself with the historical mystery genre, so I bought a lot of book 1s in different series. This book reached out and grabbed me and I abandoned every other book I'd bought and binged the rest of the series. Great character, interesting growth as the series continues. I liked that the most, that the main character changed based on her experiences in the war. Who wouldn't?
THE VERIFIERS by Jane Pek
This was a breezy jolt of fun. It's cozy yet modern. The main character is likable and smart, she asks the right questions and pulls at the right threads.
Happy reading!
Diane
p.s. This blog post was brought to you by MURDER ITALIAN STYLE and CONTESTING THE WOOL, my two 2025 releases :)