This year I really wanted to branch out into different reading genres besides my go to romances. I, of course, am still very passionate about my romance novels and they’re still my absolute favorites. However, I wanted to see what other genres I could get into. I find myself really interested in fantasy, memoirs, and contemporary literary fiction. As an avid reader I could make lists upon lists for each genre, and I just might one day, but for now I want to highlight which novels really got me into contemporary literature. Many are written by the same author and do contain elements of romance. However, that is not the entire plot of the novel and is more of a side element that in some ways keeps the reader more engaged. Here is my list of my go to contemporary literature in no particular order, with their published blurbs and links to your favorite future books.
Taylor Jenkins Reid:
- Daisy Jones & The Six, “Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.”
I highly recommend reading this one utilizing the audiobook since the novel is set up like an interview. So, in the audiobook, each character has a different narrator, and it sounds like an authentic interview. This novel is so consuming and made me a fan of audiobooks. I also love the TV show adaptation alongside the original album made!
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, “Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.”
I read this one while I was having a difficult time in my life. My family and I were on a road trip for unfortunate family circumstances, and I was able to find comfort and become all consumed by this novel. I finished it within the 4-hour car ride, and I will recommend it to everyone. I can honestly say that I have not read all of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novels, but if I had, they would all feature on this list. I am still making my way through her published works.
Sally Rooney:
- Normal People, “At school Connell and Marianne pretend not to know each other. He’s popular and well-adjusted, star of the school soccer team while she is lonely, proud, and intensely private. But when Connell comes to pick his mother up from her housekeeping job at Marianne’s house, a strange and indelible connection grows between the two teenagers – one they are determined to conceal. A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years in college, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. Then, as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.”
This novel is my top 3 favorites of all time. This book got me into thinking about expanding my genres and was ultimately my introduction to contemporary literature. Yes, this plot is generally centered on romance, but it is much more than that. It is about personal growth and reflection on your relationships with people. I am also obsessed with this TV show adaptation as well; it has become one of my favorite go-to rewatch shows as well!
Ottessa Moshfegh:
- My Year of Rest and Relaxation, “A novel about a young woman’s efforts to duck the ills of the world by embarking on an extended hibernation with the help of one of the worst psychiatrists in the annals of literature and the battery of medicines she prescribes. Our narrator should be happy, shouldn’t she? She’s young, thin, pretty, a recent Columbia graduate, works an easy job at a hip art gallery, lives in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for, like the rest of her needs, by her inheritance. But there is a dark and vacuous hole in her heart, and it isn’t just the loss of her parents, or the way her Wall Street boyfriend treats her, or her sadomasochistic relationship with her best friend, Reva. It’s the year 2000 in a city aglitter with wealth and possibility; what could be so terribly wrong?”
I’m not going to lie to you all here, I picked the physical copy of this book up three times and put it back down at the same chapter each time. I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and all of the amazing reviews, but could not stay in it. Once I started listening to the audiobook, I could not finish it quick enough and really found that I enjoyed the book more than I thought I would.
V.E. Schwab:
1. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, “In 1714, a young Frenchwoman named Addie LaRue prays to the god of darkness for an escape from an arranged marriage. The wish comes true, but it comes at the cost of eternal life, during which every person Addie meets forgets about him. Over the centuries, Addie learns that even those condemned to oblivion can live through art and inspire others. Then, after three hundred years, Addie walks into a bookstore and meets a man who remembers her.”
Another very popular book that I thought would be overrated, but turned out to be my first five star read of the year. This was another example of me trying to read the physical copy multiple times, and found myself ending at the same chapter. I also started the audiobook and found myself so entranced by the story that I began crying at work over how beautiful this novel is.
Jen Beagin:
- Big Swiss, “Greta lives with her friend Sabine in an ancient Dutch farmhouse in Hudson, New York. The house is unrenovated, uninsulated, and full of bees. Greta spends her days transcribing therapy sessions for a sex coach who calls himself Om. She becomes infatuated with his newest client, a repressed married woman she affectionately refers to as Big Swiss. One day, Greta recognizes Big Swiss’s voice in town and they quickly become enmeshed. While Big Swiss is unaware Greta has eavesdropped on her most intimate exchanges, Greta has never been more herself with anyone. Her attraction to Big Swiss overrides her guilt, and she’ll do anything to sustain the relationship…”
Now this one! Oh my word, this one is so very fantastic. I cannot recommend this one enough. I have never read something quite like this one and I say that in such a positive tone.
Megan Nolan:
- Acts of Desperation, “In the first scene of this provocative gut-punch of a novel, our unnamed narrator meets a magnetic writer named Ciaran and falls, against her better judgment, completely in his power. After a brief, all-consuming romance he abruptly rejects her, sending her into a tailspin of jealous obsession and longing. If he ever comes back to her, she resolves to hang onto him and his love at all costs, even if it destroys her… Part breathless confession, part lucid critique, Acts of Desperation renders a consciousness split between rebellion and submission, between escaping degradation and eroticizing it, between loving and being lovable. With unsettling, electric precision, Nolan dissects one of life’s most elusive mysteries: Why do we want what we want, and how do we want it?”
Okay, everyone, hear me out. This has to be my favorite book all year. I devoured this one in just a little over 2 hours with how consumed I was. Not only is this my favorite book this year, but most definitely in my top 3. This book may contain trigger warnings, so please read up on those just in case. I desperately (no pun intended) need to reread this book as soon as possible.
Blurb References in order of appearance:
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Goodreads
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Goodreads
Normal People by Sally Rooney | Goodreads
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh | Goodreads
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab | Goodreads
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin | Goodreads
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan | Goodreads
If you’ve gotten to the end, thank you for reading my go-to work-in-progress list of some of my favorite contemporary literature books! If you give these a read or have already, please send me a message so we can discuss or even recommend similar reads!