A few years ago, someone told me that writers should be reading something new all the time. It’s common sense, really. How can I evolve as a writer if I’m not exposing myself to new work? And by new work, I mean work that is new to me, not necessarily something that’s new on bookstore shelves.

I usually read right before I go to bed. The only problem with my habit is that I tend to fall asleep after reading only 4 pages, so it takes me forever to finish a book. I have a stack of books on my nightstand that is my “I’m going to read this one next” pile. Sometimes I rotate books in and out of the stack, depending on my mood. I pull books from my overstuffed bookshelves, or if I’m being sneaky, from my husband’s reading stack on his nightstand.

I love good book recommendations, so I’ll share some of my most recent book obsessions with you (in no particular order). And there are more books in the image above, if you’ve already read all of the ones on my list. They’re all outstanding choices.

1. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
3. Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
4. The Adoration of Jenna Fox (and the 2 sequels) by Mary E. Pearson
5. Becoming by Michelle Obama
6. before you suffocate your fool self by Danielle Evans (great collection of short stories that can be read in order, or out of order)
7. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
8. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
9. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
10. Crimes Against A Book Club by Kathy Cooperman
11. The Best American Essays (Published annually. This is a collection/anthology of works each year, so authors and editors change annually, but it has so many great reads that I had to include it in the list.)