2019 Fall Booklist for Mom
My reading list is always huge so I am narrowing it down to focus on specific titles each season of the year.
I wrote my first list in the summer and having a list definitely kept me focused. It also forced me to read a variety of titles, which I enjoyed.
I might not have the time to read every book on the list, but that is okay.
At least I am ready to grab the next book as soon as I finish one.

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Fall Booklist: Book Clubs
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. This one is the September choice for a local book club.
NOTES AFTER READING: I really loved this one despite the anxiety I felt for the wife and daughter while reading. The ending was a bit “over the top” but I did many most aspects of it. Overall, a captivating read and a great book discussion with friends.
Fall Booklist: Personal and Professional Development
The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults by Frances E. Jensen and Amy Ellis Nutt. I went ahead and bought a copy so I can highlight this one!
Notes: Halfway through this one so I added it to my winter list.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. This one is for my own personal growth.
Notes: Halfway through this one so I will add it to my winter list.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. I own this one and need to commit to finishing it. So here goes…
**Still need to read
Homeschooling Your Child With Special Needs: Practical Support and Encouragement for Learning with Differences by Shawna Wingert.
NOTES AFTER READING: This book is full of practical ideas, support, and encouragement for moms who are navigating the world of a child with special needs. I found a ton of encouragement for some of the choices we have made in our homeschool as well.
Fall Booklist: Mothering
The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir by Katrina Kenison. This was given to me by a friend and I am reading one chapter a day for reflection. I am on chapter four and love it.
Notes After Reading: This book hit all the right places for me. This mother’s memoir is written by a mom of two teen boys, one heading off to college, in the middle of major life changes. I find myself crying with her, doubting with her, and hoping with her. This one was perfect for me at this moment.
Fall Booklist: Non-Fiction
The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton, Lara Love Hardin, and Bryan Stevenson
**still need to read
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich
NOTES AFTER READING: This wasn’t a page-turner for me, but the information was eye-opening and thought-provoking. I told my 17-year-old that I wanted her to read one chapter and she told me that she already read an excerpt in her ENG 111 class at college.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
NOTES AFTER READING: So funny. A quick and enjoyable read. I immediately requested her latest book.
Fall Booklist: Fiction
The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty. This book is one of the titles that I haven’t read by this author and I really enjoy her books.
NOTES AFTER READING: This one did not disappoint. I enjoy Liane Moriarty and this one had its own unique storyline that was a lot of fun to read.
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See. So many followers have recommended this book so I am doing to dive in. From Amazon: “A new novel from Lisa See, the New York Times bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, about female friendship and family secrets on a small Korean island.”
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. From Amazon: “In this gripping novel, a dark secret threatens to expose the best and worst in everyone tied to the estate at a thriving plantation in Virginia in the decades before the Civil War.”
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley. I love mystery books and this series is new to me so I’ll start with the first one.
Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos.
Notes After Reading: I enjoyed this one more than I thought it would at the start. It took me a bit to grow attached to the characters and storyline, but then I was all in. Sweet story. I selected this one for my local book club in January.
You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld. This book of short stories was on my “don’t forget these titles” part of my summer booklist and I’m still interested so I am making it official on this list.
Notes After Reading: I didn’t end up reading this one. I glanced through it a few times, but decided to move on to other titles.
Dear Martin by Nic Stone. My daughter’s English teacher and I were chatting about books and she passed on this YA title.
Notes After Reading: I want my teens to read this one. Excellent book. There is language and some sexual content, so keep that in mind before you hand it to a kid in your house. This one is thought-provoking and worthy of discussion.
Fall Booklist: Reading with the Teens
These are titles I haven’t read and my teens have to read in their literature classes.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
Notes: My teen read this so quickly and then I never bothered. Clearly, I already had too many on my list.
Books that weren’t chosen for the fall, but I don’t want to forget for the future: (Or I’ll read if I have more time)
– The Practice of the Presence of God: Original & Complete Edition by Brother Lawrence.
– Travelling Mercies by Anne Lamott.
– The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown.
– Becoming Human by Jean Vanier
– What is a Girl Worth: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics by Rachael Denhollander
– All American Boys by Jason Reynolds (YA Novel)
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– Summer Booklist for Mom
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