Books I Read in One Sitting

 There are many amazing kinds of books out there, but there is a special magic in a certain kind of book or sometimes a special uninterrupted block of time, which for me often comes during the High Holidays or a vacation or even just a weekend with nothing to do (aka nearly every pandemic weekend), when you can just sit and read and read until you're done. As a result, a lot of these books have very specific place memories for me, like when I was given my copy of The Outsiders in English class, proceeded to read while walking to, at, and from a pep rally, and did not stop reading until I was finished. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour reminds me very specifically of how I used to read in my desk chair in my freshman dorm, with my knees propped up against the desk, because I couldn't sit up in my bed, which was lofted above the desk and dresser, the only way all the furniture could fit in my triple. The most amazing part?  That book wasn't even published when I was a freshman. I read it years after I graduated from college, but the claustrophobic dorm room feel of the book evoked that sense memory so strongly that it's what I remember when I think about We Are Okay (I did tear through it in a day, but from the relative comfort of my work desk during lunch and couch at home). 

1. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

2. That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton

What can I say? She just writes those kinds of books where you can't help becoming immersed. This was a book my sister was assigned in school; I found it, cracked it open, and stayed up until I finished in the wee hours of the morning. 

3. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

4. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

5. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

6. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

7. To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

8. The Color of Love: A Story of a Mixed-Race Jewish Girl by Marra B. Gad

9. The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews

10. The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson.