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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Mix & Match Mama

Books ·

Books by Category!


Does this sound like you too right now?

When we first knew we were going to stay at home, I made me a gigantic list of things “to do” around the house.  But you know what?  I’ve only marked off one of those things because instead, I want to play outside more, walk the dog more, catch up on Netflix more, do more yoga, and READ MORE BOOKS…and from the comments and emails I’m getting, you do too!

Today’s post was another reader suggestion that I loved!  She asked me if I could take all of my books and put them into categories to make it easier for you guys to pick one.  I thought that was a fantastic idea…until I started going through them and realized I had way too many.  Instead, I went through and found many of my faves and grouped them together for you.  Over time, I’ll try to update/add to this list, but for today, here are a lot of great books to read divided up by genre.  Now, if I messed up and put a book in the wrong category, please let me know.  I tried to get it right, but I’m sure I’ve made an error or two.

My April Book Review is later this week, but in the meantime, here you go…

Chick Lit (easy to read, light, funny, a rom-com)
One Day in December by Josie Silver
Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson
I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella
How Hard Can It Be? by Allison Pearson
99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Slightly South of Simple by Kristy Woodson Harvey
My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren
Meet Cute by Helena Hunting
The Secret to Southern Charm by Kristy Woodson Harvey
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
The Lost Husband by Katherine Center
The Southern Side of Paradise by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger
Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand
Surfside Sisters by Nancy Thayer
Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews
You’ve been Volunteered by Laurie Gelman
Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
American Royals by Katherine McGee
A Nantucket Wedding by Nancy Thayer
The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin
Island Girls by Nancy Thayer
The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
Heat Wave by Nancy Thayer
Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams
Summer House by Nancy Thayer

My Favorite Fiction (a little heavier and not so light)
The Tattooist of Auschwitzby Heather Morris
Night Road by Kristin Hannah
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams
What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderband
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
We Met in December by Rosie Curtis
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Still Me by Jojo Moyes
My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
How to Walk Away by Katherine Center
The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins
Swear on this Life by Renee Carlino
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Thrillers
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth
It’s Always the Husband by Michele Campbell
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris

Biographies/Memoirs
The Spy and The Traitor by Ben Macintyre
In Pieces by Sally Field
Vertical Marriage by Dave and Ann Wilson
Maid by Stephanie Land
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Inside Out by Demi Moore
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb
My Story by Elizabeth Smart
The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee
The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner
Educated by Tara Westover
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
The Red Notice by Bill Browder
Go Ask Ali by Ali Wentworth
Everybody, Always by Bob Goff

My Favorite Books from over the Years:

Here is a list of all of my other FAVORITE BOOKS of the year:
2014
#1: What Remains by Carol Radziwill
2015
#1: Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist
#2: The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
2016
#1: Cancel the Wedding by Carolyn Dingman
#2: It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
#3: A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams
2017
#1: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
#2: Unstuffed by Ruth Soukup
#3: The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams
2018
#1: My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
#2: Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge
#3: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
2019
#1: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
#2: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
#3: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Whew!  That’s a lot of books for you to read!!
Don’t forget, you can catch all of my book reviews where I elaborate on each and every one plus you can catch all of the other books I loved HERE.
I hope you all have a great Monday!!
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Comments

  1. Erika Slaughter says

    Great idea! Speaking of books, I finally finished mine! And started another one, that is super scary already! ???

  3. Sally Hepworth says

    Always love your book posts! (And love seeing mine on there). I’m currently reading The FlatShare. So far, so good! xx

  6. Abby Larson says

    Wow, lots of great books! And I have a suggestion. In the thriller category, you HAVE to read “Truth Be Told” by Kathleen Barber. I read the book as part of my book club and everyone in the book club LOVED it, which never happens. It’s so good! And it was made into an Apple TV series (Octavia Spencer, Aaron Paul – produced by Reese Witherspoons production company), so you’ll have to watch that after you read!

  7. Kate says

    Wow Shay! What a thoughtful blog post. This must have taken some time. Good idea. Thanks for putting this together, I’ll certainly make use of it!

  8. Kristen says

    I thought I would ask here, because because you always get so much good input. I am looking for some clean (PG only please) historical fiction about either France or England during the 15th/16th century specifically the monarchs. I don’t know where to start looking, especially with my library being closed right now.
    I joined good reads, which has lots of ask the community options, but I haven’t explored it much yet – does anyone have any tips?

    • Allena says

      I don’t think I’ve read anything by her but that Phillippa Gregory (or however you spell it). I know she wrote a book about 2 of the wives of Henry the 8th, and I watched the movie (I think it was Scarlett Johansen and Natatlie Portman?). I think hers are all set around that time? This is a little later, but almost everything by Susanna Kearsley has a present day storyline but also a storyline set in the 1700s, usually in Scotland, the second one largely in France. Also, Outlander is set largely in the 1700s in Scotland (again I know a little later than you wanted). I don’t typically read that far back, but maybe that would be a start?

  14. Catherine McDermid says

    Thanks for this amazing list! Saved for some more quarantine reading. Things We Cannot Say was one of the best I’ve read in a long time!

  15. Arlene says

    Thanks so much for doing these types of posts! I’m sure they are so time consuming, but all of us readers certainly appreciate it!! Have a blessed and wonderful day!!

  16. Ranisa Brletich says

    I love the favorite fiction list. I think Night Road belongs on that list! I forget books by their title once I’ve read them. I had to go back and check what it was about. Ha. Loved, loved, loved all the books thst I have read in that section. Thst is going to be my starting point.

    • Patty says

      I forget titles, too, Ranisa! I read so fast that I often can’t remember which plot went with which title. I’m thinking maybe I should quit reading so fast…nah! 🙂 Thank goodness for Goodreads so I can easily find them again.

  17. Alexis deZayas says

    So excited for this!! I read 3 books this weekend which is crazy for me! It doesn’t release until June 2 but I read The Good List by Lucy Foley and it was SO good! One of my favorite thrillers in a long time!

  18. Deb says

    Thanks so much for putting these books in categories! I just purchased The Tattooist of Auschwitz for audible. I know it’s a heavy book and may not have been the best choice during this time, but it spoke to me. I also realized I usually listen to books while I’m doing mundane chores like folding laundry or even making dinner. The irony of all that will not be unnoticed.

  19. CAROLYN BECKER says

    Read American Dirt and Dear Edward-2 of best I have read this year and I read as much as you do.

  20. Sarah Beck says

    Thank you for this great list! Definitely move Night Road out of Chic Lit. I absolutely loved this book, but I think it was a pretty heavy topic.

  21. Elyse Rose says

    I always reference your book posts when I am trying to decide what to read next! This is so helpful!

  22. Joanne says

    I actually have found that my reading went down this month. Partly because with our libraries closed nothing new is coming in and I’m stuck with what’s on my Kindle and party because I am having a hard time getting lost in a book and my concentration just isn’t there.

  23. Allena says

    I started keeping a spreadsheet of my own reading last year to track what I read. Not necessarily to change anything but just to see how my reading fell out. I read almost all women authors and enjoy the light/chick lit stuff the most, but I was pleasantly surprised to see I had more ‘meaty’ books than I thought ha. One of my biggest reading goals for the past few years has been to read more books written by people of color and also books specifically focusing on anti-racism. Tracking them has been a huge help in that goal. I also started using Goodreads this year more because it’s a great place to note books that I want to read (for that rare time I’m out of books and need to search for something), and I’ve made bookshelves for my favorite books, books on anti-racism and all my WW1/WW2 historical fiction ha. I read about 100 books a year so it’s been fun to track a few different ways!

  25. Arika says

    If your older kids are looking for a fun series, have them check out the Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris. My son and I finished the first book and it was fantastic. There are great kid characters and both boys and girls would love it. I love NPH from way back in his Doogie Howser days, and had no idea he was an author. Really fun read!

  26. Melissa MacGregor says

    Great list! Love having these all in one place. BTW – I’m finishing Dearly Beloved. Definitely one for your list!!

  27. Lynn says

    Great book reviews! I just finished another one last night & looking forward one to read now!

  28. Angela Ellingson says

    This is a great idea! I read a ton of classic children’s literature aloud to my kids (which is actually super enjoyable), but I’ve been itching to pick up a book just for me. So this list is perfect!

  29. Sheila DeSpirito says

    I noticed someone mentioned their favorite book, which was Dear Edward I loved it! A must read. Also another book I just finished reading is, The Girl with The Louding Voice by Abi Dare’ I could not put that one down. I know you would LOVE it!
    I can hardly wait for you to post your April reads in a few days.

  30. Jessica Lowery says

    Yayy! Thank you for doing this Shay!! I just finished listening to Open Book by Jessica Simpson per your recommendation! I LOVED it!!! I didn’t see it on the memoir/biography section so you might want to add it!

  31. Taylor says

    I’m so glad you included When life Gives you LuLulemons. That is one of my very favorite chick lit books. I also am craving a Nantucket vacation right now so I have been reading all of the Nancy Thayer books.

  33. Lorie says

    Thanks for doing this! Helped refresh my memory on some I meant to have on my “must read” list.

  34. Morgan says

    I love Mary Kay Andrews so much! She is one of my favorite authors and is super interactive on her Instagram account. I have quite a few of the books you listed, I just need to read them. 🙂

  35. Lisa Keith says

    Your monthly book reviews have kept my TBR pile stocked for years now!
    I just finished The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez. SO cute! You’ll love it.

  36. Susy says

    Would have loved to see a nonfiction travel category!! So we could all travel vicariously and plan for future trips. It’s all I want to read now!

  37. Esther says

    I’ve followed your blog quietly for years but this list!! This list is amazing and I just had to tell you – thank you!!

  38. Tanya says

    Thank you for such an awesome list to go back and reference! I just finished The Winemaker’s Wife, and you’d love it. World War II in the Champagne region of France.

  39. Crystal McDonald says

    Got a kindle for Christmas on your recommendation and am obsessed! Have read 15 books since then all of them are your recommendations! Thank you for this list!!!

  41. Mary Jane McNeill says

    EXCELLENT idea for the categories!! We have such similar tastes. Probably my two favorites: Taylor Jenkins Reid and Elin HIlderbrand. I have a book suggestion for you, “The Body in Question” by Jill Ciment. Holy cow!! So good that I can’t even start another book right now because of my book hangover! Look into it!

  42. Alison says

    I love this!! Thank you for doing this!! I can’t wait to see your latest book recommendations later this week! 😉

  43. Amanda says

    I just finished Normal People by Sally Rooney and it was really good! There is a TV series on the book coming to Hulu on Wednesday! Also, I’m sure you’ve read Little Fires Everywhere, but if not, read it and then watch the Hulu series. So SO good! 🙂

  44. Stephanie says

    This is awesome! Thanks so much for posting this in one place. Always on the prowl for new reads ?

  45. Holly S says

    Have you ever read, “Bright Side” by Kim Holden? I finished it today and never has a book made me cry and laugh like this one did. My new fave.

  46. Erin says

    Hi Shay! Do you buy all your books or do you pay for Kindle Unlimited? I just started a Kindle unlimited subscription but noticed they don’t have a lot of these books in that supscription. I’d love to know your process for reading all of these books! 🙂

  47. Susan A. says

    Shay, this is an amazing list! And…..I knew this already but I’m obviously a Chick Lit fan, as I’ve read more than half of those books you’ve listed! I’m not a huge Elin fan (I know, you and many others love her!), and my Nancy Thayer exposure has been limited. I always love your recommendations. Thanks so much for sharing!

  48. Paula B. says

    I needed this list right now, thanks. I think the author of “You’ve Been Volunteered is the wife of the producer of Kelly Ripa’s daily show. (The Gelman they always refer to.) Love a summer read from Elin Hiderbrand and that new Paradise series is loads of fun. And, Mary Kay Andrews, can you go wrong with any of her books? She wrote a series sometime back about a former police woman now owner of a cleaning service, Callahan Garrity, who solved murder mysteries. It was really great and there are quite a few books in that series – makes for a satisfying binge. Have you read any of Sarah Addison Allen’s books? Lost Lake was a particularly lovely story. Happy Reading!

  50. Christina says

    My latest fav is The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs. It’s more of a diary style format with short chapters highlighting her cancer, marriage and motherhood. I can’t recommend it enough. Her husband published it after she passed. She was an exceptional writer- snarky, deep, witty, reflective and she dealt very practically with death and leaving her kids. Of note, her widowed husband is now together with Lucy Kalanithi, widow of Paul Kalanithi who wrote When Breath Becomes Air…one of my all time fav books that played an emotional part in us adopting our youngest two kids.

    Thanks for these book reviews it’s where I always get my TBR list from.

  51. Emily says

    Hi Shay! I feel the same way about the having my “Quarantine Bucket List” tossed out the window. I love this idea of dividing books you have read into categories. I love your book recommendations, so this makes it even easier to come back and reference! I already appreciated how organized your blog is, but this takes it to a whole new level!

  52. Lauren B. says

    Just finished American Royals and I really loved it! I needed something lighter after reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey (both of which were so powerful and will stick with me forever).

    But I remember you commenting that you wished there would be a sequel to American Royals and I just found out that there is! You can preorder now, but it comes out Sept 1st! It is called Majesty: American Royals II. So excited! 🙂

  53. Anna Kate Newall says

    This is exactly the post I needed today. I was running out of reading materials!