Publisher’s note: The Texas Lawbook is pleased to offer this column in partnership with Texas-based Half Price Books sharing our readers’ favorite reads. “My Five Favorite Books” will publish every other Wednesday. Please email brooks.igo@texaslawbook.net for more information.
As a kid, I absolutely loved to read. I tore through The Westing Game, A Wrinkle in Time, The Giver, Holes, The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, and, of course, Harry Potter (four, five, okay… maybe six times). And then I went to high school, and I couldn’t always pick my next read. And while books like The Odyssey and Antigone are undeniably works of art, they weren’t exactly page-turners for me as a 14-year-old. Reading became synonymous with homework, and it lost its charm. A tale as old as time.
When I started practicing law, reading for pleasure took on another hurdle: I was intellectually intimidated. I assumed all lawyers were reading the likes of Kafka, Proust, and Tolstoy for fun. And after spending my days reading case law and briefs, the last thing I wanted to do was crack open Anna Karenina. So I simply didn’t read anything.
A few years ago, I got tired of doom scrolling before bed. To fill that gap, I ordered a Kindle. And suddenly, every book in the world was at my fingertips. I downloaded a few fast-paced thrillers, and the joy of reading came flooding back. I made the unconscious decision to read what I wanted, when I wanted – something I hadn’t experienced since middle school. Now I confidently crack open yet another Frieda McFadden thriller next to my insanely intellectually curious husband, who is reading yet another Dostoevsky book. Ten years ago, that might have made me self-conscious. Now it just makes me laugh.
All of this is to say that there really are books out there for every type of reader. Embrace who you are, what you like, and don’t look back! Here are five books I’ve loved since I got back into reading.
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
I love a book that transports me to a different time and place, using history and imagery to paint a picture so vivid it feels like I’ve truly been there. This book did just that, and it blew me away. Set largely in Tehran, it spans decades, starting in the 1950s and moving through periods of major social and political change in Iran. The story follows two women who, despite taking different paths in the years leading up to and following the Iranian revolution, maintain a lifelong friendship well into adulthood. The book shows how human connection can transcend politics, even during the most tumultuous times.
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Sometimes a good thriller is the only thing that can get me out of a reading slump. The more twists, the better. When you have inhaled as many thrillers as I have, you develop a knack for guessing the killer after a few chapters. It’s rare that one keeps me guessing until the final few pages, and this one delivered. Set in a decaying cliffside mansion, the story follows a young caregiver hired to look after a woman accused of murdering her family decades earlier. As the woman begins to communicate her version of events, secrets from the past slowly unravel. An eerie atmosphere plus unpredictable twists? Sign me up.
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Chain-Gang All-Stars is an alarmingly realistic version of the Hunger Games. Set in a near-future dystopia, incarcerated people are forced to fight to the death in a televised gladiator-style prison system. The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, examining punishment, entertainment, and how easily dehumanization becomes acceptable under the right conditions. It is heart-breaking, thought-provoking, and deeply unsettling, yet still delivers a powerful, page-turning story.
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Some of my favorite books tell the stories of women whom mainstream history has largely forgotten, and The Alice Network falls neatly in that category. It is a historical-fiction novel that moves between World War I and post-World War II Europe, following a female spy recruited into a real-life intelligence network. As timelines intersect, the story blends espionage, friendship, and the lasting consequences of war. It is fast-paced (my favorite), well-researched, and had me googling “Louise de Bettignies” well into the night.
Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray
Another portrait of a woman who shaped history, Becoming Madam Secretary follows Frances Perkins’s path from social reformer to the first woman to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet. After reading about her achievements – including her central role in creating Social Security – I was struck by how rarely her name appears in mainstream historical discourse. Lin-Manuel Miranda, if you’re reading this, I have an idea for your next musical.
As a final note, if you are struggling to find books that you like, I encourage you to take this test: https://www.readyourcolor.com/. It sorts you into one of six types of readers – proving that there are different ways to enjoy books! After you get your results, you can sign up for suggested reads. Happy reading!
Allison Cook is a newly-elected partner at Reese Marketos in Dallas. She has experience in a variety of commercial litigation with an emphasis on representing Relators in qui tam cases filed under the False Claims Act.
Here are five more My Five Favorite Books columns from our readers you might have missed:
Andrew Gratz shares five books that have shaped how he thinks about leadership and how he approaches his work with executives, boards, and legal teams.
Natalie LeVeck reveals her long-standing (and deeply ingrained) obsession with true crime.
Kristen Cook gravitates toward fiction, but she also enjoys mixing in leadership and business books.
Leigha Simonton’s reading list inspired by her secret hobby of advising high-school seniors (and younger students) about college admissions.
Five books that never fail to make Shamoil Shipchandler laugh.