Editor’s note: The Texas Lawbook is pleased to offer this new 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.
After a very long hiatus from reading, I got back to it in 2023. In 2024, I finished 95 books. So far in 2025, I am up to 88 books. At any given time, I am usually working through a physical book, an e-book and an audiobook.
I am going to limit this list to books I have finished in the past two years. As you will see, I enjoy a wide range of genres. I hope you find your next great read!
For more information or to purchase the books, click the covers below.
Theo of Golden (4.70 Goodreads rating) is the first novel by attorney Allen Levi. It is an absolutely beautiful story, full of kindness, compassion and grace. The relationships developed throughout the story are remarkable and show that you do not have to have much in common to be a kind and genuine person. I cannot say enough good things about this book. All the members of my book club have placed this book in their top five books of all time.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (4.38 Goodreads rating) was my favorite book of 2024. This fantasy book follows the story of Linus Baker as he investigates an orphanage for magical children. Linus, a meticulous rule follower, is thrown into an adventure where Arthur Pernassus, the caretaker of the children, and the children themselves, teach him lessons about family, love and acceptance.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (4.39 Goodreads rating) is one of my favorite historical fiction novels. I have always enjoyed historical fiction, but this book covers a topic addressed by so many others in a new and fresh way. Set in Nazi Germany during World War II, the book tells the story of a young girl, Liesel, and is narrated by Death. Liesel finds solace in books, often stealing them from a wealthy family’s library. Even amid all the destruction and death, Liesel is able to forge a friendship with a Jewish man that is hiding in the basement of her foster home. The novel explores themes of love, loss, the power of words and resilience.
I dove into the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas (4.72 Goodreads rating for the series) having never read a high-fantasy book before, and I am obsessed with this series. With all its world-building, it took me a while to get into but once I did, I devoured the series, and I was sad when I finished the eighth and final book. I wish I could reread the series for the first time. There is a depth to the characters that I enjoyed. This series was like a gateway drug for me — now I consume all sorts of fantasy books.
I had a challenging time limiting this list to five books but chose Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (4.14 Goodreads rating) as the fifth. It is a science fiction thriller that delves into the concept of identity and the choices that shape our lives. Dark Matter is full of heart-pounding twists and thought-provoking questions that challenge readers to reflect on their own lives and the decisions they have made. I usually do not read science fiction but enjoyed this so much that I have picked up a few others in that genre.
Kelly Turner is senior legal director at Goldman Sachs in Dallas, and past president of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter.
