TOP 10 BOOKS

ME IN 10 BOOKS

I've read over 1000 books as of May 2026, and I reserve the right to change my mind, ofc. But. here is Emily Frame in 10 books. Most life changing, enjoyable, hilarious, devastating, life-affirming, mind expanding, grief navigating, hilarious, each with little bits that make me, me. 

1. EAST OF EDEN by John Steinbeck

2. FRANNY & ZOOEY by JD Salinger

3. INVISIBLE WOMEN by Caroline Criado Perez

4. A HEART THAT WORKS by Rob Delaney

5. A KNOCK AT MIDNIGHT by Brittany K Barnett

6. THE HEARTS INVISIBLE FURIES by John Boyne

7. WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte

8. THE GREAT COSMIC MOTHER by Monica Sjoo

9. HALF BAKED HARVEST by Tieghan Gerard

10. WHAT ALICE FORGOT by Lianne Moriarty

WHY?

1. East of Eden -- epic tale of good versus evil and embracing every part of ourselves. I love Steinbeck, he is undercover hilarious, too. I think about this book all the time many, many years later. 

Read Next: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

2. Franny & Zooey -- a sucker for a brother sister relationship. Absolutely hilarious, but also delievers a death blow to any phony Christians.

Read Next: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

3. Invisible Women -- I evangelize for this book. A must read for everyone. It's sound, logical, data-driven which is very affirming, since my whole life my feminism has been based off vibes. 

Read Next: Century of Struggle by Eleanor Flexner

4. A Heart That Works -- Losing my older brother suddenly when he was 40 shaped my life a great deal because he shaped my life a great deal. Living with loss and grief will always be a part of my story, because grief is a part of the love I will always have for him. This dark humor and Rob Delaney are intrinsic to him and I. 

Read Next: The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller

5. A KNOCK AT MIDNIGHT -- Impactful, the feeling of broken systems weighs really heavy on me. I love reading about people who do somehting about it. 

Read Next: The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin

6. THE HEARTS INVISIBLE FURIES -- An emo girl at her core, I feel everything deeply and can't help but love books that give me a place to let it all out.

Read Next: The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by. Anna Johnston

7. WUTHERING HEIGHTS -- See #6 emo girl. Gothic revenge at its finest. Creepy, hilarious, misunderstood. Emily Bronte is the head of my "who would you invite to dinner dead or alive?" table. So many questions.

Read Next: Rebecca by Daphne De Maurier

8. THE GREAT COSMIC MOTHER -- A lifelong Mormon / Church of Jesus Chris of Latter Day Saints, I find it an amazing place to think deeply about the universe and its many secrets. I also find some of the definitive answers it provides really limiting, so any book that expands my mind is welcome here.

Read Next: The Spiritual Physics of Light by Aaron D. Franklin

9. HALF BAKED HARVEST -- I started on a health journey a few years ago that was as important to my life as any other event. It started with AIP, but finding HBH after that protocol changed my life for the better. She gets a lot of hate, but never from me. Her healthy, delicious food made me a better, more consistent, confident cook.

Read Next: Good Energy by Casey Means

10. WHAT ALICE FORGOT -- I got an English degree in 2009 and had a baby three months later. My love of reading was curtailed by the college reading list grind and then having two kids 16 months apart. What Alice Forgot was one of my first books after that era that made me fall back in love with reading. Shout out to Matilda by Roald Dahl who made me love reading at age 8 to begin with.

Read Next: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer

You can find my Goodreads here.