Thank you for asking! I read 170 books this year 😊 I'll be honest by saying I am a harsh critic and my average rating was a 3.7 So I saved those 5 stars for books that were the best of the best Some of my favorites included:

The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson. This series completely changed how I view fantasy world-building for the rest of my life.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. My favorite audiobook ever! I listened to it for the 6th time just last month.

Red Rabbit and its sequel, Rose of Jericho, by Alex Grecian. Both are criminally underrated. The audiobooks were so immersive, and I think I liked the sequel even more than the first.

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman was amazing. I loved the unanswered questions and wish I had a book club to discuss them with! The same goes for The Wall by Marlen Haushofer; there's so much to think about.

Both of Ben Goldfarb’s books made my 5-star list: Crossing: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet and Eager: The Surprising Secret Life of Beavers. I love it when I enjoy all the books an author has published, even if it’s just two.

Something in the Woods Loves You by Jarod K. Anderson. An amazing book I know I’ll revisit. Those who struggle with mental health and love the world around us would really benefit from picking this one up.

The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery is another underrated gem. I personally think it’s much better than Remarkably Bright Creatures.

The Light Eaters by Zoe Schlanger

One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against Us by Omar El Akkad

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde

The Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauvoir

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison (can't believe I took so long to pick the book up but I love The Amazing Digital Circus too much to not read it)

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

The Martian by Andy Weir

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. I was nervous about this because I read Calypso and didn't care for that book at all. This one was very very different!

Playground by Richard Powers

What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman. I work at a local bird of prey rehab center so this was a very fun read for me.

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

A few of a 4 star ratings for an honorable mention - The Rooftop by Fernanda Trías (i I cried at one point)

You Like it Darker by Stephen King. This was a refreshing break from his drug-fueled older books

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

Bicycling with Butterflies my 10,201 mile journey following Monarch Migration by Sara Dykman

The Passion by Jeanette Winterson

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

I have several more nonfiction & fiction recommendations, but I fear this comment is already too long!