Last year I featured some of my favorite books each month with special posts saying why I love these books. You can check out my favorites book page to find links to my reviews of all of my favorites. But because I’m always adding new books to my favorites list, I thought I’d do new features each time another book makes the list.

Ask any book lover their favorite book, and they’ll find it nearly impossible to name just one. I have over fifty books on my favorites list, if you count all the books in series. If I absolutely had to say one book, it would be Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. But there are so many books that resonate with me for many different reasons, and so I call them all my favorites.

The newest addition to the list is a book I’ve read three times this year—Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson.

I had this book on my TBR ever since I first heard about it because the cover is beautiful and the title intrigued me. I was excited to read it, but I was just blown away by this story. Both historical and science fiction; set in 1919, 1934, and 2065; told in narrative, letters, and diaries; and featuring three incredible girls; this is a beautiful story about fate and lives connecting across centuries.

I have a hard time articulating why this book is so amazing. I think that’s why I’ve read it three times this year—I’ve been trying to figure out exactly how Anderson does it. This book examines the horrors of World War I and the Dust Bowl, and looks to a hopeful future on Mars. Each of the main characters—Adri, Catherine, and Lenore—all have distinct voices and compelling stories. The audiobook version is also fantastic.

I think the main reason I love this book is because of how much it has inspired my work-in-progress. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to write about, but reading this book made everything with my story click into place. I might just have to read it again before I start writing the first draft of my book.

Are there any books you reread to figure out how the authors made them so amazing?