Book Recommendations Leave your book recommendations here! :read: |
Log of Recommendations Books that were rated 5 stars by our members in 2020 Books that were rated 5 stars by our members in 2019 Comedy
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I'll kick us off by recommending a few of my favourite books that I have read so far this year! :read: *realises as I write this that there are SO MANY books I want to recommend* Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia (Sa16+) | Genre: Contemporary CW: Mental health (anxiety/depression and some mention of a parent's suicide) This was the first book I read this year and I instantly loved it! It's about when fandom and fame meet. It's good representation for anxiety and I really enjoyed the characters. Without giving too much away, it centres around Eliza, the girl behind a very popular webcomic series. The story explores what happens when her identity is no longer anonymous. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Sa16+) | Genre: Fantasy CW: Violence LOVED. THIS. BOOK. I can't wait for the sequel! I'm terrible at summarising books, so here's the blurb from Goodreads: Scythe by Neal Shusterman (Sa13+) | Genre: Science Fiction CW: Death. Violence. This book has such an interesting premise! What if natural death had been eradicated, could be reversed, and technology took care of almost all of humanity's needs? The population is managed using Scythes who are individuals trained to 'glean' a number of people yearly without bias. The book doesn't contain too much graphic violence. It talks a lot about death, but in a way that we don't in real life. |
The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald (Sa16+) | Genre: Mystery CW: Death, Teen Pregnancy(?) I very much enjoyed this book, for anyone who likes Young Adult (it's not specifically a YA, but it very much read like one to me), Mystery, Crime. Compared to many of the other books of the Mystery/Crime genre I read (which are not YA), this one is rather mild in those bits, but the plot is basically a big mystery. I quite liked some of the characters, the author made it easy to dislike other characters, and I miiiiiight have shed some tears at the end :blink: It's also told from alternating perspectives of Olivia, in the months before the fall, and her mother Abi immediately after, and for a few months after the fall. So, yeah. Here is the blurb (also from Goodreads because I also am horrid at explaining things)
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I think I recommended this book very often on Twitter :lol: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (Sa 16+) | Genre: Contemporary CW: none This recommendation might sound a little bit biased because I'm an Asian recommended this book from Asian writer about Asian life :lol: but if you need a light, no-brainer, fun reading, this is the book. Is the book better than the movie? Oh, yes. I mean they did change some scenes at the movies and the book is pretty much funnier (plus you can study how complicated the old money family in Asia works) A little blurb from Goodreads: SPOILER!!: and this is just the beginning of the trilogy. |
Archenemies by Marissa Meyer (Sa13+) | Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy *Archenemies is the sequel to Renegades. I greatly enjoy her writing and wanted to recommend one of her novels here. Trust me, she has written a ton of great stuff! CW: Violence "The Renegades Trilogy continues, in this fiercely awaited second installment after the New York Times-bestselling Renegades by Marissa Meyer, author of the Lunar Chronicles. Time is running out. Together, they can save the world. But they each other's worst nightmare. Nova's double life is about to get a lot more complicated: As Insomnia, she is a full-fledged member of the Renegades, a syndicate of powerful and beloved superheroes. She works with Adrian's patrol unit to protect the weak and maintain order in Gatlon City. As Nightmare, she is an Anarchist - a group of of villains who are determined to destroy the Renegades. Nova wants vengeance against the so-called heroes who once failed her when she needed them most. But as Nova, her feelings for Adrian are deepening, despite the fact that he is the son of her sworn enemies and, unbeknownst to Nova, he has some dangerous secrets of his own. In this second installment of the Renegades trilogy, Nova, Adrian, and the rest of their crew - Ruby, Oscar, and Danna -- are faced with escalating crime in Gatlon City, while covert weapons and conflicting missions have Nova and Adrian questioning not only their beliefs about justice, but also the feelings they have for each other. The line between good and evil has been blurred, but what's clear to them both is that too much power could mean the end of their city - and the world - as they know it. this is part of 'The Renegades Trilogy #2” |
I wasn't sure where else to log this so *throws caution to the wind and ignores the format* Ern made this nifty list on Goodreads of ALL the books that we Book Seekers rated 5 stars in 2019 in the reading log thread. They are, essentially, recommendations, after all. I've tucked it away for safe keeping in the log at the top of this page. Feel free to browse it and let it inspire your reading this year. ^_^ |
Inherted Truth (Blood Secrets #1) by Alicia Anthony Sa16+ Genre: Suspense CW: Violence, murder I so enjoyed this book. Alicia is actually a co-worker of mine and I wanted to support her with her first published book, but we all know how that can go. You either will be able to or feel bad if you didn't like it. Well, there was no need to feel bad about this one. It was such a great book. From the minute I started reading I couldn't put it down, I love trying to guess who the person will be at the end and how the mystery will be fully solved. SPOILER!!: from goodreads |
1. Cleopatra's Shadows (Fall of Egypt #1) by Emily Holleman Rating: Sa16+2. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare Rating: Sa13+3. Circe by Madeline Miller Rating: Sa16+ |
another recommendation from RandomRaven is coming~
This book was recommended by a blogger I followed on my twitter. What makes me interested because this book is written by a American Muslim woman about American Muslim teenage girl with hijab who faces the negative stereotype especially after 9/11 attack (the setting was in 2002). Being a teenager is hard, let alone being a teenager from a minority group. Shirin was sixteen years old and she just started her sophomore year in a new school. Her first day sucked badly because her teacher butchered her name's pronunciation and assumed she was a fresh off the boat immigrant from Middle Eastern. To avoid being a target of racial and Islamophobic slurs, she decided to not engage in any kind of social life and doesn't even have friends besides her brother, Navid, who later created a break dancing club in their school and let Shirin join him with his friends. One day, she was assigned in a bio assignment with Ocean James. Ocean became intrigued with her and tried to be more social despite he kept being pushed away by Shirin. Yeah, I know it sounds like a cliche YA romantic :lol: but The portion of romance in this book won't make you feel diabetic and cringe because it's well balanced with other elements. I really love the relationship of Shirin and her brother, not to mention Navid reminds me of my brother (minus the break dancing one, but he didn't mind to let me join him and his friends back when we were little). Does this book also contain Islamic matter? Yes, but not that much (and I think it's enough for a non religious novel). |
To go off what Ulfa said, Crazy Rich Asians (the whole trilogy) is SO GOOD. The movie was great too, but it doesn't hold a candle to the series! Lol. I really felt like I learned a lot from reading these books, and I love love love the author's writing style and characterizations. I mean, there are a LOT of characters in the series and I felt like all were fairly round/well-developed. It's hard to even say which one was my favorite! So anyway, two recent reads that have been sticking with me: Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple (contemporary, Sa16+). This is an excellent book and a pretty good movie (directed by Richard Linklater). The book is amazing though. I would call it multi-genre (or I guess epistolary) and an absolutely perfect example of indirect characterization. Everything you learn about the titular character is through someone else's perspective. It's also LOL hilarious. Seriously. You will laugh when you read it. I loved this book. Here's a description I think from Wikipedia: "Where'd You Go, Bernadette is a 2012 epistolary comedy novel written by Maria Semple. The plot revolves around an agoraphobic architect and mother named Bernadette Fox, who goes missing prior to a family trip to Antarctica." Fun fact: I did not name my RPG character after her, but they do have some similar characteristics. LOL. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (contemporary, Sa16+). Here's another hilarious book which could be considered a thriller but nah not really. Here's a description I adapted from Wikipedia: Nine Australians from different walks of life attend a pricey 10-day "Mind and Body Total Transformation Retreat" at a place called the Tranquillum House. Chaos ensues. Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite thriller authors; you might recognize her name from Big Little Lies. She is seriously a master of creating a large cast of funny but well-developed characters. In fact, I feel like she has a lot in common with her protagonist, Frances, in this novel. Annnnnd I just found out Nine Perfect Strangers is going to be adapted into a Hulu series starring Melissa McCarthy, coming out next year! WOOT! That's gonna be funny. :D |
Okay so I'm recommending my two favorite books that I read last year, but please know that they are both very tough reads for different reasons, which I'll highlight in my descriptions of them. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (contemporary, literary fiction, Adult) I am making this warning larger than the title so it is ABUNDANTLY CLEAR that it is important. A Little Life is not a fun book, it's extremely depressing and hard to get through. If you are easily emotionally distressed (especially if you get very emotionally attached to characters), or if you are triggered by domestic abuse, self harm, sexual violence, pedophilia and/or suicidal thoughts/actions, you may want to skip out on this one. That being said, this was probably the best book I read all year and will be one of my favorites for a long time. The story follows a group of four men from college to middle age that live in New York. The story holds a particular focus on Jude, a troubled man with a terrible past. It's beautifully written (though definitely a bit pretentious), and the characters are so well developed that they feel like real people. If anyone reads this book and doesn't cry by the end they're a sociopath or medically can't cry. It is also a chonker of a book at somewhere around 710-730 pages if I remember correctly (at least my copy was). If you're in the mood for some extremely sad life story realness, then this one's the book for you. The Troop by Nick Cutter (horror, Adult) This is a gory mess of a book and I loved every second of it. Horror is one of my favorite genres, and this is one of the best horror books I've read, period. The story is about a troop of five boy scouts and their scoutmaster that take a trip to a deserted island in the Canadian wilderness. While there, a man with a bio-medically engineered, uh.... contagion seems like the right word—and an insatiable hunger decides to come to their campground. And the rest is blood-soaked chaos. The Troop is a masterpiece of body horror literature. And, yes, that does mean blood, guts and generally gross imagery. It's told in a mixture of news articles that clue you in about the situation and prose from the perspective of the campers. Speaking of the campers, they're all 14, so if you're uncomfortable reading about horrible things happening to 14-year-old boys, or just generally don't want a side of nausea with your reading experience, this might not be for you. For any horror fans, though, this one is a must read. |
I am back with another Thriller, this book has MANY triggers and isn't going to be for the faint at heart. It is based around some serious topics, but it was so good. Fractals by Alicia Anthony This book is about a 17 year old and the life she has been dealt and one of her teachers who has a past of his own and through her is trying to honestly save them both. This book will keep you wanting to finish it to see how it ends for everyone. It has twists and turns that make you ponder, question, worry, and at points be happy. From goodreads: Fractals is an emotionally intense psychological thriller that explores the impact of trauma on our perception of right versus wrong. Content Warning: This book contains elements of human trafficking which may be difficult for sensitive readers |
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