My Favorite Books
I love to read and now I am making it your problem
The last three to four years I have gotten really into reading. I grew up not incredibly fond of the hobby. Reading was difficult for me—the words moved around and didn’t make sense all the time, I was a very slow reader, and overall it didn’t satisfy me much. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school I really started to enjoy reading as a whole rather than just liking a book here and there. These last few years, I started to keep track of the books I’ve read and set goals for myself each year.
For 2023, I set my goal to 70 books. Last year my goal was around 60-65 I believe, and I hit 66 books. I figured 70 wasn’t much of a reach, and as November hit, I had already surpassed the goal. I’m currently on my 74th book and still going strong. 73 books is a lot of content and reading. I did a lot of rereading this year, but I also read some fantastic books that are all competing for my top five favorites.
At first wanted this to be about some great books I’ve read so far this year, but with the new year only two months away, I think I’ll save that for later. Instead, I’d love to share some of my favorite books of all time—this is also an attempt to convince you to read them.
As far as taste goes… I’ve got a lot of it when it comes to a good book. That point can possibly be debated, as nearly everything I read ends up with a five star rating on goodreads. I’m pretty easy to please—if a book makes me giggle and or shed a tear, that’s five stars. It’s incredibly rare I give a book three stars or less, but unfortunately 2023 has been the year of me reading books that I found so terrible it made me want to never pick up a book again in fear of reading something similar.
In no particular order, here’s a handful of books that I believe everyone should read, mainly because I said so. Also, I won’t be giving summaries of the books, so I suggest you just take my word and read them.
1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I mean, this is just a requirement if you are a person who considers themself a reader. If I can remember correctly, I watched this movie my freshman year of college, and read the book my sophomore year. This book is what I like to call my ‘cry for help’ book. If you see me reading it on goodreads… just know I am unwell. With that being said, it is possibly my favorite book of all time. I compare myself to the main character, a high school freshman named Charlie, regularly. Am I a 22 year old college graduate? Yes. Am I also painfully similar to Charlie? Unfortunately. It’s an incredibly quick read that will make you laugh and cringe, it will tug at your heart strings, and also maybe make you want to rip all of your hair out. But I think that is what makes it so special.
2. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
PLEASE take my word on this book. It is high fantasy, low stakes, and cozy all over. I think someone wrote that it’s like receiving a ‘big gay hug’, and I completely agree. I read this book last year, and it quickly became one of my favorites of all time. The main character, an orc named Viv, decides to open a coffee shop in a small town/village. All of the supporting characters are very lovable (mostly) and you grow invested in them quickly. My personal favorite is a rattkin named Thimble… though I am biased because I have two pet rats whom I love dearly. This book is filled with a lot of love, comfort, and coffee. I am a big enjoyer of fantasy, but sometimes I get overwhelmed when too much happens at once. This book is perfect for a more relaxed fantasy lover who just wants a little slice of life story about some lovable weirdos.
3. In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace
Never in a million years would I think one of my favorite books would be a cozy mystery, but here we are. I worked at Barnes and Noble up until the end of this past October, and as I was shelving some books, I came across this one. I really loved the cover (because I DO judge books by them) and decided to buy it if it was still there my next shift. Of course it was, because cozy mysteries don’t sell as much as other genres do, and right from the first few pages I was hooked. Our main character is a witch named Brynn who hasn’t used her powers in a while, and tries to solve a murder without them. She lives with her two aunts and uncle in a small town, where they own a B&B. It’s very cute, silly, and cozy. All of the characters are very charming and make you fall in love with them pretty early on in the book. I could go on and on and on about this book (and its sequel) but maybe that can be a separate post for another day. I trust that you will take my word, and I urge you to get in your car, on your bike, or start walking to your nearest bookstore and buy this book right this second.
4. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
I read this series for the first time when I was 19… it made me wish I had liked reading as a kid, because I 100% would have had my godly parent and their cabin in my instagram bio. The fanfictions I would have written would have broken records and moved mountains. Wattpad was robbed and so was I. With that being said, if you read books growing up you most likely read at least one PJO book. I fell in love with Percy’s character from the opening line of the first book, and kept loving him and all of his friends along the way. It’s such a fun series, and I also love Heroes of Olympus and Trials of Apollo. I’ve still got to get to Kane Chronicles and Magnus Chase… I am working on it. I don’t have much else to say other than I’ve always loved Greek Mythology, and I would have been the most annoying child on earth if I had read this series in middle school.
5. Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
Katherine Heiny is to me what Sally Rooney is to others. I absolutely love everything she has written, but this one may be my favorite of hers. The main character is a MAN… typically a red flag, but not in this case. Graham is married to a younger woman named Audra and they have a son together. Audra wants to befriend Graham’s ex-wife Elspeth (who he cheated on with Audra) and overall it’s a very entertaining story. There are little moments where you realize how much Graham adores Audra, and it’s all very sweet. Sort of a slice of life, but not really? If you’re a fan of fiction and of real relationships that don’t set unrealistic standards, this is the book for you.
6. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
This is it. This is the one you have to read. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I saw this book on an ad on Instagram (I think) my sophomore year in 2021. I immediately preordered it and read it the second it finally came in the mail. I love Greek Mythology, and I’ve always really liked Ariadne and her story, but we get little of it in most cases. I’m pretty sure this was Sain't’s debut novel (I could be wrong), and it’s fantastic. It changes points of view from Ariadne to her younger sister, Phaedra. I love the way she writes, and I love both of the characters that she brought to life in such a wonderful way. I also love both Elektra and Atalanta by Jennifer Saint as well, but Ariadne will always have a very special place in my heart. Feminist Greek retellings are taking over the world I fear.
7. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Why not add a horror book to the mix. I have always disliked horror, but the last 2-3 years I’ve gotten more into it. I read this book my senior year for an English class, and ended up loving it. The four characters are all very different but come together for the same thing, and then things get weird and spooky. I would say this isn’t scary, more so a bit disturbing. Eleanor has some trouble with lying (literally me), and Theo is a very fun character who I really enjoy. The other two guys are fine. I prefer the girls to them, I think they are more interesting and have a bit more depth to them. It’s a fairly short book, and it’s worth the read if you enjoy haunted houses with a bit of a twist.
Seven is my lucky number, so I’ll cut it off there. I have a lot of books that I really love, but these ones stick out the most to me. They are ones that I reread often and think of the most when people ask me for recommendations. They aren’t for everyone—but in my opinion they should be.
My writing isn’t perfect, and I’m pretty horrible at spelling sometimes, so thanks for making it through my first blog post! Books won’t be the only thing I talk about, but since it’s one of the only things I do, there’s a lot of book opinions in the near future.
