Book Recommendations

Hello, lovely readers and writers! How have you been? I'm here again with some book recommendations for all of you, since it's been centuries since I ed a similar blog. I will select ten different genres and then recommend a book or series for each of them. I hope you'll enjoy reading the blog and feel free to give me your own book suggestions in the comments down below.

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•The "Falling Kingdoms" series by Morgan Rhodes•

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, High Fantasy, Magic, Romance

This series is one of my favorite YA High Fantasy series of all time. Let me it here that the books aren't literary masterpieces. The writing isn't anything magnificent and the plot can get predictable from time to time. However, the character development was very much to my liking and if you're a fan of romance, you'll probably like the main couple of the book. The last book in the series was released last month and there's also a spin-off saga, if you are interested in giving it a chance. If you've read the series, what did you think of it?

•"Heart Berries" by Terese Marie Mailhot•

Genres: Autobiography, Biography, Memoir, Non-Fiction

I'm currently reading this book, and even though I haven't finished it yet, I decided to include it to this list anyway because it is absolutely amazing. It was selected by the actress Emma Watson as the "Our Shared Shelf Book Club Pick for March/April 2018". It is a Native American woman's memoir in short, hard-hitting essays. I'm not surprised it's received praise from Roxane Gay, because the style reminded me quite a bit of Gay's book "Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body". The writing style is stunning, introspective and thought-provoking. If you are a lover of this genre, give this book a try.

•"The Hating Game" by Sally Thorne•

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Women's Fiction, Adult Fiction

"The Hating Game" is one of my most beloved Adult Romance books of all time. It is an incredibly sweet, cute and lovely book that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside by the time you'll have reached the last page. A bit predictable at some parts, but the dialogues are very original and hilarious, and the chemistry between the two main characters almost palpable. I think it's worth a read if you like the aforementioned genres.

•"The Woman in the Window" by A.J. Finn•

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

For me, "The Woman in the Window" was the biggest surprise of my reading year so far. It is a beautiful mixture of "The Girl on the Train" and "The Woman in Cabin 10", embroidered with an unreliable narrator, mental illness, alcoholism and a plot twist that practically comes out of nowhere. Most of the chapters are very short and keep you on the edge of your seat -or, rather, bed I guess- because the majority of them ends with a cliffhanger. A.J. Finn does a marvelous job because he simultaneously captures the foggy confusion inside the main character's mind and creates enough suspense to keep the reader guessing what really happened. A definite recommendation for all the Mystery/Suspense lovers out there.

•The Soul of an Octopus" by Sy Montgomery•

Genres: Non-Fiction, Science, Animals, Environment, Nature, Memoir

In this astonishing book, Sy Montgomery explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus -a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature- and the remarkable connections it makes with humans. The book focuses on Montgomery's experiences while conducting research on octopuses and their emotional intelligence. Overall, it's a very enjoyable book and I'd recommend it to anyone who would shy away from reading a scientific book, but loves a good memoir.

•"Parable of the Sower" by Octavia E. Butler•

Genres: Science-Fiction, Dystopia, Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

This book is part of a duology and it's definitely one of the best Sci-Fi books I've ever read. Set in 2025, while the world descends into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future. It is such an emotional and heartbreaking story, but compelling and powerful at the same time. I guess it can also be classified as YA Sci-Fi, but it was written decades before the term was coined. The writing is exquisite, the plot quite original and most of the characters unforgettable and relatable.

•The "Off-Campus" series by Elle Kennedy•

Genres: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Sports, College

The "Off-Campus" series is probably my most beloved New Adult Romance series of all time. I deeply enjoyed all the four books that form this literary quartet. Each installment can be read as a standalone, but you'll get more out of the books if you read them in publication order. Each novel follows a different protagonist but they are all connected to one another. The romance is sizzling and many of the dialogues absolutely funny and captivating. I think you'll love this series!

•"Song of a Captive Bird" by Jasmin Darznik•

Genres: Poetry, Historical Fiction, Cultural Fiction, Adult Fiction

The "Song of a Captive Bird" is a spellbinding debut novel about the trailblazing poet Forugh Farrokhzhad, who defied the Iranian society to find her voice and destiny. Throughout the book, the prose is absolutely beautiful, a punch in the guts to all the unoriginal poetry books that have been released in the last decade or so. Combined with a captivating subject matter, I could not resist to this tale. If you are a lover of poetry, like I am, please give this book a shot.

•"Scratch" by Manjula Martin•

Genres: Language, Writing, Non-Fiction

"Scratch (Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living)" is a collection of essays from today's most acclaimed authors -from Cheryl Strayed to Roxane Gay to Jennifer Weiner, Alexander Chee, Nick Hornby, and Jonathan Franzen- on the realities of making a living in the writing world. I read this novel as an e-book but loved it so much, thus I decided to order a physical copy as well. In the literary world, the debate around writing and commerce often begs us to take sides: either writers should be paid for everything they do or writers should just pay their dues and count themselves lucky to be published. It's an endless, confusing and often controversial discussion. I think this novel is a magnificent read that shouldn't be missed by anyone. Please read it. Please.

•"The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris•

Genres: Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Adult Fiction

This novel is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews, who survived Auschwitz and eventually made their home in Australia (not a spoiler, you understand it pretty early in the book). There have been many books about the Holocaust -and there will be many more. What makes this one so memorable is Lale Solokov's breathtaking zest for life. He understood exactly what was in store for him and his fellow prisoners, and he was determined to survive. The prose cuts like a dagger and the numerous life lessons hidden throughout this novel make it a truly astounding read. Please give it a chance.

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And that is all with this blog, lovely friends. If you are reading these lines, thank you from the deepest part of my heart for taking the time to read this blog. It took me quite a while to gather these titles and write this post, so it means the world to me that you read it. If you've already read any of the books I mentioned, please don't hesitate to leave a short review or commentary in the comments down below. As always, keep smiling and trying for the very best! You are infinitely brilliant.

Until next time, happy reading, writing and much love from me! :books: :books: :books: