Another summer is here and you finally have the time to do some reading! If you are unsure where to start, don’t worry. We’ve got your back like we always do with these awesome book recommendations.
For fantasy lovers…
A Deadly Education
Naomi Novik
Synopsis:
Galadriel “El” Higgins is a whip-smart, snarky, half-Welsh, half-Indian sorceress. She narrates her fight to survive to graduation (and thrive?) while controlling her destructive abilities at the fabled school of black magic, the Scholomance.
Why Alex loves it:
It is a story we are all familiar with (magic school, heroes, and evil magicians) but turned on its head. This is a fun, light, read with characters from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives.
The Hazel Wood
Melissa Albert
Synopsis:
A girl goes on an adventure searching for her missing mother, and along the way unravels the history and mystery behind her grandmother’s famous fairytales.
Why Sarah loves it:
I personally loved this book because I found the protagonist didn’t fall into the typical character tropes and that it broke from the norm of what you usually see for female main protagonists. It was also interesting to see dark fairytales come to life within the story.
Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel
Synopsis:
It’s a topic eerily familiar: a devastating flu rips through the city. Except, in this story, it ends civilization within the span of days. A minute percentage of the human population survives, and this story is about what happens twenty years after: the experiences of a travelling band of nomadic actors, around the Great Lakes region, and what happens when they meet a prophet in a settlement they visit.
Why Emma loves it:
This story weaves past and present together so beautifully with clear depictions of moments of life before and after the apocalypse, that feel like treasures or secrets for the reader to encounter. It’s fascinating to experience the landscape that St. John Mandel paints, with many aspects that are familiar to us, but that have changed in the 20 years since. The author boldly tackles themes about human resilience and survival, and weaves a really fascinating story about strange connections and intergenerational relationships, through describing mundane, yet special, moments in life.
For those inspired to set goals and pursue dreams…
Atomic Habits
James Clear
Synopsis:
Atomic Habits is an easy & proven read which helps the reader build good habits & break bad ones. The purpose of this book is to help you achieve remarkable results more efficiently and methodically.
Why Aida loves it:
I like the step-by-step system of this read. It reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho
Synopsis:
This is the magical story of Santiago, a shepherd boy who dreams of travelling the world to seek the most wonderful treasures known to man. From his home in Spain, he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and, from there, into the Egyptian desert, where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him.
Why Nana loves it:
Stories like this that capture the meaning and nuances of the journey rather than the rushing to the destination remind us to cherish the things we experience each day.
For good reads on relationships…
The Poisonwood Bible
Barbara Kingsolver
Synopsis:
In 1959, a missionary family with four daughters moves from Georgia, USA to the village of Kilanga, close to the Kwilu river, in the Congo (at the time under Belgian occupation). The story is told from the alternating perspectives of the four daughters, of varying ages from a toddler to a teenager, and centres around their experiences growing up and living in Kilanga, with the politically turbulent backdrop of the Congo’s fight for independence.
Why Emma loves it:
This is an ambitious story that encompasses themes of motherhood, race, colonialism, religion, and coming of age. The perspectives of each of the daughters are so unique and their narrative voices are compelling. Because it is told through their perspectives, despite the harrowing political context and the hardships endured, the story also contains many moments of beauty and humour.
Heartstopper
Alice Osman
Synopsis:
This book is about two teens that fall in love in high school. One of them is Charlie, he’s a bit of a nerd and very anxious as he was bullied for being gay. The other is Nick, a lovable jock. He meets Charlie and unfamiliar feelings start to rise within him. They are able to fall in love after overcoming internalized homophobia and classic high school struggles.
Why Ozioma loves it:
This is one of the first books I’ve ever read that portrays gay teens as innocent children instead of deviant and mature adults. It is important to normalize this. It is also a very cute story, very wholesome, might make you cry good tears.
Book cover images from Amazon