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Books I Can't Recommend Enough
25
items These books are sure to take you on a journey. Whether it’s a journey of terror, love or loss, depends on the book. Each book here is one I read and enjoyed.
A creeping, winding story that follows its characters deeper and deeper down into the nondescript blank walls of madness. A simple house becomes a doorway into another dimension when a family begin to notice their house slowly changing, until a door ...
House of Leaves: Remastered Full-Color
This book was originally published in 1985 and is starting to read like prophecy in 2025. A dystopian look into an American future where a far-right group has taken the country into a monotheocratic form of government. What it has to say will hopeful...
The Handmaid's Tale: Atwood, Margaret
This book might provoke thoughts of God, truth and morality in you, or it will be a fantastic story about a boy on a boat with a bunch of animals. Either way the first half of the story is a slow climb. It follows a young Pi, raised Hindu, wrestling ...
Life of Pi: A Novel by Yann Martel
This book is a warm hug for your soul. A woman who lost her son years ago finds closure as a direct result of working at an aquarium and befriending an octopus. I wept.
Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel by Shelby Van Pelt
A young Lord named Paul Atreides is moved to a new planet as a pawn in a political game outside of his control, leading to betrayal and slaughter over the control of a priceless form of power known as Spice. But hope springs in the desert world of Du...
Dune (Dune #1) by Frank Herbert
In the second book in the Dune series, Paul is Emperor of the Known Universe, with danger and conspiracy all around him, a legion of fanatical Fremen followers at his back and a pregnant Chani at his side. He sees a way forward, but is he strong enou...
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
This is a heart wrenching YA book about terminal illness told through a cancer riddled teen, so it doesn't end with giggles and rainbows. But I've read this book at least three times. It breaks me into pieces every single time, yet I continue to keep...
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
A group of farm animals rise up against their human oppressors after the death of the farmer and a charismatic leader regales them with a dream of a better way. They follow this leader all the way to the bitter end in this allegory that is a must rea...
Animal Farm: 75th Anniversary Edition: George Orwell, Russell Baker
A book about opening yourself up to new experiences. I found this book inspiring when I read it years ago. The movie based off this book, starring Jim Carrey, was funny but not as inspiring. This book made me feel like the right opportunity might dro...
Yes Man: Wallace, Danny
If you are a horror fan and a manga fan and i'm the first to introduce you to Junji Ito, let me start off by saying that I am honored to be the one. Now lets get started! Tomie is the story of a mysterious young woman with a unique talent for inspiri...
Tomie: Complete Deluxe Edition (Junji Ito)
I'm going to start off by telling you that Uzumaki is a horror manga about a town under the curse of the spiral. The shape. You might feel like I did, namely, unimpressed. Like me, you'd be wrong. Junji Ito manages to make this subject genuinely terr...
Uzumaki by Junji Ito
This is Junji Ito's adaptation of a piece of classic Japanese literature of the same name written by Osamu Dazai. It follows the life of Yozo Oba from his boyhood of playing the fool through a lifetime marked by tragedy until the man he grows to be n...
No Longer Human (Junji Ito)
An older gentleman adopts a flat-faced cat in a pet store one day and if you read this manga, you're going to happy cry about it. Introduced to me as a gift, I can't get enough and I can see why it's a fan favorite in Japan.
A Man and His Cat vol.01 by Umi Sakurai
The title says it all. This is a great, fun book for the curious mind.
What If?: Scientific Answers to Absurd Questions
A man, depressed with his mundane office job and unremarkable life, meets a charismatic Tyler Durden, who inspires equally restless men to embrace the chaos in the form of fight clubs in basements and escalating from there. I love me an unreliable na...
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Out of print, so if you find a copy I highly suggest you snatch it up. These poems are bizarre, goofy and weird in all the right ways.
99 Poems to Cure What's Wrong With You or Create the Problems You Need
I read a Goodreads review that called this book ‘schlocky positivity nonsense’, and they're not wrong, but I still really enjoyed this book. It's a short, soothing read that left me feeling calm with its cute drawings, animal facts and self-care ritu...
Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish & Self-Care
Beautifully designed with simple suggestions to help you become more mindful. A quick read if you want to do it all at once, but better spread out over time as a light snack. Savor each tip individually. Try to incorporate each mindfulness exercise i...
How To Be Mindful by Anna Barnes
I have to be honest that I find it very hard to mark up books, even when they are designed to be marked up. This is one of those. I only have a few pages filled out so far, but the journal itself is sassy and full of profane spunk. I love it.
Zen as F*ck: A Journal for Practicing the Mindful Art of Not Giving a Sh*t
This anthology of 180 contemporary poems, selected and introduced by former Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, was inspired by his poem-a-day program with the Library of Congress. It's a diverse and playful collection of poems by contemporary poets, desig...
Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry by Billy Collins
I love Sarah Anderson. Her comics are funny and relatable for anyone who's ever thought “How do I do this whole ADULTING thing?!” If you're in your 30s wondering, “Am I supposed to feel like an adult now?" then you might enjoy this collection of comi...
Adulthood is a Myth: Sarah's Scribbles Vol 1
Is George R. R. Martin ever going to complete this series? Probably not. That being said, they're still amazing books with beautiful worldbuilding and interesting characters and I highly suggest them to anyone who's ever thought about reading them. D...
Game of Thrones Book Series
This title of this self-help book is snarkier than others, but the content is valid to those who need to hear it. Through snarky essays this book aims to teach you about your precious, finite supply of f*ucks, and how to pay attention to where you gi...
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
An astronaut is accidentally left on Mars and knows that he will likely die there with no ability to communicate to them that he's alive and no rescue capable of coming to save him anytime soon. But he's not ready to give up that easily. Space Macgyv...
The Martian by Andy Weir
Yotsuba&! is one of my all-time favorite manga. It's cute, it's funny, and it makes me feel good every time I read it. In these trying times, relax with a book that makes you smile.
Yotsuba&! Vol. 1 by Kiyohiko Azuma