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UNPUTDOWNABLE BOOKS! | Reads worth picking up
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items books you might consider picking up and losing 8 hours of sleep over
I highly recommend George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Orwell is a high-caliber storyteller. What makes this book so powerful is how it uses simple narration and animal characters to shape complex political realities. The symbolism is sharp and intelligent,...
Animal Farm by George Orwell, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
An incredibly engaging read that pulled me in much faster than I expected. The characters feel vivid and complicated, and I loved how the story balances humor with heavier, more emotional moments. There are parts that feel messy and uncomfortable in ...
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
I picked this up expecting a straightforward look at Hollywood, but it ended up being much more interesting than that. It’s sharp, revealing, and surprisingly easy to get through considering how much ground it covers. I especially liked the behind-th...
Hollywood Ending: Harvey Weinstein & Culture
Dark, clever, and exactly the kind of book that makes you tell yourself “one more chapter” until it’s suddenly way too late. I loved the atmosphere and how quickly the story pulled me in. Bardugo is especially good at creating characters who are comp...
Dead Beat (Ninth House Trilogy, #3) by Leigh Bardugo
This is the kind of book that gives you a lot to think about after you’ve finished it. The characters aren’t always easy to agree with, which honestly made the story more interesting for me. Emotional, thought-provoking, and very readable despite som...
Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult
Exactly the kind of juicy, escapist read I wanted. There’s privilege, drama, secrets, complicated relationships: basically all the ingredients for something you can fly through over a weekend. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and I think that’s ...
The Thoroughbreds (The Academy, #2) by Elin Hilderbrand
There’s something about Emily St. John Mandel’s writing that makes even quiet moments feel important. This is thoughtful and beautifully written without becoming exhausting or overly literary. I loved the slightly haunting atmosphere and the way seem...
Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
Richard Osman has completely mastered the cozy mystery that still gives you an actual mystery to solve. The characters are funny and charming without turning into caricatures, and the dialogue is probably my favorite part. It has enough twists to kee...
We Chase Shadows (We Solve Murders, #2)
I’m a sucker for historical fiction that makes me immediately want to Google the real history afterward, and this absolutely did that. It’s adventurous and atmospheric but still gives its characters enough depth that it never feels like history dress...
The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon
The premise alone got my attention, but the execution is what made me stay. It’s clever, unsettling in places, and constantly made me question where the story was headed. I especially liked how it plays with nostalgia instead of simply romanticizing ...
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Ann Patchett has such a calm, effortless way of writing about complicated people. Nothing here feels like it’s screaming for your attention, yet somehow you keep wanting to read another chapter. The relationships and little observations about people ...
Whistler by Ann Patchett
Going back into this world felt surprisingly natural. The humor, secrets, friendships and passive-aggressive conversations are all still here, but there’s enough new material that it doesn’t feel like a sequel created just because the first book was ...
Big Little Truths (Big Little Lies, #2) by Liane Moriarty
Such a warm, quietly beautiful book. I loved that it doesn’t rely on huge twists or unnecessary drama to keep you invested. It’s really about people, kindness, and the small ways we can affect someone else’s life without even realizing it. Definitely...
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Freida McFadden once again gave me exactly what I came for: a book I could absolutely fly through. It’s fast, twisty, and just when you think you’ve figured everything out, there’s another reason to question what you know. Not something I’d overthink...
Brain Damage by Freida McFadden
This was such a fun surprise. It has that cozy, charming feeling I wanted while still being different enough from the usual romance formula to keep things interesting. The chemistry is great, the banter actually works, and the whole thing is just inc...
Grim Tidings (Ghosted, #2) by B.K. Borison
The atmosphere in this book is incredible. You can practically feel the isolation and the weather while you’re reading it. What starts as this mysterious, almost unsettling story gradually becomes something much more emotional. Beautiful writing, com...
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
This is one of those books where you really have to surrender to the writing and let it take you somewhere strange. It’s imaginative, layered, and definitely not afraid to get weird. I loved how unpredictable it felt because I genuinely had no idea w...
The Disappearers by Marlon James
Sally Hepworth is so good at making ordinary people feel slightly suspicious. I kept changing my mind about the characters and what I thought was actually happening, which made this ridiculously easy to keep reading. Dark enough to keep you intrigued...
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
The atmosphere alone sold me on this one. It’s dark, romantic, a little eerie, and has exactly the kind of fantasy world you want to disappear into for a few hours. I especially loved that the romance doesn’t completely overshadow the story. Gorgeous...
The Knave and the Moon (The Stonewater Kingdom, #2)
Completely chaotic in the most entertaining way possible. The humor is ridiculous, the action never really lets up, and somehow underneath all of that craziness there are characters you genuinely start caring about. I did not expect this series to ha...
The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman
This one genuinely stayed with me. It’s emotional and sometimes difficult to read, but Frankie’s story feels so vivid that I became completely invested in what happened to her. I also appreciated seeing the Vietnam era explored through women whose ex...
The Women by Kristin Hannah
I’m not even a huge science fiction reader and this completely won me over. There’s a lot of science, but it’s explained in a way that makes you feel curious rather than lost. It’s funny, tense, surprisingly emotional, and has one of the most lovable...
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir