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📖 Books I Recommend
33
items A collection of books I’ve read, loved, and genuinely recommend. 📚✨ Use this list to find your next great read, discover BookTok-worthy favorites, and get recommendations based on different moods, genres, and reading tastes. Perfect for anyone who l...
Sections
8
Epistolary Novels
Fantasy & romantasy standalones
Graphic Novels
Historical Fiction
Horror
Nonfiction
Epistolary Novels
Books told through letters, emails, diary entries, texts, documents, and other forms of written communication. 💌 This section is perfect for readers who love immersive storytelling, unique formats, and getting to know characters through their own wo...
The Correspondent tells a story about Sybil via her letters as she confronts old wounds and unexpected change in her seventies. The character work is exceptional and deeply reflective. The letter-driven structure might feel slow to some, but trust me...
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Fantasy & romantasy standalones
Fantasy worlds, magic, adventure, and a healthy dose of romance. ✨🐉 This section is for readers who love immersive worlds, complicated characters, high-stakes plots, slow burns, enemies-to-lovers, and romances woven into fantastical stories. Perfect...
Alchemised is a dark, emotional standalone about two characters, Helena and Kaine, fighting for connection in a brutal, war-torn world. The tension, atmosphere, and writing are gripping, and the romance is intense. The themes are heavy, but this book...
Alchemised by SenLinYu
The Poet Empress is a dark, emotional fantasy in which a peasant girl named Wei enters the deadly imperial court as a potential concubine. Wei secretly learns forbidden magic while navigating political schemes and being subjected to violence. The wri...
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
I loved City of Iron and Ivy! It's giving dark Bridgerton meets botanical gothic mystery. I adored the FMC, Elswyth. She's a STEM girly who is prickly, determined, and brilliant! The floromancy, social politics, LGBTQ+ rep, and twists kept me hooked,...
City of Iron and Ivy by Thomas Kent West
Wild Reverence follows Matilda, a young goddess caught between rival divine realms, and Vincent, a mortal lord whose life becomes intertwined with hers. Rebecca Ross's prose is beautiful, the world-building is rich, and the settings are atmospheric. ...
Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross
Blood Over Bright Haven is a fantasy that follows a brilliant mage, Sciona, as she confronts power and prejudice. The themes are heavy and hit hard. I loved the flawed leads and their growth. The magic system is truly unique and spectacular. You will...
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
Graphic Novels
Gender Queer is an exploration of gender, sexuality, identity, and self-acceptance. I listened to the audiobook, and I loved it. The production was excellent, and Maia Kobabe's narration made the memoir feel intimate. Kobabe's descriptions of gender ...
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Historical Fiction
Historical fiction that brings the past to life through compelling characters, immersive settings, and stories inspired by real events. These are the books I recommend when you want to learn a little history while getting completely swept up in a gre...
This story follows Joan and Vanessa, two women in NASA’s 1980s shuttle program, as they navigate ambition, prejudice, and an unexpected romance. I enjoyed the characters (especially our two FMCs and Frances), found the plot emotionally compelling, an...
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Nightingale is set in WWII France and follows two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, who take different paths to survive and resist the Nazis. Their journey is intense, with compelling portrayals of women’s wartime courage. The book includes historica...
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Frankie joins the Army Nurse Corps and heads to Vietnam, only to return home to a country that doesn't want to acknowledge what she and so many other veterans experienced. The Women is a story about war, camaraderie, and trauma. I listened to the aud...
The Women by Kristin Hannah
In Depression-era Arkansas, Gracelynn lives with her adoptive grandmother, a woman rumored to be a witch. When a mysterious preacher from her grandmother’s past returns, he threatens to bring something dark with him. I loved the sapphic representatio...
The Witch of Tin Mountain by Paulette Kennedy
This historical fiction novel is about courage, female solidarity, and the power of using your voice. This is one of those books I was sad to finish because I will miss the characters. Aibileen, Minny, Skeeter, and the Black women in this story are s...
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Where the Crawdads Sing follows Kya, known as the “Marsh Girl” by local townsfolk, as she grows up alone in North Carolina's wetlands. She begins seeking connection until the unthinkable happens and the town turns against her. I thought the setting, ...
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Great Alone is about teenage Leni and her parents, Cora and Ernt, trying to survive Alaska and each other. The emotions hit hard, and the characters feel layered. The violence is intense in some scenes. You’ll love this book if you enjoy atmosphe...
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Giver of Stars is a compelling historical fiction novel inspired by the real-life Pack Horse Library Project in Depression-era Kentucky. The vivid Appalachian setting was immersive, and I liked reading about the mountains, isolated communities, a...
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
James is a reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from Jim's perspective. The author cleverly blends humor and biting social commentary while highlighting Jim's intelligence and agency. The pace keeps you engaged, and the exploration of r...
James by Percival Everett
Horror
For when you want something creepy, unsettling, disturbing, or downright terrifying. 👻 A collection of horror books I’ve read and recommend, from psychological horror and dark, atmospheric stories to supernatural scares and books that will stick wit...
I loved What Feeds Below. The author delivers YA horror with an exceptionally cool setting, creative monsters, and body horror that keeps the stakes high. I was engaged from start to finish. The combination of horror, mystery, humor, and adventure ma...
What Feeds Below by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
Japanese Gothic follows two timelines (one in 2026 with Lee and another in 1877 with Sen) that intertwine as dark secrets are slowly revealed. The writing was immersive, the atmosphere was unsettling, and the mysteries surrounding the characters were...
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
Nonfiction
True stories, real people, and fascinating ideas. 📚 This section features nonfiction books that taught me something, challenged my perspective, made me think, or gave me a deeper understanding of the world around me. Perfect for readers looking to l...
Everything is Tuberculosis explores tuberculosis through science, history, and human stories. John Green blends data with empathy and thoughtfully addresses systemic oppression. I wish it had explored some topics more deeply, but the book stayed comp...
Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green
In Matrescence, Lucy Jones explores the profound biological, psychological, and social transformation of pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood. She combines personal experience and a feminist perspective with research from neuroscience, psychology, s...
Matrescence by Lucy Jones
Empire of Pain is a meticulously researched account of the Sackler family and their role in fueling the opioid crisis. The author traces the family’s rise to pharmaceutical wealth and the consequences of their actions. Keefe’s detailed, compelling wr...
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
The Message is a powerful three-part book on how storytelling, history, and political myth shape identity, oppression, and moral understanding. In the first essay, Coates describes his experiences in Senegal and the lasting harm of colonialism and sl...
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Tara Westover’s memoir, Educated, follows her journey from an abusive, isolated upbringing to university. Her story reveals the pain of family-related trauma and the power of education. The book is heavy but incredibly inspiring. If you're seeking pe...
Educated by Tara Westover
When Breath Becomes Air is a memoir that follows Paul Kalanithi as he faces terminal cancer. I loved Paul's honesty, clinical insight, and vulnerability. I appreciate how death is depicted as part of being, an inevitable but natural transition. If yo...
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Wow. See No Stranger is a powerful memoir and manifesto in which Valarie Kaur draws on her experiences as a Sikh American activist, lawyer, and storyteller to explore what she calls "revolutionary love." The writing is insightful and compassionate, a...
See No Stranger by Valarie Kaur
I Will Plant You a Lilac Tree is a moving Holocaust memoir of survival and love. Laura’s voice is honest and vulnerable, and I found her strength incredibly moving. Daily life in the concentration camps is described without graphic detail, but still ...
I Will Plant You Like a Lilac Tree by Laura Hillman
Know My Name is a powerful memoir by Chanel Miller that chronicles her experience navigating the aftermath of sexual violence. The writing is vulnerable and deeply moving, and the pacing leaves room for reflection. Miller illuminated the lasting impa...
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Night is a memoir that recounts Elie Wiesel’s survival of the Holocaust through loss and faith. The story is beautiful and devastating. Small details about people and the camps make Elie's story immersive and moving. This book is for you if you want ...
Night by Elie Wiesel
Poetry
Poetry picks that made me pause, feel something, or want to reread a line twice. ✍️📖 A mix of beautiful, emotional, and thought-provoking collections for poetry lovers and anyone looking to explore the genre.
Femme in Public is a powerful poetry collection that examines what it means to exist visibly outside society’s gender expectations. Vaid-Menon explores queerness, femininity, and race. Their writing is raw, vulnerable, confrontational, and unapologet...
Femme in Public by ALOK
And Still I Rise is a moving poetry collection that explores race, womanhood, sexuality, poverty, oppression, and resilience. Angelou balances vulnerability with confidence and connects personal experiences to the broader experiences of Black America...
And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
Romance
My favorite romance reads: from swoony love stories and emotional slow burns to spicy romances and unforgettable couples. 💕 Perfect for anyone looking for their next romance obsession, whether you love contemporary, historical, fantasy, or dark roma...
Dolly All the Time is a warm, heartfelt romance about a 39-year-old single mom finding unexpected love while navigating family, motherhood, and multiple jobs. Annabel Monaghan's writing was effortlessly charming, and the characters felt incredibly re...
Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan
Seven Days in June follows two successful authors who reconnect years after a brief but life-changing teenage relationship, forcing them to confront their past, unresolved feelings, and the possibility of a future together. The writing was emotional,...
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
Into the Blue is a second-chance romance about two creative people whose shared love of storytelling, performance, and Astronauticals (a fictional sci-fi show) affects their relationship over time. The writing was emotional and immersive; the charact...
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie