Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!

Books I Wish I Could Read for the First Time Again

Closed Book emoji 25 items
This list includes books I wish I could read for the first time again across several genres, including romance, thrillers, fantasy, and contemporary fiction. These are the books I recommend when someone asks what they should read next. I’ve organized...
Sections
6
 
 
 
 
 
 

Romance

These are the romance books I’d recommend when you want a love story that actually keeps you interested. Some are super emotional, and some are super spicy!

 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
Have some tissues ready because you'll probably cry at the end. This is a historical love story set during NASA’s 1980s space shuttle program.
Atmosphere: A Love Story
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
This is a really interesting second-chance romance told across two timelines
Love and Other Words - by Christina Lauren
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
This one is a little spicy! It's a basketball romance with roommates and fake dating
The Right Move
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
Another spicy one! This is a small-town cowboy romance featuring a single dad and his son’s nanny
Heartless (Chestnut Springs Series #2)

Thriller

These are the thrillers I’d recommend when you want something fast-paced, suspenseful, and hard to put down. Some are psychological thrillers, some are more mystery-driven, and most had me questioning what was actually going on.

 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
This one was a super easy read because it's a fast domestic thriller with short chapters
The Housemaid
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
I couldn't put this one down. It's about a therapist, a silent patient and a psychological mystery
The Silent Patient
placeholder
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
This one is all about podcasting, obsession and increasingly uncomfortable boundaries
None of This Is True: A Novel
placeholder
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
I didn't think this would be my kind of book, but I actually plan on reading it again ASAP. It's a gothic thriller set in an isolated mansion
The Only One Left: A Novel

Mystery

These are the mystery books I’d recommend when you want a story that gives you something to figure out. Some are classic whodunits, while others focus more on the investigation, clues, and how everything comes together.

 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
This is just a really good classic closed-circle murder mystery
And Then There Were None
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
Another Agatha Christie! The ending was really amazing.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
This is actually a really cool Japanese crime mystery focused on how the crime was concealed
The Devotion of Suspect X: Detective Galileo
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
This is a Hugo Award Winner, so you know it's going to be good. It's a really unique detective mystery set inside a fantasy world!
The Tainted Cup (Ana and Din Mystery #1) (Hugo Award Winner)

Fantasy

These are the fantasy books I’d recommend when you want to get completely pulled into another world. Some are big epic stories, while others are easier to get into and more focused on the characters.

 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
#1 in the series! It's a really great large-scale epic fantasy
The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive Series #1)
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
Another series (which a ton of fantasy books are)! This one is a political fantasy with an elite academy setting
The Will of the Many (Hierarchy Series #1)
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
If you're a fantasy reader, I'd be very surprised if you haven't heard of this series. It's a heist story with an interesting magic system
Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn Series #1)
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
I was hooked on this series! It's a dark fae fantasy filled with court politics, betrayal, and complicated characters
The Folk of the Air Complete Paperback Boxed Set

Contemporary Fiction

These are the contemporary fiction books I’d recommend when you want something grounded in real life but still easy to get lost in. They focus on relationships, family, identity, grief, and the messy parts of being a person.

 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
The book is always better than the film! If you haven't heard of it yet, it's about grief, friendship and an unusually observant octopus
Remarkably Bright Creatures
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
A really sweet book about grief, community and an isolated older man
A Man Called Ove
placeholder
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
Another one by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I feel like everyone has had this on their TBR list. It's a fictional Old Hollywood life story that gets you hooked immediately
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
Another one by Fredrik Backman. This one is built around a failed robbery and hostage situation
Anxious People

Nonfiction

These are the nonfiction books I’d recommend when you want to learn something without feeling like you’re reading a textbook. They cover real experiences, personal growth, habits, and the way people think and live.

 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
This is a memoir about family, isolation, and building a life through education
Educated: A Memoir
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
This is a really moving memoir about life, death, and what gives our time meaning
When Breath Becomes Air: Pulitzer Prize Finalist
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
As a therapy advocate, this is an interesting read about a therapist’s honest look at therapy from both sides of the couch
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
I will ALWAYS recommend this book. It really helps you understand the importance of deciding what deserves your energy and letting go of what doesn’t
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
 
Krysta Lynn profile picture
I feel like it's a bit cliché to add this book, but it really helped me. It teaches you about building better habits through small, realistic changes
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones