Hello! It’s been a hot minute, but I’m still alive. I know I’ve done a post like this before, but as a little update, I wanted to share again what I have been reading and give recommendations to others.

I read a few books with some of my friends, so the range of books I’ve been reading is more vast than what I would have chosen on my own.

Since I’m in the groove of reading again, I expect to post again soon with more recommendations based on what I’ve been reading. Let me know if you’ve read any of these, and what you thought!

This was read in one of my book clubs. From the perspective of two sisters, this takes place in France during WWII. I thought it was very good, and captivated the reader. Although, if you are looking for a light, fun read, this is not the book for you.

If you are a fan of Stephen King, this book is for you. Although it is not as dark as some of his novels, it still features the supernatural and the struggles of a young boy. It’s a longer read, but totally worth it. (I also suggest Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King)

This book was recommended to me by a friend, who described it as a cross between Harry Potter and Narnia. As a lover of both, I was intrigued. And she was right! To escape from the reality of the real world, this was a good read. Also, while it was from the perspective of a teenaged boy, it also focused on more adult issues, such as struggling with depression or the meaning of happiness and life goals, which I enjoyed. This is also a TV show, which means you could have another thing to binge on Netflix. (Although I have not watched the show yet)

Published in 2018, this book was on the New York Times Best-Seller list for many weeks. I typically don’t read a lot of memoirs, but since this focuses on the benefit and perspective of people’s rights to education, I put it on my list. When one of my friends said they were going to read it, I jumped in to read it at the same time. It definitely draws you in and makes you think about your own life and its fortunes. I suggest this book.

This book is historical fiction, but used Dracula as inspiration, and as a gothic literature lover, I was definitely into this novel. It was a lot of fun to read. It also discussed what rights women didn’t have during this time period, which I think is always interesting to read about. It puts my current life into perspective. Drug usage and addiction was another theme in this book, as opium and heroin were both used as strong pain killers prescribed by doctors back then.

I saw this being talked about on BookTok (the book side of TikTok) and was immediately intrigued. I took a Greek Mythology course in college and have always loved the stories. This features Achilles (obviously) and his best friend, Patroclus. But unlike what we’ve been told, in this story, the two are lovers. I highly recommend this novel, but it is definitely not a lighthearted read. I suggest having some tissues near you when reading the end.

This is a thriller, and while I don’t normally read them due to it not being my favorite genre, I did enjoy this one. It’s a pretty fast read – once you get into it, you just have to keep reading to find out what happens next. There are a few twists as well, so good luck trying to predict the outcome.

Hopefully some of these books sound interesting to you! If you read any, be sure to let me know! Thanks for reading, and see you again soon!