1) The first one on this list has got to be my go-to answer if anybody asks me what my favourite book is, and that’s The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. No matter how many times I read it, I can’t help but love it. There isn’t a single thing about it that I don’t like it, and it’s also the book I recommend to people too, so if you’ve never read it, you’ve got to try it out. It’s the perfect mix of magic, adventure, mystery, suspense, and with the right amount of romance too, I love it! I will say the movement between dates can be a little confusing at first, but after a while you will get the hang of it, so please stick with it and give it a chance!
2) The next one is The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, along with the sequel, The Mime Order. Not only do I love the plot, the world building, and the characters, but I also think it’s one of my all-time favourites because I read it at exactly the right time. It was just after the flood of dystopian books that started with The Hunger Games. I was basically sick of picking up a book to realise it was essentially the same plot-line I’d read a thousand times over. So when I picked up The Bone Season, it was like a breath of fresh air. It’s such a unique idea, and I just love that the series seems to be going in the right direction, the third book comes out at the beginning of March, so you can bet I’ll be taking a break from writing my dissertation if I can manage it, just to read The Song Rising. I can’t wait!
3) My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick is a contemporary novel, and a fairly stereotypical contemporary young adult novel at that. It’s fun, light-hearted, with a good story, the characters being the best thing about it. It surrounds a family, and I can’t think of another book aside from the Harry Potter series of course, that portrays a family so realistically. Fitzpatrick really makes you wish you were part of the family you read about, and you really route for them throughout. If you’re looking for a lovely summery read, this one is the one for you.
4) The last two on this list are two books I read for a university class. The first one, Asylum by Patrick McGrath, might come across as quite a dry read, before the story really gets going, but once you’re fully invested believe me, you start to see the intricacies behind the plot and the characters, and why the author chose to narrate the novel the way he did. It’s clever, and trust me, you just want to keep reading it when you really get into it. It’s littered with things you don’t see coming, even though you’re constantly expecting things to happen, it’s just one thing after another, and it doesn’t stop until you shut the book. It’s definitely an adult book though, so if you’re younger, or are more into YA, this might not be the right book for you, but if you do want to branch out, this might be a good one to start with.
5) I have saved the best till last with Geek Love by Katherine Dunn, I really can’t believe this book isn’t more popular, it’s insanely good. I read this, alongside Asylum, for my Modern Gothic module, and it has quickly become one of my favourite books of all time. I couldn’t put it down, there were parts I literally felt out of breath while reading them, and it’s one that really sticks with you once you finish reading it. When you think nothing more can get any stranger, believe me it will! It’s honestly a climax that doesn’t peak until the very end, it’s an incredible book. Like The Night Circus, it’s about a circus, but trust me, in a very different way. It’s very adult, there’s no way young teens could read this, and even for adults, it’s a fairly harsh read, but so worth it. I can’t believe this is the author’s first book, it’s insane how good it is! It will always be one I’ll recommend to people, please go and read it, trust me, you won’t regret it!
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Lots of Bookish Love,
Rachel xxx
