Tag: Book Recommendations

Which Gothic Novel Should You Read First? Rebecca, Mexican Gothic, or Starling House
A grand old house can promise several different kinds of trouble. You might want a marriage full of unanswered questions, a family whose hospitality feels increasingly threatening, or a place that offers shelter while hiding something dangerous. All three can make a satisfying October read, but they don’t deliver the same experience.

Rebecca, Mexican Gothic, and Starling House are useful starting points because each puts a newcomer close to a house with a troubling history. The difference is what draws her inside and where the story puts its attention. Here’s how to choose the one that fits your mood, with the major discoveries left for you.

The quick choice
- Choose Rebecca for psychological suspense, a difficult marriage, and the pressure of living up to someone else’s memory.
- Choose Mexican Gothic for a rescue mission that becomes supernatural horror, with a decaying mansion and an increasingly disturbing family.
- Choose Starling House for a contemporary fantasy with monsters, romance, and a heroine trying to build a better life for her brother.
If you only have room for one book this month, start with the kind of tension you enjoy. An uneasy conversation can do as much work as a frightening discovery, but you may prefer one over the other after a long day.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: for the anxiety of being an outsider

The unnamed young narrator of Rebecca marries the wealthy widower Maxim de Winter and arrives at Manderley, his estate in Cornwall. She hopes to begin a new life, but the house is still shaped by his first wife. Rebecca is dead, yet her name, possessions, and reputation make the new Mrs. de Winter feel as though she’s intruding on somebody else’s marriage. The publisher’s description introduces that central predicament without giving away its answers.

This is the choice for readers who find social discomfort compelling. The narrator has to navigate a household where other people understand the rules better than she does. Even ordinary questions about how to behave can carry the fear of getting something wrong. Her uncertainty gives the setting much of its power: Manderley is impressive, but being allowed to live there doesn’t automatically mean she feels welcome.

Go into this one interested in perspective. What does the narrator know, what has she been told, and what is she supplying from her own fears? Those are useful questions to keep in mind as you read. You don’t need to solve every mystery immediately. Letting an impression remain unsettled is part of the pleasure of a story built around someone’s powerful absence.

Rebecca is the strongest match here if you want suspense rooted in relationships and reputation. Its marriage plot gives you plenty to think about, but expecting a comforting love story would set you up for the wrong book. Pick it for the uneasy gap between the life the narrator imagined and the household she actually enters.

For a book-club conversation, consider who gets to define Rebecca for the newcomer. Different accounts of one person can reveal as much about the speakers as they do about their subject. If that question interests you more than discovering a literal monster, start here.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: for a visit that turns frightening

In Mexican Gothic, Noemí Taboada travels to High Place after receiving a worrying letter from her cousin Catalina. The setting is 1950s Mexico, and the isolated English mansion belongs to Catalina’s husband’s family. Noemí arrives with a specific reason to ask awkward questions. She wants to find out what’s happening to someone she cares about, even when her hosts would prefer her to accept their explanations.

Noemí’s background as a fashionable young socialite makes that confrontation especially interesting. She enters the house with habits and expectations of her own. Rather than treating her interest in parties or clothes as the whole of her personality, the premise gives her a problem that requires attention and persistence. The publisher’s synopsis offers a spoiler-light introduction to her visit and its increasingly strange atmosphere.

The house’s history also matters. Moreno-Garcia discusses British mining interests, colonialism, and ideas about racial superiority in her interview about the novel. That background gives the family’s control over its surroundings a broader significance. While reading, pay attention to who has money, who is believed, and whose choices the household tries to limit. Those questions help connect the unnerving domestic details to the book’s larger concerns.

Choose this one when you want the horror to become more physical and overtly supernatural. Its disturbing bodily imagery makes it a different proposition from simply spending time in a beautiful, gloomy house. If your ideal autumn book lets you enjoy unease without that kind of horror, Rebecca may be the better fit of these three.

The rescue premise gives you a clear reason to keep turning pages: Catalina needs help, and Noemí needs information. Resist looking up detailed explanations of the house before you start. Discovering how its separate oddities connect is more rewarding when you can follow Noemí’s investigation without knowing where it leads.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow: for fantasy, romance, and a complicated home

Starling House begins with practical worries as well as a mysterious building. Opal lives in Eden, Kentucky, and wants better opportunities for her younger brother, Jasper. When she gets the chance to work at the town’s notorious house, the money matters. So does the unexpected feeling that this strange place might offer something she’s been missing. The publisher’s page and opening excerpt establish her situation and the house’s connection to a vanished author.

That combination makes the book a good choice if you want a gothic setting with an emotional question at its center: what would it take to have a home? For Opal, security involves more than finding a roof. Her responsibilities to Jasper shape the possibilities she can consider. A tempting opportunity still has to be weighed against the life she’s trying to give him.

Expect fantasy to be part of the story’s machinery. Arthur, the house’s solitary heir, and the dangers surrounding the building belong to a novel where monsters are more than an atmospheric suggestion. There’s also a romance thread. If your reading mood calls for a relationship to develop alongside the mystery, this is the clearest match in the group.

The town deserves attention, too. Eden’s industrial past and the stories people tell about Starling House give you reasons to look beyond the property itself. As you read, notice which accounts are repeated confidently and whose experiences receive less attention. A frightening local legend can tell you something about the community that keeps passing it on.

Start here if you like resourceful characters facing both everyday pressures and extraordinary danger. The combination of sibling loyalty, work, money, and an unsettling place to belong gives you several reasons to care about Opal’s choices. If you would rather keep the focus on a marriage and the uncertainty of human motives, choose Rebecca first and save this for a more openly fantastical mood.

Pick the question you want to follow

You don’t need to read these in any particular order. For Rebecca, the compelling question is how a newcomer can understand a household dominated by the past. For Mexican Gothic, it’s whether a visitor can discover enough to help her cousin. For Starling House, it’s what a dangerous place might offer someone who needs a home.

Choose the question that keeps pulling at you, then give the opening chapters your attention. All three books reward curiosity about people as well as buildings. The house may draw you in, but the character’s reason for entering is what gives you a reason to stay.
October 15, 2026
Witchy Books for Fall: Found Family, Fresh Starts, and Cursed Romance

If you want a witchy book for fall, it helps to decide what you’re in the mood for: a house you’d love to move into, a heroine figuring out what comes next, or two exes who have to clean up a magical mess together. There’s room for all three on an autumn reading list, but they make different promises.

These picks keep the magic close to everyday life. Sangu Mandanna’s The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches starts with an unusual teaching job, while her A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping follows a witch whose plans have fallen apart. Erin Sterling’s The Ex Hex adds a fall festival and a reunion that goes spectacularly wrong. Here’s a closer look at the characters, the appeal of each premise, and which one might suit your next reading night.

For a found family: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Mika Moon has learned to keep her distance. She hides her magic, avoids drawing attention, and moves through life without putting down many roots. Her small rebellion is posting videos in which she pretends to be a witch. She assumes nobody will recognize the real thing. Then someone does, and an invitation arrives: come to Nowhere House and teach three young witches how to manage their powers.

That setup gives Mika a lovely dilemma. The very thing she’s spent her life concealing is what this household needs from her. Around the children are several protective adults, including Jamie, a librarian who’s suspicious of the newcomer. The publisher’s introduction to the story promises romance as well as a family Mika may finally be able to join.

The reason to put this book first is Mika herself. Someone who’s used to leaving has to consider what it would mean to stay. If you enjoy stories about slowly letting other people into your life, that’s a stronger draw than the spells alone. Jamie’s caution also gives the romance something to work through: welcoming Mika means trusting her with people he already loves.

For a reading group, Mika’s habit of keeping her life temporary offers plenty to discuss. When does independence become loneliness? What makes accepting help difficult? Those questions follow naturally from her circumstances, and the publisher’s reading guide explores her changing relationship with home. Save the full guide until afterward if you’d rather avoid spoilers.

Start here if you want the pleasure of getting to know a whole household. The children and their guardians give you several relationships to care about alongside the love story. If your main wish is a romance built around unfinished business between exes, keep reading: Vivi and Rhys have quite a problem waiting for them.

Find The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches on Textbook Nova.

For a fresh start: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping

Sera Swan once had extraordinary magical powers and a future to match. After resurrecting her great-aunt Jasmine, she loses most of that magic and is expelled from her Guild. Now she helps Jasmine run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, sharing her days with unusual guests and a talking fox. She has people around her, but she still misses the life she expected to have.

An old spell offers a possible way to recover her powers. Luke Larsen, a reserved magical historian who arrives at the inn, may know how to help. Sera has a practical reason to seek him out before romance enters the picture. You can read more about their predicament in the publisher’s book description.

What makes Sera interesting is how much she has tied her worth to her ability. Losing her magic leaves her trying to work out who she is without it. The reading guide specifically explores that connection between talent and self-worth. It’s an appealing theme if you’ve ever changed your major, abandoned a career plan, or wondered whether you still count as successful when your goals change.

That’s also the useful distinction between Mandanna’s two heroines. Mika is deciding whether she can make a home with other people. Sera already has an inn to help run, but she’s struggling to value the life she has there. You might be drawn to both stories for the found family, yet Sera’s disappointment gives this one a different starting point.

Choose Magical Innkeeping when you want a fresh-start story with romance and an eccentric household. An inn is an inviting setting for that combination: work, visitors and personal troubles all share the same space. It also makes a good pick to carry into the colder months; Luke’s arrival takes place on a winter evening. You don’t need to save every witch book for October.

Find A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping on Textbook Nova.

For a cursed second-chance romance: The Ex Hex

Vivi Jones cursed Rhys Penhallow after he broke her heart. Nine years later, he returns to Graves Glen to recharge the town’s ley lines and attend its annual fall festival. Unfortunately, the hex Vivi once thought harmless begins causing real trouble. Soon the consequences reach beyond Rhys, and the pair must work together to protect the town.

The publisher describes a romantic comedy with supernatural chaos, including dangerous wind-up toys and a furious ghost. The attraction between Vivi and Rhys complicates an already awkward assignment. Having to cooperate with an ex is one thing; having to break a curse you put on him makes the reunion considerably messier.

This is the most obvious choice for a fall-festival mood. It’s also the one to start with if the romantic setup is what catches your attention first. The useful question is whether you enjoy second chances: do you want to watch two people revisit an old relationship, or would you rather meet a couple who are getting to know each other for the first time?

Think about what usually makes a reunion romance work for you. Some readers love the familiarity between characters who share a past. Others want convincing reasons to believe things could be different now. Keep your own preference in mind when you try the opening pages. A premise can be exactly your kind of fun while the couple’s dynamic determines whether you want to keep going.

Find The Ex Hex on Textbook Nova.

How to choose your first witchy read

If two of these sound equally appealing, try a sample of each before making a decision. Give yourself enough pages to meet the main character, rather than judging only the opening line. Notice whose company you enjoy and which problem you want to see resolved. You might love the idea of a magical inn but discover that Mika’s invitation is the story you’re most curious about tonight.

For a book club, ask everyone what they most want to talk about. Finding a home, rebuilding after a disappointment, and giving an old relationship another chance will lead to different conversations. Agreeing on that interest is often more useful than asking everyone to vote on a cover. Let members suggest a discussion question as they read, then compare what caught each person’s attention.

And leave yourself room to change your mind. A seasonal reading list is a place to collect possibilities, not a deadline. Pick the book you want now and keep the others for later. If you’re craving secretive campuses and academic rivalries instead, our dark academia starting guide has three more books to explore.

October 8, 2026
All Systems Red or A Psalm for the Wild-Built? Choose Your Next Sci-Fi Read
Some evenings you want a book that gives you a reason to keep turning pages. Other evenings, you’d rather slow down and spend time with a couple of interesting characters. If you’re choosing between All Systems Red and A Psalm for the Wild-Built, that difference is a good place to start.

Both are short science-fiction books with memorable nonhuman characters, and both introduce a series. But sharing a shelf doesn’t make them interchangeable. Martha Wells gives a reluctant security unit a dangerous assignment. Becky Chambers brings a tea monk and a robot together for a quieter journey. Here’s what to consider before deciding which one belongs on your nightstand.

A quick way to choose
- Start with All Systems Red if a security mission, a sharp voice, and a character who would rather be left alone sound appealing.
- Start with A Psalm for the Wild-Built if you’re in the mood for conversation, curiosity, and questions about what makes life satisfying.
You don’t have to decide which sounds like the better book in some permanent, all-purpose way. Think about what you’d enjoy reading tonight. You can be drawn to both premises and still want very different things from them.

All Systems Red: for when you want something to happen

In All Systems Red by Martha Wells, a self-aware security unit has secretly disabled its controlling governor module. It calls itself Murderbot and accompanies a team of scientists on a planetary survey. Its wish for some distance from humans runs up against the demands of keeping them safe.

That tension gives you a clear reason to try the book: the character’s preferences and responsibilities pull in different directions. If a capable but reluctant protector is your kind of protagonist, this is the premise to sample first. You have a mission to follow as well as a character to get curious about.

It’s also worth taking the danger seriously when choosing your evening read. A short book isn’t automatically a gentle one. If you’re specifically looking for a break from violence and threats, the Chambers book is the more promising starting point.

Starting the series: All Systems Red is the first Murderbot novella. Try that individual title before buying a collection. Wells’s official series page identifies the books, so you can check what you’re looking at when a listing offers several volumes together.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built: for when you’d rather linger

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers follows a tea monk who meets a robot with a question about what people need. The premise leaves space for conversation and reflection, rather than asking you to brace for the next threat.

Try this one if the idea of those two characters talking already makes you want to open the book. You might be more interested in following a question than solving a crisis, especially after a day when everything else has demanded an immediate answer.

The same quality may be a reason to pick something else. If you tend to grow restless when a story pauses to think, a gentle premise alone may not win you over. Give the sample a fair chance, but pay attention to whether you’re enjoying the pace or waiting for it to change.

Starting the series: this is the opening Monk & Robot book. The publisher offers an excerpt, so you can try the prose before borrowing or buying a copy.

Three things to notice when you try a sample

A description can tell you the setup. A few pages can tell you whether you want to spend time there. Rather than using a sample to hunt for proof that a book is “good,” notice your own response.
1. Are you interested in the voice? You don’t need to agree with a character or find them immediately lovable. Being curious about what they’ll say or do next is enough.
2. Does the pace suit your mood? If you’re hoping for momentum, notice whether you’re eager to continue. If you want a slower evening, notice whether you enjoy staying with the conversation.
3. Would you pick it up again tomorrow? That’s a more useful question than whether you could force yourself to finish it in a weekend.
Don’t set a deadline just because either book is short. Reading speed varies, and a novella can be something you settle into over several evenings. Choose the format and pace that make you want to come back.

Before you borrow or buy

Look for the exact title and author, then check the format. Search results can mix individual books with bundles, audio editions, and reading guides. If you’re only trying the first book, make sure the listing matches that plan. The linked TextbookNova pages above give you a place to begin that comparison.

If you prefer borrowing, search your library’s catalog for the title and author. Check its available formats rather than assuming the print, ebook, and audiobook options will be the same. Availability will depend on your library.

And if neither of these premises appeals, you haven’t ruled out science fiction. Browse more science-fiction books on TextbookNova and follow the character, setting, or question that catches your attention.

Which one would we start with?

For an evening when you want a mission to pull you along, we’d point you toward All Systems Red. For one where you want room to think, we’d try A Psalm for the Wild-Built. Read a little, see whether the voice holds your attention, and let that decide what comes next.
October 6, 2026

Dark Academia Books: Where to Start with The Secret History, If We Were Villains, and Babel

A campus novel can make you want to disappear into a library—or feel relieved that your own classmates are merely annoying. Dark academia often does both. Its appeal lies in the collision between the things we want from education—knowledge, friendship, a place to belong—and the damage people can do in pursuit of them.

If you want to try dark academia books, start with the kind of story you already enjoy. These three novels offer different entrances: a classics circle, a theater conservatory, and an Oxford where translation carries extraordinary power. Here is how to choose, without spoiling the endings.

What makes a book dark academia?

Dark academia connects intellectual life with danger. A school or university gives the characters a shared world; ambition, exclusion, secrecy, or obsession put that world under pressure. The subject they study matters, too. Literature, theater, and language shape what these characters value and how they understand each other.

The label covers different kinds of fiction. You can find realistic stories as well as fantasy, and a beautiful campus does not promise a comforting read. Think of it as a useful way to explore your reading interests, rather than a strict checklist every novel must satisfy.

Choose your starting point

If you are drawn to…	Start with…	The academic world
Intellectual obsession and a tightly closed social circle	The Secret History	Classics at a New England college
Theater, shifting loyalties, and a mystery	If We Were Villains	A Shakespeare-focused conservatory
Historical fantasy and questions about language and power	Babel	Oxford’s fictional Royal Institute of Translation

The Secret History: for the pull of an exclusive circle

Cover of The Secret History by Donna Tartt

In The Secret History, Donna Tartt brings together a group of classics students at a New England college under the influence of a charismatic professor. Their intellectual pursuits lead them toward increasingly dangerous ideas about what they can justify.

This is the starting point we would suggest if the social side of academic life interests you: who gets welcomed into a group, what makes that group seem special, and what belonging might cost. The attraction is the tension between admiration and unease. You can be curious about these students without wanting to become one of them.

Choose it for: a literary campus story centered on obsession and moral boundaries.

If We Were Villains: for theater and divided loyalties

Cover of If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio follows seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory. As their final year unfolds, rivalry turns violent, and the roles they play become entangled with their lives away from the stage.

The story is framed by Oliver Marks’s release from prison and a detective’s desire to learn what happened. That gives you a clear reason to keep questioning the group’s relationships. If you have ever spent a semester working intensely with the same small set of people, the setting offers an especially interesting premise—taken to a much darker extreme.

Choose it for: performance, friendship, and the question of whom to trust. Expect Shakespeare to be central to the experience.

Babel: for language, fantasy, and institutional power

In Babel, R. F. Kuang imagines an Oxford where the Royal Institute of Translation sits at the center of imperial power. Robin Swift’s place in that world brings the promise of scholarship into conflict with the violence of colonialism.

We would choose this one if you want the university itself to be part of the argument. The premise invites you to consider who benefits from knowledge, whose work supports prestigious institutions, and what resistance might demand. It also gives fantasy readers a way into dark academia through an imagined history.

Choose it for: a story that connects language and education with larger questions about empire.

Pick one that fits your reading mood

You do not need to read these in a particular order. Start with the subject that makes you curious: classics, Shakespeare, or translation. If a sample catches your attention, that is a better reason to continue than feeling you ought to finish a popular book.

For a book-club conversation, try one question across all three: what does this institution offer its students, and what does it ask them to accept in return?

When you are ready to branch out, browse TextbookNova’s dark academia collection. Check individual descriptions as you go: books sharing this label can differ substantially in subject, tone, and intensity.

September 28, 2026

10 Best Books For Father’s Day 2021

Father’s Day’s coming up, and you’re wondering what I should get that special man? Check out our list of the best books for Father’s Day!

If you buy him a book, he’ll be overjoyed—and I think there’s nothing more considerate than a Father’s Day book.

Like the finest Fathers, the finest father’s day books will rely on what your favourite father enjoys most in life.

Giving books as a gift to dad is terrific!

Not only because it allows even the most seasoned father to discover new worlds. But also because he can learn more about his favourite hobby, or be entertained by a colourful cast of characters.

If your dad is a big reader, you’re in luck because this blog post will outline 10 of the best books of 2021 to give your Dad this Father’s Day.

Look Big By Rachel Levin

This handbook to interactions with 50 different animals is essential for dads who enjoy camping and being outside.

Journalist Levin offers well-researched information in Look Big for surviving encounters with wild creatures like coyotes, bears, and moose.

As well as helpful ideas, tales, and charts for coping with smaller animals such as bees and skunks.

The Phantom Atlas By Edward Brooke-Hitching

If your father likes to impress his dinner guests with obscure historical information, he’ll sure enjoy The Phantom Atlas.

Each page is filled with reproductions of historical maps that emphasize errors committed on those maps. Such as early mapmakers’ mishaps and cartographers’ purposeful lies intended to deceive the map reader.

He’ll be sure to uncover a new story to surprise everyone at the next family gathering with magnificent photos and intriguing historical anecdotes from civilization’s past.

1,000 Record Covers By Michael Ochs

This anthology of album art will captivate any dads out there who still have a record collection somewhere in the house.

Michael Ochs is a well-known music archivist and rock photographer. In this book, he has chosen the best album covers from his vast private collection to display throughout the book.

1,000 Record Covers, takes readers on a journey through the growth of rock music from the 1960s through to the 1990s.

Dead Wake By Erik Larson

The story of the Lusitania, a luxury ocean liner that we once considered the world’s fastest cruise ship during WWI, is examined and retold in this New York Times bestseller.

In May 1915, the ship sank, carrying a record number of newborns and children.

Larson’s meticulously researched tale, Dead Wake, tries to resolve many of the lingering mysteries about the accident.

Perfect for dads who are into historically based mystery books!

To Me, He Was Just Dad: Stories of Growing Up with Famous Fathers By Joshua David Stein

This book includes a collection of stories about legendary father figures. Such as John Wayne, John Lennon, Bruce Lee, Christopher Reeve, and Miles Davis. It also includes many anecdotes of the lives of the editors of the infamous dad website known as Fatherly.

For a refreshing, emotional take on parenthood, the forty first-person narratives in To Me He Was Just Dad expose a very different perspective of the famous individuals you think you know.

Greenlights By Matthew McConaughey

Actor Matthew McConaughey tackles what he calls “catching greenlights” in this renowned memoir. The emotional effect of learning how to deal with life’s adversities to realize success.

If your dad is a movie buff, Greenlights is the perfect book to add to his collection of books, DVDs, and VHS tapes!

24: Life Stories And Lessons from The Say Hey Kid By Willie Mays and John Shea

Willie Mays is widely recognized as baseball’s finest all-around player due to his unmatched hitting, defence, and base-running skills. Here, he shares the inspirations and influences that he credits with guiding him on and off the field in his inspirational biography.

For the sport fanatics out there, 24: Life Stories And Lessons From The Say Hey Kid is the perfect gift for this Father’s Day!

American Sherlock By Kate Winkler Dawson

The actual narrative of the genesis of the modern criminal justice system is told in American Sherlock.

Edward Oscar Heinrich became America’s first forensic scientist in 1993. He was dubbed the “American Sherlock Holmes” because of his superhuman ability to notice clues and solve puzzles.

Heinrich was the driving force behind the development of several forensic instruments used by police today. In essence, forever altering the direction of criminal investigations in the United States and the world.

Let Love Have the Last Word: A Memoir By Common

In Let Love Have the Last Word, Common, a Grammy Award, Academy Award, and Golden Globe-winning musician, actor, and activist, opens his heart, exploring a range of topics with tremendous honesty.

These include faith and family to trauma and abuse, all the while expressing his core belief. That love and mindfulness, through our actions and words, can help us to heal our hearts and communities.

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life… And Maybe The World By Admiral William H. McRaven

Make Your Bed is based on a Navy SEAL’s 2014 University of Texas at Austin commencement speech. It is jam-packed with significant life lessons that begin with a simple premise: changing the world starts with making your bed.

McRaven discussed ten concepts he learned from his Navy Seal training at the graduation ceremony. Which he later put into effect when conquering problems not just in his Navy career but also in his personal life.

With more than 10 million views on the platform YouTube, the speech went viral.

The admiral expands on his remarks in this book, full of humility, hope, wisdom, practical guidance, and encouraging words.

June 20, 2021
4 Fictional Book Characters You’d Want to Be Best Friends With (And The Ones to Avoid)

If you could be best pals with a fictional character, who would it be?

We love exploring the world of the fiction books. And if you’re a fellow bookworm, you know what it’s like to get attached to your favorite characters.

Naturally, we’re drawn to the characters we can relate to the most. Their stories comfort us. We get a glimpse into their innermost thoughts—which is something we could only dream of in real life.

Today, we’re sharing the fictional characters you’d want to be best friends with (plus, one group of people you’d definitely want to avoid). Let’s dig in.

Circle of Friends by Maeve Blinchy

Benny Hogan from Circle of Friends is our favorite fictional bestie. Circle of Friends begins with Benny and Eve’s friendship as schoolgirls, and follows them through university.

Through new friends, first love and family tragedy, the two remain devoted to each other—cracking each other up under pressure. Honestly, certain parts of the novel are slightly dated now because it’s set in 1950’s Ireland. For example, teenage Benny is courted by her father’s sketchy, much-older apprentice. And while he’s definitely meant to be a creep in the book, a grown man planning to marry a teenage girl is gross on another level (sixty years later).

Still, lasting, supportive friendship is never dated. The movie version is a pretty pale imitation of the novel, but we’d still be friends with film Benny too.

Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman

Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman tells the story of large and small dramas in a tiny neighborhood of interlocking families and friends. There are a lot of awesome friendships in this ensemble novel, but Frances Bloom is the one we’d choose for our bestie.

Calm without ever being unsupportive, reliable, and so comfortable in herself, Frances would be a perfect friend. We would absolutely invite ourselves over for tea with Frances. (But we’d ring the bell and wait to be invited in… we learned that much from reading the book.)

The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes

Author Jojo Moyes is most famous for Me Before You… but her earlier novel, The Ship of Brides is a hidden gem. At the end of World War II, Australian brides are being shipped to the UK where their new British husbands await them. Four very different girls are assigned to share a room on an aircraft carrier-turned-women-carrier, and most of the novel takes place on their
journey.

And let’s be honest, it’s not even really Maggie’s story. Her roommates Avis, Jo, and Frances have much wilder arcs and much more shocking reversals than staid Mags. An Outback girl, Maggie struggles to adjust to the separation from everything she’s known, limited quarters after open spaces, and the new constraints of her growing pregnancy.

Still, Maggie’s the one we want to befriend. With her good humor and hard work, we just know she’s going to manage post-war rationing and new British in-laws just fine.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Elizabeth Bennett from Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice would definitely make an A+ pal. Jane is just too nice, right? It would be nearly impossible to be friends with someone so determined to see the good in everyone and everything.

But one thing’s for sure—sensible and snarky Lizzie would keep us entertained at boring events. Not to mention, we’re pretty sure she’d be great at deconstructing the evening in carriage home too. Lizzie doesn’t use her wit cruelly, even if she could definitely say some things about Charlotte’s choice of husband. Or Lydia’s disaster romance.

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

Finally, the fictional characters we’d NEVER want to be friends with: literally any of the college pals from Lucy Foley’s mystery novel The Hunting Party.

This crowd of former friends should limit their interactions to the occasional Facebook like, not pretend they’re still super-close and take trips to the deserted highlands together. Okay, fine, so this is a murder mystery… but let’s not let that one person’s murderous impulses distract from the fact that all of these “friends” are awful humans.

What do you think? Which fictional characters would you want to hang out with?

November 7, 2019
8 Funny Books That Are Guaranteed to Make You Smile

Of course, we have room for sweeping epics and heart-wrenching dramas. But we also love books that just make us smile. Need a laugh? Keep reading to discover some of our favorite funny books:

1. Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce

In A J Pearce’s novel, Dear Mrs. Bird, the plot gets rolling with a goofy misunderstanding. Young Emmy Lake tries to become a war correspondent in WWII London, but ends up getting a job assisting on an advice column.

Assisting Mrs. Bird means opening her mail, and throwing away anything with “inappropriate” content. This ensues that only the blandest, mildest queries are read by Mrs. Bird and publicly answered in the women’s magazine. As Emmy starts to read–and secretly answer some of the rejected letters–warm laughs will follow.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by FC Yee

In the Chinese-American YA adventure, The Epic Crush of Genie Lo, author FC Yee blends college prep, teen angst, overbearing relatives, and mythological battles for a rollicking adventure.

High-school student Genie and her annoying new classmate Quentin find themselves with surprising alternate identities. Suddenly, they’re battling ancient supernatural enemies. The blend of myth and high school makes for a funny, entertaining read.

A Short History of Drunkenness by Mark Forsyth

Want a non-fiction laugh? This one’s for you. A Short History of Drunkenness will take readers through alcohol enjoyment, use, and overuse in different civilizations throughout the world.

Not only will you connect with drinkers from all walks of life… you’ll get a kick out of the history behind many drinking customs in this readable, hilarious drunken history.

My Not-So-Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

For likeable heroines falling into and out of ridiculous situations, try a Sophie Kinsella novel. Everyone knows the Shopaholic series, but have you tried My Not-So-Perfect Life?

In this novel, our protagonist Emily’s main hobby is cleverly faking Instagram photos to seem more successful and stylish online. And in Twenties Girl, our heroine finds herself hearing from the spirit of her great-aunt, who gives fashion advice and makes ghostly demands.

Surprise Me, a newer novel about a long-married couple trying to inject more passion and spontaneity into their lives, has plenty of silly situations. Sure, the road to the neat happily-ever-afters can feel a bit predictable, but sometimes an uplifting ending can be another reason to smile.

Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman

Abbi Waxman’s ensemble novel Other People’s Houses tells the story of four interconnected neighboring families. Blending big and small secrets with daily family life, the story gets moving when an affair (and the accidental, ridiculous discovery of that affair) causes ripples through the neighborhood.

With laugh-inducing interior monologues, silly situations, and messy relationships–there are plenty of giggles. But there are also moving moments of friendship and family.

Evergreen Tidings From The Baumgarnters by Gretchen Anthony

It may be a bit early for the Christmas themes in Evergreen Tidings From The Baumgarnters, but there are some real laughs in this family drama about keeping up appearances in a decidedly imperfect family.

Self-important, appearance-obsessed, well-meaning meddler Violet Baumgartner is a hilarious character, and at times it’s hard to tell if we’re laughing at or laughing with her.

What about you? What books always make you laugh? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you.

July 8, 2019
7 Best Summer Beach Reads to Take on Your Next Vacation

It’s time for a break, right?

Summer is finally here. Whether you’re headed to the beach, relaxing by the poolside, or hanging out in your background—nothing beats relaxing with a captivating beach read.

Stay tuned to find your next beach read, as we share our favorite summer fiction novels of 2019!

Honolulu by Alan Brennert

A wild adventure or engrossing family saga is just what we want in a summer read, isn’t it? Alan Brennert’s Honolulu blends both with the story of Korean picture-bride Jin’s life in Hawaii.

The ups and down of her years in Hawaii—combined with the lush setting of old Honolulu—make this novel perfect escapism for your summer reading list. Plus, if your summer vacation is more kiddie pool than tropical island? You’ll enjoy the scenes of Hawaiian life.

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Kristin Hannah’s absorbing tales of female friendship are perfect for relaxing summer days. Firefly Lane spans years of friendship between Tully and Kate, and shows how their friendship evolves as they take very different paths.

Between Sisters is another engrossing, character driven story from this author. Both novels invite readers to meet realistic and complex characters.

And the best part?

They deliver satisfying conclusions to make them solid beach reads.

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner’s latest novel, Mrs. Everything, introduces two very different sisters and develops both of them as full, complex characters.

The story follows Bethie and Jo from when they’re teenagers in Detroit in the fifties through grandchildren today. It’s almost a family saga, with scenes showing the sisters’ mom and grandmother, and setting the girls on their paths.

But it’s also a slice-of-life novel, covering decades. Experience another time with these vibrant, multi-faceted characters.

Sarong Party Girls by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

The girls in Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan’s Sarong Party Girls make plans to land rich, foreign husbands, before they’re on the shelf by their late twenties.

Narrator Jazeline will pull you in with her Singlish banter as she describes nights out, friendships, and schemes… but she also reveals the a darker side of life for Singaporean women.

This novel is great fun, with a distant, lively setting and an unforgettable heroine, but also points to dark systems of privilege and entitlement. You’ll think about Jazzy and her friends long after finishing the book!

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Another memorable heroine for your summer reading list is Queenie, by Candice Carty-Williams.

When we first meet her, Jamaican-British Queenie is facing a breakup, work stress, an overbearing (but well meaning) family. Not to mention, the depressing gentrification of the old neighborhood.

The novel pops with clever—but realistic—dialogue, including some scenes of group texts (which usually feel like lazy writing, but work so well here to develop relationships and advance the storyline).

Carty-Williams brings readers to care for Queenie even when she does self-destructive things, and we can’t help but cheer her on.

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

Sometimes a chilling suspense novel pairs well with summer sun. So, try Ruth Ware’s The Lying Game. In this novel, old school friends revisit decades-old secrets, with layers of lies, half-truths and suspicions.

We know The Woman In Cabin 10 is getting more spotlight, but personally thought The Lying Game had the same brilliant suspense. Not only that, The Lying Game had more developed characters, fuller interpersonal relationships, and an even twistier story.

June 6, 2019
What Newly Released Books Are Trending in 2019? Don’t Miss This Must-Read Novel!

Lining up your next summer read? Lisa See’s newest novel, The Island of Sea Women, is a sweeping saga of friendship and family loyalty. Not to mention, it’s one of our favorite new releases.

So what’s it all about?

If you’re familiar with the bestselling New York Times author, See’s previous novels take place in China or in Chinese communities in the US. But The Island of Sea Women is set on Korea’s Jeju Island.

Like her other novels, though, See explores complex connections and loyalties between friends—and the bond between mothers and daughters.

On Jeju Island, women divers, called haenyeo, were their families’ primary earners. Older haenyeo teach the young girls to freedive, harvest shellfish, catch sealife, and survive in the changeable ocean.

The imaginative setting here is completely engaging. As a reader, you’ll be introduced to a unique Jeju lifestyle of specific skills and customs… and a dangerously appealing undersea world. The haenyeo survive in difficult times by relying on their community, their skills, and the sea’s resources.

Throughout the book, we return to this theme of hardworking women, gaining personal agency, and family security in challenging times.

Let’s talk about the characters. When the story begins, Young-sook, and her friend Mi-ja, are some of the youngest trainees. Beyond that, the story follows their relationship for decades.

Young-sook is the daughter of a skilled diver. When her mother agrees to take Mi-Ja into their collective and train her as well, it seems like they’ll work side-by-side. Just as previous generations of Jeju women have done.

But the Japanese occupation of Korea disrupts their lives and relationships on Jeju. As Japanese-Korean relationships twist and turn, having family connections to the occupiers is alternately a blessing and a curse.

The novel shows how Mi-ja tries to navigate her family background and then her husband’s background in a shifting political situation.

Without giving any spoilers, the novel tells of historically accurate, but brutal exploitation.

What’s more, you’ll learn about a horrific conflict between Japanese soldiers and starving Korean civilians. The war changes the patterns of Korean life—for both women—long after the conflict is over.

As always, Lisa See introduces vibrant, complex characters, with ties of loyalty and friends. What makes this novel such a page-turner is how See’s story introduces them into situations without clear solutions.

All in all, readers will enjoy seeing Mi-ja and Young-sook evolve over decades and generations. Click here to check out the book!

May 14, 2019
5 Famous Memoir Books Worth Reading (At Least Once)

Why should we read memoirs in the first place?

Because they connect us. Hearing the true experiences of people and cultures–many are vastly different from what we know in our lives–broadens our perspective.

Memoirs are gritty, messy, and don’t always come with a happy ending. But they can help us understand each other better. Here are five memoirs to check out the next time you need to flip your outlook on life.

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

This is the autobiography of Malala Yousafzi, and what happened after her hometown of Swat Valley, Pakistan, was taken over by the Taliban. The youngest person to ever win a Nobel Peace Prize, Malala risked her life for the right to be educated.

She was shot in the head at point-blank range by a terrorist on her way home from school one afternoon. No one expected the 15-year old to survive the brain injuries sustained from the attack. Malala’s story is eye-opening but full of hope and insight.

The Year of Less by Cait Flanders

What happens when one twenty-something woman decides to stop shopping for an entire year? This is the story of Cait Flanders, who threw out half of her belongings and vowed to quit spending money for 12 months.

During this year-long challenge, Cait discovers what creating a meaningful life is really about. She runs into lessons about toxic relationships, the cycle of Netflix binges, and finding joy in our careers.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), by Mindy Kaling

Looking for a book you can’t put down? Mindy Kaling’s memoir is full of laughs and authenticity. Her charismatic story makes you feel like you’re sitting down with an old friend, no matter what age you are.

Even if you don’t know of Mindy’s work or you’re not a fan of her tv shows, this book is worth a read. She tells things like it is, with an inconvenient (but relatable) tendency to blurt out whatever is on her mind at any given moment.

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

Jesmyn Ward’s intensely personal story of race, poverty, and growing up in rural Mississippi is unforgettable. She wrote this memoir while grieving the death of five men in her life in less than five years.

She weaves the stories of this five men in between her own. The result is raw, heartbreaking, and more timely than ever during the Black Lives Matter movement.

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

December 26, 2004, would change Sonali’s life forever. That’s when Sri Lanka was struck by an earthquake and tsunami so devastating, it’s still named one of the top-ten deadliest natural disasters in history.

This memoir is not an easy read by any means. It’s downright painful to get through many parts of the book. Sonali lost her parents, her husbands, and her two children in the tsunami. Somehow, she survived.

November 9, 2018