BOOK CLUB COLUMN
short book recommendations just for you! 

Are you feeling romantic and want to feel the love through words? 

Love is a topic that usually takes center stage when it comes to art and entertainment, and literature is no exception. From classics such as Romeo and Juliet to new releases such as Under the Same Star, romance has been a key part of literature for a long time. Personally, I’m not much of a romantic person, but that doesn’t take away the fact that I might enjoy a good romance book that breaks the mold in some way or another. Such is the case with Love & Gelato written by Jenna Evans Welch. This book follows the story of a teen girl named Lina, who, after her mother’s tragic passing due to cancer, moves to Italy with one of her mom’s old friends from when she was studying photography. There, she starts uncovering her mother’s mysterious past through an old journal she used to write in when she was studying in Venice. The stories Lina finds lead her on a quest to find her long-lost father, whom she knows nothing about. Throughout these adventures, she is accompanied by her friend Ren. What is special for me about this book is the nature in which it is written. The style is easy to read and follow. The story is incredibly immersive and interesting, and the romance is not the typical clichéd meet-cute that is always expected. If you enjoy reading books with a kind of mystery storyline that also includes romance and is easy to read, this is the book for you. 

 

Want to give your brain a challenge? Here are some of the best mystery books you can read! 

We all know that Agatha Christie’s books are the classic, trustworthy go-tos when it comes to the extremely interesting mystery genre, but there are still so many other options that bring incredible things to the table and that are just as interesting and engaging to read as Christie’s books. One of my favorite books that outsmarts the reader time and time again as the pages progress, is If We Were Villains. The story centers around a murder mystery concerning Oliver Marks, the main character, and his group of friends in a fictional Dellecher Shakespeare conservatory. What makes this book different from other murder mysteries is the way it introduces the unexpected and the integration of Shakespeare quotes and drama found on and off the stage, since the story takes place in an acting school. Moreover, the ending is completely unexpected and outsmarts the expectations of the reader while also leaving it open-ended, captivating you even after you have closed the book. 

 

Do you like adventure with a little bit of fiction sprinkled in? Here is one of the best Sci-Fi books you can read!

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, written by Douglas Adams (yes, I know, a bit of a mouthful in terms of a name, but bear with me) is one of the best and most entertaining sci-fi books I’ve ever read. As is expected from a book categorized in the genre of science fiction, The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy offers everything. It has an interesting and entertaining story that follows a group of characters’ wacky adventures across the galaxy, which integrates the fictional aspect of science-fiction. What I find interesting about this book is the way it differentiates itself from others. The way it is written brings much needed comedic relief from the interactions between characters, and the story in itself is incredibly organic because it feels like there is no exact mission or purpose for the characters to follow and yet the adventures they go unto are amazingly imaginative and unexpected. Moreover, the ending leaves you with more questions than answers, meaning that you as a reader have the opportunity to infer what the meaning of the universe really is. In short, what I like about this book is how it breaks the mold in the way science-fiction books are expected to be written due to its imaginative nature, integration of the universe as a different setting, the smart-witted ending, and the pin point comedy that brings laughter on each page. 

 

Is reading the way you learn new things about life? Here is the best coming of age book you can read!

Life is hard and we all hit a point  where we don’t know what to do. Well, literature can help take some weight off of your shoulders, and who knows, maybe teach you a thing or two about life and happiness. This is the case for books that fall into the genre of Coming of Age, in which a character or group of characters go through a life experience that then leads to new understandings of what was before unknown and growth where before there was stillness. Portraying a strong and interesting message is a challenge, and for me, the best coming of age book I’ve read is “Something Like Happy” by Eva Woods, in which our main character, blabla, deals with the heartbreaking sadness of sudden loss and learns how to be happy once again by following a series of challenges placed by a terminally ill friend, blabla, that supposedly lead to happiness. What, for me, makes this book special is the unique way in which it is written and the way it handles the idea of loss and grief. Each chapter is a recount of the 100 days challenge towards happiness established by blabla, in which each new day brings a new adventure full of new learning experiences for blabla. Dealing with personal loss myself I feel personally related to the way sadness is touched upon because it shows no mask and hides none of the emotions and thoughts of our main character. Because of all of this, I REALLY recommend you read this book if you’re looking for something fresh, emotional, and engaging.