All The Bright Places - Jennifer Niven
"the story of a girl who learns to live from a boy who wants to die"
Theodore Finch meets Violet Merky at the last place you'd expect to make friends: at the top of the school's bell tower, about to jump off. Unclear who saves whom, they descend.
Finch is the weirdo, no one pays much attention to what he does. His dad is a jerk, his step-brother a conceited brat and his mother fairly absent.
Violet is the well rounded, popular girl. Last winter, she and her sister were involved in a car accident and she was the only survivor. She hasn't sat in a car since.
When their geography teacher sets the task to "discover Indiana, our beautiful State" in pairs, they team up again.
This gorgeous, earth-shattering story is full of heartbreak and an absolute must! Niven's characters are beautifully written and engaging, they are truly "all the colours in one, at full brightness". Niven was inspired to write these stories by the traumatic experience of losing her first love to suicide as a teenager. It is autobiographic and yet fiction. No bookshelf is complete without it.
Anna Karenina - Leov Tolstoy
Tolstoy's writing is marvellously rich and detailed. The book showcases life as members of 18th century Russia and invites the reader, not to judge, but observe the story unfold. It discusses different points of view about society and philosophy, all the while remaining an engaging love story. Though romance is to narrow a genre for this masterpiece.
It is a compelling story about the passage of time, duty, happiness and self-reflection.
Though the book carries her name, it is not so much about her, as it is about the idea of her, the consequences of her being. Young Anna was married off to a man 20 years her senior. Her husband, Alexey, is dull, boring and lacks passion. When she met Levin Vronsky, a very outspoken count who prefers the countryside to the "vain, presumptuous" capital, she quickly falls for him. Naturally, adultery was strongly frowned upon at that time, not that she cared, and Alexey refused to divorce her.
I would explain more, but this book is so precious to me and I really wouldn't want to spoil it for you. Just read it, honestly, it's amazing.
Anna Dressed in Blood (duology) - Kendare Blake
"You fuck- you ate my cat!"
I don't have a favourite author, that's just not how I pick books, but Kendare Blake is the one author I always look for when I'm in a bookshop.
Anna Dressed in Blood is a horror story, but worry not! It is more fantasy and supernatural than actual horror. If you enjoy Supernatural (the show), you will definitely love this.
Cas Lowood is, by lineage, a ghost hunter. His job is to rid places of the supernatural creatures who haunt them.
And then he met Anna Korlov.
Anna is the local ghost, there are thousands of stories about her and the main dare, be it for an initiation into a club or just a mere truth or dare game, includes entering the abandoned house she died in. She has killed every single trespasser.
The Girl Before - J.P Delaney
This psychological thriller is unbelievable, I read it in one go. Absolutely genius.
Emma loves Simon, Emma suffered a horrible incident, Simon would do anything for Emma.
After the traumatic incident at their apartment, Emma no longer feels safe at home, so she and Simon decide to look for a fresh start. When they find One Folgate Street, she knows right away, this is it. And then they meet the architect.
Jane is a young journalist. Jane had a miscarriage. Jane is looking for a fresh start.
When she finds One Folgate Street, she knows right away, this is it.
One Folgate Street is a house like no other, it is snow white, not even the furniture has colour, impeccable, and therefore require its inhabitants to be equally flawless. Or at the very least, that they be willing to work on themselves in order to be worthy of it.
Jane, amidst lies and confusion, unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror as the girl before.
I hope you like these books! Do you have any other recommendations? Let me know in the comments!
yours truly,
Mia
Comments