Heyo! So, I know I'm not really the chatty type (I still need to get back to a few people on rp replies) but I figured this could be fun and might help me get through this little mind funk I'm in (just haven't really found the patience or energy to get to writing lately) Anyways, here's the thing I wanted to do; as the post title states, this is just gonna be a nice little post for book recommendations. You just post the title of a book you think people would enjoy reading and a little blurb about why you like it so much! I'll start!
"The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ______" by Mark Manson. Okay, so a bit of a warning before I begin, as you could probably tell by the title alone, this book has some rather strong language laced throughout it, so if you'd rather not deal with that, I wouldn't recommend reading it. Anyways, I've had this book in my library for a while, but never got around to reading it until recently (it coincidentally was a book I needed for one of my courses) and I'm not done reading it yet, but I have to say it's great so far! The author has some great insight on life and makes some really valid points throughout the book. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who needs a little help in assessing themselves.
"The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ______" by Mark Manson. Okay, so a bit of a warning before I begin, as you could probably tell by the title alone, this book has some rather strong language laced throughout it, so if you'd rather not deal with that, I wouldn't recommend reading it. Anyways, I've had this book in my library for a while, but never got around to reading it until recently (it coincidentally was a book I needed for one of my courses) and I'm not done reading it yet, but I have to say it's great so far! The author has some great insight on life and makes some really valid points throughout the book. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who needs a little help in assessing themselves.
The Left Behind #16 Book Series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. I'm not huge on reading long book series, but my mom introduced these to me and I fell in love IMMEDIATELY. The books are between 300 and 500 pages long EACH, and follow a group of people going through the end of the world; with the supposed "anti-christ" posing as a world hero when these people know that he is out to destroy what remains of the world. It's really interesting, and definitely worth it.
The Good Doctor Series
Especially 'Curing Dr. Vincent'
It is an adult series, as in explicit romance. The first books plot is especially cliche but that's kind of what makes it wonderful. It made me snicker, giggle, tear up and even get irritated with the characters. (and I love when books make me feel vast amounts of emotions) It's so well written. The last half of the book brings in especially unexpected plot points.
If it's your genre type I highly suggest at least the first book but the entire series is quite entertaining.
Especially 'Curing Dr. Vincent'
It is an adult series, as in explicit romance. The first books plot is especially cliche but that's kind of what makes it wonderful. It made me snicker, giggle, tear up and even get irritated with the characters. (and I love when books make me feel vast amounts of emotions) It's so well written. The last half of the book brings in especially unexpected plot points.
If it's your genre type I highly suggest at least the first book but the entire series is quite entertaining.
Infected by Scott Sigler : Modern Sci-Fi?
This one has some gross bits in it, but this is the book that made me realize, oh wait, literature doesn't suck actually. Up until finding this book my Junior year of highschool, I absolutely loathed reading; My brain connected Reading = School, so I just hated it in general. Lucky me, this book caught my eye at the store, I bought it, and finished it in like a week (which for my slow-reading butt is like, record time).
I absolutely adore this book, and it holds the place as my first love of books, though it's been overshadowed as my ultimate fave, only by the next book.
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion : Zombie Apocalypse Romance
Yes, it's a romance book with a zombie but wait a second, hold on, waiT A SECOND
This is a pretty short book, it's a quick read, but oh my GOD if the writing isn't the best writing I've ever read. There were so many quotes in this book that made me have to take a minute to just pause, think, and then re-read the same quote like three times because they were so GOOD DUDE!!!!
I absolutely adore this book. This is the book that, if you said "Hey, you only get one book to re-read over and over for the rest of your life", I would ask for because HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I love it.
18/5 will always recommend forever until the day I die
Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O'Neill : Kid-angled book
This isn't like a serious read, it's a book for kids, but when I read it, it was genuinely cute, had a lovely art style, and made me genuinely giggle at some points. It's about two lesbian princesses, one of which is black with a cool mohawk, and the other which is plus sized, who end up falling in love, and it's ADORABLE OKAY
Again, kids-oriented book, but looking through my 'have read' books, this is the one I felt deserved the honorable mention lol
This one has some gross bits in it, but this is the book that made me realize, oh wait, literature doesn't suck actually. Up until finding this book my Junior year of highschool, I absolutely loathed reading; My brain connected Reading = School, so I just hated it in general. Lucky me, this book caught my eye at the store, I bought it, and finished it in like a week (which for my slow-reading butt is like, record time).
I absolutely adore this book, and it holds the place as my first love of books, though it's been overshadowed as my ultimate fave, only by the next book.
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion : Zombie Apocalypse Romance
Yes, it's a romance book with a zombie but wait a second, hold on, waiT A SECOND
This is a pretty short book, it's a quick read, but oh my GOD if the writing isn't the best writing I've ever read. There were so many quotes in this book that made me have to take a minute to just pause, think, and then re-read the same quote like three times because they were so GOOD DUDE!!!!
I absolutely adore this book. This is the book that, if you said "Hey, you only get one book to re-read over and over for the rest of your life", I would ask for because HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I love it.
18/5 will always recommend forever until the day I die
Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O'Neill : Kid-angled book
This isn't like a serious read, it's a book for kids, but when I read it, it was genuinely cute, had a lovely art style, and made me genuinely giggle at some points. It's about two lesbian princesses, one of which is black with a cool mohawk, and the other which is plus sized, who end up falling in love, and it's ADORABLE OKAY
Again, kids-oriented book, but looking through my 'have read' books, this is the one I felt deserved the honorable mention lol
The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor.
I bought a copy of this book with my Google Opinion Rewards credit, and I'm so so so glad I did! It's a book for everybody and every body. It talks about how self-acceptance is not necessarily the epitome of valuing yourself - after all, we accept a lot of things that we are neutral about, things that are okay but not really great, and self-acceptance, while infinitely better than self-hatred, is still miles away from radical self-love. The book emphasizes that it's not going to teach you how to be more confident or fix your self-esteem issues, rather it's going to show you what it means to experience and have radical self-love.
What I like about this book (I'm still reading it) is that it doesn't throw feel-good mantras at you that ultimately don't prove useful in practice. It's about valuing and respecting everybody and every body because when you do that, loving yourself is easier than ever. It's about no longer apologizing for existing the way you are, only because society has put a negative label on you and treats you as a burden.
The author uses beautiful examples from her own life, conversations she's had with disabled people, she addresses how ableism and racism and misogyny affect us and our self-image, and so much more. I think people who feel like self-acceptance is still far away, and people who reached self-acceptance but still don't feel better or whole, will benefit immensely from giving this book a shot.
(Also hot tip, Google Opinion Rewards is a survey app that regularly sends you surveys to fill out and gives you Google Play credit for each submission. I've earned a total of €26.27 over 176 surveys and bought several apps and books with this credit, so if you want to buy cheap eBooks from Google but are strapped for cash, I recommend this app. Whether or not you give the app real answers is up to you!)
I bought a copy of this book with my Google Opinion Rewards credit, and I'm so so so glad I did! It's a book for everybody and every body. It talks about how self-acceptance is not necessarily the epitome of valuing yourself - after all, we accept a lot of things that we are neutral about, things that are okay but not really great, and self-acceptance, while infinitely better than self-hatred, is still miles away from radical self-love. The book emphasizes that it's not going to teach you how to be more confident or fix your self-esteem issues, rather it's going to show you what it means to experience and have radical self-love.
What I like about this book (I'm still reading it) is that it doesn't throw feel-good mantras at you that ultimately don't prove useful in practice. It's about valuing and respecting everybody and every body because when you do that, loving yourself is easier than ever. It's about no longer apologizing for existing the way you are, only because society has put a negative label on you and treats you as a burden.
The author uses beautiful examples from her own life, conversations she's had with disabled people, she addresses how ableism and racism and misogyny affect us and our self-image, and so much more. I think people who feel like self-acceptance is still far away, and people who reached self-acceptance but still don't feel better or whole, will benefit immensely from giving this book a shot.
(Also hot tip, Google Opinion Rewards is a survey app that regularly sends you surveys to fill out and gives you Google Play credit for each submission. I've earned a total of €26.27 over 176 surveys and bought several apps and books with this credit, so if you want to buy cheap eBooks from Google but are strapped for cash, I recommend this app. Whether or not you give the app real answers is up to you!)
The broken earth triology - It's a scifi book with a poc characters and includes a poly relationship (it's really awesome)
Lately, I've been super into Stephen King. I've read...I dunno, five or six of his novels so far? I really enjoy his style and the way you don't always necessarily like the characters you're reading about, haha. And my God, finishing The Shining late at night back in July...I really thought Jack Torrance was gonna break down the door and get me.
Misery by Stephen King: My personal favorite film and book by King. Just...a master class in suspense. The movie is famous for that scene -- but honestly, it's so much worse in the book. I also love that King gives us glimpses of the novel Paul Sheldon is writing while he's Annie Wilkes' hostage. There are some beautifully twisted parallels between his fictional character, Misery, and his nightmarish situation. Be warned, though, Misery is a heavy experience. Like...wow.
The Shining by Stephen King: If you were like me and saw the Jack Nicholson movie when you were a cocky teen laughing through Shelley Duvall's bad acting...just do yourself a favor, read the book, and then rewatch the movie. I still like the book way more, though. Had trouble shutting my eyes in the dark after that one. Also, yes I know it's old news to be talking about The Shining...but I JUST started my King binge in July, hahaha.
The Green Mile by Stephen King: Just...very moving. And not at all a horror story. It gave a lot for a serial novel that started off with a narrator complaining about a horrible urinary tract infection. It's about men on death row, so there's a lot of the "worst of humanity" things in there, but wow. Just a really tragic, stay-with-you kind of story.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: Listed fourth but honestly, this is my favorite book of all time. It's a romance, which usually I don't do (consumed Jane Austen books like crazy when I was an angsty little teenager, I guess I've just taken a step back since then)...but it made me laugh, cry, curse, and ache. It has everything a good novel does, and the protagonist, Louisa, has such heart. I love her to pieces. I may be biased because they did cast Emilia Clarke in the film...but I cherish the book and the movie and my heart just...feels it whenever I think about it.
Misery by Stephen King: My personal favorite film and book by King. Just...a master class in suspense. The movie is famous for that scene -- but honestly, it's so much worse in the book. I also love that King gives us glimpses of the novel Paul Sheldon is writing while he's Annie Wilkes' hostage. There are some beautifully twisted parallels between his fictional character, Misery, and his nightmarish situation. Be warned, though, Misery is a heavy experience. Like...wow.
The Shining by Stephen King: If you were like me and saw the Jack Nicholson movie when you were a cocky teen laughing through Shelley Duvall's bad acting...just do yourself a favor, read the book, and then rewatch the movie. I still like the book way more, though. Had trouble shutting my eyes in the dark after that one. Also, yes I know it's old news to be talking about The Shining...but I JUST started my King binge in July, hahaha.
The Green Mile by Stephen King: Just...very moving. And not at all a horror story. It gave a lot for a serial novel that started off with a narrator complaining about a horrible urinary tract infection. It's about men on death row, so there's a lot of the "worst of humanity" things in there, but wow. Just a really tragic, stay-with-you kind of story.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: Listed fourth but honestly, this is my favorite book of all time. It's a romance, which usually I don't do (consumed Jane Austen books like crazy when I was an angsty little teenager, I guess I've just taken a step back since then)...but it made me laugh, cry, curse, and ache. It has everything a good novel does, and the protagonist, Louisa, has such heart. I love her to pieces. I may be biased because they did cast Emilia Clarke in the film...but I cherish the book and the movie and my heart just...feels it whenever I think about it.
Oooo, all of the books so far sound so interesting! And that app you mentioned is pretty cool, Sanne (downloaded it myself and am just waiting to get surveys to take) 
Alright, another recommendation!
"Percy Jackson and the Olymipians, Book 1: The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan. Okay, gotta say, the Percy Jackson series is probably one of my most cherished book series. I pretty much grew up reading it and practically devoured every book (the hype waiting to read those last couple 'Heroes of Olympus'--the sequel to the Percy Jackson series--was real) I had actually bought the series from Amazon just to reread it. It's easy to see the love Riordan put into these characters and the world surrounding them from the first book alone.
Alright, another recommendation!
"Percy Jackson and the Olymipians, Book 1: The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan. Okay, gotta say, the Percy Jackson series is probably one of my most cherished book series. I pretty much grew up reading it and practically devoured every book (the hype waiting to read those last couple 'Heroes of Olympus'--the sequel to the Percy Jackson series--was real) I had actually bought the series from Amazon just to reread it. It's easy to see the love Riordan put into these characters and the world surrounding them from the first book alone.
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