Books I Can’t Live Without

Ginny Kang
Nov 5 · 7 min read

A few years ago, I decided that I would build a library in which my favorite books would be hardcover editions, if available. Below is a list of books that have changed my life to the point where I need their hardbound version:

Credit: Goodreads
  1. Sing You Home, Jodi Picoult — This novel being a top favorite of mine is no surprise. It combines the fight for LGBTQ rights with music, and involves drama around pregnancy struggles. There are moments that just plain piss you off, but in a way that fuels you to fight harder for the characters. What separates this from Picoult’s other works is she collaborated with an indie singer/songwriter, who composed a soundtrack to the novel. This was actually the first of her books I’d ever read, through which I learned that she often writes about court-related controversy (i.e. the famous My Sister’s Keeper). I can only dream of being the writer she is.
Credit: Amazon

2. Dear Evan Hansen, Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, & Justin Paul — I’m a musical theatre geek, and if you follow me on Smule Sing, you’d know this. You would also be privy to the fact that Dear Evan Hansen is my favorite musical currently running on Broadway. Often times, adaptations are never as great as the original, but this book disproves that theory. While the book came after the musical, I read it before watching a bootleg, and oddly enough, it didn’t feel backwards. The book added an extra character, but when watching the musical, I didn’t miss him. The story isn’t as powerful without the soundtrack to set the tone, but still influential to us YAs nonetheless.

Credit: Amazon

3. Sarah’s Key, Tatiana de Rosnay — Set in two different periods (Holocaust and modern times), Sarah’s Key is about how Jewish families were torn apart in France by the Nazis (Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup). It revolves around a literal key, which opens a cabinet where, in the hustle and confusion of the raid, Sarah had left her little brother to protect him, promising she would come back for him. If you know your history, that didn’t happen; not so easily anyway.

When we flash forward to modern times, the French husband of a journalist inherits his grandfather’s apartment. Having covered the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup (when Sarah and her family were taken), this journalist digs deep into the history of the apartment.

Credit: The Little Contemporary Corner

4. Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli — This book taught me the importance of the “coming out” process to an LGBTQ person. Simon Spier is a closeted high school student, who (spoiler alert) is forced out by a classmate (Martin Addison) after blackmailing Simon into talking him up to a girl he likes. It’s a crucial lesson to learn if you want to support anyone in this community. If the person isn’t ready to come out, then don’t say anything. It’s not your choice to make, when or how they come out; it’s theirs, and they get only one chance to do it. Don’t be a Martin Addison.

Credit: Amazon

5. Girl Made of Stars, Ashley Herring Blake — Beautifully written YA tale about the ugliness that comes with sexual assault during high school. What do you do when your twin brother assaults his girlfriend, AKA your best friend? Who do you believe? Who can you trust? The boy with whom you once shared a womb, or the victim? Well, who’s the REAL victim though? Captivating, aggravating, and easy to flip through! It’ll make you consider what consent truly means.

Credit: Hollywood News Source

6. Five Feet Apart, Rachael Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry, & Tobias Iaconis — Predicting that it would be another The Fault in Our Stars, I had no intention of reading or watching this story. However, when I was walking around the local Barnes & Noble, something drew me towards the table housing a pile of these books. When I flipped through the copy on top, it immediately opened to a random page. Why? There was a $5 bill folded into it along with a note scrawled, “Hi there! My brother has Cystic Fibrosis & while it is an isolating disease, he has been a source of inspiration for me as an example of not wasting a day in your life. This $5 represents the five feet you should never choose to keep between you & others. Enjoy. -B” Well, B, your generosity will not go unappreciated. I bought that copy and keep those bookmarks to uphold the symbolism intended by B. The story itself doesn’t mean as much as the gesture, which is why it is on this list. You can find my original IG post about it here.

Credit: Amazon

7. Promises to Keep, Jane Green — I praised Sing You Home for having the unique attribute of a soundtrack to go along with the story. In this Jane Green novel, she finishes every chapter with a personal recipe, to honor the main character’s sister, Steffi, and her job as a chef. To my knowledge, Promises to Keep is one of the only fictional books which contain actual recipes to try out. (Note: that’s only to MY knowledge. There probably are a lot more out there I have to look into.)

The A story of this novel revolves around Callie Perry, a successful photographer in upstate New York who struggles with the return of her cancer. Even with the heavy support from her family, there is no guarantee she’ll beat her disease this time. With this reality, heartbreak ensues.

Credit: Barnes & Noble

8. tiny beautiful things, Cheryl Strayed (AKA Dear Sugar) — I remember getting on the shuttle one time and meeting this adorable older French woman named Marie. She said she was looking for a graduation gift for her grandchildren, and was wondering if I knew of a book of advice that could be passed down from grandmother to grandchild. This was my suggestion.

The phenomenal, inspirational Cheryl Strayed of Wild is at it again. As the official voice of Dear Sugar (which is like Dear Abby, but with sex, drugs, and profanity that would make a sailor blush), she provides insight on various aspects of a person’s life that no one really thinks of. If you ever need guidance, chances are, you’ll find your answers hidden in this book, which is a collection of her most important exchanges as Sugar. I don’t know if there is a hardcover copy available, but if there is, I’ll switch out my paperback for it any day.

Credit: Amazon

9. Becoming: Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama — In today’s outrageous political climate, we need brilliant minds like former First Lady Obama’s to keep us grounded. Reading through this memoir, holding it in my hands, I just felt smarter. She speaks intellectually with such a strong narrative. Not only was it informational as a woman of color, but it was entertaining, considering how easy it was to read. Autobiographies aren’t easy for me to focus on unless I’m interested in the subject, but because Michelle had written in such an educated tone, I felt we had a mutual respect for each other as author/reader. For eight years, the media dove into her public eye with such a critical scope (i.e. the burger outing while being an advocate for nutritional dieting— oh the humanity!). After taking a closer look into her life in the White House, I’m proud to support her and her husband to hell and back. This book was written with intention, insight, and most importantly, class.

Credit: Amazon

10. One of Us is Lying, Karen M. McManus — Finally, if you like YA mysteries, I highly recommend this novel. Each chapter is told through one of the four important characters, each of whom are the main suspects in the homicide investigation of one of their most hated classmates. This book gets you thinking, contemplating your personal ideas as to who could have had motive and intention to kill this kid.

Also, not to say this book is predictable, but I got a satisfying feeling knowing that my suspicions came true as I read it on paper. (Mumbles) kills (mumbles) because they felt (mumbles), and I just knew it from the beginning that that was exactly what happened!

So that is my personal favorite reading list. It’s bound to change as I read more books, but so far in life, these are my top ten. If you have your own suggestions, please feel free to comment! The more books in my library, the nerdier!

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