Not-So Wasted Words
Or a somewhat comprehensive list of our favorite books
Reading seems to be one of the only things people can actually do right now, and yet some of us feel book-stuck. Shelby here, I know that I feel pretty burnt out on just about everything I used to love: TV and movies, video games, napping, and reading. Every Monday, for the Shit We’re Loving: Read section, my goal was to select a book that I felt everyone needed to at least be aware of. Now that I have some other gal pals on my team, they also get to throw their book recommendations in the ring and we get to expand our reading audience. For today’s piece, however, we won’t have just one book to suggest, but instead a handful of what we would consider our favorites. Now both Aimee and I are English majors, and Sydney is an avid reader, so choosing our favorite books was definitely a harder task. It actually took all weekend for me to consider my options: Books I currently have, or the ones I’ve read in the past for school, maybe they’re digital copies and therefore often overlooked. The one caveat for myself (stipulated by Sydney) was that I couldn’t select a Shakespeare play — I do have an Early Modern honorable mention though, sorry I couldn’t help myself! So for today, we scoured our shelves and wracked our quarantine-sodden brains for our favorite tales and modes of storytelling that we constantly turn back to. This also marks the beginning of our time as a Bookshop affiliate! From now on, every book link we feature will be an affiliate link (meaning we receive a small portion of the commission for sending you guys on the right book path). Remember, Bookshop helps local bookstores around the country!
Shelby’s Must-Reads:
Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
When first thinking of today’s topic, I knew instantly I needed to feature this book. Easily picked up and glossed over, Crowley’s little tale is not to be missed. Following the entwined lives of childhood best friends Rachel and Henry and their journey into adulthood, Words in Deep Blue reminds readers why they pick up books in the first place. Henry’s family owns a bookstore that’s failing, Rachel is still reeling from a family tragedy, and they aren’t really speaking either. What I love most about this book is the sheer admiration it portrays to readers and book lovers alike. One day, I will open my own bookstore and forever remember that this book started it all for me. By it on Bookshop here.
A Court of Mist and Fury (the second book of the Court of Thorns and Roses series) by Sarah J Maas
I couldn’t not add a quote-unquote YA story to my list. I’ve mentioned before my love for A Court of Thorns and Roses, and while I do love that first book and the series as a whole, the best book in my mind is the sequel, A Court of Mist and Fury. In this book, Feyre actually matures and her counterpart, Rhysand, is super dangerously dreamy. The love triangle (or what makes this book/series so delicious to read) really comes into fruition here and we get to see Feyre stick up for herself. The first book, Maas plays on the Twilight trope of a young, fragile human woman falls for the dangerous and sort of unseen creepily manipulative, but of course extraordinarily handsome supernatural creature. In this second book, we see the dismantling of that and Feyre choosing her own fate, regardless of the stance the men in her life might have. Truthfully, the first two books are the best, while the last two kind of fizzle out; however the greatness of the first two make it worth it. We have a strong heroine, a sexy male counterpart who is equal parts bad and disturbed, but loyal and charming, and a world to save, what more could someone ask for? Buy it on Bookshop here.
Circe by Madeline Miller
The final book I present is Circe. This book was so fantastic and inspiring to read, I bought everyone a copy the Christmas it came out. Every woman needs to read this book. Period. Spanning a thousand years (since we’re dealing with immortal gods here), we follow Circe who has been excommunicated thanks to her god-like power to transform beings into creatures. Being female and not even that important to begin with, her power scares the male gods and she’s forced out to an island on her own. We watch her fall in love, become a mother to the island and its earth, and face foes many who come in the name of the male gods that she more or less smites down. She is crazily powerful and though isolated, showcases the true talents of women and their prowess. Miller writes it so incredibly beautifully, giving voice to all the cast out goddesses from then and today. Seriously, just go read it. Buy it on Bookshop here.
Sydney’s Forever-Reads:
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
I have loved Alice In Wonderland for as long as I can remember. I don’t recall reading it for the first time, as if I was born knowing it already. I think it is so poetic and comforting. I like that it is literally just one long LSD trip, but also somehow a Disney movie? Every time I read it, it’s a new experience. A while back I saw a movie called Definitely, Maybe where one of the characters is collecting copies of Jane Eyre with inscriptions in them. I thought that was such a cool, special concept so I now try to pick up a new or interesting edition of Alice In Wonderland (and subsequently Through The Looking Glass) whenever I am in a secondhand bookstore or traveling. One of my favorite copies (which needs to be rebound tbh) is a copy from the 1800s that I got at a flea market in Greenwich while studying abroad in London. It is the oldest edition I’ve found. There are soo many editions of this, but here’s a super cute one from Bookshop!
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
This book is a memoir but reads like a novel because you cannot imagine how one person could survive all these truly unbelievable circumstances to become an ivy-league graduate, journalist, and best-selling author. I was assigned this book in my eleventh grade English class, but at that time had already read it three times. It is my tried and true recommendation because I’ve never had someone come back and say they didn’t love this book. Most memoirs can be too long and drag on, but The Glass Castle is engaging start to finish and I think that is because Jeanette Walls has a story to tell. I met her at the National Book Festival many years ago and was struck by how breezy and kind she was. Here was someone who had lived in the deepest pockets of poverty in the United States, who was smiling and chatting with me as if her entire life hadn’t been an uphill battle, that was so inspiring to me. This entire book is a lesson in perseverance and resilience and not letting your past define your future. Buy it on Bookshop here.
New American Best Friend by Olivia Gatwood
Olivia Gatwood is a spoken word artist, poet, and educator who originally went viral for her slam poems Manic Pixie Dream Girl and Ode to My Bitch Face. Her poems are primarily about girlhood and growing up. I had never been able to put how I was feeling into words and reading Olivia’s poems felt like everything clicking into place. Her poem Alternative Universe in Which I Am Unfazed by the Men Who Do Not Love Me hit the closest to home because at the time I was working a 12 step program for love addiction. Her last line is, “The man tells me he does not love me and he does not love me. The man tells me who he is and I listen. I have so much beautiful time.” I still don’t listen, but I look forward to the day when I have so much beautiful time. And that’s when I’ll know it’ll be okay. Buy it on Bookshop here.
Aimée’s Best Books:
As an English teacher and former English major, people are always asking me for book recs. But, here’s my dirty little secret…I rarely read for fun. I spent the better part of my childhood just LOVING to read, but over a hundred credits of English courses in college and grad school kind of…killed that love a little bit. I do think I’ll eventually come around to wanting to read more again, but for now, I need to cure my burnout with Netflix and Animal Crossing. However, that’s not to say there aren’t any books of my past (or even from classes I’ve taken and taught) that I wouldn’t recommend! Here are three of my all-time faves I’d love for anyone to check out.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Quite frankly, this book might be the most important novel of the 2010s. It was introduced to me through one of my education courses at Adelphi, and I was fortunate enough to then teach it to two 9th grade classes during my student teaching last year. In short, it’s a book about police brutality and racism in America. In more depth, it’s a book about one of the cutest and most loving families you’ve ever met, complicated teenage romance, race and class divides, the failing public school system, friendship, what it means to be an ally, death and grief, solidarity, different methods of protest, and — I could just go on and on.
The title, which is addressed within the story itself, is taken from Tupac Shakur’s given meaning for the phrase “THUG LIFE”; according to Tupac, “THUG LIFE” stands for “The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody.” As you read The Hate U Give, you learn alongside Starr (the protagonist) just exactly what this means. There’s certainly a lot of hate depicted in this novel — and a lot of hate in our society — but there’s a lot of love, too. Seriously, I could not recommend this book more. (But you could maybe skip the movie). Buy it on Bookshop here.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Changing gears a little bit here, but those who know me won’t be at all surprised by this choice. I collect different editions of Pride and Prejudice, for crying out loud. I have the Marrying Mr. Darcy card game. I try to watch the 6-hour long BBC mini-series at least every other year or so. It is, and always will be, my favorite book. I’ll never forget how excited I was when reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time during my senior year of high school. We were given about two to three weeks to read the whole text; I finished it in two days. I remember literally reading it in the bathtub (yes, I was/am weird) and just feeling so warm and fuzzy and enthralled. That first proposal though…I will forever be shooketh. People love hating on Jane Austen, but I think there’s just an undeniable charm to Pride and Prejudice. Draw a bath and let yourself get lost in Edwardian England during this quarantine. Similar to Alice in Wonderland, there are just so many editions of this, so here’s another cute one to snag from Bookshop.
The Underland Chronicles Series by Suzanne Collins
I’m definitely a bit rusty on this series — I think I read them in elementary school? Maybe middle school? Both? I should actually have my mom mail them to me so I can re-read them… In any event, I’ll never forget how much I enjoyed reading the Underland Chronicles books. You may recognize the name Suzanne Collins; she had much more success with her later series, The Hunger Games. I personally have a much stronger preference for the Underland books, though. They were just the right amount of weird, without the whole “children killing each other for food” thing. Actually, maybe children did kill each other? There was definitely fighting…and giant bats…someone named Vikus…some real cute romance in the last book…the memories are fuzzy, but the feeling is still there. The fact that I genuinely want to re-read these books right now is saying something (remember, it’s been years since I’ve wanted to read a book for fun). If you’re into The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Maze Runner, or any of the other YA fantasy series, I think you’d really like The Underland Chronicles. In my opinion, they’re the definition of underrated. Buy the first book on Bookshop here.
