Catching Up: My thoughts on “must-reads” of different genres
**This piece may contain spoilers for the following titles: The Whisper Man, The Shining, Misery, It, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Hunger Games series, The Institute, Ready Player One, Harry Potter series, Neverwhere, The Golden Compass, A Darker Shade of Magic**
Recently, I’ve found a serious passion for reading, within the last two years or so. At first, I felt no pressure about finding a book and reading it; instead, I would simply, and gracefully, search for one, maybe two, options and then just begin without further investigation.
But now, I’m a completely different person: I’m a book searching monster. The trouble with this newfound love of reading, and also loving several genres, is the overwhelming abundance of options. Each time I start a book, I’m already thinking about what I want to read next, or spending hours rummaging Goodreads (here’s mine). It’s terrible and addicting.
I’ve replaced social media scrolling with obsessive book discoveries. And I can’t help but feel the weight of every popular title in each genre on my shoulders; “You’ve GOT to read this series!” “Oh this series is life-changing, you must read it — only 12 books!” And then I’m stuck like, okay great, 🥴, I’ll add it to my list…
The worst part is the“must-read” lists; they’re painfully endless and I struggle to balance picking my next read based on what I want to read or what I should read. And it seems the deeper I trudge into certain genres, the longer the “must-read” list seems to grow. Nevertheless, the only way to build a house is by placing one brick at a time. I thought it best to review some of the more popular, “must-read” titles I’ve read so far. Feel free to give me suggestions in the comments; don’t worry I’ll add them to my list…
Reviews by Genre
Horror
First, let me preface by saying that the horror genre is one of those things where everything in my brain is telling me not to look, but everything in the rest of me is like, LOOKLOOKLOOK, and then I look and am fully invested. Needless to say, it’s very hard for me to get excited to pick one up — mainly because I am your standard wimp — but once I do, I’m entirely indulged.
The Whisper Man by Alex North (3 stars): This novel had all of the creepiest, crawliest of details and storytelling. Although I was often too afraid to read at night during my free time, the story made it well worth it. The Whisper Man was told from several points of view but centered in a town called Featherbank. The town was home to a handful of kidnappings and murders of young boys 20 years in the past done by a serial killer detectives eventually caught and put into custody; he went by the nickname The Whisper Man because he often would lure his victims by whispering to them through their windows or in times they’d strayed off from others. In the present day, a man and his son move into Featherbank for a new start, only to learn of the terrible history of Featherbank’s serial kidnappings when the acts are beginning to cycle again.
Through the eyes of the father, his son, a detective who is struggling to grapple with new Whisper Man cases with a cold one revisiting from the past, North unravels a terrifying psychological thriller amidst the town’s chaos. I found myself flipping through the pages to find out what would happen next.
The Shining by Stephen King (5 stars): We all know the story — family watches over a massive hotel with a deadly past, ghost stories (could it be, even ghosts themselves?) roam the halls and live in the rooms, a giant snowstorm traps them in and keeps any help out, and Jack Torrence unleashes the evil of the Overlook Hotel upon his family.
This was my first classic Stephen King story and I have to say, it is quite plainly the most frightening read of our lifetime. There has not been, nor do I foresee another, a story that can bring such absolute dread with every word, yet such simultaneous dire need to read on. If you haven’t read King and don’t know where to start: do so here.
Misery by Stephen King (3 stars): A peculiar story with a very unpleasant, well-written cockadoodee (you’ll understand if you’ve read) antagonist. I wouldn’t categorize this strictly as a “horror” novel, but certainly a not-particularly-ideal type story.
Annie Wilkes not only took her encounters with Paul Sheldon to unpredictable heights — she took just about every scene there and beyond. An incredibly written antagonist with just enough sociopath excitement to keep readers constantly guessing.
It by Stephen King (2 stars): Dreadfully long, and quite frankly turned me straight away from King for the unseeable future. And not because of the length, but for other disturbing and unnecessary reasons.
Other notable Stephen Kings I’ve read: Doctor Sleep, Carrie (I went through a serious King phase when quarantine first started in 2020).
Science Fiction
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (3 stars): The first 30–50 pages or so were a test for me. As you can tell by this list, general fiction is not my first choice of genre, but I was inspired to read this because I felt it was important to read as a young woman. And I believe this notion holds true.
The hardest part for me was the writing style — Atwood is a big fan of the comma, and by god does that woman put your reading and critical thinking skills to the test. She also jumped around a lot during our main character’s experience with her transition of life in Gilead to how far she’d come presently. However, I did enjoy the way the book read — as if we were looking directly into the mind of the main character, or mores o her journal entries, in order to get a real, relatable glimpse into the mind of a woman whose life had been uprooted and forever altered.
Overall, the story is heartbreaking, intriguing, and leaves readers guessing, or better yet, to their own imagining. It’s a brilliant piece of fiction that was a frighteningly creative depiction of a society so easily corrupted and controlled.
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins (4 stars): This series…wow. A bit of backstory on my experience with this series: When I was in high school, everyone read this series, or at least the first book, while the rest were still being published. I tried to read this book after reading the Divergent series and for some reason could not get myself into the story (I was OBSESSED with the Divergent series, so straying away into another world that felt very similar at the time was very difficult for me).
Nonetheless, about eight years later, and countless marathons of the entire movie series, I picked up The Hunger Games for the first time to read. And my goodness, did I fall straight into the story as if I’d never heard it before! After reading the series, I can genuinely say the movies did brilliant adaptations, but there really isn’t a better way to understand characters like reading the sacred texts.
Katniss Everdeen is one of my absolute favorite protagonists to have ever been written. She is complex as she struggles with doing what’s right for her family and herself, and what’s right for the tarnished society under the heavy hand of the Capitol. I almost regret having not read her story as a young girl. Katniss, and many other characters in the series, teach such foundational values of bravery and resilience to readers, especially young readers.
Now, the later release of The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes (3 stars) is probably something the series as a whole could have gone without…I hate to be one who says that. Although I did enjoy the story itself and thought it to be an interesting perspective from Snow’s early years. Learning of his history, diving into his growing corrupt psyche, alongside the growth and development of the Hunger Games and its weave into Capitol traditions and society was an intriguing expansion of the world Suzanne Collins created. Personally, however, I don’t think it is one that was needed to be sold alongside the rest of the series.
The Institute by Stephen King (4 stars): Though one of his newer publications, the King name is still stamped on the cover, so I’m considering it popular. Before I picked this one up, I’d never watched Stranger Things on Netflix, but I will be honest…this book inspired me to binge the series. And I’ll tell you exactly why:
It was a gloomy midwestern spring day, quarantine had just begun. Alone, bored, itching for an escape, I picked up my mother’s copy of Stephen King’s new book. I’d done a little research on the synopsis of the book before I read it, and I’d only known very little about Stranger Things, but I’d know the premise and the two sounded eerily similar but very interesting. I started reading this book and instantly fell in LOVE with the telekinetic/telepathic kid storyline. What King did with Luke and the rest of the kids’ story at the Institution was very addicting to keep up with. I sped through the 570-some-odd pages in about 2.5 days, and I stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish it. I was instantly hooked and highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in Stranger Things or I Am Not Okay With This- style stories.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (4 stars): First and foremost, I’d like to give my home state O-H-I-O a big shoutout! Fun fact, as I was reading this and discovered the main setting was in Columbus, Ohio (I’m from Cleveland!), my interest was doubly piqued because no one from any other state outside of Ohio would make Columbus their location. So I did a little dig on Cline and found that he’s from Ashland, Ohio, a city I have been to countless times and is not too far from where I’m from. Needless to say, it was very cool to read such a great book from an Ohio native.
However, my sense of hometown pride for Cline had nothing to do with my genuine joy from this book (okay, fine, maybe like 5%). I will say, much of the general plotline is predictable throughout, but the light-heartedness never took away from the fun I had while reading, and listening to the audiobook (which is read so beautifully by Wil Wheaton). The delivery in both auditory and written editions of the book are both extremely immersive and just really fun, there’s no other way to put it. Parcival + Art3mis 4evr!
Fantasy
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (1 million stars): What more could be said about this series that hasn’t been already? I don’t know exactly what prompted me to pick up this series for the first time at age 23, but I can promise you that I felt every bit of magic, emotion, and complete integration into this world; the same, I’d like to believe, as I would if I’d read these at age 11, when I had the first two books, and grown up with the series like so many other lifelong fans.
I’d always been a fan of the movies, but never really understood the overarching story until I picked up the books. And wow, was I absolutely blown away. Almost speechlessly blown away. JK Rowling’s gift of storytelling and writing, and simply creating a world in which there are no other options but to be consumed by it, is something you come by only once or twice in a lifetime. I feel so lucky to be alive during the Harry Potter era. There is truly nothing else like it. Even as a young adult, these books changed my life in many ways. And JKR is one hell of a role model for anyone with a dream, and all of the excuses in the world to avoid it. She is the epitome of “no excuses”, and Harry Potter is the finished product of her determination and inept storytelling abilities.
I also learned the genuine pain of finishing a series and leaving a world I felt so immersed in. Trying to read anything after this series was terrible and near impossible. I felt like I’d lost all my friends, all my excitement to read and enter other worlds because I had to leave the wizarding world. It took me almost a month to truly jump into another book, and another month to actually finish it.
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (3.5 stars): I am one-third of the way through the His Dark Materials series, and although I really did enjoy Lyra’s journey through Jordan, Gyptians, Gobbler fighting, and her heroic journey to find her friend, something grappling seemed to be missing from the end of this story for me. After finishing The Golden Compass I knew I would want to read the rest of the series, and so I bought both the of remaining books, but I have yet to pick them up after 5 months following my finish date of The Golden Compass. I believe I will finish this series by the end of 2021, but my drive and excitement to continue have temporarily vanished.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (2.5 stars): My review and rating of this book seem to live in the unpopular part of town, but this book just did not enchant me the way it has other readers. Before I picked it up, I had the utmost excitement to dive in; the premise sounded fantastical and magical, I was excited to transport between worlds, better yet, multi-Londons, but the book itself did not deliver to my own expectation.
I often teeter between the thought that I didn’t give this a proper chance and my expectation was much too high from the beginning. There is a slim chance, but a chance nonetheless, that I will return to this series. Will it be in 2021? Likely not, but I am learning to listen to the pull of my heart and desire, rather than the pull of what others are saying, so we will see what my heart’s desires will be for the remainder of the year.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (4 stars): Though this isn’t likely to be one of Gaiman’s most popular titles (Coraline, Sandman, Good Omens may have a higher ranking on the popularity scale), I felt utterly drawn to this book after I’d read the synopsis and it only felt right to include Gaiman on the list after delving into some of his other works.
A trip below the busy streets of London, through the cracks and crevices of recognizable places and into the forgotten sections with all of the forgotten people, worlds of London Below and London Above are blended when your average, everyday fellow, Richard Mayhew, stumbles upon a woman from the forgotten world. From that moment forward, he becomes irrevocably a part of their world, no matter how badly he wants to return home.
I really enjoyed the unpredictability of literal twists and turns of adventure Richard had been accidentally brought along on. Very imaginative, thought-provoking, and exciting, and Gaiman writes his characters so eclectically and multi-dimensional in such a short amount of pages. This one grappled me from the very beginning and tumbled me down a Neil Gaiman rabbit hole, one I’m not sure I’ll ever truly resurface from.
What’s Next?
I am well aware that the “must-read” list is perpetual, but trust me when I say I’m working on it — hence my feeling of playing catch-up: I’m new to the reading scene. I’m loving it, falling in too deep with stories and characters, experiencing the visceral sadness of the space between books: finishing one and starting another. Every book in this list has been read within the years of 2020–2021 so far. Amidst reading these popular titles, I have accompanied them with other titles that are not as heavily recommended or advocated across the internet.
If you are interested in books I’ve read already in 2021, here you go. These are some of the books I plan to read in the remainder of 2021:
- An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass (currently reading as of 5/4/21)
- Eragon by Christopher Paolini
- Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
- Turtles All The Way Down by John Green
- The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafrón
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafrón
- The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
- The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
- Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
For the most part, I am rather happy with the popular titles I’ve read so far, but there is more work to be done, opinions to be shared, and characters to swoon and/or despise.
Be on the watch for some more updates on what I’m reading, no matter the popularity; I will be adding some more of my reviews and thoughts on several titles as I work my way through my TBR in the coming months. I update Goodreads regularly and am working on posting here regularly with book-ish pieces. Comment below if you see your favorite book. Don’t see yours on this list? Comment your recommendations. Thanks for reading!
