Welcome back! This week, I wanted to share some of my favourite books. And by favourite books, I mean that if I was trapped in a tower for an extended period of time, I would be thriving as long as I had these books. 😊 By the way, this is not a ranking, just a list.
Synopsis: On their very last day on high school, academic rivals Rowan Roth and Neil McNair both partake in the senior farewell game called Howl, which puts all the graduating students on a wild goose chase across Seattle. Just as the game begins, Rowan overhears another group plotting their downfall. So even though she’d love to beat Neil one last time, she’s forced to unite forces with him … until they’re the last ones standing and she can safely beat him once and for all. But as the night progresses, Rowan and Neil’s true feelings begin to show themselves.
I. Love. This. Book. I swear that I’ve absorbed this book into my personality. Once I picked it up, I never put it down (I literally binge-read it in like 8 hours). My favourite part of this book is the character dynamic between the two main characters, Neil and Rowan. I really enjoyed their banter, and watching their friendship and romantic feelings come into realization. Solomon also takes this opportunity to touch on some other social issues, such as racism in the form of micro-aggression, body image, and romance novels not being considered “real” books. I also really related to Rowan, especially with how sentimental she was on her last day of high school. Even just reading the book, and reading about how Rowan felt as she scrambled all over the city, I felt homesick for Seattle (I’ve never lived or spent extended time in Seattle). Words cannot describe how much love I have for this book. I’m so excited for the sequel!
Synopsis: When the elderly curator of the Louvre is found murdered and covered in unknown symbols, authorities call Robert Langdon, a symbologist from Harvard. Langdon teams up with French cryptologist Sophie Neveu, and they discover that the curator was involved with the Priory of Sion, a secret society which had multiple historical figures among its ranks and who guarded a world-changing secret. If it wasn’t risky enough, an anonymous enemy threatens them as they unscramble the mystery and puzzles.
This is one of the books that sparked my interest to get back into reading. I originally heard of it because of the movie, but reading the book is like a whole other experience! I find Brown’s writing style extremely captivating, and the pacing is perfect for me – fast enough that you get bored, but not so fast that you get confused. This book is heavily based around the conspiracy of Jesus Christ’s bloodline, and I think that it’s important to remember that this book is not factual. I enjoyed the conspiracy part of it because I like pondering the “what-ifs” of the world. I found the entire series really interesting, but I decided to include this one because it’s the most well-known and my introduction to the Robert Langdon series.
Synopsis: Circe, daughter of the sun Titian, Helios, did not inherit the power of her father of the charm of her mother. She did, however, learn that the can perform powerful witchcraft. Zeus fears her power, and exiles her to a deserted island. On this island, she becomes more powerful and encounters countless mythological figures, such as the Minotaur, Daedalus and Icarus, Medea, and Odysseus. But as a woman, Circe faces many enemies, specifically men and gods. When she faces one of the most vindicative gods, she’s faced with the ultimate choice: belong with the gods or with her beloved mortals.
I’ve always been a big fan of mythological tales, but Greek tales will always have a special place in my heart. I was a Percy Jackson kid, meaning that I’ve reread “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and the follow-up series, “Heroes of Olympus” like eight (8) times each. This fed my need for new Greek mythology books. One thing that I really liked about this book was that it was character-driven, which can be difficult to do while keeping the audience engaged. But my eagerness to know what happened next never faltered. I loved watching Circe’s character evolution! Madeline Miller has a way with words that I absolutely adore; the book was very poetic, but not overly dramatic and hard to read.
Synopsis: A new job at the hotel waterpark reunites Bailey and her old acquaintance, Charlie. The two don’t get along the best, and in fact, are polar opposites. While working, they notice two coworkers getting particularly close, and the two make a bet on whether they’ll become a couple or not. Charlie doesn’t believe that people cannot be friends with the opposite sex, while Bailey does. As the bet goes on, the pair start fake dating, in order to slow the romance between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. As things start to feel a bit too real for the fake couple, can they make amends over Charlie’s secret, or is it too late?
This book is the epitome of You’re in Love (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift. Although the book’s tropes were nothing new, it was still so much fun to read! The vibes were good, and it was a fun, light-hearted read that helped me get out of a reading slump. It was so cute; reading it feels like dancing around the kitchen at night to Taylor Swift’s Lover while baking your favourite cookies. It nourishes the hopeless romantic in your soul. It’s just a fun, fluffy read that everyone needs once in a while.
I hope that you enjoyed me gushing over my favourite books! Or maybe my love for them has inspired you to consider picking one of these up yourself?