Hey there! I made this page so I could give some of my favorite or current book recommendations. I hope you enjoy! Be sure to tell me what you think afterwards or send me your own recs 🙂 feel free to add me on the fable app and good reads! I have the same username for both!
The Poppy War
By: R. F. Kuang
An orphaned peasant girl named Rin, who lives in the poorest, slummiest district known as Rooster, decides to take a traditional country-wide exam, a monumental decision that holds the promise of a brighter future and the chance to escape a life of drudgery, slavery, and suffering that has haunted her since childhood. With determination burning in her heart, she dedicates countless hours to studying, despite the distractions and dangers of her environment. When she finally succeeds and passes the grueling exam, she is suddenly thrust into a tumultuous world filled with the chaos of war, the whims of ancient Gods, the pursuit of knowledge that challenges her very existence, and the personal strength she never knew she possessed. This newfound reality not only tests her limits but also unveils hidden truths about her heritage and the fate that awaits her in a realm where loyalty and power intertwine in unexpected ways.
Inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century, this read was so exciting. I could feel the hurt and unfairness Rin had to endure throughout her journey. I was so immersed in the tale Rin had to tell, her struggles, her motivations, and her origins.
She quickly realizes the Gods are indeed very real and they all want to be worshipped and are easier to reach than we realize. Towards the end, Rin discovers the strength within herself and this newfound power propels her into a destiny she can’t run away from.
Circe
By: Madeline Miller
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child — not powerful like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power — the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians.
I’ve always loved Greek Mythology so this book was so enjoyable for me. I was never too familiar with the lesser goddess Circe, but this retelling kept me pulled in and wondering which she would choose. The gods she was born from? or the humans she’d come to love. It was an adventurous read I’ll keep coming back to.
Beach Read
By: Emily Henry
Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.
Polar opposites. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.
Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.
I enjoyed this book, I could see a lot of myself in January. She has a very realistic yet romanticized view of life that I could relate to, also the fact that I feel we had similar life experiences (minus the dad having a whole other life part)
Fahrenheit 451
By: Ray Bradbury
I believe that this book along with many others is on a list to be banned. From schools, from libraries, and truly its a crime. Books such as this one are detrimental so we don’t make the same mistakes of the past and keep ourselves vigilant of the future that seems to be out of our control. I urge you to give this book a chance. It could change the way you see things and it may scare you how relevant something written long ago could almost predict the future. This book is set in a futuristic American city, citizens are no longer allowed to think for themselves, only the media the government allows them to consume. In this world Firefighters no longer put out fires, instead, they start them. The main target of these fires? Books. Books are illegal.
This book is a classic for a reason. Books like this are becoming more and more scarce. Authors don’t write like this anymore, the words paint such vivid pictures in your mind.
Its been my absolute favorite book since High School and I will forever highly recommend.
Quicksilver
By: Callie Hart
Reading this book took me longer than I care to admit but I’m so glad I finished it.
When I got tired of reading words on paper, I listened to the audiobook instead and the gentleman who portrayed Kingfisher was so good at being raspy and using his deep voice to bring the character to life, as well as change his voice to portray other male characters in the story, which I enjoyed very much. He was really good at also doing different accents for the characters which was believable, it was very whimsical and fantasy.
When it comes to the story it was really slow paced. It kind of felt like the main character was going on a bunch of side quests instead of sticking to the main quest, but overall the story was really good and immersive and the love between the main character, and the male lead was very slow burn almost like true enemies to lovers type romance. They kind of hated each other, but not really and it was just so fun reading the back-and-forth of their banter.
Carrion is probably the best side character I have ever read. He is so funny and crude and annoyingly just there lol. The twist in the end really sent me through a loop and I’m kind of upset that the second book doesn’t come out until fall of 2025 which to me is too far away because that cliffhanger should be illegal.
Fourth Wing
By: Rebecca Yarros
I really loved this book, I read it in early July of 2024 and have not stopped thinking about it. I was looking for a really good book series that could keep me entertained and this series just might be it. I would recommend to wait before you start reading this series because only three books are out out of i believe five or six and these cliffhangers a freakin’ BRUTAL. After being in a bit of a book slump Fourth Wing pulled me right out with its fantastical world of dragons. It’s kind of like if How to train your dragon was also a little like hunger games and a little like Aragon.
The story is exciting as much as it is emotional. The Female Main Character wasn’t your typical damsel in distress like in most romance stories so I really enjoyed how much she showed her true strength. The idea of speaking with dragons on a telekinetic level was so interesting. For some reason I couldn’t get Liam Neeson’s voice out of my head as Tairn LOL. He just struck me as a very wise deep voice, kind of like Aslan from Narnia. The cliffhanger at the end of fourth wing had me heart clenching. Not only was I already devastated from the words “Its been. My honor.” I had to find out I’ve been lied to THE WHOLE BOOK. The wait for Iron Flame was the most excruciating time of my life. I can already feel my heart breaking over and over and I CANNOT wait.
Tender is the Flesh
By: Agustina Bazterrica
Somewhere in the distant future a virus infects the animals of the world, one bite, one scratch, and you’re as good as dead. People need to eat though, just not contaminated meat. So what do they do? become vegans? Nope, they turn to cannibalism. Breeding “heads” humans purely for consumption. This book is all kinds of f*cked up, I wish I didn’t have eyes. it’s supposed to be about human indifference to animal cruelty but DAMN!! It’s not the type of book I’d feel good about recommending because it was disturbing but I give it 4 stars because it was written very well. Just not my cup of tea.
Butcher & Blackbird
By: Brynne Weaver
I started this book in early Oct. but put it off until the week of Halloween, I truly wish I hadn’t put it off so long. This was such a fun and exciting read. As much as I can say about two serial killers who hunt and kill other serial killers lol the banter and sexual tension in this book truly made me feel like a giddy schoolgirl. I found myself blushing, kicking my feet, and giggling more than once. It was so graphic and gross in some parts but somehow I wasn’t entirely put off, not even by the ice cream scene (maybe that’s a me issue though lol) overall I would definitely recommend if you like dexter or criminal minds with a little romance sprinkled in. I also highly recommend the audio book with Lucy Rivers and Joe Arden ❤
It's Jackie Smiles 