13 Books You won't be able to put down, Part II
Because you liked the first list of "Books you won't be able to put down" we made PART II for you
1. Kindred by Octavia Butler
In the midst of her 26th birthday celebration, Dana, a black woman living in 1976 L.A., finds herself abruptly transported to a slave plantation in the antebellum South. She continues to be rocketed between the time periods and left to reckon with her place in both. Butler’s trademark realism makes this a gripping and unforgettable read.
—Mariella G.
2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Yes, it starts out slowly to establish the unique setting and characters. But once you get those first pages under your belt, you can’t put this one down. Journalist Mikael Blomkvist sets out to solve a missing persons case, with the help of the thorny and enigmatic Lisbeth Salander to help — and hinder — him along the way. Their chemistry is unlike any other crime duo, and every page of this books makes you wonder what’s going to happen in the end. Once you get there, it’s truly a spine-tingling shock of a close.
—Cynthia Beaudry
3. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
What do you do when immortality is your curse? As Harry August nears the end of his 11th life, he meets someone who might be able to help. This is a tense — and sometimes bleak — but also gripping and incredibly original read.
—Clare C.
4. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
“Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can.” The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer pulls you in from the first paragraph and doesn’t let you go. It’s just fantastic.
—Kathryn F.
5. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
It’s about time you got some Easy Rawlins in your life. Don’t think 1940s detective noir is your thing? See if Walter Mosley doesn’t change your mind. His effortless prose and richly developed characters bring a bygone era to life, following a decent and ordinary man, Easy Rawlins, into the violent and corrupt underbelly of mid-century L.A.
—Dmitri Wiley
6. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
When a comet grazes the moon, pushing it out of orbit and closer and closer to Earth, Miranda and her family are forced into survival mode. I originally listened to this book on audio, and woke up in the morning sad and upset until I remembered, oh, it’s only a book. So I bought the print copy, read the book again, and had the same reaction. It felt so real — everyone I’ve handed this book to agrees it’s one of the most riveting recent reads they’ve come across.
—Toby Rajput, Chicago
7. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
I didn’t know anything about Indian history before I read Midnight’s Children, but that didn’t stop me from loving it. The book is about Saleem Sinai, a man who is born at midnight on Aug. 15, 1947, the moment that India becomes independent. He and 1,000 other “midnight’s children” born around that time all have different magical powers, and the story tracks their lives alongside the turbulent growth of their nation. I finished this book on the way back from a spring break road trip, in the backseat of a car, holding a gas-station flashlight in my hand. That’s how completely and utterly absorbing it is.
—Ben Robbins
8. Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
I literally tried to put this book down and, five minutes later, picked it back up to finish it. If you haven’t seen the movie, Rosemary and her hubby, Guy, move into a new apartment building and all sorts of weird stuff starts happening to them. If you have seen the movie, don’t worry about the book ruining it. The story is just as exciting and, if anything, you just end up just more sure that Mia Farrow was cast perfectly. :)
—Katherine T.
9. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Set in the 1980s, it’s already a nostalgia-filled romp, but what I didn’t expect was how heartbreaking and adorable this romance is. You will cheer and root for Eleanor and Park, bite your nails when things get bad, and lose your mind with love for this adorable underrated story of love.
—Annabelle Burdsal
10. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Shantaram is an absolute masterpiece: 800 pages that restore your faith in humanity through an intense story of redemption, love, drugs, money, the mafia, and, ultimately, the universal beauty and kindness of people. The only time I could put the book away was after one character died. And then I couldn’t pick it up for a week.
—Kipras M.
11. Native Son by Richard Wright
My jaw literally dropped multiple times while reading Native Son. It is a brutal and relentless — but very important — read. The tragedy of Bigger Thomas, a young black man coming of age in 1930s Chicago, though fictional, lays bare a period of unbelievable racial and political conflict that we would be remiss as a nation to forget. Add this to your list, and brace yourself.
—Eleanor J.
12. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The appeal of this page-turner cult novel lies in the aura of mystery and exclusivity surrounding the circle of friends at its center. Even though you know what they’ve done from the very start (the prologue acts as a flash-forward, making the novel a whydunnit rather than a whodunnit), the characters are so fascinating that you just have to know how they got there. The novel doesn’t disappoint, and when the events leading up to the prologue are revealed, it’s like a bombshell: No one saw that coming. And the best part? That’s only the first half of the novel.
—Cristina C.
13. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Name of the Wind is a wonderful fantasy book that I always find myself going back to. Rothfuss’ beautiful writing style is a huge reason why I am in love with his series. It is practically loaded with twists and turns, as you learn about the origins of a legendary magician, assassin, and thief. It’s the only book I don’t feel guilty about reading at the same time as another. Although lengthy, it promises a rewarding read, trust me.
—Selah Sunderland
13 Books You won't be able to put down, Part II
Reviewed by Admin
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6:19:00 PM
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Reviewed by Admin
on
6:19:00 PM
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