What I’m reading right now:
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The Secret History by Donna Tartt
A small college in the cold winter of Vermont. Dark academia. A group of classmates all extremely different, but come together for two things: one Greek class, one life-or-death secret. I cannot write enough about this one. This book alone got me out of a LOOONG reading slump, and it might just be my favorite of all time. This is the perfect read for when you are interested in an academic feel while not necessarily having to read one of the classics to get it. This is one of those books that are a little hard to get into if you are just searching for a light read, but once you get into it you cannot put it down. Might be my most highly recommended and favorite book of all time.
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Bunny by Mona Award
Alright not gonna lie, this one is WEIRD. Another one about a small college in the Northeast, another group of students who have a tight-knit group with huge secrets, although this one is more eerie coquette instead of dark academia. It may not be my absolute favorite of all time, but it is a page-turner that’s for sure. It’s the type of book to make you genuinely have to pause every once in a while and outwardly say WTF??? If you want something that will screw with your head and not know what is real and what is fake, this one’s for you.
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The Stranger by Albert Camus
Read this one in less than 24 hours, such an easy and quick read yet holds such a heavy and dark meaning. If you are newly getting into philosophy and want to question humanity and why people make certain snap decisions, this one is for you. What starts off as a slow and seemingly unimportant story ends up being the story of a man grappling with the weight of his actions and slowly slipping into insanity.
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The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Not only this book, but Sylvia Plath’s life in its entirety is something I think about at least once a week. This book is definitely dark and should not be read unless you are ready, but it’s considered a classic for a reason. Esther Greenwood’s slow (until suddenly it’s not so slow) dissent into insanity is a heartbreaking and vulnerable look into the actual mind of Sylvia Plath herself, and this book was a fatally overlooked cry for help. I read this when I was in a phase of life where I probably shouldn’t have, so it took a lot out of me. If you, however, do your research before and understand what you are getting yourself into, DO IT!!! Like I said, I think about this woman and this book constantly.
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For when you want a book that will ruin your life and make you stare at the wall for an hour after finishing it
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A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
I never thought I would recommend this book to ANYONE (and honestly I still don’t) however, I would not be who I am without this one. I read it two years ago and still think about Jude and Willem at least once a week. I went on a four-hour long drive in complete silence after finishing it, and there was more than one moment where I thought I could not finish it… it took me almost 4 months (I even threw it off my balcony at one point I am not going to lie). I honestly would write a brief overview of it but I can’t put it into words. This is pain in a book and for the love of God DO NOT READ IT WITHOUT RESEARCHING FIRST. It will make you want to stop reading about five times, but if you do end up powering through it, it will change your life. Do not be fooled by the fact that it’s under the BookTok section of Barnes & Noble, it is the most gut-wrenching piece of literature you will ever read.
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
This one is honestly what got me into reading in middle school. I still have my annotated copy I reread three times by the time I was 14, and it’s still my comfort movie. The book adds WAYY more depth into Charlie’s past than the movie does and it makes it that much more heartbreaking.
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Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
SO GOOD. SO SO SO GOOD. I went into this book completely blind and it did not disappoint. It’s heartbreaking and seeing the characters’ gradual demise because of drug abuse and other issues that were plaguing Hollywood in the golden age is so vulnerable and frustrating and you really just want to give them all a hug.
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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
SO SO SO AMAZING. Another read that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. This one could honestly go under any category, but the way this story was told was so unique and the plot twists made me genuinely FREAK out. This is such a great book for anyone to read as something exciting and interesting to get them into (or back into) reading, but leaves you sobbing by the end of it.
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Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman
This is another one I read a little bit earlier in life than I probably should have. I am sure you all have at least heard of this one, read it, or watched the movie during the Timothee Chalamet craze back in 2019. I read the book first, and ended up being that girl who kept screaming at the TV while watching the movie over how many seemingly insignificant parts of the book they left out that make Elio and Oliver’s story so much deeper than it seems on screen. This is another one that I read over and over again. A comfort book for sure, but that does not make it any less heartbreaking.
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For when you need something HOT
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Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
I never in my lifeee pegged myself as a girl who would EVER read a book about a dragon school in a fantasy world. Next thing you know, my old roommate showed me this one and totally changed the game. I’m currently reading the second in the series and I am utterly obsessed. I made a fan-casting for the movie in my head and everything (may or may not just imagine it being me and 2004 Tom Welling…) The enemies to lovers trope never fails, and the dark academia aesthetic makes it even better. It’s a long one for sure (600 pages I know I know) but you will not be able to put it down once you start it I can guarantee. It has its own section at B&N right now for a REASON.
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A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (ohhh just wait til the second in the series)
Yeah I know… another fantasy book. Leave me alone don’t knock it til you try it. These books seriously make you feel like you are in another world (a world where everyone has powers and is ridiculously hot). This series will make 700 pages feel like 70. I could not recommend enough for anyone in a reading slump because these are HOT and DRAMATIC and ACTION-PACKED and they never lose your attention.
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Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering
I know for a fact you have watched or at least heard of the show, it’s only the steamiest and most popular drama that has aired in years. I am telling you, regardless of if you watched it, the book is SO different it will feel like an entirely different story. If you do not live in a college town that has been obsessing over this show for the past six months, here’s a little rundown: brand new freshman meets her first situationship. He’s older, he’s a complete asshole, he has a complicated on-again-off-again girlfriend, a past he's kinda suspicious about, and he isn’t even that cute. But for some reason, this guy has her hooked (and us as well, honestly). It’s sexy, it’s dramatic, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat constantly. This right here is a MUST. READ. for every college girl ever.
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It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
This is the textbook DEFINITION of a guilty pleasure book. California socialite who cares about nothing but fashion and parties gets taught a lesson by her parents after one particularly crazy party by being sent to a small fishing town in Washington for the summer where she meets a tough-to-crack fisherman and well… you can sorta imagine the rest. Easy EASY read, entertaining narration to follow, and HOTTTTT. Great for someone first getting into reading more.
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Nonfiction, personal growth, and relationships
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The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
You absolutely will be getting a whole blog post about this book because I have a whole rant Goodreads already had to hear from me regarding audience reactions it has drawn in. This is a GOOD BOOK written by a SMART MAN. It is not meant to be used in every aspect of life which is where plenty of people go wrong and where the term “male manipulator” begins to be thrown around. It is a book relating to the CORPORATE world. It teaches you how to stand on business and work your way up in your career, people only begin to go wrong when they let some of the laws bleed into their romantic lives. Don’t let the general demographic turn you away from this book, it really does have extensive research behind valuable rules of business, and anyone from an intern to a CEO can learn something from it.
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Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
A memoir and collection of insane stories from her twenties, Dolly Alderton reminds you in this book that it’s more than okay to not have your life together (…at all) at this age. Not exactly the type of book to turn to when looking for advice, and may be cheesy or a little silly at some points, but honestly just entertaining. It doesn’t even feel like reading an actual book- it feels like being at dinner catching up with your girl friend who lives a significantly crazier life than you.
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The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
This is the #1 self help book on so many lists for a reason. It’s simple- it’s the law of attraction: what you think about most is what you attract into your life. The people who complain about this book are one of two things: either complete skeptics, or the same people who probably started reading it thinking that there was this “cheat code” inside that’d work like magic in getting them whatever they want. What I love about this book is that it shows that no matter what lifestyle you practice and no matter what you believe, the law of attraction still works- it backs it up in every way.