Everyone’s favorite hobby: Reading! (Maybe not everyone) but at least a good few. This winter is when you stay home on Friday nights and enjoy a good book. Here are some of my top book recommendations in no particular order, from classics to soon-to-be classics to mystery and fantasy. 

• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Most junior year English classes have read Khaled Hosseini’s, “The Kite Runner,” for their Further Oral Activity (FOA). (If you have not read it, run—don’t walk—to get that book!) But his second book, “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” gets even better. From Herat comes Mariam, who involuntarily marries a shoemaker from war-torn Kabul, falling into the hands of an abusive man, Rasheed. While Laila, seeking to hide a secret from the world, becomes Rasheed’s second wife, facing the same abuse as Mariam. It is an interesting book on women’s rights under the Taliban and their resilience.

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Being married to seven men in your life is no joke. The 1950’s actress Evelyn Hugo is being interviewed for an autobiography where she reveals all the secrets about her life and what it came to be. Focusing much on old Hollywood where love, misogyny, romance, and sexuality took place, be warned! This book is fast-paced enough to finish in one or two sittings, which is always great!

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

History, no! Historical fiction, yes! This book is very thought-provoking as it tells the adventures of Liesel Meminger and her foster parents, who are housing a Jew in Nazi Germany during WWII. The novel is told from a different perspective, seeing as the narrator is death itself. Death tells you who he will collect but never how or when; instead, it comes as a surprise. A hauntingly beautiful book that remains with you forever.

• If We Were Villains by M.L Rio

For the dark academia mystery and theater fans over there, this is the book for you. This book will leave you thinking for a while, and maybe even leave you in tears. The murder mystery surrounds a group of Shakespearean actors with fierce competition and dangerous rivals at a prestigious art academy, Dellecher. It’s a bit slow-paced initially, but it’s great once you get into it. I’ve heard it’s similar to Donna Tartt’s Secret History so if you liked that, you should definitely check this one out!

• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Fantasy is the new real life! The feeling of being transported to another world is just *chef’s kiss*. Set in Orïsha, Nigeria, the story follows a young girl Zélie who is part of the Maji group, a group with special powers before the king tried to get rid of them. She attempts and embarks on a journey to bring magic back to Orïsha. This is the representation Nigerians are looking for, but it comes at a small price; the book is 525 pages long. Many consider that too long, but you’ll be surprised how fast it’ll go by.

Some of these books are on serious topics, and others not so much, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re all incredibly good reads. More book recs or not recs to come!