"So, I like to read." by Gaayathri Nadarajah

So, I like to read.

No...really. I really like to read. Call me a bibliophile but I'll read anything! Thrillers, Science Fiction, Drama, Contemporary Romance, Realistic Fiction, Cereal Boxes, Fantasy, even the occasional historical fiction!

This month I decided to share some of my absolute favorite reads of all time along with mini (fairly vague) reviews! I'll include books that are:

    -Sad

    -Fantasy

    -Realistic Fiction!

Let's start section by section. First up--Sad Books.

Sad Books

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

     If you're into the lives of celebrities, you'll be sure to like this book! It's about the life of Evelyn Hugo, a famous actress who decides at 79 years old to give one last interview to a journalist, Monique Grant, who narrates the book. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a melting pot of moments where you smile so hard your cheeks ache, and others where you feel like it'd be easier to climb the Appalachians than to turn the next page. 

Please do not read this book if you have triggers with: 

Cheating/Divorce

Domestic abuse

Homophobia/Racism/Sexism

or Statutory Rape

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

    This book is the saddest book I have ever and will ever read. I cried six times, from cover to cover. I won't lie, even now writing this I find myself tearing up. Lily Bloom is the main character and we follow her and she falls in love with a seemingly perfect neurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid. You follow Lily as she follows her dreams and yet also remembers her past, and from there her perfect life only unravels.

Please do not read this book if you have triggers with: 

Alcohol abuse

Attempted rape

Depression

Domestic abuse

Violence

or Suicide

Are you down because of the sad books? Maybe it's time to try your luck with some action-packed fantasy books!

Fantasy Books

Six of Crows (Duology) by Leigh Bardugo

    I'll be talking about the first book of the series Six of Crows, as not to spoil anything! I love this series! It has very diverse main characters, not just in terms of race or ability, but also in their mental state. For example one character is slightly disabled, one has ADHD, one is South Asian, one is Black, one is sexist and learns to change their mindset, two are gay and so on. The book centers around this unlikely team of six characters whom band together to break into the most fortified place in the world--The Ice Palace. They are a group of thieves/crooks and some even have magical powers. The characters are just so rich in personality it blows you away!

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

    This book is a standalone book which I personally enjoy since you don't have to spend a lot of time reading a huge series! It takes place in a fantasy world where there is a man called the Shadow King who is rumored to have very mysterious powers. The main character, Alessandra, has a plan:

1) Woo the Shadow King.

2) Marry him.

3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

And the book follows her journey as she tries to abide by this plan! I thoroughly enjoyed this book because of the main character herself. I was so used to female characters who were as kind as Snow White, so to have a main character who was ruthless in her own way was amazing. And yes, I mean it when I say "ruthless". Don't believe me? The first two lines of the book are: “They've never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.”

Okay....that was a lot! Let's try and return back to the world we live in! Time for realistic fiction.

Realistic Fiction

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

    Breathtakingly, brutally honest, this book has forever captured my heart. It is a love story that takes place in Ireland between a Bengali-Muslim girl and a mixed Brazilian girl. It deals with racism, microaggressions, and cultural appropriation. It was fantastic!

Please do not read this book if you have triggers with: 

Racism

Homophobia

Bullying

or Character Being Outed

Parachutes by Kelly Yang

    This book is really really good. Seriously. At first glance the book may not seem interesting--just some foreign exchange students from China going to school at a public school in California, but the amount of real issues it covers is astounding. From adultery to sexual assault to racism, this book hits every point in an authentic way. The chapters alternate perspective between Dani (a poor Californian girl) and Claire Wang (a rich foreign exchange student). The duality of their chapters allowed me to watch their worlds collide, right themselves, and collide again. Each and every character was flushed out, including the side characters!  This book represented each character’s life in an organic way—making sure not to make their life revolve around one central theme that would be unrealistic, but rather small messages carefully interwoven in a digestible manner.

Please do not read this book if you have triggers with: 

Cheating

Classism

Rape Gaslighting/Rape

Homophobia/Racism

Sexual Harassment

I know what you're gonna say--that was a lot of words! But each of these books had so much of their author's sweat, tears, and time poured into them, it's hard to narrow down my favorites. If you can believe it--I actually had to cut three other books that I was going to write about because this post was taking way too much time. Still, I hope at least some of this post inspired you to pick up a book, even if it wasn't one of the books featured in here!

Happy Reading!

    -Gaayathri Nadarajah