As most of you know, I love reading. I never shut up about it ahah. I get a lot of people asking about my favorite books or recs. So, I thought I’d make a blog about it. It’s going to be long so be prepared. I will make a list of my favorites, then do separate sections for each book with a review. That way if you just want to look for a specific book title you can. I can also do these monthly. You can DM me with books or you want me to read and review. 

WHY I LOVE READING

I would rather read than watch a movie. When I read, I picture it in my mind like a movie. Also, if I sit and read all day, I feel more productive than if I sat and watched a movie all day. It also helps with my anxiety. I will literally bring a book with me everywhere.  Even when I’m going to hang out with people. I read even then. When I’m in between books or don’t have a book to read, I get anxious. I also think that its due to the fact that when I read, I’m on my phone a lot less. I hate being on my phone, but I’m addicted to it. I used to not be as much, but lately its been worse. I think that’s partly because I haven’t been reading as much. 

Books amaze me for so many reasons. It’s crazy how authors come up with a whole world. It amazes me how creative they are. The other thing that baffles me is that when you look at a book you haven’t read, it’s just a book. But after you read it, its a whole world. WITHIN PAGES there is an entirely different world. I don’t know if I’m explaining this right or if this makes sense, but I cannot fathom it. I also love reading because I get so attached to the characters. I get sad when I finish books because I know I’m going to miss them. It’s crazy how much fictional people or things can make me feel real emotions. I think it’s also so cool that books can portray things in a way people understand. A fictional book can show how grief can affect people through a story where someone loses a friend. Then, that can open peoples eyes. There’s also so much knowledge that we can obtain on our own just from reading. Its insane. 

Okay now for the recommendations…

MY FAVORITE BOOKS:

A Little Life

The Last Time We Say Goodbye

A Court of Thorn and Roses (series)

It Ends With Us

The Five People We Meet in Heaven

Tuesdays with Morrie

If He had Been with Me

Greenlights

Dance of Thieves

From Blood and Ash

The Book Thief

Kingdom of the Wicked

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Anatomy of Grief

All your Perfects

Reminders of Him

The Boy who was Raised as a Dog

Malibu Rising

All the Bright Places

Zodiac Academy 

Holy, these reviews are going to take forever. Okay so there is some that I haven’t read for a long time and wouldn’t be able to give an accurate detailed review but I also have a book instagram @paigejanetbooks and some of them might be there.

IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

My heart was broken after this book. OH MY GOSH. The writing itself wasn’t that good. It felt immature. I didn’t think I would get into it that much, but I was proven wrong. I am not good at summarizing books so I will just let you guys look up the summaries to all the books. That way, I also don’t actually say something that would spoil it. 

A COURT OF THORN AND ROSES

If you don’t like this series, I don’t like you. This is by far, my favorite. The world building, the writing, the character development, the storyline, EVERYTHING. I literally haven’t ever wished for a book to be true more than this one only because I literally want to be friends with them. I’m so sad every time I finish because then I’m no. longer in that world. Rhys is the best person in the whole world. Can we talk about the unexpected small character development? *SPOILER* like the surriel or the bone carver or the weaver. When the surriel died, I literally cried. I laughed a lot in this book too. The friendship in this book is beautiful. Not to mention, we also get the court of silver flames. Which, is ALSO so good. CASSIAN. Funniest person ever. It was amazing to me how Sarah J Maas could make the relationships so different yet similar still. Like its just small differences that you notice. Anyway, if you love this book too PLS dm me and we can rant to each other. GO READ IT. 

IT ENDS WITH US

Basic but good. Obviously I feel like if you have been on booktok at all you have heard and probably read this book. I still always recommend this book or anything by Colleen Hoover for people trying to get into reading. This book is fast paced and easy to read. I was hooked right from the start. I don’t want to give anything away but I finally understand what its like for people in that situation. I was TORN. Her books and especially this one are fun romances, but usually also have a good message too. Go read go read go read. 

THE FIVE PEOPLE WE MEET IN HEAVEN

I have quoted this book so much in my Instagram. This book allows you to see how much everything can connect. Its fictional but it also gave me a new perspective on heaven or how it could be. Mitch Albom is one of my favorite authors because he takes such real hard things in life and turns it into a beautiful lesson. I read this book after one of my friends passed away and I think that is part of the reason I love it so much. I was trying to see the positive and this book helped me do that. “Death ends a life, not a relationship” “Lost love is still love. It takes a different form, that’s all. You cant see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken, another heightens. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it. Life has to end, love doesn’t.” 

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE
Again Mitch Albom amazing;. However, this one is based on a true story. I need to reread both of these. This one has a great message about seeing the meaning in life. This book is about his old professor. READ IT. There is also a good podcast with Oprah that you should listen to once you read this book. 

GREENLIGHTS 

I love Matthew Macconahey. Ask all my friends I recommend this book so much. It is so funny. But also, his life is so interesting. He isn’t just some actor with a lot of money. He actually does cool things and has had amazing experiences. He also has the best mindset and it is so inspirational. The book is so good but so inspirational. 

THE BOOK THEIF 

I cried. I cried and cried. Oh my gosh. The writing. The perspective. The creativity the author has. I read this last year.  This story is heartbreakingly beautiful. Like all historical fiction books written during this time. A lot of you have probably read it in school. I knew the ending was coming. They tell you what is going to happen, yet I didn’t want to believe it. 

THE KINGDOM OF THE WICKED

So good. Some people don’t like this one, but I loved it. It’s fantasy. THE PLOTWIST in the second book AND the first. I- I need the third one now. 

THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO 

So so so good.  Beautiful. AND THE ENDING. Everything about the end of this book is heart shattering. But again the creativity of how the author ended it and tied in everything. Genius. Taylor Ried is turning out to be one of my favorite authors. She ties in characters from other books to all her books. Creating one big world. And her plot twists never fail to amaze me.  

MALIBU RISING

Like all the other books, I loved this one. It made me cry and realize things. I related to certain parts and things about the book. But it is a beautiful story and like I said before I love her as an author. 

ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES

One of my alllll time favorite books. More like a comfort book, even though its so depressing. Its like when you want to watch a sad movie so you turn on Fault in Our Stars or Me Before You, or any movie like that. Yes, there is a movie to this book but fair warning, don’t watch it. It is so bad and does not follow the book. But the book I promise is so good and so worth reading. It was a little odd and first but then, BUT THEN. I did not want to believe it. But ohhhhh my gosh I will tell everyone to read this book till the day I die. 

REMINDERS OF HIM

This one is new. I just read it. It again is by Colleen Hoover who we love so much. And again, she puts us in a situation of understanding. Where we are torn between who is “right” or “wrong”. Again, she shows us that situations and life is not black and white. This story was so beautiful.

ZODIAC ACADEMY 

Don’t make fun of me. Hearing what its about it makes It sound so cheesy. BUT GIRLS, the romance in this, so good. Not to mention the character development. You fall in love with all the characters. You become so happy for them and with them. Its like ACATOR where you feel like you are part of their little friend group. BUT OH MY GOSH. THE CLIFFHANGERS and also everything that could go wrong does. So prepare yourself. But read read read. The first 2 books are a little brutal. 

ALL YOUR PERFECTS 

Its been a couple years since Ive read this but it was one of my favorites. Colleen our love wrote it. It shows how difficult marriage can be. One of my favorite quotes in it is when she asked this older couple how they lasted so long and they he said, “No marriage is perfect. There were times when she gave up on us. There were even more times when I gave up on us. The secret to our longetivity is that we never gave up at the same time.”

A LITTLE LIFE

Again, it has been a while since I’ve read this book but I want to do a reread this week. This book thouroghly broke me. Do not read this book expecting for a fun sad book. No, this book is real, and traumatic and serious. It broke me, made me sick, and made me depressed. I had some personal instances where people I know went through some stuff like this and it made it so real for me. I couldn’t believe it. It is beautiful and it is life. Life isn’t always pretty. It also is a slow beginning. This book is not plot driven. Again, it is a book about life and life is slow and not always exciting. But I believe everyone should read this if its not triggering for you. It opens you eyes and humbles you and makes you more empathetic towards others. 

THE LAST TIME WE SAY GOODBYE

This is an amazing book that helped me through grief. It portrays how different grief is for everyone. There were so many good quotes that I still look back on. This is another book that I want to re read. I don’t remember too much so I don’t really have anything other to say than that. 

THE BOY WHO WAS RAISED AS A DOG

This is a book written by a psychologist. It goes through patients and their experiences. It talks about different trauma. It is amazing what some children go through and are still able to live good lives. It’s a hard read. It is hard to stomach some of the things that have happened. But again I think it can be good for some people to get outside of themselves and realize what happens and what goes on in some peoples lives. 

THE ANATOMY OF GRIEF

I haven’t finished reading it. I took a break a few months ago and haven’t picked it up. But, I got halfway through and loved it. I love being aware of what I’m feeling and going through. It worded exactly how I felt and there was a comfort in that. I need to finish this 

Okay I am done. A lot of it is repetitive but I didn’t know how to really explain them without spoiling it. But if you ever want to rant about any books DM and I would LOVE to.