Books have always been something that I've loved and even at a young age, I completely devoured books. As I grew older, my tastes changed just as they do for music and fashion, but just like those, I have a collection of staples when it comes to literature. When friends ask for recommendations, you can pretty much guarantee that it'll be one of these books that are near and dear to my heart. Without further ado, my favorite books!
I'm going to start off by talking about the book that really resonated with me during my teenage years, as I'm sure that it did the same for many others. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is something of a prized possession for me, as I remember being in middle school when reading this book and realizing just how important books and literature were to me personally. I feel lucky to have read this coming of age story while I was trying to figure out the type of person that I turned out to be, and I've read this book over and over. When I found out that there was a movie adaptation, I scored some passes to a movie screening prior to the wide release and to my delight, Stephen Chbosky was there, in the flesh, taking questions after the film. I was fortunate enough to have brought my copy of Perks and got it signed! This. Was. Everything.
Just like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, this next book (or series) totally shaped my childhood all the way up to the summer after I graduated high school, and even after that as well. Harry Potter is a gem in more than just the literary aspect and it's something that I will always, always, always be excited about. Seriously, I even have a Harry Potter tattoo, in case you missed my tattoo post. Harry Potter means a lot to me and it continues to mean a lot to me - I feel really lucky to have been a part of the series while the core books were actively being released. I'll always be a Potterhead at heart.
Moving away from the cliches, we're diving into the more mature books. I remember reading Running With Scissors when I was in late middle school or early high school, but I remember being totally enthralled. I've always said that Augusten Burroughs is one of my favorite authors ever, as I've read most of his books and loved every single one. Running With Scissors is probably the most well-known of his writing, but I highly recommend Magical Thinking and A Wolf at the Table as well. The thing that I love the most about Burroughs is that his books are (for the most part) memoirs, and the stories are things that have actually happened to him. He writes about his childhood, his teenage years, and finding himself even in adulthood.
Along with the same wavelength of authors, Wally Lamb is definitely another favorite. She's Come Undone is, again, probably his most well known work, though his other books are totally fantastic. They're lengthy, for sure, but don't be put off by how huge the books seem - they're the types of books that keep you reading and reading and you'll be grateful that the books are so hefty! I really love The Hour I first Believed and I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb and would highly, highly recommend them.
Finally is the book that I am most excited about to mention, if we're being honest. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is one of those books that seem so long that it's almost intimidating, but I promise that every bit is worth it. Albeit slow in the beginning (in my opinion), the pace quickly picked up for me and I found myself so emotionally attached to Jude, Willem, JB, and Malcom. I've always loved books that made me feel all the emotions and by the time I finished A Little Life, I was literally holed up in my room ugly crying in bed, but it was so beautiful and wonderful that I can't recommend this enough. From time to time I think about A Little Life and I feel this dark cloud looming over - I can't get it out of my head and I think a reread is in order. Seriously, it's that good.
I hope you all check out these books and authors! If you do, please let me know what you think and please feel free to give recommendations! I am active on Goodreads and I'd love some new friends to stalk your book list! Add me here!
xx Mary
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