Save the date; Thursday 7th March 2024, World Book Day. This is a celebration and an encouragement of reading.
World Book Day is often aimed towards young people to broaden their minds and education. However, adults could very much benefit from this too, between the stressful work life or university workload, reading books can become a pastime that is ignored.
If you want something to read and don’t know where to begin, I have compiled a list of twenty books – some popular, some less well-known – and their blurbs, that could get you started.
Fantasy Books
A Court of Thorns and Roses – A Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maas (author)
‘When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world. At least, he’s not a beast all the time.’
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel) – The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins (author)
‘It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmanoeuvre his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.’
Godkiller – The Fallen Gods Trilogy Book 1 (Paperback) Hannah Kaner (author)
‘Kissen’s family were killed by zealots of a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing gods, and enjoys it. That is until she finds a god she cannot kill: Skedi, a god of white lies, has somehow bound himself to a young noble, and they are both on the run from unknown assassins.
Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, they must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favour.’
Legends & Lattes (Paperback) Travis Baldree (author)
‘High fantasy, low stakes – with a double-shot of coffee. After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream – for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.’
Good Omens, Neil Gaiman (author), Terry Pratchett (author)
‘According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter – the world’s only totally reliable guide to the future – the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just after tea…
People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. This time though, the armies of Good and Evil really do appear to be massing. The four Bikers of the Apocalypse are hitting the road. But both the angels and demons – well, one fast-living demon and a somewhat fussy angel – would quite like the Rapture not to happen. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.’
Popular Romance Books
Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston (author)
‘When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius–his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.’
History Is All You Left Me, Adam Silvera (author)
‘When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course.
To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart.’
Carry On – Rainbow Rowell (author)
‘Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who’s ever been chosen.
That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here — it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.’
Heartstopper Volume 1 – Heartstopper , Alice Oseman (author)
‘Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn’t been too great, but at least he’s not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He’s heard a little about Charlie – the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months – but he’s never had the opportunity to talk to him.
They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner…’
Icebreaker, Hannah Grace (author)
‘Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. A competitive figure skater since she was five years old, a full college scholarship thanks to her place on the Maple Hills skating team, and a schedule that would make even the most driven person weep, Stassie comes to win. No exceptions.
Nathan Hawkins has never had a problem he couldn’t solve. As captain of the Maple Hills Titans, he knows the responsibility of keeping the hockey team on the ice rests on his shoulders. When a misunderstanding results in the two teams sharing a rink, and Anastasia’s partner gets hurt in the aftermath, Nate finds himself swapping his stick for tights, and one scary coach for an even scarier one. The pair find themselves stuck together in more ways than one, but it’s fine, because Anastasia doesn’t even like hockey players…right’
General Fiction
Yellowface R.F. Kuang (author)
‘Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody. White lies…
When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song. But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves. Deadly consequences… What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.’
The Secret History Donna Tartt (author)
‘Under the influence of a charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at a New England college discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries. But their search for the transcendent leads them down a dangerous path, beyond human constructs of morality.’
The Thursday Murder Club – The Thursday Murder Club Richard Osman (author)
‘In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.’
How to Kill Your Family: Exclusive Edition, Bella Mackie (author)
‘When Grace discovers her bio dad, a millionaire, rejected her and her dying mother, she decides to enact her revenge by killing the entire family. Yet, in a strange twist of fate, she is convicted and sent to prison for the one murder she DIDN’T commit.’
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins Reid (author)
‘Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?’
Non-Fiction
Wild Woman: Empowering Stories from Women Who Work in Nature, Philippa Forrester (author)
‘In Wild Woman, Philippa Forrester considers the grit and determination required for women to maintain connections to wildlife and shares stories of female conservation heroes and other extraordinary wild women working in nature.’
Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter Ian Mortimer (author)
‘Medieval Horizons provides the perfect primer to the era as a whole. It outlines the enormous cultural changes that took place – from literacy to living standards, inequality and even the developing sense of self – thereby correcting misconceptions and presenting the period as a revolutionary age of fundamental importance in the development of the Western world.’
A Message from Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (author)
‘Bringing together a new introduction by Volodymyr Zelensky with his most powerful war speeches, this book recounts Ukraine’s war through the words of its president. It is the story of a people valiantly defending themselves from Russian aggression. And it is a battle cry for us all to stand up, support Ukraine and fight for democracy.’
The Little Book of Student Food: Easy Recipes for Tasty, Healthy Eating on a Budget, Alastair Williams (author)
‘Every student needs to fill their belly as well as their brain. But even if you can barely make toast, this starter guide to killing it in the kitchen will give you what you need to succeed. From the very basics through to more adventurous dishes, whether you’re a vegan or an omnivore, these recipes are budget-friendly, super tasty and easy to make.’
The Student Cookbook: Great Grub for the Hungry and the Broke, Ryland Peters & Small (compiler)
‘The Student Cookbook will get you through your studies and become more valuable to you than any textbook. You won’t need lots of kitchen gadgets, hours in front of the stove or a loan to make these recipes – they are all easy and cheap and designed to satisfy.’
That was just twenty of thousands and thousands of books, and sometimes we don’t know what we’re missing until we find the right one, we just need a little encouragement. If you’re interested in any of the books above or wish to browse some more, here are several popular bookstores for you; Waterstones, Blackwell’s, WHSmith’s, The Works, Foyles