If you didn’t know already, I love reading books. You get a really different experience from them than you do with TV and movies, and you can easily borrow most books for free at the library.

But let’s say you don’t know where to start! There are so many books out there, with new ones released every week! How should you sort through them all?

As an avid reader, I always have recommendations. Obviously, my taste isn’t for everyone, but luckily for you, I have a super varied taste in books. Here are some books I’ve read this year; hopefully, at least one of them piques your interest.

If you like medical history or queer history:

And the Band Played On, by Randy Shilts

This is a 600-page account of the scientific community’s attempt to understand the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. It covers a few different stories: those who were affected by AIDS (mostly gay men, but a few children of drug users and receivers of blood transfusions), the politicians involved in making AIDS policies and allotting funds for AIDS research, and the scientists trying to discover the cause of AIDS. It’s a super, super long book, but it’s a really interesting book for anyone who wants to know more about the AIDS crisis.

 

 

If you appreciate pure, wholesome friendship:

Darius the Great Is Not Okay, by Adib Khorram

Darius and his family go on a trip to Iran to visit his maternal grandparents, and oh my goodness, the boy next door is kind of cute. (No, Darius and Neighbor Boy don’t end up together. This is not a romance.) I think we suffer from a lack of wholesome friendships between boys. We also have lovely candid conversations between Darius’s family members; he and his dad, at one point, have to explain their depression medication to Darius’s unknowing grandparents.

 

 

If you don’t like economics, but want to — alternatively, if you don’t like sociology, but want to:

Freakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

Steven and Stephen have basically convinced me that everything is economics now. By learning about a bunch of different studies related to human life and society, you, too, can understand econ. Along the way, the two pose interesting questions about race, religion, class, and gender; did you know, for example, that baby names first become popular among the wealthy before moving through the social classes? Like I said — lots of questions.

 

 

If you enjoy politics, the royal family, and romance:

Red, White & Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston

Alex Claremont-Diaz is the son of the first female president, and he has a vendetta against England’s Prince Henry. An argument between them forces them to pretend to be friends . . . but what if they end up becoming more than friends? Reading this book was my first foray into the adult romance section of the bookstore; I normally stick to teen novels when I’m looking for something full of mindless fluff. This book, however, is anything but mindless fluff. It’s a story of what it means to be American, the downfalls of fame, and the sacrifices you have to make for the sake of others.

 

If you miss Obama:

Becoming, by Michelle Obama

I don’t care if you’re a raging liberal or a stark conservative; Michelle Obama is a wonderful writer. Her life is so interesting, and the way she tells stories of her childhood and her time before and during Barack’s years as president is absolutely engrossing. Obviously, this book is probably best enjoyed if you at least somewhat agree with Michelle’s political views, but much of it is applicable regardless of your political affiliation. It’s simply the story of how a woman from a low-income Chicago family overcame challenges and succeeded in unimaginable ways.

 

If you’d rather read short stories:

Hungry Hearts, by Elsie Chapman

This is an anthology of short stories of varying subject matters, but they’re all connected by their setting in a fictional American town where everything is about food. Some of it is magic food. Some of it is mafia food. Some of it is just regular, delicious food, found in homes or restaurants or food trucks. There are stories of romance, murderers, and everything in between. It’s super great if you don’t have a huge attention span; none of these stories are ridiculously deep, and they can easily be read in one sitting.

 

 

If you’re a grammar nerd:

Because Internet, by Gretchen McCulloch

The way we talk on the internet and in our text messages is completely different from how we speak to each other in real life. But McCulloch goes far deeper than that; she delves into the language of memes, why baby boomers …. write like this …. in all …. of their Facebook posts …., and the appearance of various linguistic phenomena like ~~~*adding these wavy lines and stars for whimsicality*~~~ or mOCkINg cApiTAliZaTIOn. It’s super interesting to read about the ways that we just subconsciously know how to use language.

 

 

If you want to smash the patriarchy:

The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood

This is the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, and yes, you have to have read The Handmaid’s Tale before this if you want to understand it. It’s not as good as The Handmaid’s Tale. It just isn’t. But it’s a good book. It reads much more like a teen dystopian novel than the speculative fiction of its predecessor, but I ended up really appreciating the three narrators. While not a perfect book by any means, it’s a nice way to close off The Handmaid’s Tale with a more optimistic outlook.

 

 

 

I hope this post has inspired you to pick up a book or two! Truly, books are an amazing way to entertain yourself. If you find anything you like, let me know!