[tps_title]The Five Books You’re Missing Out on Right Now[/tps_title]
It’s no surprise that a lot of people like to read what everyone else is. In a lot of cases, people lean toward the extremely popular novels that cover the shelves from one end to another. I’ve been that person, you’ve probably been that person, and in the near future, I will most likely continue to be that person. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but once in a while I’ll stumble upon books that don’t quite make the shelves top to bottom, but have a measly one bind in the array of colorful hardbacks; sometimes, they don’t even make it to the shelf. These novels aren’t always outstanding, but they aren’t always awful. In a rare moment when an unknown book makes its way into your collection, it’s super difficult to pick it up and read it. There isn’t much to reassure you that you aren’t wasting your time, and more often than not, there are typos everywhere. The moments of pure desperation of wanting to read something, but already having read everything, is not for the faint of heart. Usually, I say that the uncertainty is what makes reading a book so special, but sometimes the reassuring reviews give the sigh of relief. I’m here to tell you that this list is only dipping a small fraction of your feet into the water. There is a whole world of unknown books, and it’s calling your name. The name calling also tends to be in a desperate tone and surprisingly in the same voice as Achilles, the hero.
You can find all or most of these books on Amazon, through the author’s site, or through the ingenious app, oysterbooks.com. As always, I try to keep these things as spoiler free as possible.
05. Bright Side by Kim Holden
This one is a tear-jerker, my friends. It’s got a positive message in its pages, and overall it’s a satisfying read despite its predictability. Holden does a fantastic job of leaving you with an overpowering sense of contentment when the book is finished. The love story interwoven is stellar and keeps the pages turning when the subject matter is heavy and hard to push through. It started out as an unknown but has since worked its way up to a small following. I read it straight through on my Oyster app, but I’ve looked for it on the shelves and have yet to come across a physical hard copy in the store.
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04. Sprout, by Dale Peck
Have I mentioned that I adore LGBT novels?
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Not only does this book have the greatest cover of all of these put together and then some (green hair, cool tales), but it’s also one of the coolest novels I’ve read in a long time. I stumbled across this via my Oyster app, which seems to be a trend, and the synopsis immediately had me downloading it. Sprout is an odd kid, which I like. He carries a dictionary around for one, and he’s got green hair for two. It’s a shockingly honest novel, and Peck does a fine job with interweaving Sprout’s mother’s death and his father alcoholism into a solid novel that still surrounds Sprout rather than his counterparts. It’s not clean-cut and it’s off-center, but Peck delivers a novel that makes you believe not everything is should be perfect.
03. Know Not Why: A Novel, by Hannah Johnson
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This was one of the first books I read on my Oyster app, and let me tell you, this book is witty, fun, and worth the money spent! Johnson is quite subtle in her actions but bold with her characters’ words. It has the potential to cause a quick snap close, but trust me when I say that Johnson writes her main character with a bold tongue for a reason. The main character works in an arts and crafts shop and falls in love with a dude. It’s delightful in its delivery and soft in its reception. You will be fond of this book once you’re done, I promise. It’s an LGBT novel and one of my favorites of all time. The dynamic flows beautifully, and the banter between all of the characters is superb. I’m waiting for another release from Johnson like this one, but only time will tell. This novel is not on shelves or available in hard copy, so be sure to download the e-book ASAP. It’s worth every pretty penny.
02. The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller
Give me all of the Greek mythology and give it to me now.
Well, as long as it’s in the form of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
Miller has delivered a novel so great that it’s hard to put into words. This novel creates images through pure and unfiltered love as the retold version of Achilles and Patroclus. It’s deeply moving, and so human, even while set in the greatest mythological world. It is stunning writing and storytelling, to the point that Miller tears the heart of your chest and feeds it to the hungry words on the page. If you’re familiar with The Iliad, then you know the end is tragic beyond comprehension, but in this retelling it ends on a note that’s also hopeful.
It’ll also be the worst and best thing to happen to you, because you will never be able to read about the two of them the same way. That Brad Pitt movie will also confuse you in extreme amounts.
It’s available in hard copy, although I’ve yet to come across one in the store, rather than online. It’s picked up quite the attention via tumblr, so if you’re interested in the truly great fan art, then you should check that out, but not before ordering or downloading a copy.
01. Maybe Someday, by Colleen Hoover
Hoover has gotten recent success with her novels, but back in the day (or like, two years ago), Hoover was writing to her heart’s content on Wattpad while all of her fans read diligently and with baited breath. I was not one of those fans, but I picked up the book after seeing it circulate social media for weeks. Sydney is the main character, and her love story with Ridge, who plays the guitar and listens to her heartbeat, is gut-wrenching and a right tear-jerker. This is my favorite Colleen Hoover novel, by many, many miles. There is a beautiful structure to this novel that Hoover doesn’t quite hit the mark on in her other books (although those are good too), and it packs a punch that leaves you speechless and full of heartache. It doesn’t leave you that way for long, but it also doesn’t heal the hurt quickly. It’s clear that Hoover thought long and hard about the way she wanted each character presented and written, and the finished product is something to be very proud of.
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