I’ve read a lot of books since the pandemic started, some better than others, and I thought I would share the best five I’ve read in no particular order."
- frankie ettinger, 11th grade
Reading has always been a hobby of mine, but during quarantine, I have taken the time to dive deeper into it. I’ve read a lot of books since the pandemic started, some better than others, and I thought I would share the best five I’ve read in no particular order.
1. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I’m not big on science fiction or dystopian novels so I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did because it is both of those things. It was such a good book and the pacing amazing. Lots of suspense!
1. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I’m not big on science fiction or dystopian novels so I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did because it is both of those things. It was such a good book and the pacing amazing. Lots of suspense!
Red Queen is about a society that is divided between blood types. Those with silver blood, called the Silvers, are the ruling class and have special abilities such as mind reading, telekinesis, etc. those with red blood, called the Reds, are the working class who live in poverty to serve the Silvers. They have no such powers. A Red pickpocketer named Mare is sucked into the world of the Silvers when she pick pockets the seemingly kind prince named Cal, who gets her a job at the royal palace. She becomes one of the princesses in line to court the younger prince, Maven. When Mare discovers she has powers that not even Silvers can compare to, she is left to wonder who she really is. She starts living a double life: obeying the rules of the corrupt palace and serving in the rebellion against the royalty. Red Queen is a gripping story about betrayal and the ending shook me to the core.
Favorite quote: “Anyone can betray anyone.”
2. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. I absolutely adored this book. Every single character, no matter how small,was incredibly well thought out and vital to the story. Elena Richardson, who you’ll learn more about in the story synopsis, was probably my favorite character. I hated her, but she had a very interesting savior complex that I became obsessed with.
Favorite quote: “Anyone can betray anyone.”
2. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. I absolutely adored this book. Every single character, no matter how small,was incredibly well thought out and vital to the story. Elena Richardson, who you’ll learn more about in the story synopsis, was probably my favorite character. I hated her, but she had a very interesting savior complex that I became obsessed with.
Little Fires Everywhere is about a mother named Mia who, with her fifteen year old daughter Pearl, moves into a rental house in Shaker Heights. The house is owned by the wealthy Richardson family. Pearl becomes friends with the Richardson kids who are her age. Mia and the Richardson mom, Elena, are wary of each other. As the two families continue to grow and work around each other, Mia becomes friends with a Chinese woman at her work named Bebe. Bebe confesses to Mia that she left her newborn baby at a fire station because she couldn’t care for it. When Mia finds out that Elena’s white friends are trying to adopt the baby, she tells Bebe. A custody battle erupts, tearing the town apart. Little Fires Everywhere is an achingly real story about family, race and class, and mother’s love.
Favorite quote: “That child who she thought had been her opposite but who had, deep inside, inherited and carried and nursed that spark her mother had long ago tamped down, that burning certainty that she knew right from wrong.”
3. The Goldfinch by Donna Tart. This is by far one of the most beautiful books I’ve read. Sometimes I go back and reread the last few pages because I just love the writing there. Another thing that makes me love The Goldfinch is how the end of the book feels like a completely different book than the beginning. The transformations all the characters go through were mesmerizing.
Favorite quote: “That child who she thought had been her opposite but who had, deep inside, inherited and carried and nursed that spark her mother had long ago tamped down, that burning certainty that she knew right from wrong.”
3. The Goldfinch by Donna Tart. This is by far one of the most beautiful books I’ve read. Sometimes I go back and reread the last few pages because I just love the writing there. Another thing that makes me love The Goldfinch is how the end of the book feels like a completely different book than the beginning. The transformations all the characters go through were mesmerizing.
The Goldfinch is about a boy named Theo Decker who goes to the museum with his mother. They’re both infatuated with a painting of a goldfinch. An explosion goes off at the museum, killing Theo’s mother and whisking Theo into the scary world of social workers and grief. While he adjusts to living with his rich friend, Theo clings to the one thing that reminds him of his mom: the painting of the goldfinch that he stole from the museum. As he grows older, Theo is pulled towards the dangerous world of art thieves, drugs, and his raw grief that he never quite recovered from. The Goldfinch is a beautiful story about grief, healing, art, and all kinds of love.
Favorite quote: “And I add my own love to the history of people who have loved beautiful things, and looked out from them, and pulled them from the fire, and sought them when they were lost, and tried to preserve them from the fire and save them while passing them along literally from hand to hand, singing out brilliantly from the wreck of time to the next generation of lovers, and the next.”
4. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz. I read this book recently and I can’t get it out of my head. The way the characters heal each other was beautiful to witness and I loved the pacing of the story.
Favorite quote: “And I add my own love to the history of people who have loved beautiful things, and looked out from them, and pulled them from the fire, and sought them when they were lost, and tried to preserve them from the fire and save them while passing them along literally from hand to hand, singing out brilliantly from the wreck of time to the next generation of lovers, and the next.”
4. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz. I read this book recently and I can’t get it out of my head. The way the characters heal each other was beautiful to witness and I loved the pacing of the story.
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life is about Sal and his best friend Samantha, or Sam, going through senior year. Sam is dealing with a lot of pent up anger surrounding his birth parents and homophobia towards his gay father. Sam has her own set of issues that she has to work through, and she and Sal strive to support each other throughout all of this, no matter what comes their way. The way grief is written about in this book was beautiful and I love how the descriptions are both candid and poetic. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life is a story about healing and how much it matters to support those around you, even when it’s hard.
Favorite quote: “That was how she said goodbye to the world. To the people she loved. She was going to leave this earth the same way her mother had. With all the grace of the old world. The old, dying world.”
5. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. This book is my favorite book ever. It has everything from grief to love to self discovery and was a truly beautiful story.
Favorite quote: “That was how she said goodbye to the world. To the people she loved. She was going to leave this earth the same way her mother had. With all the grace of the old world. The old, dying world.”
5. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. This book is my favorite book ever. It has everything from grief to love to self discovery and was a truly beautiful story.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is about fifteen year old Ari who is a pretty lonely guy. He doesn’t have many friends except for his mother, his traumatized father confuses him, and he’s angry at his parents for never telling about his incarcerated older brother. Ari is dealing with a lot of inner conflict when he meets Dante. Dante is the opposite of Ari: he’s open about his feelings and comes from a family who is just as transparent. As Ari and Dante get closer, Ari starts to discover more and more about himself, leading to even more inner conflict but also a sense of freedom that he’s been longing for. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a stunning story about self discovery, love, trauma, and transformation. I can’t recommend this book enough.
Favorite quote: “My mother and father held hands. I wondered what that was like to hold someone’s hand. I bet you could sometimes find all of the mysteries of the universe in someone’s hand.”
I hope you enjoy these books as much as I do. If you give any of them a try, let me know in the comments!
Favorite quote: “My mother and father held hands. I wondered what that was like to hold someone’s hand. I bet you could sometimes find all of the mysteries of the universe in someone’s hand.”
I hope you enjoy these books as much as I do. If you give any of them a try, let me know in the comments!