Reading is a great hobby to get into anytime you are looking for something new and entertaining.. However, choosing good books that suit your interests can be difficult. There are many different genres to choose from, my personal favorite genre is fantasy, however, I have recommendations for other genres. The following books are great for beginners and people who are interested in taking up this hobby.
A great fantasy series that I suggest to everyone is the Percy Jackson series. This is a series about the children of Greek gods and goddesses who all attend summer camp together and get sent on different quests. This story also features monsters from Greek mythology. Rick Riordan, the author of Percy Jackson, also has a few other series based on this world. The most popular are The Heroes of Olympus and The Trials of Apollo, which both feature Percy in them. This would be a great series to start reading, especially now that there is a new series on Disney+.
One of my favorite books of all time is Six of Crows, and the second half of the duology, Crooked Kingdom. This book has six teenage main characters who must pull off an impossible heist. These books are a found-family fantasy series. It is an action-packed, fast-paced series that I would recommend for readers of all ages. The Netflix show Shadow and Bone features the characters in the storyline as well. This book is also on the reading list for the YSU English festival for grades 10-12.
A young-adult romance series I would urge teenagers to read is The Summer I Turned Pretty, which has been adapted into a Prime Video series. It features a female main character who visits her mom’s best friend’s summer house every year. She is close in age with the friend’s sons, and they end up in a complicated love triangle. This series is great for people who are just beginning to read independently or for readers looking for a fun, light series because the storyline is very fast-paced.
The Inheritance Games is a great trilogy for people with a short attention span. The chapters are very short and are constantly moving along the plot. It is about a girl named Avery who was listed in a wealthy man she’s never met’s will. This book is classified as a mystery novel. There is also a romance plotline between Avery and the man’s grandsons. This book is in the YSU English Festival reading list for students in grades 7-9.
The Summer of Broken Rules is a great young-adult summer romance book. This book takes place on a small island that the main character has visited her whole life. The main character’s cousin is having a wedding on the island and her fiance’s family also stays on the island. Meredith, the main character, meets one of the groomsmen and they become close. This book also features many Taylor Swift references throughout the book, which was one of my favorite aspects.
Better than the Movies is basically a rom-com about rom-coms. This is probably one of the most popular romance books right now. If you love rom-coms, I would definitely recommend reading this book. It isn’t too serious or a long-term commitment like some of the larger series I’ve listed. It’s a nice quick read for beginners.
I asked a few students who enjoy reading for their suggestions to get some different perspectives. Other Words for Home, is about a girl named Jude who is forced to leave her home in Syria with her mother. Student Natalee Macejko said that she enjoyed it because it discussed the struggles that Jude went through. She also believes that it is a great book for teens.
Fellow sophomore Kaylee Brenner suggests Better than the Movies. She said, “It was a cutesy romance. It just had me kicking my feet.”
Sophomore Abigail Grimes recommends the book Pax by Sara Pennypacker. She said, “I would recommend Pax because it made me want to read and was the first book to make me cry.”
Junior Joslyn Delsignore would suggest any book by Taylor Jenkins Reid, such as, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Carrie Soto Is Back, and Daisy Jones and the Six. She also recommends A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson and If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin. Joslyn’s favorite author is Taylor Jenkins Reid. She expressed that she loves her books because they always have strong female characters. She also enjoys that she connects all of her books. She recommends her books to others because they are very entertaining and engaging and they all have different vibes and storylines.
Junior Kenna Beeson suggests The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Kenna’s favorite author is Erin Morgenstern. She loves this author because her two favorite books, The Starless Sea and The Night Circus, are both written by this author. She loves fantasy books and the author’s storytelling style.
If you are still struggling to find books, I would recommend finding videos on TikTok that have short descriptions of what the books are about to see if they suit your interests. You can also watch Youtubers such as Haley Pham, who provide reviews of books and different book genres. There are also blogs and news articles that you can find on Google by searching “book recommendations.” Asking friends who read or teachers about suggestions for books can also be helpful.