Calling all my book lovers! Here’s a round-up of my recent favorite books.
I didn’t know I needed this by Eli Rallo
I have waited patiently for Eli Rallo’s debut book to come out. Rallo grew in popularity on TikTok for her “rules” videos. She listed her rules for everything from holidays to days of the week. For example, here’s a link to her Friday rules. She graduated from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) with a Bachelor of Theatre Arts, and minors in Playwriting, Creative Writing, and Political Science in 2020. She then got her Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University School of Journalism in 2021.
This book combines her rules and life experience with her higher education. It focuses on how to “love deeply” whether it’s through dating, friends, or yourself (Rallo). This book has helped me realize the importance of being myself and speaking my mind. I have already seen an improvement in my dating life and general outlook on meeting someone new. I truly didn’t know I needed this!
A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)
BE WARNED! This book may be a gateway into the ACOTAR series and Maas’s other book series, Throne of Glass.
I am fully hooked on this book series! A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) by Sarah J. Maas is a story about a human woman named Feyre who finds herself pulled into a fairy world after she kills a beast in the woods. I was so happy to find an adult fantasy novel. It was a nostalgic experience to fall in love with this book the same way I did with books like The Hunger Games or Divergent when I was younger.
Some people who were aware of the full plot thought that ACOTAR was slow to start, but as someone who was coming in blind, I enjoyed it. I felt like I was one with the character and now that I’ve moved on to the second book I can see her character growth and change. There are six books in the collection that vary between 200 to 800 pages each. But I’m not intimidated and am excited to delve deeper into this story.
Followers
Followers By Megan Angelo surprised me. Last January, I bought a fair amount of books and picked Followers up because it went along with the book deal. It wasn’t until I was home for this holiday break that I found it again and it was exactly what I needed for my road trips to visit family.
This fiction book focuses on three women named Orla, Floss, and Marlow. Their lives intertwine in ways the viewer wouldn’t expect and lead up to a shocking change in technology that changes their world forever. I appreciated the two storylines the book jumped through. There was good pacing and enough connections between the characters to keep me engaged.
Thanks for reading! I hope that you’ll give these books a try.
Sources:
Rallo, Eli. I Didn’t Know I Needed This: The New Rules for Flirting, Feeling, and Finding Yourself. 2023. Harper Collins, 12 Dec. 2023.
Rallo, Eli. “About” Eli Rallo, 2022, https://www.theelirallo.com/about. Accessed Jan 15, 2024