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Bookshelf of Old Books
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Culture

5 Books I Wish I Read Sooner

Caitlin Doherty
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

Every reader has a “to be read” (TBR) list, brimming with books they can’t wait to dive into. Not every reader has a “wish I read sooner” list, full of books they wish they hadn’t waited so long to read. However, I happen to fall into the second group…

There are five books I’ve read and wished I’d read sooner, so I could reflect on them longer. These books changed the way I see the world and influenced my thoughts on various events. They span a range of genres and plots, offering something for anyone. 

All the light we cannot see

This historical fiction novel was written by Anthony Doerr in 2014. It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction to no one’s surprise, and had thousands of raving reviews rolling in following its release. 

Doerr’s novel follows the events of the World War II bombing of St. Malo France, and tells the tale through the eyes of two characters. The first character is Marie-Laure, a young blind girl who follows her dad cross-country to escape the war. The second character is Werner Pfennig, an orphan who enlists in the army to gain access to knowledge he has never had before.

When I bought this book, I didn’t expect it to draw me in the way it did. The story is told with alternating perspectives, detailing the war from two different sides. As the novel goes on the reader soon sees how Marie-Laure and Werner Pfenning’s lives are intertwined, and how the war affected them both. 

It’s one of my favorite books, and I have thought about it daily since reading it. Reading it made me think hard about certain things, and the ending sent a flurry of emotions through my mind that I didn’t expect. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Taylor Jenkins Reid writes hit after hit, being the author of Malibu Rising and Daisy Jones and the Six. Her biggest hit in the writing community was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. This book is (unsurprisingly) about Evelyn Hugo and her journey to the top of Hollywood. 

The book starts with Hugo being interviewed about her life story, where she shares all the horrors she endured to grow her career in Hollywood. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a beautiful story that made me laugh and cry. There were even moments where I had to put the book down and do a lap before continuing. I recommend this book to anybody who loves emotional stories and a good cry, and who’s looking for a good book.

I’m glad my mom died

Jeanette McCurdy’s autobiography came out in 2022, so it’s only two years old. Despite this, I still wish I read it the second it came out. This book took me two days to finish, and it would’ve taken me one if I hadn’t started it at night. 

This autobiography is a story that you wouldn’t believe until you read it. There are plot twists that you would only expect in a fiction novel, and storylines that you won’t believe to be true. 

McCurdy lived a difficult life, and her autobiography really shows the audience how much she endured as a young adult. Her book brought tears to my eyes and made me sorry for the life of a woman I’ve never met.

Verity

Coleen Hoover may not be the best person, but Verity is one of the best psychological thriller books I’ve read. My mother recommended it to me, and I read it in one sitting because I was so enticed. 

Verity follows Lowen Ashleigh as she finishes a book series for the author Verity Crawford. Lowen’s stay starts calm and relaxed, but chaos ensues as the plot unravels. The last one hundred pages of this novel were unpredictable, and I couldn’t take a break from reading until I reached the end.

Even the ending of this book is thought-inducing, and I thought about it for weeks after. Hundreds of people have tried to figure out the ending and want to know why Hoover ended it the way she did. So, if you want a taste of the psychological thriller genre, I recommend renting Verity and diving into the world of Lowen Ashleigh. 

A Good girl’s guide to murder

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (AGGGTM) was such a popular book that Netflix made it a TV show starring Emma Myers. This book is about a cold case in a small town concerning a murder from five years ago. 

Myers’s character, Pip Fitz-Amobi, loses herself in this mystery while trying to figure out how the young woman really died. Pip recruits a young man named Ravi Singh and the two of them investigate the murder together. 

AGGGTM is the first book in a trilogy, and I finished each of the three books within a day. This book has many unexpected plot twists about the murders and the characters. If anybody is looking for a good mystery, I recommend this one. It had me thinking about it years after I’d finished it, and the show is just that much more reason to read the series. 

These are five of the best books I’ve ever read, and they all kept me interested and pulled in. If you are in dire need of a book to read, I recommend any one of these to get you back into the reading spirit. 

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Caitlin Doherty is a staff writer for HerCampus at Florida State University. She writes articles about everything, ranging from the current pop hits to NFL game coverage, to FSU’s campus. Her articles include a variety of topics, relating to a number of Florida State students. Beyond HerCampus, Caitlin is on the marketing and PR team for Kudzu Review at Florida State, where she informs students when magazines will be released and how to submit writing excerpts. She is also head of social media for the Paddleboard and Kayaking club, posting about events and memberships on all platforms. She is currently attending Florida State University studying editing, writing and media with a minor in business. She went to high school in Jacksonville, Florida. Although she has never worked for a magazine before, she has experience in writing and editing through clubs and opportunities her high school provided. In her free time, Caitlin loves to read a good mystery book (Truly Devious is the current favorite), or watch a sit-com. She has always been a huge Marvel fan and is eagerly awaiting Robert Downey Jr’s return as Dr. Doom. She also enjoys going to the beach when back in Jacksonville and taking her dog to the local parks.