Read these books and you will know of their greatness

Ranked by re-readability (which says nothing about the first-time read experience of the book)

Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder

Want to learn more about the Philosophers in World History? Read Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder! Sure, there’s some plot. But most of this book is focused on the history and stories of Western philosophers. Sophie, the main character, receives mysterious letters that either ask frustrating philosophical questions or are long paragraphs about philosophers, talking about philosophers from Socrates to Kant to Nietzsche. Even during the chaotic end of the book, Sophie manages to find a way to learn about the next philosopher and his (yes, they were all male) point of view of the world. Find which philosophers you side with on your journey to the tips of the rabbit hairs of the rabbit being pulled out of the hat during the Great Cosmic Magic Trick!

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Series)

Ender’s game is an epic sci-fi war between the buggers and the humans. The famous Ender’s Game Series begins with Ender’s Game. I’ve read this book at least three times, and each time I find something new. 

Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is born third in his family in an overpopulated world, and grows up with his two very different siblings: horrible Peter and lovely Valentine. At six, he was taken to the mysterious Battle School to fight the buggers: an alien race bent on murdering all humans. 

It’s a book about growing up too fast.

Don’t watch the movie, though – it sucks.

Homestuck by Andrew Hussie: Webcomic

From the seniors to the sophomores, everyone (besides me) will tell you not to read Homestuck. With over 8000 pages, twisted and convoluted timeline, characters that have multiple copies of themselves, and multiple races and stories, I can see what they don’t like. Yet, if you can get through it all, the bits and pieces you could put together make up an incredibly interesting story. 

Sylvan (rest in peace, never forget) introduced me to Homestuck last year. They had read the whole thing, and went so far as to dress up as one of the characters (Vriska, a troll) for Halloween. 

The beginning made sense. Well, more sense than anything else from Homestuck, at least. And then I got to Act 2. I met a bunch of new characters and everything descended into chaos. This webcomic can be reread as many times as needed, and you will understand and find more with every time you reread it.

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett, a well-known (and dead) comedian, wrote the Color of Magic, the first book in his longest and probably most famous series: Discworld. 

The book is about the adventures of unlucky wizard Rincewind and his lucky friend Twoflower. As they go on an adventure, they inadvertently save the Great Turtle A’tuin (on which the elephants stand, and on the elephants lies the Disc). Their adventure continues in its sequel, but notably, from then on, most of the books are not in chronological order. 

To be able to read a particular series (and there are multiple), you will need to find the specific books and get those, or get all 41 books and read them all. 

1984 by George Orwell

Big Brother Is Watching.

If you haven’t heard of 1984, I’ll have to ask which rock you live under. If you haven’t read it, that’s fine. 

This dystopian book is about not having free speech, being hemmed in by everyone around you, and the impossibility of hope. 

This is a classic that you should definitely read. I finished it just recently and found that I shouldn’t have waited four years (since a friend recommended it) to read it. 

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

I received this book as an assignment in a Psychology course over the summer. We were given a good two hours in class dedicated to reading, and,immediately I was deep into the book. It was full of examples of people doing the wrong things and explanations of how to act in these situations. It explains why people do what they do and how to change. I learned a lot about psychology and a bit of economics from Thinking Fast and Slow, so if you’re taking Adhya’s psych class, you might want to read this book.

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

I found this series in the library, and picked it up because the cover was pretty (This happens to be the reason I pick many books from the library, and it hasn’t worked only twice out of many many books).

The book is hilarious, yet the plot line isn’t. A bunch of humans fighting a losing battle against a much more powerful society of aliens bent on destroying them. The main character strives to be a pilot, but shadowed by her father’s legacy of being a ‘traitor’, she is barely able to get into Flight School. A lot like Top Gun, with elements of science fiction and all the alien books, I couldn’t stop reading it. You probably have seen me reading Skyward at lunch or during GoalTime. I can’t wait for the fourth book to come out. 

Firestarter by Steven King

I must admit, I listened to the audiobook made off of Firestarter, and in another language. But that didn’t stop me from really liking it. It’s a story about a girl who can literally start fires with her eyeballs, and she’s kinda scared of her own powers. Her and her dad are being hunted by the government. It’s filled with a bunch of dramatic explosions and doors that open by themselves. 

Graceling by Kristin Cashore 

When I opened this book, I decided that it wasn’t a very good one from the very first pages. It was a bit cliche, the writing style was a bit basic, and it was a bit dull. However, I followed my mom’s rule about reading three (3) chapters before you put the book down, and ended up reading 3 books in the series instead. 

A twisting story that reveals more secrets the farther you read into it, Graceling and the following books are captivating and are ‘black holes’ for avid readers. Unlike JK Rowling’s Harry Potter, in which the more lore is added, the worse it gets, Graceling and the others reveal that the history of its world was already well incorporated into the previous books.

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

Everyone’s heard the story of Rumpelstiltskin. But who has heard of the notorious Erlking? The Midnight Hunt? Who knows why the farmer told the King his daughter could spin gold? What happens in the ancient, forgotten castle during the day? Infinitely better than the original Rumpelstiltskin, find out who the real villain is, and why the main character promised her firstborn child. There’s always more to the story. 

This book caught me with the first few pages. I haven’t read the second book, but will once I find it in the library.