Mindfull Mari

“There’s this book I have been meaning to read…”

Over the years I have taken peoples “book recommendations” fervently, but without much care. I believe book lovers genuinely care about sharing their favorite stories with one another, the types that engulf us into their pages and make us forget reality. I myself identify as a malicious reader, I always have been. I choose my victims, devour the ones I love and then tell all my closest friends and family, “This is a MUST” read, in which they respond, “You always say that.” 

So I have put together a list of “MUST READ” all in one place.

Disclaimer #1– I broke this list into 4 categories. “Books I Love”, “Series That I Will Love Forever, No Shame”, “What I Love To Teach, But What You Should Also Read”, and, “Books That I Have Not Read, But Are On My List”. I am sure each book could be in many and/ or all categories.

Disclaimer #2- I know I am forgetting many, many incredible “must read” books that I know I have loved. I also know that I am missing many, many books that could be on any or all of these lists, that I have forgotten or not yet discovered. The quest for finding and falling in love with new books is a lifelong pursuit of mine, so I am sure this list will change and alter frequently. Please feel free to comment below this post with your favorites- we can keep the list growing!

Disclaimer #3- This list is in no particular order, other than, “An Uncommon Friendship” will always be towards the top of my list.

Without further adieu, light a candle, curl up with a cup of tea, a glass of wine, a cold beer, or your favorite kombucha (I believe those are the 4 types of humans, broken into beverage categories)…and enjoy. 

Books I Love:

• An Uncommon Friendship- Bernat Rosner and Frederic Tubach
• Nineteen Minutes- Jodi Picoult
• Educated- Tara Westover
• The Book of Joy- Desmond Tutu and Dalai Lama
• Four Agreements- Don Miguel Ruiz
• The Alchemist- Paulo Coelho
• The Kite Runner- Khaleo Hosseini
• Water For Elephants- Sara Gruen
• The Road- Cormac McCarthy
• Wild- Cheryl Strayed
• A Million Pieces- James Frey
• The Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde
• Small Great Things- Jodi Picoult
• The Secret Life of Bees- Sue Monk Kidd
• The Book Thief- Markus Zuzak
• The Wisdom of Insecurity- Alan Watts
• The Perks of Being A Wallflower- Stephen Chobsky
• Leaving Time- Jodi Picoult

Series That I Will Love Forever, No Shame:

• Harry Potter- J.K. Rowling
• The Chronicles of Narnia- C.S. Lewis
• Series of Unfortunate Events- Daniel Handler
• The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins
• Twilight- Stephenie Myer
• The Uglies- Scott Westerfield

What I Love To Teach, But What You Should Also Read:

• The Hate U Give- Angie Thomas
• Into the Wild- Jon Krakauer
• To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
• The Outsiders- S.E. Hinton
• The House on Mango Street- Sandra Cisneros
• Half of a Yellow Sun- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter- Erika L. Sanchez
• 1984- George Orwell
• Percy Jackson Series- Rick Riordan

Books That I Have Not Read, But Are On My List:

• Stranger in a Strange Land- Robert A. Heinlein
• Where Reasons End- Yiyun Li
• Becoming- Michelle Obama
• Furious Hours- Casey Cep
• The Sixth Man- Andre Iguodala and Andre Wallace
• Little Fires Everywhere- Celeste Ng
• Brain On Fire- Susannah Cahalan
• All the Light We Cannot See- Anthony Doer
• The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse- Charlie Mackesy
• The Husband’s Secret- Liane Moriarty
• The Paris Wife- Paula McLain
• The Color of Water- James McBride
• Lord of the Rings- J.R.R. Tolkien

There you have a little glimpse into the random and extensive world of books worth reading. Please feel free to add to this list by commenting YOUR favorite reads below. 🙂

Thank you for being here.