READ A BOOK, READ A BOOK, READ A [redacted] BOOK!
Ahem. In case that aggressive chant wasn’t super clear, today is National Read a Book Day. Every other day of the year you totally don’t have to read a book (we would prefer you still do, but bygones). Today, however, reading is mandatory. And not simply a magazine article, not just a blog, not merely a tweetstorm. Today, you must read a full-on, capital “B” Book. We don’t make the rules; we just enforce them. Of course, we know you’re all pros at this whole reading thing. Just in case you need a hand choosing which book to read on this most auspicious day of days, here are some of our current faves!
Natali, Marketing Assistant
Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough
If you’re on a novels-in-verse kick and are a sucker for historical fiction about freaking awesome girls, you should try Blood Water Paint! Artemisia Gentileschi is an icon, and this book is gutting and empowering all at once.
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
If you haven’t read this book, where have you been? The prose is stunning, Leigh is an unforgettable narrator, and the story is everything I want in a book. And it came out in paperback this year, so no excuses.
Savannah, Digital Marketing Assistant
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
The type of book you can just fall into and not want to crawl back out. It’s a warm blanket of a book that is perfect if you’re a fan of middle-grade fantasy. It’s what I like to think of as a Sunday morning book. Nevermoor is best enjoyed with a warm cup of tea and a fortress of pillows.
Valerie, Digital Marketing Associate
Internment by Samira Ahmed
I recommend that everyone put Internment by Samira Ahmed on their TBR if they haven’t already read it. It’s set in a horrifying near-future United States where seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens. With help from newly made friends, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, Layla leads a revolution against the internment camp’s Director and guards. It’s heart-wrenching and hits too close to home, but it’s also hopeful. It’s important to read books that challenge us to fight for what we believe in, because sometimes we need a knock on the head in order to remember that we all have a voice.
Bill, Marketing Coordinator
The Diviners by Libba Bray
I was recently informed that “spoopy season” is upon us. What better way to ring in the season than with some good ol’ fashioned Prohibition-era supernatural hijinks (with a side of murder, naturally). In re-reading this first book prior to King of Crows (February is so far!!), I’ve been reminded just how much I love Evie and the rest of the Diviners crew. Plus, the 1920s setting is to die for–literally. In conclusion, let’s get spoopy, y’all!