1.) Project Hail Mary(2021) by Andy Weir
Published on May 4th, 2021, Project Hail Mary is about a lone astronaut who wakes up with amnesia on a spaceship deep in space and now must solve a space mystery to save Earth and return home. The story follows Dr. Ryland Grace on his mission to solve this unexplainable cosmic problem. There was an amazing film released this year starring Ryan Gosling, but even with the stellar film, the book is still worth the read, if not more than the watch.
2.) The Hate You Give(2017) by Angie Thomas
Published on February 28th, 2017, The Hate You Give is about a young 16-year-old girl named Starr Carter who is from a poor and predominantly black neighborhood, yet she attends an elite suburban prep school, and how an altercation with a police officer changes her life forever. In 2018, the book was adapted into a movie with several stars in the cast, with both book and film(the book is a little bit better in my opinion) serving as powerful messages and mediums.
3.) Man’s Search For Meaning(1946) by Viktor Frankl
Published in 1946, Man’s Search For Meaning is a two-part non-fiction book about Dr. Viktor Frankl’s time in Nazi German concentration camps. The first half of the book serves as a personal memoir where Frankl explores a painful part of his life, showcasing the feelings of the true average individual in a concentration camp; the second half introduces a psychological therapy he developed from his experiences. Definitely a book to take notes on and reflect on your own life and experiences with.
4.) Allegedly(2017) by Tiffany D. Jackson
Published in 2017, Allegedly is a psychological thriller following Mary, who allegedly killed a white baby when she was a child. After spending years in a juvenile detention center, Mary, now in a group home, becomes pregnant. Knowing she won’t be able to keep her baby, she has to fight for her alleged innocence. This book is an absolute page turner; there’s this constant question of what’s next for the story and the characters themselves throughout the entire novel.
5.) The Witches of Cambridge(2026) by Alice Hoffman
Author of the critically acclaimed Practical Magic series, Alice Hoffman returns to shelves this September 8th with her newest historical fiction novel, The Witches of Cambridge. Set back in the 1950s, the story follows two college students, Ava and Maine, who join a secret witch society, exploring their navigation of academic life and the strange disappearances of other student witches a part of the organization on the campus, with more evils looming in the shadows. As someone who is a massive fan of the Practical Magic book series and film starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, I can’t wait to get the opportunity to read this new and upcoming novel.
