Some books hit you like a ton of bricks and leave a mark on you forever. The kind of books you still think about for weeks or even years later. In my case, I have Madeline Miller, M.L. Rio, and V.E. Schwab to thank for enlightening me with the power of words.
“Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller
A beautiful love story between Achilles and Patroclus, this story left me sobbing. Madeline Miller is a master of beautifully articulated sentences that made me want a love as special as that of Achilles and Patroclus. Hearing the words “I could recognize him by touch alone” brings me back to the wonderful sadness I felt while reading this book. Most of the time, I don’t trust books that gained popularity on TikTok, but this is a masterpiece.
“Circe” by Madeline Miller
I had already fallen in love with one of Miller’s books, so you know I had to go back for more. I read “Circe” right after “Song of Achilles,” which did not disappoint. It’s a bit of a slower-paced book, diving deep into the life of the Greek sorceress Circe, daughter of Helios, the sun God, and Perse, the ocean Nymph.
One of my favorite passages from the book is a conversation between Circe and her father:
“So many years I had spent as a child sifting his bright features for his thoughts, trying to glimpse among them one that bore my name. But he was a harp with only one string, and the note it played was himself.
‘You have always been the worst of my children,’ he said. ‘Be sure not to dishonor me.’
‘I have a better idea. I will do as I please, and when you count your children, leave me out.'”
This is a female empowerment book that I think every young woman should read. Even if its plot is mythological, it holds truths that can be applied to women’s lives at any stage.
“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” By V.E. Schwab
My favorite book of all time is “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” By V.E. Schwab. It starts in the 1700s in France, and a young woman makes a deal with the devil to become immortal. The only catch of this deal is that the young woman, Addie, would never be remembered by anyone she meets. She will live forever and pass through time but never leave a mark on anyone’s life. This makes it hard for Addie to find a place to live as the landlords will forget they ever gave her a lease and make it hard for her to create long-term relationships with anyone.
The way this book was written left me in awe. I was pleasantly surprised at the exploration of the complex relationship between Addie and the “devil” or the dark force she made a deal with. The structure of this book really put me inside the story, and I felt everything that Addie was feeling as the book continued to unfold. I would do anything to read this book again for the first time. V.E. Schwab, you are a genius.
“If We Were Villains” by M.L. Rio
A close second favorite after “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V.E. Schwab is “If We Were Villains” by M.L. Rio. The book follows a group of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college. Oliver, the narrator, and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, Ingénue, and extra. I won’t say much more except that the book is a murder mystery filled with friendship, enemies, and romance.
One of my favorite lines from Rio’s book is, “I don’t know. It’s like I look at you, and suddenly the sonnets make sense—the good ones, anyway.” Again, it is a beautifully written masterpiece that I wish I could read for the first time again.
