Magic” trilogy. | Photos courtesy of Hannah Field
Feb. 11, 2026 | Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief
Social media does a lot of bad things, and a lot of good things — but has done both to the rise of reading again. Suddenly, books I finished and despised are top-sellers, everyone’s reading the same thing and I can’t stop getting recommended books I’m not interested in by people I don’t know on TikTok.
The other day, I was just thinking to myself: I wish someone with a little bit more proximity to me, a knack for writing and reading and who shares some similarities with me would just give me a list of books I could check out. Now, I can’t do that for myself — but I can do it for the next person to read this article. Below are a variety of books that I’ve read that I enjoyed that I think are worth picking up if not yet already finished — all without spoilers.
“Before I Fall” by Lauren Oliver — This book was one that I read early on in my young adult book escapades that I haven’t forgotten about. It was catty, hard-hitting and turbulent. Having a 3.88/5 on Goodreads, and being Lauren Oliver’s debut novel in 2010, I consider it still rather impressive. “Before I Fall” follows a mean girl in high school, Sam, who goes through a kind of “Groundhog Day” effect and is forced to relive the day she dies over and over again. It’s not a spoiler if it’s the premise of the book, right?
Anyway, “Before I Fall” has all the criteria for an emotional ride, capitalizing on the importance of kindness and how short life can be. There’s love, there’s drama and, most fun, a selfish, kind-of-evil protagonist, a slight risk for author Lauren Oliver, considering this was in the age of “Twilight” — Mary Sues were everywhere. The book also has a movie adaptation, which I remember liking, except it only got a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. I’ve been waiting to pick this one back up and give it a reread.
“Shades of Magic” trilogy by V.E. Schwab — Most know V.E. Schwab for her novels “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” and “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil,” the former of which is my favorite book, but the three books in her “Shades of Magic” series are perfect for romantasy lovers. In this series, Kell is a magician who can travel between worlds, one of only a handful of people who can. After meeting a runaway sailor, Lila, the two must band together to save all of the Londons — Red, White, Gray and Black, as a dark magic takes hold in the rifts between worlds. The series explores queer romance, magical warfare, usurping expectations and stereotypes and complex family dynamics, and was one of the most interesting concepts I’ve read about in a long time.
“The Women” by Kristin Hannah — So, no, Kristin Hannah isn’t underrated right now at all, but all I can find online is recommendations for “The Nightingale,” which I, actually, did not want to die for, unlike “The Women.” This book captivated me. It had a slow start, with a bit of simplistic writing, but I was simply taken on this ride with the main character, Frankie, once it picked up.
In “The Women,” which is historical fiction about women’s roles in the Vietnam War, Frankie signs up to become an army nurse. She’s taken out of her cushioned, well-fed life and taken to Vietnam, where she learns the truth of what the war looked like and how women were being treated, despite being incredibly pivotal and crucial to the war efforts.
I breezed through this book in two days, and I’ve been thinking about it since. I don’t want to give too much away, although I have much to say. If this book is on any reading list out there — this is a sign. Get through the first couple of chapters and report back.
Fair warning: this book does get a little graphic, considering the Vietnam War army nurse thing.
“To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” by Christopher Paolini — Christopher Paolini released “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” in 2020, a standalone story told in Paolini’s new universe: “The Fractalverse.” The novel takes place in the future when humans have accomplished interstellar travel, met aliens and can modify their bodies. Xenobiologist Kira Navárez is our speaker, and we follow her as she encounters an unidentifiable alien lifeform that she accidentally — well, absorbs is the best word for it. From there, Kira finds out that if humanity is going to be saved, she has to be the one to do it.
Tied in with a love story, lovable and flawed characters and some really complex scientific writing that I’m unqualified to decode, “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” is thrilling, intoxicating and long.
Paolini is most known for the series “The Inheritance Cycle,” a quadrilogy starting with “Eragon” and focusing on a farm boy who discovers a dragon egg in a fantasy realm that is ruled over by a tyrant. Paolini worked throughout his teens and early twenties on “The Inheritance Cycle,” boasting complex storylines, intense worldbuilding and great ratings online — a commendable consideration for a reader’s book list.
“The Fractalverse” also includes “Fractal Noise,” a 2023 prequel centered on a different protagonist, featuring no familiar faces from the sequel. While I liked the concept of “Fractal Noise,” it intrigued me much less, kept me less captivated and was slower than “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars.” It was an easier read and a smaller novel, and shouldn’t be discounted, as Paolini is still an accomplished author with a powerful, intelligent voice.
“The Wrong Side of Goodbye” by Michael Connelly — To be honest, my dad, who I very rarely take seriously, handed me this book, and it sat on my shelf for more than six months before I finally picked it up and found myself amazed. “The Wrong Side of Goodbye” is a crime-mystery thriller following recluse detective Harry Bosch. A billionaire enlists Bosch’s help to find his heir, which proves to be quite difficult, all while Bosch is trying to find a serial rapist who terrorizes Los Angeles.
I am not usually one to fall for an older white man’s recommended reads. However, I am very glad that I did. I could not stop turning the pages of “The Wrong Side of Goodbye,” and sequentially went to my local secondhand bookstore to buy as many Harry Bosch books as I could find. I read the first in the Harry Bosch series, “The Black Echo,” and read about his comeback from the Vietnam War (there it is again), another good Connelly novel. I’m taking a break from the murder — it was a lot — but hope to return soon, as Connelly has gained an unexpected fan for life.
Contact the author at howleditorinchief@wou.edu
