Books aren’t just for reading, they’re for so much more. Books are used for decoration, conversation starters, entertainment, education, and even bringing dreams to life through fan fiction. You name it, and there’s probably a book to go along with it. Not only can finding a good book be difficult with millions of stories across bookstores, public libraries, and online, but you may wonder —is it even worth buying them? A hundred percent! Not only is directly supporting authors and businesses the best way of supporting literature, but it also means you can do whatever you want to your book and always have a copy. Want to write in the margins or even draw little doodles? Go right ahead, you own it. Want to put it on display just for the aesthetic? How would we know if you even read it?
If you can’t find a copy of the book you want or can’t afford it, there are many great options for that as well! Public libraries are free, and most let you request books you’d like to read. If you really want to fill that bookshelf without breaking the bank, check out your local thrift stores! Buying books second-hand is a totally underrated way to find affordable books and an endless variety. So, for any reason of wanting or needing a book, these are great options to keep in mind before your next purchase.
We are both avid book-owners and love filling up our bookshelves in whatever ways we can. Here are some of our faves in our collections and what we truly think about them.
Morgan’s Shelf
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: 5/5
This was the first book I bought the summer I moved out to Victoria! After watching the show on Netflix, I fell in love with the storyline and bought the book at Indigo for my plane ride to Victoria. Indigo is a good option for variety and browsing but is definitely on the more pricey side; I bought my copy for over 20 dollars for a softcover. I definitely could’ve found this for cheaper somewhere else, but it was 100% worth it as I’ve written and highlighted so much in this book and truly made it my own. This was the first book that is, in my opinion, just as good as its cinematic remake. The story follows the fictional band, Daisy Jones and The Six, providing complex character insight with all the band members’ storylines lining up into one. The book features heavy topics such as drug addiction, parental issues, fame, and trying to find oneself in your 20s. There are definitely so many moments in this book that I resonated with that truly made me love it so much more. My favourite parts are the actual songs written by the author that give the book a real lifelike and authentic quality. As well as the songs from the TV adaptation, which are on Spotify!
Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter
Rating: 4/5
Oh my gosh, Ally Carter was my absolute favourite author from the 5th to 8th grade, with her books being a perfect blend of action, adventure, and PG romance that kept me turning the page. I picked Not If I Save You First up again this past summer, and I surprisingly still loved it. The book is a politically centered, action-packed thriller, featuring a past childhood love to further the suspense through every chapter. I find the plot so unique with how complex they made the main character, Maddy. Almost every chapter had me gasping in shock as the truth behind how and why the characters ended up in the present tense unravelled. If you are looking for an action thriller with a good amount of romance, I highly recommend any of Carter’s books. Her books have such a great flow to perfectly tie a story together. I got my copy from the Scholastic book fair for 10 dollars (a steal!), and for how long I’ve held on to it, I think that says a lot about how good the book truly is.
We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim
Rating: 4.5/5
This book was gifted to me from my friend who works at Bolen Books, so a pre-release never felt so special. We Shall Be Monsters is the first fantasy book in a series with one of the most magical fictional worlds I’ve ever pictured (since it was so beautifully descriptive). Fantasy books have never been a genre I’ve enjoyed, so when I started reading this, I was a little hesitant that I wouldn’t be able to get into it. To my surprise, I couldn’t put it down for days. To summarise, after the main character, Kajal, suffers an unimaginable loss, she unlocks mythological powers and is thrown into a quest, traveling to magical places she never thought was possible. This book is packed with supernatural elements, complex characters, and shocking plot twists. The way Tara Sim writes had me picturing every chapter in such detail that it made reading this in general so enjoyable. It was a lot of information to take in to fully understand what was going on at certain times, but Sims’ flow throughout the book made it impossible to put down. If you’re looking for an escape from reality, I would highly recommend it, and it’s only $26.99 on Penguin House Canada!
Amelia’s Shelf
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
Rating: 3/5
Romance novels are not what’s taking up the majority of my shelf. I have an interest in them, just sadly don’t have many. I read Funny You Should Ask back in 2023 in hopes of getting myself out of a reading slump. To my surprise, it worked! The story follows Chani Horowitz, a journalist who set out to interview the heartthrob actor Gabe Parker. He also just so happens to be Chani’s background on her phone and the center of all her desires and fantasies. The book flips between their first encounters and then fast forwards ten years to their untimely reunion. It’s a very fun, easy, light read for the fangirls and is a great break in between heavier reads.
I read a review on Goodreads that summarizes the book perfectly:
“This is for the girls that make a fake scenario before going to bed and have been through several fangirl phases.”
Nia (Goodreads Review)
I can’t fully remember my sentiments towards the characters, but I do remember that overall, the book is well written in terms of its purpose. It’s a book that I would maybe turn back to in hopes of a good fluff escape. My only critique of the book is that it’s pretty predictable, and if that’s not
your cup of tea for a romance book or any book in general, then this is not for you. It tries to pull a twist, but it’s not that dramatic and ends up being easily predicted.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Rating: 4.6/5
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is one of those books that I wish I could go back and read for the first time again. In this novel, our protagonist, Sam Mazer, is a student at Harvard, a future game designer, and the childhood friend of Sadie Green, who is an MIT student who later also becomes a game designer. The story follows the two through childhood till well into their thirties and centres around their creation of a video game company in their last years at university. Switching between both of their points of view, the book goes deeply into their relationship and how it ebbs and flows throughout the years. Friendship, love, loss, grief, and triumph are all pinnacle themes throughout the book. I really loved this book, especially its writing style, language, pace, world-building, and character descriptions. I would recommend it to anyone who is in search of a great fiction book. It’s only shortcoming it suffers from is the “miscommunication trope.” Sam and Sadie often don’t fully understand each other and only focus on the other’s faults, while never really discussing the issue between the two. Besides that, the story is compelling and very visually stimulating. If you are ever planning to read this book, I urge you to listen to Mac De Marco’s album, One Wayne Gwhile you do so because it fits the book’s methodical, mechanical, and artistic style perfectly.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Rating: 4/5
I really enjoyed reading Into The Wild. It felt a lot longer than it was because a lot of the language or places the author wrote about I was unfamiliar with and would have to look up online. With that being said, I really enjoyed Jon Krakauer’s writing style. This nonfiction book expands on Krakauer’s early article about Chris Mcandles—or Alexander Supertramp—a young man who walked into the Alaskan woods and never came out. It covers Mcandles’s early life and childhood, up until the day of his death. Every chapter began with a quote from a philosopher which Mcandles admired. While being an autobiographical book about Mcandles, the book also felt very personal to Krakauer. The interviews that Krakauer conducted pulled at your heartstrings. He encapsulates the disappointment and pain felt by those he interviewed who talked about their time with Mcandles. I felt like I had talked to them myself.
Do not watch the movie. If you do, I urge you to read the book first. The movie, in my opinion, makes Mcandles seem stupid. He was a very smart and educated man, and I felt like the movie was bordering on glorifying running away into the woods and dying. It cut out too much from the book for my liking.