If you love Hank Green for his dad jokes on TikTok, look no further for your next read. The sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and the final book of Green’s debut duology will have you laughing while second guessing what it means to be human. Virtual reality, an omniscient guidebook, a talking monkey– need I say more? Refreshing and topical, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor digs into the implications of capitalism on technology. Green continues to cultivate the voices of all four of his main characters, effortlessly and genuinely, to bring the reader to the stunning end of his first series.
The first book in his Southern Reach trilogy, Annihilation is equal parts sci-fi, mystery, and slow-burn horror. An organization known as Southern Reach has been sending expeditions into a dangerous, restricted territory known as Area X; team members are known to one another only by their areas of expertise, leaving their identities at the “border.” VanderMeer’s writing takes on a haunting quality, with his hyper descriptive, trancelike prose tugging the reader along with the expedition as they uncover the secrets of Area X. This read gets increasingly unsettling the longer you stick with it– if you enjoy questioning everything, including the narrator, this one’s for you!
There aren’t enough words to describe how much I love this book– I wholeheartedly believe that Carmen Maria Machado is one of the best writers of our time. Machado’s writing cuts quick and saws deep to the bone, leaves you aching for her protagonists and that which they represent. Perfectly horrific and fantastical, each story interrogates patriarchy and how it saturates all facets of society. Women become what patriarchy intends them to be: empty vessels numb to the violence inflicted upon their bodies, lacking autonomy and self-love, docile and domestic. Her Body and Other Parties will yank at your heartstrings with an unrelenting strength that will grip you for years to come.
What would you do if you knew you were going to die in 24 hours? In this heartbreaking YA read, teens Rufus and Mateo are forced to answer that very question. Silvera brings us into a dystopian reality where the company Death-Cast notifies people that today will be their last. They Both Die at the End is gut-wrenching; despite the fatalistic title and premise, Silvera manages to convey hope, humanity, and love. While reading I sorely wanted to believe that Silvera was lying, that they don’t die at the end, because Rufus and Mateo are characters anyone would root for. Even when I knew exactly what would happen, this book left me sobbing. If you enjoy LGBTQ+ stories about identity, loss, and friendship, give this one a go! Warning: You Will Cry at the End.