My top 5 Binge-worthy books

By Nicole

---

Getting hooked in a fictional world is dangerous for me. It consumes my life; I don’t just zone out of reality whilst I’m reading, I lose my focus on the present between sessions until I’m finished, and even after that, I’m still thinking about the characters and their world. Reading is not only enthralling but has so many benefits too: strengthening the brain, enhancing imagination, improving memory and concentration and building your vocabulary. Reading can also alleviate depression and stress, helping you to lift the emotional pressure weighing down on your shoulders for a little while. 

All of these benefits develop whilst I read, I just fail to pay attention to them. 
Here are five of my favourite books I’ve read this year that truly captivate you, making you forget why you have to read, and instead, have you questioning why you can't get enough.

      1. A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder- Holly Jackson
“I'm not sure I'm the good girl I once thought I was. I've lost her along the way”

Summary: ‘The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?’ -Goodreads

Why I loved it: With an intricately detailed plot, dark pasts and hidden secrets, this novel will blow your mind. You won’t be able to stop thinking about the real killer and Andie’s twisted life until you reach the end. Jackson creates such a vivid atmosphere that you feel you’re actually there in the moment with Pip- her descriptions and pacing are insane! She incorporates a multi-media format (articles, transcripts and Pip’s logs) to add to the realism of her investigation. Not to mention the original characterisation, with unique humour from Ravi Singh (my personal favourite) and realistic friendships that you can connect with. (And yes, there’s a sequel!) 

      2. One Of Us Is Lying- Karen McManus
“Unless one of us is lying. Which is always a possibility.”

Summary: Five students at Bayview High walk into detention. Only four walk out alive. Simon was the creator of a notorious gossip app, having planned four posts containing juicy scandals about them. His death wasn’t an accident and the Bayview four become murder suspects. Everyone has secrets to protect: Bronwyn, the brain; Cooper, the athlete; Nate, the criminal and Addy, the beauty. 

Why I loved it: The first thing I absolutely adored about this book was the way McManus managed to take four predictable cliches, challenge them and turn the characters into SO much more! She was able to create four heartwarming character arcs and make it impossible for you to not develop an emotional attachment to them. They become real teenagers in our contemporary world, allowing us to relate to them, their backstories and their intentions. This YA mystery novel will cunningly build up your expectations and crush them, having you question everyone and everything throughout. 

      3. The diary of a young girl- Anne Frank
“It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

Summary: ‘Anne Frank and her family fled the horrors of Nazi occupation by hiding in the back of a warehouse in Amsterdam for two years with another family and a German dentist. Aged thirteen when she went into the secret annexe, Anne kept a diary. She movingly revealed how the eight people living under these extraordinary conditions coped with hunger, the daily threat of discovery and death and being cut off from the outside world, as well as petty misunderstandings and the unbearable strain of living like prisoners.’- Goodreads

Why I loved it: Anne Frank’s optimism and hope during such a horrifying time are both moving and powerful. Her diary has the ability to uplift you and completely change your perspective of human nature and the world. This book not only gives you incredible insight into what it was like for a Jewish family in hiding in WWII, but also conveys the depth of a young teenage girl’s mind- destroying the stigma that a teenager’s thoughts and emotions are naive therefore inferior. Anne Frank’s youth is what allowed her to cherish all of what was still good and hopeful, something only she was able to communicate in such a devastating period.

The thing about Anne Frank’s diary that I connected with her the most was her views on identity, her self-awareness and the conflict between her inner and outer self. She wrote about growing up, love, sexuality, human nature and relationships, all of which really opened my mind to such complex topics; her perspective was refreshing. 
“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” 
If Anne Frank can write about such inspiring explorations of her world and the world that confined her, isolated in an annexe during the war, then I don’t know what else could motivate you more to write yourself!


      4. The Darkest Minds- Alexandra Bracken
‘The darkest minds tend to hide behind the most unlikely faces.’

Summary: Over 98% of the children’s population in America died from a mysterious disease. The ones that survived were left with frightening uncontrollable mind abilities. Everyone is afraid of them; they are placed in camps to be cured, only it is the government’s secret that they never will return home. Ruby Daly, an Orange, is one of the most dangerous ones. When she is discovered for her ability to control minds, she finds herself escaping, with someone who she is unsure she can trust. She cannot control her ability, but when she discovers other kids who have escaped their camp too, she wishes she could. She is determined to learn how to trust herself, so she no longer has to be separated from the ones closest to her.

Why I loved it: 
This dystopian series has changed my life. I can’t decide whether it’s the beautiful characterisation, the well-written plot or the perfection of the descriptive details that brought this story to life; you truly get hooked into the world. I love how Bracken slows down the action so you can get a feel of what it’s like to be actually there in the moment with Ruby (fall asleep straight after reading this and you may or may not have a vivid dream about it). She effortlessly brings together friendship, romance, conflict and humour, having created some of my most beloved and rounded characters. The heartbreak and plot twists will evoke so many powerful emotions as you read and will impact you even once you’ve finished; I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Each character is unique; from sarcastic and overprotective Chubs to intuitive and selfless Zu, I guarantee you will fall in love with them and the relationships they form with each other. 

      5. Clap when you land - Elizabeth Acevedo
‘I’m the child her father left her for in the summers. While she is the child my father left me for my entire life.’
Summary: Camino Rios and Yahaira Rios are both sisters, but they don’t know each other. Camino lives in the Dominican Republic and Yahaira lives in New York, both separated by their father’s lies and deceit. When Camino is at the airport waiting for her Papi to arrive, she discovers the plane has crashed. Yahaira finds out when she is called into the principal’s office. His death alters both of their lives forever, but it also brings them together, as they learn about each other and suddenly the distance and secrets that separated them no longer exist. 
 
Why I loved it: Firstly, Acevedo’s poetic writing in free verse is insanely beautiful. The rhythm of the emotions conveyed resonates with you and allows you to fully connect with them. Her choice of words and how they combine to make the feelings almost feel tangible is written to perfection. It was emotional to see the growth of the sisters’ love for each other as they both struggle with loss, anger, fear and growing up. Throughout the book, you learn how their two separate cultures threaten to destroy their attachment, but also how their experiences as teenage girls bring them together. Camino and Yahaira’s heart-rending stories will stay with me forever and the way that their contrasting lives and personalities didn’t prevent their sisterly love warmed my heart, even after not knowing each other until the person that connected them wasn’t alive anymore.