A High Schooler's Book Recommendations

Not all books are perfect. Some books make no sense. Some books are boring. Some preach atrocious messages that can move millions that brings the worst of human beings. But on the flip side, books can enlighten minds, teach something new, or be the most alluring way to be entertained. If our brain is a budding plant, then books are indulging it with nutrients and cultivating its area of holiness. That's why they're crucial to me, to you, and you, and you. Also books are just fun to read. Here are four of my all-time favorites (in no particular order).

1. The Illustrated Man- Ray Bradbury

• The Illustrated Man is a science-fiction story that follows a teenager who meets a man with mysterious tattoos that cover his entire body. But something's off-- they move, and each unique design seems to tell a story of their own. As each story is told, you can't help but be absorbed by the sci-fi narratives and plot twists, and "out of this world" concepts of human nature and man-made creations that leave you thinking about them the whole week. 

2. The Secret History- Donna Tartt

• Tartt brings her audience into the college campus world of murder, "Greek life", beauty, and a group of inseparable individuals who form a seclusive group. Tartt's psychological thriller follows Richard Papen, a college student who is accepted into an exclusive clique in the school of a group who are obsessively into Greek classics. Henry, Francis, Charles, Camilla and Bunny all have their own unique personality, and an intelligence like no other, which makes the group stand out and exclusive. Richard soon learns that a while back, the group accidentally killed a man in a bacchanalian frenzy. When one of the members of the group seems to be on the verge of spilling the group's secret, the group must quickly take action.

3. The Da Vinci Code- Dan Brown

• This book took me a mere two days to finish- partly because I had nothing to do, but also because no matter what I did, the book was impossible to let down. In Dan Brown's detective and conspiracy fiction, a renowned Harvard symbologist is summoned to the Louvre Museum to examine a series of cryptic symbols relating to Da Vinci's artwork. In decrypting the code of the Holy Grail, he uncovers the key to one of the greatest mystery of all time, and he becomes a hunted man. This book is filled with suspenseful and a yearning to know more about each of the clues that are discovered in different locations France. Its messages are powerful, and its plot stands superior to other novels.

4. And Then There Were None- Agatha Christie

• This book is one of my personal favorites of Agatha Christie. In her famous murder mystery, ten guests are invited to a mansion on an island  by unknown host. While all the guests greet and get to known one another, the host is nowhere in sight. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of the unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret related to murder. That evening, one of the guests is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide.The tension escalates as the survivors realize that the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again, again, and again, until there are none.

This is a short list- but it's a powerful one. And not to worry, there will be more soon.

What are your favorite books? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for making it to the end. Bye!