Book recommendations? π
Oooh, this is going to be an interesting one, because I'm not entirely sure myself!
You've said that you got to hear Madeleine l'Engle speak once, so I'll take to mean that you're familiar with her works - but the Time Quintet (especially A Wrinkle In Time and A Swiftly Tilting Planet) still is my favourite book series of all time!
I know you've also read this one, but A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett is one of my all-time favourites.
Now, onto actual recommendations:
Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani. Delightfully chilling and quite well rewritten, with some twists you won't expect.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I don't actually remember reading this one (it was for book club) but I remember thinking I'd reread it. (I know there's a movie that came out in 2010? 2012? Idk. With Andrew Garfield I think. I didn't watch it, but maybe you know it!)
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. This is pretty popular already but I read until 3 am because I could. Not. Put. It. Down.
Anything by Eva Ibbotson! I've actually only read 3 of her books but they changed my childhood forever, I think. My personal favourite is:
The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson. Absolute wonder. I don't usually like books set during wars but this one does a great job of it. And Tally is such a wonderful character!
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson is also one I like. It's much more a book about the setting, I think, than the previous one (where I focus more on the characters) but it's just such a lovely story.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I didn't like this one much when I was reading it, but now I reference it in my mind a lot (an "oh, like Evelyn Hugo!" pops up when thinking about surprisingly many things.)
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I'm fairly sure you've read it, but I'm recommending it anyway!
I've just remembered Jennifer Niven. She's more YA, but her books literally saved my life (and I'm using "literally" correctly). My absolute favourite of hers are:
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. Fair warning: this book deals with HEAVY mental health. But it saved my life. And it's forever going to be a comfort book for me.
Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven. This introduced me to what prosopagnosia is, and I don't remember reading it either but I think about it often. I should reread it, come to think of it.
After Jennifer Niven: Nicola Yoon! Also more YA, but her books are so good.
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. This deals with illness, so if you're uncomfortable with that maybe don't read it, but I remember liking it.
The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon. I remember liking this one and especially learning from it.
A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles. For once I can remember reading it (I've forgotten more than a few books I've had to read for book club). I was saddened by it, but also felt hopeful by the end - it's a nice read.
And that's it! That's all the books I could find on my Readerly list, anyway. Thank you so much for asking, and I hope you get to read some of these!
