I have read plenty of books in my time, and this is a list of all the best ones compiled into one.

1.The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

“Late in the winter of my seventeenth year…” is probably the most read line of my life. Are you even surprised? I have read this book all the way through approximately 5 times and partially in Spanish. Why? I have no idea. The main characters are so dynamic in their development and I could analyze this book through and through until there is nothing left. It’s a beautiful story of realizing what’s important in life and not taking a single moment for granted

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2. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Nivens.

Once again, a love story. Shocker right? This book explores mental illness and the profound impact that people can have on the lives of others. Violet and Finch meet each other in the middle of their worst moment and change each other in different ways. I love this book because it proves that, like life, not everything has a happy ending, no matter how much you want it to be. It gives a whole new perspective to mental illness while also being so accurate in descriptions about the way people feel when they’re overcome by an illness. I cried the whole book and finished it in about two days in the middle of a busy semester.

3. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher.

A girl dies. Thats the whole premise behind the book. She leaves behind tapes for people to find and they must figure out the role they play in her death. Morbid. I know. However, I love this book because it shows the truth behind a crippling depression. People can look like they have everything in their lives together, but they could be hiding behind a wall of depression that no one sees. It also shows that people can sometimes have a profound impact on the lives of others

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4. Paper Towns by John Green.

This is quite possibly the most quote worthy book I have ever read. Q loves Margo, simply because she is Margo. It takes him about a thousand miles and missing high school graduation to realize that she will never love him the way he loves her. I love this story because it shows that sometimes we “romanticize” the idea of someone in our minds when really, they are just a person and not a super human. I love the concept of that.

5. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

I do not think I have enough words to describe how much I truly love this book. Its a beautiful tale of women helping women. It takes place in the Middle East in the middle of the twentieth century. Women are so oppressed in that part of the world and this books gives an inside look at how they live. Its completely heartbreaking to see inside the mind of a woman who is married to a man with two wives. The story is told from the perspective of both women and has the most bittersweet ending. I can’t tell you much without giving away the ending, but you must read this book. I can’t even explain to you why I love it unless you have also read it

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6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky.

As an introvert, this book speaks to me on an entirely different level. Charlie lives a life on the sidelines, just watching. He has a hard past that he struggles to understand or even remember. It’s a beautiful story of trying to understand himself and learning how to be okay with what is going on in his life. I love this because everyone has gone through something that has changed them and I think that is beautiful. Also, please just take a moment and look at the beautiful simplicity of the cover.