We’ve gathered a bunch of bookish things we love and matched them with some of our favorite 2021 titles. Pick an item that calls to your current mood and we’ll suggest a book to read to match it!

Pick a Bookish Item and Get a Book Rec!

Looking for the perfect holiday gift? Check out the ultimate gift guide for YA readers!

Enola Holmes seems to have jostled, argued, or downright barged her way into everyone’s hearts. She’s the spunky heroine we all need right now and [SPOILER] I personally loved how she left the Viscount nincompoop at the very end. Stay classy, girl.

Whether you’re fan of the Enola Holmes book series, or of the MILLIONS of iterations of Sherlock Holmes, or just a fan of mystery/intrigue/adventure romps with wit and a dash of romance, this movie hit all the right notes. If you’re now left wishing there was more—don’t worry—we’ve got you covered.

Books to Read if You Love Enola Holmes on Netflix

1. The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennet

Of all the books I’ve included on this list, this is my favorite. Jenn is known for writing contemporary romances and she brings her witty banter and swoon-worthy scenes to an adventure story that will perfectly fill that Enola-sized hole you’ve got there.

Theodora, like Enola, had an unusual upbringing. She’s read every book in her treasure hunter father’s library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission to go on a hunt with him. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul. That is, until her father goes missing while searching for a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula.

 

2. Magic Dark and Strange by Kelly Powell

While it definitely belongs on this list for action-adventure, intrigue, and romance, Magic Dark and Strange is also about…well, magic.

Catherine Daly has an unusual talent. She can awaken the dead for a few precious moments with loved ones seeking a final goodbye. But this magic comes with a price: for every hour that a ghost is brought back, Catherine loses an hour from her own life. When Catherine is given the unusual task of collecting a timepiece from an old grave, she enlists Guy Nolan, the watchmaker’s son, to help her dig it up. But instead of a timepiece, they find a surprise: the body of a teenage boy. Catherine and Guy must race to unravel the connection between the missing timepiece and the undead boy. For this mysterious magic could mean the difference between life and death—for all of them.

 

3. The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

Like Enola Holmes, The Last Magician hits all the right notes of a good mystery adventure that also includes time travel and magic.

In this story, Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifact. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before anyone even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1901 to steal and ultimately save an ancient book containing magical secrets before the mysterious “Magician” can destroy it and doom all of the Mageus to a hopeless future.

 

4. Nancy Drew: The Curse by Micol Ostow

Nancy Drew was the original female detective – although Sherlock technically does predate her. In this prequel to the hit show on the CW, Nancy finds herself investigating a mystery involving an old town curse. While Nancy isn’t one for ghost stories, marks of a rumored curse become bolder…and more sinister. All old towns have their traditions and histories, but as Nancy will soon discover, they don’t always tell the whole story.

 

5. Slayer by Kiersten White

Lastly, we have a book that is based in the world of one of the most famous bad-ass girl heroine who defied all of sweet-pretty girl stereotypes: Buffy.

Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. And thanks to Buffy, the famous (and infamous) Slayer that Nina’s father died protecting, Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.

One thing is clear: Being Chosen is easy. Making choices is hard.

 

Looking for more? Check out these books if you loved Julie and the Phantoms.

Books Read and Unread

It’s always a good idea to hear multiple experiences of the past and books are a great tool in that regard. Whether you’re a history buff, just enjoy historical fiction or fantasy, or you’re hoping to learn something new, here’s a list of books you should definitely check out this summer.

Books about History That Will Give You a Different Perspective

1. The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed

It’s Los Angeles in 1992 and Ashley Bennett and her friends are living the charmed life. It’s the end of senior and they can already feel the sunny days and endless possibilities of summer. But everything changes one afternoon in April, when four LAPD officers are acquitted after beating a Black man named Rodney King half to death. Suddenly, Ashley’s not just one of the girls. She’s one of the Black kids. With her world splintering around her, Ashley, along with the rest of LA, is left to question who is the us? And who is the them?

 

2. When the World Was Ours by Liz Kessler

This book begins right before WWII and continues, following three friends with different perspectives throughout the Holocaust. Leo, Elsa, and Max spend a perfect day together, unaware that around them Europe is descending into a growing darkness and that they will soon be cruelly ripped apart from one another. With their lives taking them across Europe—to Germany, England, Prague, and Poland—will they ever find their way back to one another? Will they want to?

3. Daughters of Jubilation by Kara Lee Corthron

It’s the Jim Crow South, white supremacy reigns and tensions are high. But Evalene Deschamps has other things to worry about. She has two little sisters to look after, an overworked single mother, and a longtime crush who is finally making a move. On top of all that, Evvie’s magic abilities are growing stronger by the day. Her family calls it jubilation—a gift passed down from generations of black women since the time of slavery. As Evvie’s talents waken, demons from her past finally shake free and she must embrace her mighty lineage to summon the power that lies within her.

 

4. The Degenerates by J. Albert Mann

It’s 1928 and the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded is not a happy place. The young women who are already there certainly don’t think so. Not Maxine, who is doing everything she can to protect her younger sister Rose in an institution where vicious attendants and bullying older girls treat them as the morons, imbeciles, and idiots the doctors have deemed them to be. Not Alice, either, who was left there when her brother couldn’t bring himself to support a sister with a club foot. And not London, who has just been dragged there from the best foster situation she’s ever had, thanks to one unexpected, life altering moment. Each girl is determined to change her fate, no matter what it takes.

 

5. Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Kathleen Van Cleve

Ona Judge grew up enslaved to George and Martha Washington. When she was told that she was going to be given as a wedding gift to Martha Washington’s granddaughter, Ona made the bold and brave decision to seek her freedom by fleeing to the north. Erica Armstrong Dunbar, along with Kathleen Van Cleve, shares an intimate glimpse into the life of a little-known, but powerful figure in history, and her brave journey as she fled the most powerful couple in the country.

 

6. The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

Esta is a talented thief, and with her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. All of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1901 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future. But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.

 

7. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

And finally, a personal favorite of mine. It’s 1926 and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. Juliette Cai, a former flapper, has returned to assume her role as the heir to the Scarlet Gang. Roma Montagov, the heir to the White Flowers, the Scarlet Gang’s only rival, is Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal. When gangsters on both sides begin to show signs of insanity right before taking their own lives, the people start to whisper of a contagion–Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together. If they can’t stop this mayhem, there will be no city left for either to rule.

 

Looking for more? Check out these historical fantasy books that will transport you to different worlds!

In honor of Galentines Day, I’ve put together a catalogue of books with the strongest, most loving, and most kick-ass groups of girlfriends.  So let’s get to it and celebrate some of our fave lady friends!

7 Girl Squads We Wish We Were a Part Of

1. The Song Sisters – To All The Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han

This is the most obvious choice—the Covey sisters may tease and fight, but they are best friends and always there for each other. And maybe a little too involved in each other’s love lives. . .

 

2. The Meade Creamery Girls – Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian

What could be better than ice cream to bring girls together? The owner of Meade Creamery started the ice cream shop in the 1940s in order to console her friends whose boyfriends were off at war. Years later, the girls who run the store in the summer band together to keep its traditions alive.

 

3. The Girls of Innovations Academy – Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young

Yup — this story 100% delivers on that amazing cover and title. Coming out in March, this thriller is Westworld meets The Handmaid’s Tale where the girls of Innovations Academy, perfect and beautiful and constantly watched, soon begin to rebel against a sinister organization and uncover dark secrets about themselves.

 

4. Grace, Rosina, and Erin – The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed

Who are the Nowhere Girls? They’re every girl. But they start with just three: Grace Salter, the new girl, Rosina Suarez, the punk and rebel, and Erin Delillo, the nerd. These three unlikely friends come together to avenge a terrible injustice and trigger a change in the misogynist culture at their high school transforming the lives of everyone around them.

 

5. The Effigies – Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley

Never underestimate the power of the threat of evil villains to bring girls together. At the start of the Effigies series, the appearance of phantoms that plague the world coincides with the arrival of effigies, four girls that can control the elements. When the fire effigy dies suddenly, Maia is chosen and her life goes from quiet and normal to action-packed and dangerous in a heartbeat. And while she has never had many friends or even family, Maia must work together with the other effigies to keep the lurking dangers at bay.

 

6. Palmer, Bri, Toby, and Andie – The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Palmer, Bri, and Toby are Andie’s best friends – and stick by her even when a political scandal threatens to derail her perfectly planned summer and possibly her future. Their main advice: embrace the chaos! And they’re right there with her as she tries.

 

7. Sweetie, Kayla, Suki, and Izzy – There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon

This irresistible rom-com coming in June is the companion to Sandhya Menon’s When Dimple Met Rishi and it’s got all the cuteness and feels as its predecessor! But it also features a great group of supportive and loving girlfriends. While Sweetie navigates the idea that “fat” does not mean “ugly” and embraces her body-type, her wonderful group of friends, each of whom have their own insecurities and anxieties, are behind her 100%!

If you’re like us, you know that friendship isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Check out these books with complicated female friendships that are totally relatable.

If you’ve been following the extraterrestrial news beat (and who isn’t?!) you may have heard about the Facebook event created to “Storm Area 51,” which is exactly what it sounds like: over two million people are “interested” in or “attending” a massive civilian storming of Area 51.

So what is Area 51? Great question. Heard of Roswell, New Mexico? Heard of the old TV show Roswell? Heard of the NEW TV show Roswell? Ok, it’s not IN Roswell…it’s not even in New Mexico (it’s in Nevada, Google Maps tells me), but it is a place that has been a-buzzin’ with alien research rumors. According to conspiracy theorists (which aren’t always reliable, FYI), the government has been using this site to perform tests on our extremely foreign friends since the 50s.

I am very confident in your ability to do more research. I’d MUCH rather give you a list of books to read now that your curiosity about aliens has been sparked by crazy people on the internet!

7 Books to Read If You Love Aliens

1. Sanctuary by Caryn Lix

First up, we have your classic alien monsters vs x-men adventure.

In Sanctuary, prison-guard-in-training, Kenzie, is taken hostage by the superpowered criminal teens of the Sanctuary space station—and then has to band together with them when the station is attacked by mysterious creatures. (**cough**aliens**cough**)

2. Containment by Caryn Lix

I don’t want to give anything away, but there IS a sequel to Sanctuary, and it DOES involve more aliens!

A worthy friend. from r/marvelmemes

3. Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell

Technically there are no aliens in this Les Mis-in-space retelling. But it DOES involve space AND government conspiracies!

A thief.

An officer.

A guardian.

Three strangers, one shared destiny…

When the Last Days came, the planet of Laterre promised hope. A new life for a wealthy French family and their descendants. But five hundred years later, it’s now a place where an extravagant elite class reigns supreme; where the clouds hide the stars and the poor starve in the streets; where a rebel group, long thought dead, is resurfacing.

Whispers of revolution have begun—a revolution that hinges on three unlikely heroes…

4. The Diabolic by S.J.Kincaid

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

Once the aliens are freed, we’re probably going to need robots to protect us…

Red Queen meets The Hunger Games in this epic novel about what happens when a senator’s daughter is summoned to the galactic court as a hostage, but she’s really the galaxy’s most dangerous weapon in disguise.

5. Exile From Eden by Andrew Smith

But when they ultimately do takeover the world, what happens to those that survive?

From New York Times bestselling author Andrew Smith comes the stunning, long-awaited sequel to the groundbreaking Grasshopper Jungle.

It’s been sixteen years since an army of horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises forced Arek’s family underground and into the hole where he was born; it’s the only home he’s ever known. But now, post-end-of-the-world, the army of horny, hungry praying mantises might finally be dying out, and Arek’s ready to leave the hole for good.

6. Earth to Charlie by Justin Olson

Okay, say none of that happens and, instead, the aliens we 100% believed were trapped in Nevada are just the stuff of myth. (PSHT) That doesn’t mean other aliens can’t abduct us!

In Earth to Charlie, convinced his mother has been abducted by aliens, Charlie Dickens spends his nights with an eye out for UFOs, hoping to join her. But when Charlie meets popular, easy-going Seth, he finds out what real friendship is all about. And for once, he finds himself looking around at the life he’s built, rather than looking up. But sooner than he expected, Charlie has to make a decision: should he stay or should he go?

7. We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

And lastly, if you can join the Storm Area 51 movement…will you?

Henry Denton has spent years being periodically abducted by aliens. Then the aliens give him an ultimatum: The world will end in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button.

Only he isn’t sure he wants to.

After all, life hasn’t been great for Henry. Wiping the slate clean sounds like a pretty good choice to him.

But Henry is a scientist first, and facing the question thoroughly and logically, he begins to look for pros and cons. Ultimately, should push the button and save the planet and everyone on it…or let the world—and his pain—be destroyed forever?

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