The Bibliophilic Penguin
Penguin Picks
Some books are good, some are great, and some you remember for the rest of your life. Here are a few of the books I just can't forget!
Fiction
Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino
Grotesque might just be my favorite book ever. Cerebral, uncomfortable, and thoroughly chilling, this Japanese novel is told from the perspective of a bitter unnamed narrator who has spent her life in the shadow of her gorgeous but self-absorbed younger sister Yuriko. Yuriko takes advantage of her beauty by working as a prostitute, but as her looks fade with age, so does her popularity. When Yuriko and another prostitute are brutally murdered, the narrator inherits Yuriko's diaries and is forced to let her sister back into her life. The book is a scary but undeniably accurate critique of society's prejudices against women and the dark paths that men's mistreatment will lead women down. It's layered, beautifully written, and suspenseful; I couldn't put it down.
Fantasy
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Heroic battles; legendary romance; intricate worldbuilding; unforgettable characters—what isn't there to love about the Lord of the Rings trilogy? This high fantasy series follows young hobbit Frodo Baggins and his companions, the Fellowship of the Ring, as they embark on an epic journey to destroy the One Ring before evil Sauron can use it to establish control over Middle-earth. This extraordinary tale of love, loss, and the triumph of good over evil was published in the 1950s, but it still holds the same magic it did when it was first written. If you're looking for a long, cozy read to enjoy over tea and second breakfast, look no further!
Mystery
The Mill House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
This take on the classic Japanese honkaku mystery, where logic is the key to solving brilliantly complicated puzzles, kept me guessing until the end. In The Mill House Murders, Fujinuma Kiitchi, scarred from a terrible car accident, lives behind a rubber mask in the isolated, eccentric Mill House. Exactly one year before the beginning of the book, a priceless painting was stolen and a woman killed; now, Fujinuma invites everyone present that day back to the house, but a detective shows up uninvited and takes it upon himself to uncover the dark secrets lurking within the walls of Mill House. This riveting mystery has the reader, like the detective, follow a twisting breadcrumb trail of clues from the gripping start to the shocking ending. Can you figure out the Mill House mystery before the detective does?
Nonfiction
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
An odyssey beginning at the creation of the universe and pausing—not ending—with a tentative yet optimistic hope for a future of scientific discovery and interplanetary communication, Cosmos is a love letter to the universe we live in every day but so rarely remember to appreciate. Though it is quite science-heavy, the book explains difficult topics in astrophysics and mathematics in an engaging, easy-to-understand way. Sagan's fresh approach to the age-old story of the universe opened my eyes to how amazing it really is that we humans are here at all, and that we have the technology and expertise to do what no one else (well, possibly someone else...read the book for an interesting take on the probability of intelligent life on other planets!) has ever done and voyage the stars. Cosmos was a beautiful, eye-opening read, and I can't recommend it enough!
Young Adult
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Wintergirls couples beautiful, evocative, almost ethereal writing with a heartbreaking tale that chills the reader to the bone. Lia and Cassie are best friends, two teenage wintergirls locked in a deadly competition to be the thinnest. But when Cassie dies of complications from bulimia, Lia must face her hand in Cassie's death and ultimately decide whether she will let her anorexia kill her or begin to fight for the life she doesn't think she wants to live. Wintergirls tackles an impossibly difficult subject matter with eloquence and sensitivity. The reader might shed a tear or two along the way, but they will close the novel with a glimmer of hope that (almost) makes up for it. Wintergirls isn't for the faint of heart. But for those who enjoy exquisitely poetic language and aren't afraid of the metaphorical dark, this book is a must-read.