Once upon a time in a basement blessed by 70s shag carpet and bright orange walls, there lived a girl who found comfort in collecting useless things: movie ticket stubs, old receipts, and paper cranes. Music boxes, shiny rocks, and portals to different worlds. These portals were books, and they had the power to take her anywhere she could ever have wanted to go.
The girl made it a goal to convince her loved ones to try some of her stories, promising adventure and experiences beyond their wildest imaginations. She collected a list of ten tales that inspired her so much; she was compelled to convince an audience with a single quote and nothing more, but of course, we’re getting ahead of the story.
During the Christmas of 2022, the girl gifted her family portals of their own. She selected pages shaded in sin for her mother, who appreciated a darker sort of story (The Cement Garden). For her grandmother, a fantasy focused on fighting for power and finding yourself (The Cruel Prince), and for her grandfather, a tale about a boy who believed himself to be a vessel of God who would be responsible for something unimaginable (A Prayer for Owen Meany). Many others received portals for the holiday, and as we’ve passed the spring equinox, most have been explored and the people have come back wanting more. Who would the girl be to deprive the people of what they want? So surely, she spends countless hours curating those tales for here and now.
I hope you’re ready for an adventure.
#1
Good Omens
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
“It has been said that civilization is twenty-four hours and two meals away from barbarism.”
#2
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Mitch Albom
“Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it. You’re just passing it on to someone else.”
#3
This is How You Lose the Time War
Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
“Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it. You’re just passing it on to someone else.”
#4
The Song of Achilles
Madeline Miller
“Name one hero who was happy.”
#5
Clap When You Land
Elizabeth Acevedo
“How can you lose an entire person, only to gain a part of them back in someone entirely new?”
#6
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline
“This is my favorite book in the world, though I have never read it.”
#7
The Princess Bride
William Goldman
“No one in the world gets what they want and that is beautiful.”
#8
Legendborn
Tracy Deonn
“Some truths only tragedy can teach.”
#9
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Suzanne Collins
“Snow lands on top.”
#10
Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro
“It never occurred to me that our lives, until then so closely interwoven, could unravel.”
Once upon a time, there was a reader like you, in need of a new world to explore. Maybe you’re hiding away in the safety of your own basement that’s in need of desperate renovation, or perhaps you’re seeking a way to escape it. All I know is there are stories out there waiting and a girl who is hoping you find at least one that makes you fall in love somewhere within its pages.
The End
Honorable Mentions
Snow White with the Red Hair
Sorata Akizuki
“They say red is the color of destiny.”
The Cruel Prince
Holly Black
“If I cannot become better than them, I will become so much worse.”