The Bookshelf

I organized these recs based on genre, but it's not very exact since most novels have multiple genres. I've tried to keep them to pretty broad categories and place each rec based mostly on what I feel it qualifies for, but mayhaps you disagree with its placement. That's fine. I'm not really here to place books into boxes. I just want to share some good reads with you.

Sci-fi

Dune by Frank Herbert

Dune is set in the distant future in a feudal interstellar society, descended from terrestrial humans, in which various noble houses control planetary fiefs.

It tells the story of young Paul Atreides, whose family accepts the stewardship of the planet Arrakis. While the planet is an inhospitable and sparsely populated desert wasteland, it is the only source of melange, or "spice", a drug that extends life and enhances mental abilities.

Summary from Wikipedia

Dune really is everything that embodies the scifi genre, and I frankly don't think the movie did it justice. It's an incredibly dense read, but entirely worth it. It tackles the entire breadth of what a story is, and I really like that about it. Not to mention, it genuinely has a lot of representation if you stop to look for it.

Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card

Growing up is never easy. But try living on the mean streets as a child begging for food and fighting like a dog with ruthless gangs of starving kids who wouldn't hesitate to pound your skull into pulp for a scrap of apple. If Bean has learned anything on the streets, it's how to survive. And not with fists. He is way too small for that. But with brains.

Bean is a genius with a magician's ability to zero in on his enemy and exploit his weakness.

Summary from Goodreads

While I do like Ender's Game, I think I'll always like Ender's Shadow better. It's the companion novel to Ender's Game and is told from the perspective of Bean. Bean is much more relatable to me than Ender ever was. I found him a much more compelling protagonist both for the militaristic, wartime setting and just in his character. He's logical and more of a survivalist than a dreamer.

Fantasy

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen

According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter - the world's only totally reliable guide to the future - the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just after tea...

People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. This time though, the armies of Good and Evil really do appear to be massing. The four Bikers of the Apocalypse are hitting the road. But both the angels and demons – well, one fast-living demon and a somewhat fussy angel – would quite like the Rapture not to happen.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist…

Summary from Goodreads

I feel like this is such an obvious rec, but if you haven't read the book, you should. It has this quirky, ironic kind of humor that I really love and it's just a really fun read. I sped through it in a way I hadn't in a long time and haven't done since.

Historical

The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan

The series follows the adventures of Will, an orphan, who is chosen as an apprentice Ranger, one of the skilled trackers, archers, and warriors in the service of the King of Araluen. Will strives to keep the Kingdom of Araluen safe from invaders, traitors, and other threats. He is joined on his adventures by his mentor, Halt, and his best friend Horace.

Summary from Wikipedia

This is the last novel series I remember reading with eagerness. Don't let the dry summary fool you; this series is full of the excitement and peril that you crave from adventure novels. You get to watch Will go from a silly little teenager to someone very capable. Halt, his mentor, is the grumpy type and their interactions are amusing and oftentimes sweet. It's a good read for kids, but also I read it in my late teens and thought it was great. I still reread it as an adult.