Book Recs for World Book Day

let's celebrate by sharing our favorite books

Apr 23, 2025

Happy World Book Day to all my fellow bookworms! I know it’s not a holiday that most people care about, but I always look forward to this date, and I thought this was a good opportunity to talk about books that I love and also learn more about what you guys like to read. This is a list of my 20 favorite books, please let me know your thoughts and share your own list!

One of the rules I gave myself was to only include one book per series, and I also tried to only have one per author, though I had to make an exception for Le Guin, who is featured twice in this list. Before starting, here are some honorable mentions that didn’t make it:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov.
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin.
The Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski.
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
The Trial by Franz Kafka.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
Mistborn: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin.
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang.
Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories by Ghassan Kanafani.
The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor by Gabriel García Márquez.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

20.Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan

I probably wouldn’t be as big of a reader today if it wasn’t for series like this. As a kid, I always loved mythology, and I devoured all of Riordan’s books, even the ones that don’t follow Percy and his friends. Still, the final book of the original series has a special place in my heart because it delivers some of the most emotionally compelling scenes in the entire Riordanverse, and I think this was the perfect ending for the series.

19.Captains of the Sand by Jorge Amado

A tough read. This book feels like entering a new world where your sense of morality no longer applies, it’s gritty and nasty and so painful. Now that I’m an adult, the tragedy of what these kids go through is all the more devastating, but there’s meaning and beauty in their struggle that makes it all worth it.

18.The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Holden is one of my favorite fictional characters, and while I can see why some people find his voice annoying, I thought he was a deeply human, and he felt like a real teenage boy. I have a deep empathy for characters like him, and I was moved by Holden’s kindness, hidden under his rough exterior.

17.On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Vuong’s writing is simply beautiful. I’ve read some of his poetry, and he’s able to imbue even the most mundane aspects of life with a sublime quality. This book explores the limitations of language in relation to our sense of identity, and it also tackles the complicated relationship between a son and a mother whose love for each other can’t be separated from the cultural and political context they are inserted in. I love books that aren’t afraid of being a little pretentious, especially when the topics they deal with are as nuanced as these.

16.Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This was the first “classic” book I read, and it made me realize that just because something is old it doesn’t mean it can’t be fun and enjoyable. Obviously, there’s a lot of depth in this book, but being honest, my favorite part of reading Austen is how funny she is. Yes, it’s one of the best romance stories ever, and there’s a lot to be analyzed here regarding women’s relationship with marriage, but it’s also hilarious.

15.Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I read this at the peak of my “YA Dystopia” phase, and despite being completely unlike all the books I was reading at the time, I still loved it. There’s much to be said about Bradbury’s intentions with this book and how the themes he explored here have aged, particularly now in the time of ChatGPT and booktok, but I think this story resonates so deeply with readers because it tugs at the part of us that loves reading for the sake of reading.

14.And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Christie is one of my favorite writers, I used to read her books in one sitting and even after I knew the twist I would reread them because she’s just that good at writing a mystery, and this is the one that I remember the most vividly. This is really an horror that maskerades as a regular Christie mystery, and it gets really macabre. She tricks the reader all the way to the end.

13.Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

This is a unique fantasy book, it leans more towards literary fiction with a certain Gothic flavor, and it’s great. I like the use of names to signal character progression and how it ties into the unreliable narration and the theme of identity. What makes us who we are? Is it our memories? Our personalities? Is it possible to come back to who you used to be after a big traumatic experience? Should you want to? The book asks all these questions, and makes you ponder without giving you clear-cut answers.

12.We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

I love Jackson’s take on suburban Gothic and how she explores the theme of alienation in all her work, there’s always a disconnect between her characters and the world around them, most dramatically in this book and The Sundial. I picked this one because it was my first Jackson novel, and because I think Merricat is one of her most fascinating characters. This is a fairy tale told from the witch’s perspective, a horror story where the real monster isn’t the murderous child but her victims. There are so many unanswered questions at the end, yet it’s possible to draw your own conclusions based on the little hints we get throughout the story, and it’s what is implied more so than what we are told outright that really gives you the chills.

11.Guards! Guards! (Discworld Series) by Terry Pratchett

It’s hard to pick one Discworld book, so I chose the one that got me into the series. This book has everything that I love about Discworld—charming characters, great comedy, and a genuine belief in humanity. I love Vimes’ arc and his relationship with Sybil (which is also used as a metaphor for his relationship with the city). Carrot is also one of my favorite Discworld characters, I like that his naivete isn’t punished by the narrative, his innate goodness isn’t treated as dumb (he's dumb, but not because he’s kind).

10.Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin

Baldwin is an author that I love and want to read more of, there’s a rawness in his writing that really speaks to me. He has things to say, and he doesn’t compromise his message in favor of a more conventional or more satisfying narrative. Art is inherently political, but few authors are able to wield language in such an honest and intentional way as Baldwin. His characters are painfully human, full of tender spots and open wounds. I picked this one over Giovanni’s Room because I think the way this book is structured really elevates the story. I love the way we switch from past to present and how we see certain events and time periods from different perspectives, it really captures how life isn’t linear and the way that time works within our minds. This family isn’t just going to church, they are each of them traveling through time and coming to powerful realizations about themselves and who they are to one another. It’s incredible.

9.The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Le Guin’s foreword alone makes this book mandatory reading for anyone interested in speculative fiction. The way that she handles gender and sexuality here is ahead of its time. I think that there’s so much to be taken from the ideas being presented here, especially when the book gets into the limitations of language to accurately communicate one’s identity to the other and how hard it is to overcome cultural barriers. Understanding requires effort and openness. What we consider normal is subjective, and we can’t use disgust as a way to judge morality. I think this is an important piece of Queer fiction and an insane sci-fi concept to boot.

8.Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

If Le Guin is trying to say that even people from completely different worlds can understand each other, Lem is saying the opposite. Any attempt to communicate with someone else, be it a fellow human being or a living ocean, is doomed to failure—we are each of us unintelligible and unfathomable to one another. Still, it’s not futile. To love someone is to know that we may never understand them. At its core, Solaris is a story about love and grief, and the sci-fi is used as a means to explore those themes.

7.To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

You may say that nothing happens in this book, and you would be right, but it’s precisely because it’s such a quiet, subtle book, with no grand moments, that it’s so absorbing. The stream-of-consciousness style really sucks you in, it’s like getting on a boat and letting the waves carry you. One second you are inside one character’s mind, then you are seeing things as if from the perspective of the house itself, and sometimes you are just floating around, lightly touching each character’s thoughts and slowly getting to know how they all fit together.

6.The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Machado de Assis

This book is morbid, comically tragic, absurd, and a joy to read. It’s an examination of society that shows the contradictions and vices that we all carry inside ourselves, all told through the perspective of a literally dead man who has nothing left to hide, no reason to be ashamed anymore. Brás Cubas is a common fraud, the engineer of his own misery, and he’s somehow charming despite all of this.

5.Tehanu (Earthsea Cycle) by Ursula K. Le Guin

Every Earthsea book is beautiful in its own way, but Tehanu is particularly poignant to me. First, it’s refreshing to see an older female character who has fulfilled all that’s expected of a woman and still has room to grow and change, we need more stories like that. Women don’t stop being people once they become a mother, or even a grandmother. The exploration of women’s roles in society beyond being a wife/mother, plus the focus on female relationships, is super interesting and better handled here than in many pseudo-feminist pieces of fiction. However, the thing that makes this book so emotionally powerful is Tehanu herself. She goes through so much, and her healing is not linear nor easy. Little girls are one of the most vulnerable groups in any society, and Le Guin recognizes this and how rape culture vilifies victims and perpetuates their trauma. Tehanu’s story is hard to read, but important.

4.The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

I love a book that works on several different levels. The Name of the Rose can be read as a fun Sherlock-style mystery; it can be enjoyed as a coming-of-age story; and it’s also a deep and complex analysis of religion and the power of narrative. All of these different threads come together to form a thought-provoking tapestry of meaning.

3.Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Gothic novel by definition, at least for me. It has stood the test of time, and it remains one of the most popular and engaging tales of horror ever written. Frankenstein has had a massive cultural impact over the years, but despite how much of the story we have absorbed through pop culture, the book is still full of surprises, and it’s worth reading for anyone looking to get into Gothic literature, not only for its literary value, but also because it’s a harrowing tale of human hubris and the responsibility that a creator has for its children.

2.Assassin’s Quest (Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb

I love the entirety of Realm of the Elderlings, but I reread the Farseer trilogy a while ago, and in my humble opinion, it’s one of the best fantasy trilogies of all time. Robin Hobb is a master when it comes to writing flawed and compelling characters, and there isn’t a more flawed and compelling character than FitzChivalry Farseer. Fitz is more of an anti-hero (especially in this book), and his inner turmoil is at the forefront of the narrative in a way that can be overwhelming for the reader but can also be incredibly touching if you struggle with the same mental health issues as Fitz. Hobb understands the human psyche better than many writers, even outside of fantasy. Assassin’s Quest is a kind of odyssey that brings together all the themes that Hobb has set up from the start—the importance of connections, the tension between the individual and the community they are a part of, societal pressure and alienation, and the life-long impact of trauma. Fitz is my favorite fictional character in anything, and I could talk about this book for hours.

1.Moby Dick by Herman Melville

It’s always funny when you read an old book and you realize WHY it’s a classic and why it deserves to be called one of the greatest of all time. There’s nothing I could say about this book that hasn’t been said before. It’s a classic tale of man VS. God, an epic of biblical proportions, a deeply intimate tragedy, and also a collection of completely outdated and patently wrong whale facts. Please don’t skip the chapters about whale facts, they are both hilarious and surprisingly moving. Truly a banger from beginning to end.

Looking at all these books, I’m able to see some common themes and topics, like the importance of language and morally gray/flawed main characters. There isn’t as much fantasy as I would have expected, but it’s likely because most of the fantasy books I read are part of a series. I certainly need to read more stand-alone speculative fiction, and I want to broaden my horizons a bit and read more diverse authors.

What did you think of my list? Have you read any of these books? What are YOUR favorite books? Let me know in the comments!

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