Page-Turner Books
Eight books that are difficult to put down once you start reading them.
I really like getting lost in a book and for a bit not being fully aware of what is going on around me. Although there are a lot of good books out there, this specific sensation of losing oneself into pages might not occur that often to me, unless I find a book that truly caprivates me—be it its writing, the plot or just something that speaks to me in a way.
Throughout time, I have read several volumes that did give me that feeling of being really hard to pause and in this post I am going to share a selection of various genres. I keep into consideration that not every book speaks in the same way to every person—a title that might make someone paying full attention to it can have a very different effect on someone else. However, I do hope that throughout this post, at least one recommendation could make someone dive into its words and why not revive the joy of reading.
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
This book could be one of the few of its kind or even the only one that appears as a recommendation on this blog, since I generally do not deep my toes into thrillers. However, I could not omit it, especially as a page-turner, which I think it totally is, offering suspense and a haunting atmosphere. So, Jenna Gray decides to start her life anew, for reasons that are not immediately revealed, although it is pretty obvious that something of great impact still affects her. Moving to the Welsh coast, she gives herself the chance to "write" a fresh chapter and try to leave behind the past, even though parts of it keep coming back in various ways. I need to specify that it is quite dark and it can be psychologically heavy on some readers.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
During the open visit of an apartment, a robber enters all of a sudden and captures the visitors as hostages. In the beginning we really wonder how this odd situation happened, but as the story unfolds things seem to make more sense. In which way could different people, of different ages, behave under these circumstances? Could they eventually find common ground to communicate and maybe understand each other a little bit more? Backman's book successfully combines mystery, humour and wholesomeness using a very original plot structure, alongside magnetic writing.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
During the Bolshevik regime, a tribunal condemns the aristocrat Alexander Rostov to house arrest in the Metropol, a hotel in the heart of Moscow. Precisely, he needs to spend the rest of his life in there, since any sort of attempt to go out of this residence could cost him his life. While significant historical events unfold in the outer world, his own one develops too in the company of some friends and sometimes strangers. When the space of the external cage decreases, the space of the internal one might grow, and when this happens new perspectives are added in front of someone's eyes.
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
This is the second book in the Robert Langdon series. Langdon is a University professor, whose work revolves around religious iconology and symbology. While being in Paris on a business trip, the Louvre curator Jacques Saunière gets murdered and the professor is asked by the French police to decode a message the former left while dying. This sets the beginning of a long adventure, during which Langdon alongside Sophie Neveu, a police cryptographer and Saunière's granddaughter, unfold the thread of a big, well-hidden secret. I would recommend reading this book with a certain detachment, remembering that it is fictional and was not primarily written as an eye-opener or any sort of teaching text.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
The story tells Jane Eyre's life, from a mistreated child, living under her abusive aunt's roof and her days in a boarding school, to her womanhood, when she works as a governess for the Rochester family. Several events unfold throughout the years, where Jane faces life's turbulences and her inner strength gets challenged. Charlotte Brontë's most famous work examines the themes of self-autonomy, self-respect, resilience, love, morality and religion. It is a work ahead of its time, as most the of Brontë sister's literary creations, that deals with human nature and displays societal issues.
Night Fly by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
De Saint-Exupéry's semi-autobiographical novel revolves around nocturne postal flights. One night, three airplanes are expected to return to Buenos Aires from Patagonia, Paraguay and Chile, as the routine requires. Then, the mail is supposed to continue to Europe. However, a heavy storm is causing trouble, especially for Fabien, who tries to pilot his aircraft through tough conditions, when flying near the Andes. On the ground, Rivière, the director, tries to track the airplane, while collecting information to find a safe place for Fabien to do an emergency landing. But the storm is hitting from all directions and the remaining petrol will eventually be over.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
This coming-of-age story follows Francie Nolan, who grows up in a poor family in Brooklyn, New York, in the very beginning of the 20th century. These living conditions force Francie and her family to adapt to them as best as possible: the young girl finds comfort mostly in books, and in other simple, every-day things. The different aspects of the story showcase the economically tough situation that working-class citizens had to face, including Francie's father, who was drawn to alcoholism. Despite the difficult circumstances, Francie is given certain opportunities to surpass them, embodying hope and tenacity.
Childhood by Tove Ditlevsen
This is the first book in The Copenhagen Trilogy—Tove Ditlevsen's autobiography that features different stages of her life: from youth to later years. In this volume we follow Ditlevsen in her early life. Born to a poor family in Denmark and living in an impoverished neighborhood, she realized her vocation as a poet and thus dreamt big. Through her charming writing, she deals with family relationships (especially with her mother), childhood trauma and early memories.
Note: No AI was used to write this post.