Reading has been a very important part of my life for as long as I can remember.
From reading fairytales with my parents before bed as a toddler to working my way through the works of Jane Austen, there is really no pastime that I love more.
Last year, EcilaReads and I brought you the ultimate book gift guide for all of our fellow readers out there, but this year we wanted to change it up a little.
This time, we’re giving you a list of our own favourites for you to consider gifting to the person in your life who is just starting to properly get into reading, and doesn’t really know where to start.
As a MAJOR classic and contemporary fan, my focus will be on these genres. However, if you’d like more fantasy/sci-fi type recommendations, be sure to check out Alice’s video (and subscribe while you’re there!).
Surface Contemporaries
Surface contemporaries are those ‘real-life’ novels that are extremely lighthearted, and have mainly surface-level complications.
These are an excellent choice for teen readers, or as a quick and easy read that older readers may need between heavier series’.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before- Jenny Han
Sub-Genre: Romance
Themes: Friendship, Love, Family, Insecurity
Sadness Scale: 2/10 (Unless you’re a happy cryer)
Romance Scale: 12/10
Recommended Age Bracket: 15-21
My Rating: 10/10
The ‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’ novel is really something else. If you loved the film, you’ll love this even more.
TATBILB is an extremely cute romance between two high school students who come from completely different worlds. It’s full of love letters, Yakult, insecurity, and a whole lot of adorable moments that are sure to make your heart sing.
I have yet to complete the entire series, but considering I read the entire first book in less than 12 hours, it has absolutely earned my stamp of approval.
L.A. Candy, Sweet Little Lies, and Sugar & Spice– Lauren Conrad
Sub-Genre: Drama, Romance
Themes: Fame, Entertainment, Love, Reputation
Sadness Scale: 2/10
Romance Scale: 8/10
Recommended Age Bracket: 16-30
My Rating: 9/10
As a major fan of The Hills, the release of good ol’ LC’s series of novels really got me excited.
The L.A. Candy series is basically a highly satirical and fictional ‘recount’ of Lauren’s rise to fame and experience with reality tv.
While the story is very light-hearted, it does raise a lot of important questions about the nature of ‘fame’ and the strange happenings that occur behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.
Again, this is an extremely quick ‘Summer’ read, but an incredible one nonetheless (I mean, I have read the whole series at least five times).
Deep Contemporaries
As the name suggests, deep contemporaries focus on much deeper topics.
They tend to explore themes of mental and/or physical illness, grief, and the negative impacts of societal norms.
For me, deep contemporaries can really be hit or miss, but if they’re executed well, they really speak to me on an emotional level.
The Fault In Our Stars- John Green
Sub-Genres: Romance, Drama, (Dark) Comedy
Themes: Cancer, Death, Grief, Love, Heartbreak, Youth, Infinity
Sadness Scale: 20/10
Romance Scale: 20/10
Recommended Age Bracket: 16-30
My Rating: 10/10
John Green single-handedly changed the contemporary genre with The Fault in Our Stars.
Even though you go in knowing that it will probably break your heart, it does much more than that.
I learned a great deal about the inner workings of my own mind and the world around me, and while it left me with a lot of questions, it taught me that it’s perfectly ok not to know the answers.
An absolutely essential read.
Note: I would not recommend this book for anyone under the age of 16.
All The Bright Places- Jennifer Niven
Sub-Genres: Drama, Romance, (Dark) Comedy
Themes: Love, Mental Illness, Grief, Youth, Family, Societal Expectations
Sadness Scale: 10/10
Romance Scale: 8/10
Recommended Age Bracket: 16-24
My Rating: 9/10
To All The Bright Places is an extremely well-crafted story.
It is equally happy and heartbreaking, with a dash of very dark humour.
Like TFIOS, I closed this novel with a huge amount of questions about the world, but in this case, I felt like the world owed me the answers, but I was also heartbroken knowing that I would never receive them.
This is a dual perspective novel which is generally a bit of a pet-peeve of mine, but it’s executed so wonderfully that I really didn’t care.
Note: I would not recommend this book for anyone under the age of 16, or anyone who has been detrimentally affected by mental illness.
Classic Novels
Now, I don’t mean to sound completely pretentious, but classic novels (in my opinion) are really something that you shouldn’t skip if you’re an avid reader- I mean, there’s a reason they’re still bestsellers, right?
If your newbie reader is on the mature side, I highly recommend gifting them a classic novel over a contemporary, as they will likely appreciate this kind of content a little more.
The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Sub-Genres: Drama, Romance
Themes: Wealth, Class, Love, Reputation, Past, Gender
Sadness Scale: 6/10
Romance Scale: 8/10
Recommended Age Bracket: 20+
My Rating: 10/10
The Great Gatsby is my favourite novel of all time.
I first opted to read it as a comparative text for my Year 11 English class, and unlike many of the other texts I studied, no amount of analysis could turn me off reading it again and again.
It’s best to go into this knowing very little about the story, so I won’t explain what it’s about, but I highly suggest you dive into the world of Gatsby.
Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen
Sub-Genres: Drama, Romance
Themes: Prejudice (funny that), Pride, Class, Love, Reputation
Sadness Scale: 2/10
Romance Scale: 10/10
Recommended Age Bracket: 20+
My Rating: 10/10
I bought this gigantic book of Jane Austen’s complete novels at the age of 11.
While I had very little clue as to what was going on in Pride and Prejudice upon my first read of it, I am absolutely certain that it shaped my writing style and solidified my love of reading.
Now that I have a small amount of life experience and can wrap my head around the somewhat complex storyline and hard-hitting themes, I can honestly say that this takes the number two spot right next to The Great Gatsby. A MUST READ.
And that, my friends, is the end.
It took me a heck of a long time to narrow this down, but these novels really take the cake in my book (no pun intended).
Until Thursday, 😉
P.S. A good friend of mine has an EPIC Etsy store named ‘Wicked Tales’ which sells incredible book fandom themed candles. If you’re buying for a more experienced reader who loves Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, or an infinite list of others, I highly recommend checking them out!
