As a bibliophile and bookworm, I’m always wondering what people’s current reads are. And if you’re like me, always looking for reviews, what books to read next, and a book community, then you found the right girl and article. I’ve asked some people around WHS about their current reads, recommendations, rating, and to sum their book up! Of course though, I must talk about mine first!

My current reads are Lord of the Rings, Angels and Man, and A Court of Thorns and Roses. Lords of the Rings, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, is of course very famous.  While first published in 1954, it is still widely read today. Due to how old it is, it sounds old-fashioned but is still a fantasy. It tells us a story about a hobbit, Frodo, who must destroy a magical ring before an evil wizard tries to get it back. Two other students, Bella Clinton, and Alyssa Kimball are also reading this with me. My other book, Angels And Man, written by Rafael Nicolas, is the second book in the Angels Before Man trilogy, which is a series about the on-going war between Lucifer and God. The first book is in the point of view of Lucifer as we experience his downfall, and the second one is about the destruction left afterward and how angels and man both are getting affected in this. My third book is A Court of Thorns and Roses, also known as ACOTAR, written by Sarah J. Maas, and it’s a mass hit in the book community. It’s a huge series, but surrounding a fantasy world. All of these books I really recommend. But enough of me! What are others reading?

Corinne Haubeil is, “currently reading The Iliad because I have been really interested in exploring Greek literature and mythos. I’ve also just wanted to give reading the classic a try!” And when asked to rate it she gave it a solid 7-8, but is only 100 pages in. Another fantasy series is The Empyrean series which also happens to be the current read of Leah John.  She is twenty pages in the latest book, Onyx Storm, written by Rebecca Yarros. Not only is it currently really popular, with a TV series coming out soon, but also gets huge recommendations from everyone who has read it. Yet again, fantasy is trending in 9th grade. Giada Petrillo is currently reading Glass Sword written by Victoria Aveyard. “I love it and it is my second time reading it. I love this series. I definitely recommend this book and this series!” As do I, Giada!! The first book is called Red Queen if you’re interested in checking it out! Elsie Li is currently reading Smoked Plum by Huang San, which is in Chinese text, is a romance novel, and is very interesting. Mrs. Naughton, an English teacher here at the high school, is reading a thriller called The Doorman by Chris Pavone which is about a New York City doorman who works in a famous apartment. Ms. Gordon, a Science teacher, is currently reading Still Life by Louise Penny, which is “a cozy Canadian murder mystery.” When asked to rate out of 10 she stated, “I’m very early in Still Life, so I would say that one is probably like a 7 out of 10 so far, but I think it’s gonna go up because I like the characters already.” She’s also reading bestselling Alchemized by Sen Lin Yu, “A intense dystopian fantasy.” which she rated 8 out of 10 so far. She recommends these books as well as any Sarah J.Mass book, and the Dungeon Carl series by Matt Dinniman, which explores the concept of what if the world was like a video game. Mrs. Nieves, an English teacher who runs the Literary Club, is currently reading The Secrets of Secrets by Dan Brown, which is the sixth book in the Robert Langton series. It’s a spy thriller which centers around a symbologist named Robert Langdon and takes place in Prague. The plot’s always about murder, secret societies, mythology, science, and ancient war. Other books she recommends are Here One Moment by Leanne Moriarty and My Friends by Frederick Bachmann. Ms. Jones in the Social Studies department is currently reading Wild Dark Shore, a mystery, by Charlotte McConaghy and Project Hail Mary, a science fiction novel now adapted for the screen, by Andy Weir. Both books received an eight out ten so far but definitely recommended as well as anything written by John Irving and Kristen Hanna. Last but not least, I also interviewed Dr. Rosslee, the Humanities chair, who is currently reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, which is a famous Gothic novel. So far the book consists of the main character who’s married to a wealthy man in the 1920’s but is also replacing his deceased wife. She definitely recommends this book, and gives it a nine out of ten so far. 

I hope this article encourages you to check some books out because all of these options are great!