This week on Broke and the Bookish, it’s all about recommended reads! Since I’m still relatively new to blogging, I thought it would be interesting to go back to a few titles that I fell in love with before (or very soon after) I started blogging. After all, some of these titles were the reason I fell in love with reading in the first place!

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

My friend in middle school was obsessed with The Princess Diaries… and then I got a copy of my own. From that day on, Meg Cabot has been one of my all-time favorite authors. It was the first time I really saw myself in a character, I WAS Princess Mia – clumsy, poorly coordinated, nerdy, a little (ok, maybe a lot) awkward. She captured my middle school era perfectly, and then high school, and then young adulthood. Check out her new book The Boy is Back, set to release on October 18th!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Surprisingly, it took several recommendations to finally get me to read Jane Eyre. Terrible, I know, but I’d had such bad luck with Wuthering Heights, can you blame me? I’ve read the novel several times over the years, and each reading is always different and more endearing. I will never stop loving Jane Eyre!

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

Cut to high school English class, we had to do the usual book report, but of course, this time, we had to tie in a media presentation to be all technological and worldly about our reading. It was a fun idea, but there are only so many movie clips you can watch before boredom sets in. So, from my dad’s suggestion, I chose to read Journey to the Center of the Earth – a classic combining the beauty of literature and the magnetic magic of scientific discovery. If you have time to spare, be sure to check out Rick Wakeman’s rock opera on YouTube – so good!

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

I wanted so badly to double major in comparative literature during college, but it was a scheduling nightmare. Fortunately, I was able to take a few classes, including an entire class on mysteries and horror fiction! One of the selections was Interview with the Vampire, a title I NEVER would have read on my own since I’d already seen the movie – what would be the point? WRONG! This novel is beautifully written and surprisingly philosophical. With Halloween approaching, there’s no better time to check it out if you haven’t already!

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

Preparing for the massively long road trip from Indiana to Montana for geology field camp, someone wonderfully recommended Jitterbug Perfume. If you haven’t read Tom Robbins, please let me introduce you! He’s wacky and weird, but meaningful in a way that sneaks up on you as you read more. I love all of his works, but Jitterbug will always be my favorite!

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Shortly before the movie release, my boss has recommended the series to me, and I’m so glad she did! I just finished the latest release, Fever Code, a prequel to the series, but now I’m itching to go back and start again!

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

My boyfriend recommended Thirteen Reasons Why when we first started dating. I was looking for a travel read, and since he doesn’t read very often, any recommendation is a good recommendation from him! I’m still a little surprised I didn’t read it during school, it’s the perfect YA novel. If you haven’t read it yet, do yourself a favor and finish it in private – the ending completely destroyed me!

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

Please forget she wrote Eat, Pray, Love for little while and read this novel. I really can’t remember who actually recommended the book to me, but I’m so glad they did! It was one of the most rewarding and beautiful novels I’ve ever read.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Pretty sure this was one of my mom’s best recommendations. A fan of Dickens and verbose novels, The Goldfinch fit perfectly with my favorite reads. Donna Tartt is a master story teller, very similar to Dickens, using casual coincidences to drive the story forward in an unsuspecting manner with beautiful wording and meaning. It’s about time for a reread!

Wayward Pines by Blake Crouch

My boyfriend and I read the Wayward Pines series together, long before the show came out starring Matt Dillon. Just when you’ve figured it out, Crouch throws in another twist along the way – the series is absolutely thrilling! I’m so glad I took him up on the offer to read together, Crouch has become one of my favorite authors, especially his latest and greatest novel, Dark Matter!

ACOTAR/ACOMAF by Sarah J. Maas

Shortly after I began blogging, a friend recommended this title to me, and I kind of pshawed it thinking “fantasy? me? really?”. But eventually I gave it a try, and the rest is history! I’m still shocked it actually took a verbal recommendation to get me to read it – but hey, I got there eventually!

What are your favorite recommended reads?