Listicle: 10 Books You Simply MUST Read!

To me books always have been more than just books, they are tickets to travel to different worlds and dimensions, they are magical, I do not just love books, I breathe them! Some books are overrated, some are underrated, and some are MANDATORY READS! Here is a list of 10 books one simply MUST read! I do not recommend you read any of the following books before going to bed, they are so, SO good, you will keep promising yourself you are going to read “just one more chapter” and then you are going to sleep, but I can assure you, you will spend the night awake just reading chapter after chapter! Sit back, relax and get ready to travel to magical and compelling worlds!

10- The Epic of Gilgamesh

A mandatory read! This great Sumerian/Babylonian poetic work pre-dates Homer's writing by 1500 years and, therefore, stands as the oldest piece of epic world literature! When this impressive work was found it was not found written on paper but on clay tablets! Yes! Simply amazing! The vocabulary is epic and a bit complex (which is great if you are like me, always looking for new words to add to your vocabulary). The story is simple yet really interesting, I love how the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is born! Literally a CLASSIC!

9- The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Sweet, innocent, touching and a bit sad (but in a good way). The Little Prince is quick and easy read that will touch your heart. It is one of those books you can pass on to your kids, it is the perfect work to create a “book tradition” and pass it on from generation to generation. A dose of light in a dark world! Whenever you are feeling down, stressed and infected by the negativity our crazy, beautiful world generates sometimes, just sit back and open this sweet work of literature!

8- Orange is the New Black – Piper Kerman

I love it when books are based on true stories, it makes the whole experience even more real and intense because you know someone actually lived those moments you are now witnessing on paper! The way Piper Kerman describes the “prison life” and the characters that are now part of her new reality is really good and immersive, you do feel like you are witnessing the whole thing in person! Another fact that makes this read even more interesting is that the book was adapted and became a TV series, OH YEEES! I LOVE adaptations and this one is a really, REALLY good one! Read the book and then go straight to Netflix to watch the series! The series ended in 2019, which is great because you do not have to worry about waiting for new seasons or finding out the series got cancelled! It is all there and all you have to do is to read the book and then press play after you are done reading! Enjoy!

7- Sex and The City – Candace Bushnell

We all know the TV series, we all love it, we all miss it, but believe or not there is a considerable amount of people that were not aware of the fact that the series was based on a book! Yes! Sex and the City started out as a book and let me tell you this: it is one delightful book! Just like the TV series you get transported to Manhattan, and start living a fabulous life together with your four new best friends! The book is great and a quick read, just like any other adaptation I recommend you read the book before watching the series, I believe it makes the whole experience more interesting. I remember when I read the book for the first time and then watched the series afterwards, I got goosebumps because right away the series starts just like the book: “Here’s a Valentine’s Day tale. Prepare yourself. An English journalist came to New York. She was attractive and witty, and right away she hooked up with one of New York’s typically eligible bachelors”. Literally a FABULOUS read!

6- The Strangler – Sidney Sheldon

It is hard for me to talk about Sidney Sheldon sometimes, and only because I have so, SO much to say about this literature master I never know where to begin or when to stop! Long story short, “The Strangler” is one AMAZING read! It is mysterious, addictive and a quick and delightful read. One of the best and most underrated thrillers I have ever read! I do not want to spoil it for you, so let’s just say it is one easy and enjoyable read, and once you finish it you realize how much you want more books like this one to read! Enjoy!

5- Pen Pals – Olivia Goldsmith

Olivia Goldsmith knows how to create characters that will steal your attention, and stories that will make you read page after page like an addicted doing lines of cocaine! Pen Pals is a page-turner, it is an exciting, never-dull story! Right away you side with Jennifer Spencer and start looking forward to what is going to happen, if you like a good revenge, this is the book for you! Olivia Goldsmith delivers a deeply satisfying story, and just like my master Tilly she is a high-end pro when it comes to writing revenge!

4- The Chase – Sidney Sheldon

This is one of the most immersive stories I have ever read! You can actually feel the character’s every sensation, from desperation, to hunger and fear! I read this beauty of a story in one afternoon, I just could not get enough! When I finished the book I felt depressed, the story was so good I wish it was a series and not just a single story. A quick and enjoyable read! My master Sidney Sheldon showing his excellence once again! Enjoy!

3- Scandalous – Tilly Bagshawe

This is (obviously) one of my favorite books EVER! The way my number-one master Tilly Bagshawe gives life to Sasha Miller and develops the character’s journey is a work of art! Tilly Bagshawe is a force of nature and this book (like all her other books) shows her excellence. The story makes you crave justice, makes you love and hate (specially Theo, oh God I really hate Theo!), you get addicted to it, it simply steals all your attention. Definitely one of the best page-turners of all time! You are welcome!

2- The Mistress of the Game – Tilly Bagshawe

My runner up book! The Mistress of the Game is a sequel, writing sequels is always very dangerous to any writer, specially if the original story is as great as The Master of the Game, but in this case Tilly Bagshawe showed the world once again she is not as good as Sidney Sheldon, she is better! The story is loyal to the original, the characters were created and developed so perfectly they could not be more interesting. This is a contemporary story in perfect accordance with its time, literally, we get to witness the journey (and the dark heirloom) of the new generation of the Blackwell family. I read and watched the original story which makes the experience of reading this sequel even more spectacular, I got goosebumps when I “met” Eve and Alexandra again! This is not a recommendation, this is a mandatory read!

1- After the Darkness – Tilly Bagshawe

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you: the best book EVER written! Yes! This is the most captivating story, the most amazing and alive characters, the most perfect development and the most intense depression you are ever going to experience once you finish reading this masterpiece! Grace Brookstein is the most underrated super-hero of all time! The way the character changes as her story develops is a work of art! Every chapter feels like an episode of a mainstream TV series. Get ready to feel enraged, to fall in love, to crave justice and to meet the most interesting and alive characters ever created! I fell in love with my master Tilly Bagshawe because of this masterpiece, thank God we are talking about Tilly Bagshawe because she is so good you can at least find comfort in the fact that there are more great books written by this force of nature for you to read, and try to cure your “After the Darkness” depression! YOU ARE WELCOME!