I’ve always loved reading. When I was growing up, I went to the Ballyfermot library with my cousins, every Saturday. There wasn’t a Jacqueline Wilson book I hadn’t read (I even won a writing competition to meet her :)). I continued reading into my teens and early 20s (Twilight, Cecilia Ahern etc.) but then stopped because phones, social media, work… the list of distractions/ excuses goes on!
During the pandemic though, I got back into reading and I’m so happy I did! I’m also flat out on the podcasts these days… they’re great for multi-tasking 🙂 Here are my recommendations, let me know yours below!
If you’re on Goodreads – so am I! You can also see what books I’m reading and those I didn’t rate on there. Follow here.
Happy Reading and Listening,
Color Codes:
Blue: Books I loved!
Purple: Most Recently Added
Book Series
- The Hunger Games Trilogy
- The Twilight Saga
- The Inheritance Games
- The Millennium Series (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
- The Practical Magic Series (disclaimer – I’m only on book 2 out of 4 but still… :p)
- Heartstopper (graphic novels)
- The Sookie Stackhouse Series (True Blood)
Thrillers
Most of these are psychological thrillers and therefore by their nature, they are dark and have heavy story lines that some people might find triggering and/ or upsetting. Before purchasing or reading any of these, please read up on each.
- Strange Sally Diamond
- When no-one is Watching
- The Wife Between us
- The Girl on a Train
- The Couple Next Door
- Behind Closed Doors
- Gone Girl
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (part of a series but I’ve just read the first one)
- The Mother in Law
- A Simple Favour
- We Were Liars
- Then She Was Gone
- Stillhouse Lake
- The Nothing Man
- Verity
Not Thrillers :p
- The Colour Purple
- The Hotel Nantucket
- Mad Honey
- Booklovers
- Reminders of Him
- Where the Crawdads Sing
- Malibu Rising
- The Midnight Library
- Anxious People
- They Both Die in the End
- Hide & Seek
- All Her Fault
- Normal People
- Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
- Baby Love by Jacqueline Wilson
- Asking for it (trigger warning for rape)
- Me Before You
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
- Don’t be a Tourist in New York (this is great for off the beaten track NYC recommendations)
- P.S. I Love You (Cecelia Ahern)
- Where Rainbows End (Cecelia Ahern)
- Foster by Claire Keegan
Self-growth Books
- Greenlights by Matthew McConnaghy
- The Secret
- Good Vibes, Good Life
- The Life Changing Magic of not Giving a F**k
- Owning It: Your Bullshit Free Guide to Living with Anxiety
Audiobooks
I listen to all audio books on an app called “Scribd”. Unlike Audible, you have unlimited listens. you can also have multiple devices (up to 4) so you can share with your friends and families. My referral link is here, you’ll get a 60 day trial and I’ll get a free month :))
You can also listen for free on apps like “Libby” and “Borrowbox” but there tends to be waiting lists especially for popular books.
- Jessica Simpson’s “Openbook”
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
- Notes on an Execution
- Dave Grohl’s “Storyteller” (Darren’s Recommendation – I haven’t listened to it)
- The Only Plane in the Sky (Darren’s Recommendation – it’s on my “to listen to” list)
- Sweet Pea
- Take My Hand
Podcasts
- To Live & Die in LA (True Crime)
- Your Own Backyard (True Crime)
- Diary of a CEO (self-growth/ business)
- Culpable (True Crime)
- Up & Vanished (True Crime)
Author: Carly Colgan Bates
