2021 Books for Gen Z Who Love to Read (and Even Those Who Don't)

By #Ask-GenZ Archives
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We finally made it to 2021 and I've set a few "realistic" resolutions for myself. One of them is to read a book every month. Since it is the end of January, I have kept my resolution and finished my first book, but I won't include that one in this list because I didn't particularly enjoy it. So here are the books on my list so far for the rest of the year!

Becoming - Michelle Obama
If you love Michelle Obama as much as I do, you'll certainly want to read her memoir. The book was published in 2018 so make sure you have it on your to-read list if you haven't read it yet. Michelle is a huge inspiration to me as a young black woman. In the book, she is very candid about her life. From her experience as the only black woman in a room, her struggles balancing work and family life, and pressure in the White House, "Becoming" inspires readers to own their story!

The Starless Sea
If I've ever seen a thick book in my life, this is it. The Starless Sea is a novel by Erin Morgenstern, which I received as a gift. It is described as a "Romeo and Juliet tale drenched in magic realism." If you are someone who enjoys fantasy fiction like I do, you might like this one. The story is focused on Zachary Rawlins who comes across a mysterious book filled with tales of lost cities, lovelorn prisoners and more. But then he turns the page to a story about his own childhood, in this book that seems older than he is. The journey to discovering the origins of the book leads him to a world of mystery, romance, and to two people who will change his life forever.

The Devil's Thief
I'm excited to read this book the most. It's actually the second book in The Last Magician series by Lisa Maxwell. I won't give away too much about this one, but it is another fantasy fiction story filled with magic and time traveling. One of the things I really liked about the first book was the character development and how likeable the characters are, even the villains in the story. That is always one thing I look for when reading so if I don't like the characters or can't relate to them in any way, then I get uninterested very fast.

City of Lost Girls
I wanted to add a mystery/detective book to my list, so I'll be reading City of Lost Girls by Declan Hughes. Ed Loy's past seems to be repeating when two women go missing from his film set. Twenty years ago, three women went missing from his friend's movie set in Malibu and were never found. Fearing one of his associates is responsible, Loy races to uncover the truth.

Comics

Everyone knows I love DC movies, so I had to add some DC Comics to my reading list. Here are a few classics I'm looking forward to:

That's what I have so far. One of my favorite sites to find affordable books is BookOutlet.com. It's great because you can filter what you're specifically looking for by category, subject, etc. But to save you some time, here are some of my favorites books that you can add to your list:

The Last Magician
The first book in the series I'm currently reading. (I'm on Book 2: The Devil's Thief) It takes place in modern day New York where magic is extinct except for the few called the Mageus who have an affinity for magic. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan is trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier created by the Order that kills Mageus who attempt to leave. The story is centered around Esta, a talented thief who constantly steals from the Mageus and can manipulate time. For her final assignment, she must travel back in time to steal a book containing secrets to the Order before the Magician can destroy it.

Now I know that's a lot to take in but the story is so good, I love the characters, and it keeps you guessing until the very end.

The Hollow Trilogy (The Hidden. The Haunted)
Another great series, these classified as ghost and paranormal fiction, which is beings and phenomena that are outside the realm of normal scientific understanding.

I recommend these books if you enjoy an intriguing romance that is somewhat in the same boat as Twilight. I couldn't put any of these books down. Now that I own them all I'll most likely be reading them again at some point.

The story is set in Sleepy Hollow, based on Washington Irving's tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. After 16-year old Abbey discovers her best friend Kristen goes missing near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, her world changes. She refuses to believe her friend is dead and gains back hope after meeting the mysterious Caspian at Kristen's memorial. She soon begins to uncover frightening truths about Caspian that threaten everything. You'll certainly get lost in the story.

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates
I was assigned to read this book in college and it quickly became one of my favorites. I enjoyed it so much that I reached out to the author, Wes Moore, and he wrote me back.

The book is an autobiography about two kids named Wes Moore who grew up a block apart within a year of each other in Baltimore. They had very similar upbringings like hanging out on street corners and run-ins with the police. One became a Rhodes Scholar, decorated veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other ended up a convicted murderer serving a life sentence.

It is a very inspiring and moving real-life narrative that anyone will enjoy reading.

The Lying Game
I read this a while ago but it's still on my bookshelf, so I think I liked it. The Lying Game by Ruth Ware is filled with questions, suspense, and dare I say it, lies. When Isa Wilde receives a text from an old friend that says, "I need you," she knows something bad has happened. Now adults with children and lives of their own, Isa and her friends' loyalty to each other is tested. The story alternates between present and past, trying to uncover the truth while the girls are forced to do something they hope will never resurface. Very entertaining!

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