Comfort reading & book recommendations from our Teen Advisory Board
In their last meeting of the year, our Teen Advisory Board shared their thoughts about comfort reading, and recommended the most memorable books they read this year.
What is your favourite kind of book to read when you want comfort?
‘I read books that will make me even sadder so that I can truly fall into a pit of despair. Then I read a romance book to pull me out of it’ - Sasha Copic
‘I reread certain passages from books I’ve already read, specifically the last chapter of Hero at the Fall’ - Amy Wright
‘I normally read books when I’m in a good mood, but if I do need comfort I read YA contemporary fiction’ - Siena Kabay
‘Lemony Snicket’ - Riley Rust
‘Fantasy or contemporary. Sometimes I reread my favourite novels’ - Claire Long
‘Romance, issues, historical fiction and classics’ - Ananyaa Duggal
Do you reread books?
‘Yes, all of Rick Riordan’s books (because I love them) and The Vampire Diaries, and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda’ - Amy Wright
‘Yes - just a few favourites. Oscar Wilde short stories and Call Me By Your Name’ - Riley Rust
‘Yes: Legend, Harry Potter, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. I reread to get out of a reading slump and to remember specific stories that I love.’ - Claire Long
‘ Harry Potter, The Maze Runner, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, The Hunger Games, Little Women and any Jane Austen novel’ - Ananyaa Duggal
Are there any authors who make you feel hopeful about the world?
‘JK Rowling, Cassandra Clare and Angie Thomas’ - Claire Long
‘Louisa May Alcott, Jenny Han, Frances Hodgson Burnett and Angie Thomas’ - Ananyaa Duggal
‘Nevo Zisin’ - Riley Rust
‘Nina Kenwood’ - Sasha Copic
‘Not in so many words but the Rebel of the Sands trilogy has a lot of hope for a better future for the characters and their country’ - Amy Wright
‘Not an author, but most sci-fi novels’ - Siena Kabay
A ROUND UP THEIR FAVOURITE BOOKS FROM 2019
The BEST books they read
- Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell
- Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
- To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
- It Sounded Better In My Head by Nina Kenwood
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
The books they were most excited to read
- This Is How We Change The Ending by Vikki Wakefield
- Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
-
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
- The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth
- Contender (The Chosen Book 1) by Taran Matharu
- Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
The books that made them laugh
- The Way You Make Me Feel by Maureen Goo
- It Sounded Better In My Head by Nina Kenwood
- Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
- China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
The books that made them cry
- They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
-
Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton
- Moonrise by Sarah Crossan
- Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer
- Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman
The best crime reads & thrillers
- Monstress: Book One by Marjorie Liu
- Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke
- What She Found in the Woods by Josephine Angelini
The best non-fiction books
- Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe
- I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
- Just Kids by Patti Smith
- Movie Freak: My Life Watching Movies by Owen Gleiberman
The best adult fiction books
- The Children Act by Ian McEwan
- Still Me by Jojo Moyes
- Antigone by Jean Anouilh
- The Martian by Andy Weir
- The Crucible by Arthur Miller
The best books with environmental themes
- Atmospheric: The Burning Story of Climate Change by Carole Wilkinson
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
- Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
- Green Valentine by Lili Wilkinson
