Alphabet Soup

(26 Books for 26 Years)

I turned 26 years old today, and you and I are having alphabet soup to celebrate. 26 letters in the alphabet, 26 years of being alive, and 26 book recommendations for you.

All books below have received 5 stars from me in the past and are ones I think fondly about. I tried not to double up on authors too much so that you would get a good array of stories. It was a tad difficult to find books for some letters, so the letter may be in the title or in the author’s name if not strictly at the beginning. I thought about adding a little sentence with each recommendation, but I relieved they would all say something like “SO GOOD” or “AMAZING” or “I THINK ABOUT THIS ALL THE TIME.” So I will spare you all of that and you can see their gorgeous covers and hopefully find something that intrigues you. Regardless, I hope you enjoy seeing 26 of my favorite books lined up in my bowl spelling out a love letter to many years of reading.

So, grab your favorite spoon (you know the one), some saltine crackers or a fresh grilled cheese, and let’s splash around in some hot soup together.

A - All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

B - Brotherhood by Mike Chen

C - A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier

D - A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

E - The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

F - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

G - Gallant by V.E. Schwab

H - Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston

I - Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

J - Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

K - Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

L - Last of Her Name by Jessica Khoury

M - The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry

N - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

O - Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

P - Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell

Q - Once a Queen by Sarah Arthur

R - Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

S - Splinters of Scarlet by Emily Bain Murphy

T - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

U - The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

V - Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

W - Wishtress by Nadine Brandes

X - The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright

Y - Yesterday or Long Ago by Jenni Sauer

Z - Now Entering Addamsville by Francesca Zappia

Yummm, that was some good soup. I hope you either saw an old favorite book floating around, or a future favorite that caught your eye! Drop a comment below if you did, or tell me what your go-to flavor of book is.

xoxo,

K.J. Haakenson