My partner was discussing book and movie recommendations at work and I chimed in to my partner what I thought on the subject; then I realized this list would make a good start of the year blog post. It's something I know my friends have asked about before and something I love to ask others when getting to know them. "What books would you recommend?"

What I have come to realize with time is that my recommendations are always tailored to the person who asks for a recommendation. For example, I know that my friend Angelica (fake name) really likes fantasy girl hero stories whereas my friend Liz (also a fake name) really loves horror stories. I would never recommend them the same book unless it checked all their shared boxes. So here is a small list of recommendations based on a few boxes, in my own opinion.

I have picked only a few categories to start with because these are either my favorite or they fit my circle of people the best so I am more intimately familiar with them. I also apologize that all of the fantasy recommendations are series starters. I often find a series pulls me in far better than a stand alone fantasy story.

Fantasy:

• Cinder by Marissa Meyer
• Super Powereds by Drew Hayes
• The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
• Uglies by Scott Westfield
• Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Horror/Mystery:

• The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
• Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Biography/Autobiography:

• Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan
• I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
• You Can't Touch My Hair by Phoebe Robinson
• Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick