Literary Kitten

I think most of us want to read because we want to be immersed. Immersed in a way that leaves us thinking about the book for days and weeks. It doesn’t always go our way when we’re picking books out, sometimes we are left disappointed. But sometimes… sometimes you just know. You know when you’re going to love a book. These books I’m listing are books I am 99% sure I’m going to love. And if I don’t? I’m going to be so shocked.

There’s some books that stand out from others. It’s hard to describe – it’s just the energy of the blurb on the back, of the book itself, in combination with things like cover art, that have me thinking “this is a possible five-star book”. It also helps if you have a grip on genres and stories you enjoy, haha! But my five-star predictions are based mostly on vibes if I’m being honest. Vibes, the blurb on the back, and a gut feeling.

So, here they are! My 5 Five-Star Predictions:

1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Genre: Mystery, Thriller Literary Fiction

OKAY this book gets so much hype and I’m assuming it’s for a reason. I know it’s a dark academia mystery/thriller? Takes place at a university. Murder. That’s all I need to know.

I’m a big fan of mysterious, weird stories like Mona Awad’s Bunny and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and I’m itching to know how this one goes. I feel like this is going to be a mixture of those two books; there will be a moody atmosphere and a lot of dark content.

2. Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

Genre: Horror, Literary Fiction

I know this one is about grief. A mother loses a child and tries to bring him back by keeping a piece of his body. Then things get ghastly. People I watch on BookTube loved this book last year and I trust their opinions! This is going to be another book that is dark, maybe creepy, and it’s going to have a larger message related to grief. I just eat that up; these stories that use fantastical, horrific methods to illustrate poignant messages and themes. I think I’ll probably cry?

3. Maurice by E.M. Forster

Genre: Classics, LGBTQ+, Historical Fiction

I have read one book by E.M. Forster: A Room with a View. I gave it 5 stars. The reason I think I’ll love this book is because I love Forster’s writing. Not only that, but I’m really interested in how Forster tells this story about class differences and sexual identity, having written Maurice in 1914. I think I’ll really enjoy this reading experience because I love queer representation; I love that I get to read about someone discovering their sexual identity 90 years ago.

4. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Genre: Literary Fiction, Poetry

I am a sucker for beautiful writing and the internet has not shied away from praising Vuong’s book for its stellar writing. The basic knowledge I have about this book is that it’s poetic and a son is writing to his mother but he can’t read. I just know this is going to be a punch in the gut and I must be a masochist because I love a good gut punch.

5. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Okay I saw this book in one of my local bookshops and it is one of the most gorgeous books I have ever laid my eyes on. I instantly read the first page and I thought, “Oh this is going to be a 5 star.” So I bought it! This is kind of a big deal for me because I don’t tend to gravitate towards fantasy books for some reason, but I just have a feeling about this one! I have also heard this book described as a love letter from Sanderson to his wife and I just – I love that, okay?

Thanks for checking out my little list here. Let me know if you’ve read any of these, if you liked/disliked them, etc!

originally posted on: January 18, 2024 (on previous site)