Bianca's Picks
The Page-to-Screen Fan
(In no particular order)
Reading Style
Most of the books I read are popular as bestsellers or because they are getting adapted into a movie/tv show.
Literary Likes
01
Typhoid Mary: Captive to the Public's Health by Judith Walzer Leavitt
Genres: Nonfiction, History, Health, Science, Biography
This book tells the remarkable story of Mary Mallon–the real Typhoid Mary, who infected 22 New Yorkers with typhoid fever through her cooking in the early 1900s. Combining social history with biography, historian Judith Leavitt re-creates early-twentieth-century New York City, a world of strict class divisions and prejudice against immigrants and women. Leavitt engages the reader with the excitement of the early days of microbiology and brings to life the conflicting perspectives of journalists, public health officials, the law, and Mary Mallon herself. Leavitt's readable account illuminates dilemmas that continue to haunt us. To what degree are we willing to sacrifice individual liberty to protect the public's health? How far should we go in the age of AIDS, drug-resistant tuberculosis, and other diseases? For anyone who is concerned about the threats and quandaries posed by new epidemics, Typhoid Mary is a vivid reminder of the human side of disease and disease control.
Goodreads link.
02
The Princess Diaries Series by Meg Cabot
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Series
In the first book of the series, The Princess Diaries, Mia Thermopolis is pretty sure there's nothing worse than being a five-foot-nine, flat-chested freshman, who also happens to be flunking Algebra. Is she ever in for a surprise. First mom announces that she's dating Mia's Algebra teacher. Then Dad has to go and reveal that he is the crown prince of Genovia. And guess who still doesn't have a date for the Cultural Diversity Dance? There are 11 full books in the series, plus 8 related short stories.
03
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Genres: Fiction, Classic Literature, Legal, Historical
This is the unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town, and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, that became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic. Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos.
mystery, romance, healthcare, comedy, young adult fiction
Literary Dislikes
most nonfiction, too much fluff/descriptions, one story told from multiple perspectives
What's on my bookshelf
Books on deck to read next
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
04
Robert Langdon (The Da Vinci Code) Series by Dan Brown
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Historical, Adventure, Series, Crime
There are five books in this series, with the most famous being the second: The Da Vinci Code. While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. Solving the enigmatic riddle, Landon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues and hidden in the works of da Vinci – clues visible for all to see – and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. The Da Vinci Code combines relentless adventure, scholarly intrigue, and cutting wit, heralding a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent thrillers.
05
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Series
Everyone knows Harry Potter – if you haven't read it yet, there are 7 full books in the series, beginning with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
06
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Genres: Historical Fiction, Cultural, Classic Literature
This is the unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies. A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic.
07
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by
Issa Rae
Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography, Humor, Cultural, Essays
In the bestselling tradition of Sloan Crosley’s I Was Told There’d Be Cake and Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, a collection of humorous essays on what it’s like to be unabashedly awkward in a world that regards introverts as hapless misfits, and black as cool. In this debut collection of essays written in her witty and self-deprecating voice, Rae covers everything from cybersexing in the early days of the Internet to deflecting unsolicited comments on weight gain, from navigating the perils of eating out alone and public displays of affection to learning to accept yourself—natural hair and all. This book is a reflection on her own unique experiences as a cyber pioneer with universal appeal.
08
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—"Cupid Day"—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is … until she dies in a terrible accident that night. However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined.
09
To All The Boys I've Loved Before Series by Jenny Han
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Series
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all. There are three total books in this series.
10
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography, Humor
Before Liz Lemon, before "Weekend Update," before "Sarah Palin," Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV. She has seen both these dreams come true. At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon—from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence. Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.