Rainbow Shelf: 5 Red Books

Rainbow Bookshelves: Grouping by 7 Co... Rainbow Shelf: 5 Orange Books

Rainbow Shelf: 5 Red Books

[image error]I gathered a selection of overtly red books that would fit on my shelf. I ended up with quite the variety. For a full list of the books on this shelf head to the very end of the blog post.

Following the classic rainbow color pattern, my first installation in my Rainbow Bookshelf exploration is red books. I created a full shelf of red books and selected 5 of my favorite red books (regardless of their existence on my shelf of course) to expound upon.

Without further ado, 5 of my favorite red books:

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The Library Book by Susan Orlean

Genre: Non-Fiction, True Crime

I loved reading this book. There are two primary narratives in this book, and to be completely honest the only one I cared about focused completely on the library, but the second narrative following Harry Peak was not too bad. True crime fans probably thought the opposite.

However, the book as a whole definitely stands as a well-worn love letter to books and public library both, a worthy part of any book-lover’s shelf.

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Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Bildungsroman

I have many fond memories of reading this series as a child and eagerly awaiting the sequel, Inkspell, and the book following that, Inkdeath. Although if I remember correctly Inkdeath was a long wait (that may be the impatience of childhood speaking though).

Meggie’s adventures after she has been read into a book, her encounter with villains and friends alike, remains dear to my heart years later. This was the first book I read that took the concept of books as portals literally.

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The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Genre: Fiction, Novel

In most circumstances I have difficulty looking at books I was required to read in class objectively, but something about the characters in The Joy Luck Club stuck with me. Food, family, culture, relationships, and stories all carefully enfold one another throughout this novel.

Long after I finished reading, the power in the quiet moments of this book stuck with me. After all, family is not something you often get to choose and the struggles the belong to each family are as unique as the members within it.

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Vicious by V. E. Schwab

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

This book wins for “most appropriate title for a work of fiction.” The title, Vicious, may not seem indicative of the story within but that single word sums up so much of this book. Feelings, actions, characters, consequences, even the very world within these pages can be connected to that word.

Victoria Schwab crafted something heart-piecing and terrifying in its reality when she created Vicious, regardless of it being fiction. I would recommend this to almost any reader regardless of their interest in fantasy. It is a powerful book.

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In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Opdyke and Jennifer Armstrong

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography

This book is one of the first books I read about the Holocaust besides The Diary of Anne Frank. I was horrified. The me in high-school wanted to tall the world that, “No, something like this can’t have really happened.” It hit too many of the soft-spots that existed in my teenage mind. This book was a turning point in my life. It made me question much of what I was learning. If I hadn’t heard these details before what else what I missing?

This is a painful book, and one I wish wasn’t necessary. However, reality never has followed my whims and never will. In the end it is a true story of a powerful and brave woman – someone who chose to speak up to make sure the world knew what happened.

Bonus Book:

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You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack by Tom Gauld

Genre: Comic/Cartoon

This was a fun, relaxing book lent to me by a friend. Each page was its own stand-along comic, some of which were truly great literature puns.

A fun read for any adult.

A full list of all of the red books I assembled for my shelf (as seen above):