Some books are favorites. Some are useful. Some completely consume your life for a few weeks. And some are the kind you immediately want to press into someone else’s hands and say, please read this so we can talk about it.
The Rad Bookshelf is a rotating collection of five books we’d recommend right now—across genres, moods, and reasons for reading.
This round includes a little fantasy, a little existential dread, grief, obsession, and one upcoming release I’m already ready to make everyone read.
01 — The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Such a beautifully written story.
At its core, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is about what it means to be remembered, what makes a life matter, and what we’re willing to trade for freedom. It’s atmospheric, romantic, melancholy, and one of those books where the writing itself is part of the experience.
If you like stories that feel a little magical and a little heartbreaking, start here.
02 — Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
A must-read for everyone. I mean it.
Despite the subtitle, this is not really a traditional time-management book. It’s much more interested in the fact that our time is finite—and what happens when we stop treating life like a productivity problem we can eventually solve.
This is one of those books that quietly changes how you look at the way you’re spending your days.
03 — Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Honestly, the whole series had me in a chokehold.
This is less a recommendation for one book and more a warning that starting Throne of Glass may result in you disappearing into an eight-book fantasy series for the foreseeable future.
It starts smaller than it eventually becomes, but the world keeps expanding, the stakes keep getting higher, and the characters become incredibly easy to get attached to.
Proceed accordingly.
04 — Always a Sibling by Annie Sklaver Orenstein
I found this book to be incredibly relatable and genuinely helpful after my sister passed.
Grief books can sometimes feel clinical or overly prescriptive, but Always a Sibling speaks directly to the strange reality of losing a sibling and continuing to exist in a family where that relationship is still part of who you are.
It’s thoughtful, compassionate, and one I would recommend especially to anyone navigating sibling loss.
05 — This Is What Happens When Women Read by Julianna Glasse
Coming October 13, 2026.
My only complaint is that I can’t force all my friends to read it right this second.
This is the kind of book that immediately makes me want to start conversations, underline things, send passages to people, and build an entire reading list around it.
It’s not even officially out yet, and it has already earned a place on the shelf.
