9 Books That Completely Blew Our Minds

June 19 2018
Share 9 Books That Completely Blew Our Minds

Do you ever have epiphanies while reading? Or those moments when you can feel your brain whirring away, processing an entirely new idea? Or how about when stories leave you breathless because they are just that remarkable? A mix of novels that surprised us, true stories that shocked us, and biographies that impressed us—these nine books completely blew our minds.

A Happy Marriage
by Rafael Yglesias

Both intimate and expansive, A HAPPY MARRIAGE follows the arc of a 30-year marriage of true partners. Revisiting each stage of Margaret and Enrique's enduring relationship with precision and candor, this acclaimed novel chronicles the imperfect ways we love—with pleasure and pride, hurt and betrayal, loyalty and dedication. It is the moving portrait of what it means to spend a lifetime together. And it made me cry. —Wendy

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
A Happy Marriage
Rafael Yglesias

“Both intimate and expansive, A Happy Marriage follows the arc of a thirty-year marriage of true partners. Revisiting each stage of Margaret and Enrique’s enduring relationship with precision and candor, this acclaimed novel chronicles the imperfect ways we love—with pleasure and pride, hurt and betrayal, loyalty and dedication. It is the moving portrait of what it means to spend a lifetime together. And it made me cry.” —Wendy Sheanin

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

9 Books That Completely Blew Our Minds

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 19, 2018

Happy Birthday to Us!

By Off the Shelf Staff | March 3, 2015

Close
The Afterlives
by Thomas Pierce

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up THE AFTERLIVES by Thomas Pierce. It's a novel about a haunted Mexican restaurant, a machine that connects the living with the dead, and a young man who had a heart attack at age 30 and was technically dead for a few minutes before being revived. Sounds interesting, but a little strange, right? Well, it's absolutely fantastic. Smart, thought-provoking, and superbly written, THE AFTERLIVES is a meditation on what it means to be alive and what it means to consider what happens after you're not. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. —Taylor

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
The Afterlives
Thomas Pierce

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

5 Books to Die For: A Reading List for Fans of “The Good Place”

By Lara Blackman | August 14, 2018

Readers’ Choice: The Top 10 Most Shelved Books in July

By Off the Shelf Staff | July 27, 2018

9 Books That Completely Blew Our Minds

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 19, 2018

Close
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace
by Jeff Hobbs

Overcoming daunting obstacles from the earliest stages of life, Robert Peace escaped the crime and poverty of Newark, New Jersey, using his profound intellect and immense resolve to earn a scholarship to Yale. In this incredible work of nonfiction, writer Jeff Hobbs bears witness to his friend and college roommate—a distressed young man in conflict with his brutal upbringing and his unsupported academic promise, one he wrestles with until his ultimate, violent end. Honest and powerful, this book will knock the wind out of you. —Chris G.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace
Jeff Hobbs

Robert Peace spent his young life on Newark’s drug-infested, crime-ridden streets. A brilliant student, he went on to graduate from Yale University before sliding into the drug trade and becoming the victim of a brutal murder at age thirty. Written by his friend and college roommate, this intimate portrait of Peace’s life encompasses America’s most enduring conflicts: race, poverty, drugs, education, friendship, family, and the collision of two irreconcilable worlds. But most all, it is the story of one brilliant young man—his violent and untimely end is heartbreaking, powerful and unforgettable.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

9 Books That Completely Blew Our Minds

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 19, 2018

Close
The Immortalists
by Chloe Benjamin

I'll admit that when I first heard the premise of Chloe Benjamin's new novel—how would you live your life if you knew the date you would die?—I made a mental note to avoid it. Primarily because the idea of premature death terrifies me, and I am way too type A to even begin to consider going down the rabbit hole of "Would you want to know?" But after a trusted friend and reader sang its praises, I knew I had to take a look—and, wow, what I would have missed if I hadn't. THE IMMORTALISTS isn't so much about death as it is about life and the choices we make, beyond any notions of fate or destiny. The story of the four Gold siblings is heartbreaking, heartwarming, and unforgettable, and I was truly changed as a reader for having encountered them. —Julianna

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
The Immortalists
Chloe Benjamin

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

11 Autumnal Book Covers to Fall in Love With

By Sarah Woodruff | October 3, 2019

6 Fantastic Novels New in Paperback This February

By Off the Shelf Staff | February 11, 2019

Readers’ Choice: The Top 25 Most Shelved Books of the Year!

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 24, 2018

5 Books to Die For: A Reading List for Fans of “The Good Place”

By Lara Blackman | August 14, 2018

Readers’ Choice: The Top 10 Most Shelved Books in July

By Off the Shelf Staff | July 27, 2018

6 Must-Read Books from Alice Hoffman’s Shelf

By Alice Hoffman | July 3, 2018

Close
Educated
by Tara Westover

Not since reading Jeannette Walls' THE GLASS CASTLE in one sitting have I been so engrossed in the story of a young woman's difficult triumph over an upbringing filled with poverty, ideological struggles, and living within the violence of isolation. This memoir tells the gripping and gorgeously written account of Tara Westover's childhood in the Idaho mountains with her fundamentalist family, and the physical and spiritual battles to claim her identity and pursue knowledge. Westover's beautifully written survival story is astounding, but the thoughtful presentation of her young mind discovering concepts of philosophy, faith, and history after a lifetime absent of any formal schooling is what turns this book from intriguing to indispensable. —Elizabeth

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Educated
Tara Westover

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

8 Books I’ll Always Remember Reading in My 20s

By Jordyn Martinez | December 29, 2021

Staff Picks: The 10 Best Books We’ve Read This Year (So Far)

By Off the Shelf Staff | September 22, 2021

Readers’ Choice: 10 Books Sure to Spark Great Book Club Discussions

By Off the Shelf Staff | March 25, 2021

6 Powerful Lines from Literature That Deeply Resonate with Us

By Off the Shelf Staff | March 19, 2021

7 Books About Dysfunctional Families That Will Make You Appreciate Your Own

By Ana Perez | November 25, 2019

8 Enlightening Books that Will Change Your Worldview

By Off the Shelf Staff | October 28, 2019

Close
The Bees
by Laline Paull

When I picked up this novel set inside a beehive and starring a worker bee, I didn't expect to be so completely swept up in an intense, engrossing, and deeply human tale that reads like THE HANDMAID'S TALE meets Arthurian legend meets, well, insects! Flora 717 is born into the lowliest caste in hive society; she is a sanitation bee, bound for a life of silently cleaning up after her sisters. But Flora is special. Unlike the other sanitation bees, she is large, strong, possesses the ability to speak, and, impossibly, she feels an egg growing within her. But the egg violates her society's most sacred law—only the queen may breed—and her crime is punishable by death. Driven by deep maternal love, Flora embarks on a desperate quest to save her newly hatched baby. —Sarah Jane

Read Sarah Jane's full review of THE BEES.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
The Bees
Laline Paull

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

9 Books That Completely Blew Our Minds

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 19, 2018

An Unlikely Heroine Who Strives Toward a Greater Destiny

By Sarah Jane Abbott | May 11, 2016

Close
Dark Matter
by Blake Crouch

Everyone has those moments where you imagine the various paths your life might have taken depending on a few critical decisions—how would your family, relationships, career, or even moral compass change according to these unseen junctures? Blake Crouch explores this concept with dizzyingly superb plotting in his sci-fi thriller DARK MATTER following Jason Dessen, a mild-mannered physics professor who's been abducted and wakes up in an alternate universe—one where he never married his sweetheart, or chose family over becoming a celebrated genius whose theories make the impossible a reality. But these discoveries also open up alternatives which spiral dangerously out of control, and Jason must fight the darkest parts of himself in order to return to the family he loves. —Elizabeth

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Dark Matter
Blake Crouch

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

12 Immersive Reads About Families: the Good, the Complicated, and the Crazy

By Sarah Woodruff | August 26, 2020

10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 20, 2019

9 Books That Completely Blew Our Minds

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 19, 2018

6 Fantastic Books New in Paperback This March

By Meagan Harris | March 19, 2018

14 Books to Read in Between Episodes of Your Favorite TV Shows

By Tolani Osan | November 3, 2017

Close
Animal Farm
by George Orwell

I was 11 years old when I made the startling realization that sometimes politicians lie to us. It was George Orwell's ANIMAL FARM (and a fifth-grade teacher who encouraged me to read beyond my years) that brought me to this jarring discovery. An allegorical fable about the dangers of Stalinism, it follows a group of farm animals who overthrow their human master and attempt to establish their own animal utopia. Orwell's masterpiece effortlessly demonstrates how quickly corruption and propaganda can change men into animals. —Kerry

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Animal Farm
George Orwell

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

8 Exceptional and Extraordinary Books Unlike Anything We’ve Read Before

By Off the Shelf Staff | October 20, 2020

Happy Chinese New Year: 12 Books to Kick Off the Year of the Pig

By Elizabeth Breeden | February 5, 2019

9 Books That Completely Blew Our Minds

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 19, 2018

8 Really Great Books We’ve Lied About Reading (Sorry)

By Off the Shelf Staff | July 17, 2017

Close
Significant Zero
by Walt Williams

I am not the biggest fan of nonfiction, but, wow, this book blew me away. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started, but I learned so much about what goes into the making of a video game. On top of that, it was just a fantastic book about navigating and fighting for yourself within a creative, passionate industry. Video games, at least in mainstream entertainment media, are often overlooked, but this was a fascinating insight into a multibillion-dollar industry with fantastic writing to boot. —Will

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
Significant Zero
Walt Williams

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

9 Books That Completely Blew Our Minds

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 19, 2018

Close

You must be logged in to add books to your shelf.

Please log in or sign up now.