Talking Cats, Magical Villainy, and More Dynamite Recommendations

This is the first book in a self-published series that is so popular that it is now being redistributed by a larger publisher. That’s for good reason: it is one of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while. There is so much going on, but the basic idea is that in a matter of seconds, Carl goes from a guy in Seattle outside in his underwear in the middle of the night (it’s not as weird as it sounds) to a contestant on an alien game show during the apocalypse. He and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, must fight all manner of creatures and chaos in a D&D-style reality show tournament. It’s like Douglas Adams and Walter Moers had a baby and raised it Red Bull, cans of frosting, and Rick and Morty. It will make you laugh and cry and also gross you the hell out. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, but also, no need to thank me. (And when you finish this one, there are still five more books to go!)

Sarah Rees Brennan’s epic adult debut is for everyone who has ever wondered, “Wait—what if I’m the villain of my story?” Rae is a young woman who is dying, which, you know, sucks. To keep it from happening, she makes a magical bargain that transports her into her favorite fantasy series. Like many fantasy novels, there’s a kingdom, and monsters, and a shining knight, and a villain. Spoiler: It’s Rae, hi, she’s the villain, it’s Rae. Then she’s like, “Welp, not what I expected, but okay, we’re doing this,” and gathers together all the baddies of the land to figure out a way to keep from meeting a terrible end. But with self-awareness of the story on her side, can Rae change the outcome of the story? And does she have what it takes to be evil?