Confess by Colleen Hoover:

Every time I read a Colleen Hover novel, she manages to captivate me with her unique story lines. She creates characters that are strong and engaging. Confess is up there with Maybe Someday  & Ugly Love as one of my all time faves.
The premise for this story is a chance meeting between the two lead characters, Auburn & Owen, (or maybe it was fate?) and the anonymous confessions that inspire Owen’s paintings. I was hooked from the very first chapter and was heavily invested in their story till the very end.
I recommend you go into this blindly and let it take you on a beautiful journey of heartbreak, love, fate, hope and redemption. You will be drawn by each confession, which has to power to bring them closer together or tear them apart.
This is a fast read, I recommend Confess to readers that enjoy something romantic with a bit of mystery thrown in. – Ravy (Store Manager)

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway:

July is always Hemingway month at Tough Guy Book Club (the month of both his birth and death). This July we’re reading A Farewell to Arms, influenced by Hemingway’s time as an ambulance driver in Italy during the first world war. While it is often pitched to readers as a war story, what really gets into your guts is that it’s more about life—ordinary life—and its absurdity and its hell. That’s what kills you. You think the story is going to go one way, and it’s a dark way, and a war-way, and you’re prepared for it, then … BAM, no, it goes another way entirely. It’s ordinary tragedy and it’s ten times worse because of it. It has too much life in it. That’s what brought me to tears at the end. Ordinary tragedy is terrifying, because it happens to all of us, war or no war. You can’t avoid it. We’re all ‘cooked’. – Jeremy Davies (2IC)

The Princess Bride by William Goldman:

Buttercup and Westley possess “true love” but when Westley is killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts, she vows to never love again, even when the relentless Prince Humperdinck asks her hand in marriage against her death… The brilliant cult classic tale turned film is filled to the brim with wit, romance, action and adventure; this is a fast-paced and refreshing fairy tale. The only thing that slows the book is Goldman’s fictional autobiographical introductions which are easily enough skipped after the first few pages (you don’t miss out on much) to the fantastic dialogue and banter. This book appeals to the young at heart so if you enjoyed the movie, you’ll certainly love the book. – Natalie

Wonder by R.J Palacio:

Wonder tells the story of 10 year old August “Auggie” Pullman. A little boy with a severe facial abnormality, who is about to embark on his first year in a public school after previously having been home schooled.
What follows is the sweetest, most heartwarming, yet eye opening story. It is simply, but beautifully written, and easily flows between the perspective of not only Auggie, but those around him, including those who don’t quite understand how to respond to someone who looks so different.
Auggie himself is a very special character who will grab you humour, and is such a little trooper despite the difficulties he faces on a daily basis. You can’t help but love him, and will remember him long after you have finished the book.
Although this is a novel aimed at the younger reader, I believe everyone should read it, from 10 year olds, to adults alike. With so many beautiful quotes, and a very powerful message, you are sure to be left in awe.
“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind” – Amber

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak:

A DEFINITION NOT FOUND IN THE DICTIONARY
Not Leaving: an act of trust and love, often deciphered by children.

The Book Thief herself, Liesel, had my heart from the very beginning till the very last page. This story is told from a unique, unsettling yet gripping perspective that makes you want to turn the pages. Set in Germany in the late 1930s to early 1940s this narration by Death possesses the reader into asking themselves about the reality of happiness, grief, the relationships you form and simply dealing with the current situation you are put in.
This story is for every book lover, who knows the importance of words and how a story can lift your soul and take you to a far, far away place. To feel this within yourself through this very novel coupled with Liesel’s growing, yet patient love for books is simply heart-warming. This is a must read, a read that you will cradle for a very, very long time. – Fabiha