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My Reading Obsessions: 5 Top Books and Series I Can’t Put Down
- Scarlett Davies
- 5 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Why these books keep me coming for more
by Scarlett Davies
Let me be honest with you—I have a type. Not in dating (well, maybe there too), but definitely in books. Give me complex characters, intricate plotlines, and enough emotional depth to fuel a small country’s drama quota, and I’m absolutely hooked.
My reading list might raise a few eyebrows, but these top five books have become my writing school, my escape route, and, honestly, my therapy sessions rolled into book form.
My Reading Obsessions
1. The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
This book kicked things off for me in the contemporary fiction world.
Christina Lauren’s writing style is like comfort food: familiar, satisfying, and impossible to put down.
The witty banter and emotional depth had me completely absorbed, and I found myself staying up way too late because I needed to know what happened next. This book taught me that good storytelling doesn’t need explosions or fantasy elements to keep you glued to the page.
2. Heartless by Elsie Silver
Elsie Silver basically ruined me for all other small-town stories. The grumpy-sunshine dynamic combined with Silver’s ability to make me laugh out loud one minute and cry the next? Pure perfection.
The book taught me that compelling narratives don’t have to be fluffy to be hopeful. Silver’s character development is masterful; she takes seemingly simple people and reveals layers of complexity that feel absolutely real.
3. The Ruinous Love Trilogy by Brynne Weaver
Also in my list of top five books, and part of my reading obsessions, is the Ruinous Love Trilogy, which consists of Butcher & Blackbird, Leather & Lark, and Scythe & Sparrow. These books took me on a ride through morally questionable territory with characters who probably need therapy but make for fascinating protagonists.
Weaver’s ability to balance dark themes with genuine human connection is pure artistry. Even better? Weaver doesn’t try to justify everything her characters do—she lets them be flawed and complex without constant redemption arcs.
4. The Mindf*ck Series by S.T. Abby
S.T. Abby’s series pushed my comfort zone as a reader. These books are psychologically complex with unreliable narrators who keep you guessing.
What I found fascinating was how Abby manages to make you question everything while still maintaining narrative coherence. The plotting is intricate without being convoluted, and the psychological elements feel researched rather than sensationalized.
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5. The Dark Verse Series by RuNyx
The Predator, The Reaper, and The Finisher became my obsession. RuNyx creates these morally ambiguous worlds where love exists alongside violence, and somehow makes it all feel authentic. These books blend multiple genres in ways that shouldn’t work but absolutely do.
RuNyx showed me how to create atmosphere so thick you can practically taste it.
What These Books Do for Me
These stories serve different purposes in my reading life. When work stress hits, I know exactly which fictional world will provide the right kind of escape.
Need something emotionally engaging but not devastating? Christina Lauren. Want to explore darker psychological territory? S.T. Abby it is.
But these aren’t comfort reads in the traditional sense. They’re more like mental workouts—stories that make me think about character motivation, plot structure, and how authors handle complex themes. They’ve become my reference points for what I consider good storytelling because they do specific things really well.
Each of these series has taught me something about nuance. How characters can be likeable without being perfect. How conflict can exist without villains. How endings can be satisfying without tying up every loose thread with a neat bow.
What Reading Teaches You About Writing
Reading doesn’t magically make you a better writer. That’s nonsense. But it does teach you to notice things. Reading these books made me more aware of pacing, of how dialogue reveals character, of when exposition feels natural versus when it feels forced.
This translates to all kinds of writing, including B2B SaaS blog posts, professional content, or other business writing. The fundamentals are the same: clear pacing, authentic voice, and knowing when to show vs. tell. A compelling character arc in fiction isn’t that different from a compelling customer journey in a case study.
Both need genuine stakes and relatable problems.
The main thing I’ve learned? Small details matter everywhere. Good storytelling techniques work in marketing copy too. A strong voice can carry you through technical explanations and make dry topics engaging.
How We Consume Stories Now
The reading world has exploded with options, and honestly, I’m here for (almost) all of it. Here’s a closer look.
Audiobooks are everywhere, but I’m not buying it. Everyone swears by consuming stories while commuting or exercising, but I need to see the words on a page. There’s something about visual processing that audiobooks can’t replicate for me
BookTok + Bookstagram run the show. These 15-second videos are driving book sales more than traditional reviews, and somehow a dancing teenager can make me add five books to my wishlist faster than any critic ever could
AI recommendations are getting creepy accurate. My reading apps now provide suggestions based on my top five books. It feels like they’ve been reading my mind, though they sometimes trap you in the same genre bubble forever
Social reading is actually social now. Apps (like Fable!) where you can see what your friends are reading and share reactions in real time. It’s like having a built-in book club without the scheduling or socialization nightmares
Reddit book communities are AWESOME. I keep on finding the best books from Reddit threads on communities like r/BooksThatFeelLikeThis and r/RomanceBooks. I’m living for this!
Why These Stories Stick
These five series haven’t changed my life or inspired me to become a writer. They’re simply books I genuinely enjoy returning to, stories that do specific things well enough to earn permanent spots on my reading list.
They’ve made me a more discerning reader, someone who notices when character development feels authentic and when dialogue serves the story rather than the author’s agenda.
Whether you’re team light and fluffy or team dark and twisty, the important thing is finding the stories that speak to you. For me, that happens to involve a lot of morally gray characters and questionable life choices and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
