Feed Your Need to Read
Short Book Reviews + Book Club Reading Guides
Books are magical. They take you around our world and to new and exciting worlds. Books help you improve yourself and spark your creative imagination.
You’ve come to a great place. I’m Megan, and I’m the primary book reviewer at Beguiled By Books. Here, you’ll find book reviews and book recommendations across many genres, including fantasy, narrative non-fiction, history, science, sci-fi, mystery, memoir, and much more. I’m not here to waste your time - I share succinct reviews with easy-to-find star ratings and offer digestible book club reading guides for your next book discussion group.
Most importantly, you’ll find a community of fellow book lovers building bonds through books.
Maybe you were a kid who read under the covers with a flashlight after bedtime. Perhaps you discovered a reading passion later in life. Or maybe you haven’t found a book that captures you.
There’s a quote: “if you don’t like reading, you haven’t found the right book yet.” Whether you’re looking for books for self-improvement or a light-hearted romance, I hope to help you find books you want to read.
With each book review, you’ll get easy-to-read, (mostly) spoiler-free reviews describing the plot and some opinions. Any opinions here are just that - opinions. Read what makes you happy, and don’t feel obligated to finish a book if you aren’t feeling it.
Reading Guides
Discussing books in your book club takes time and preparation. Check out Beguiled By Books’ book club reading guides for your next discussion!
Book Reviews
Check out the latest book recommendations of timeless classics, new releases, and Advanced Copies. Or search for something specific!
The Favorites
Too many people dislike reading because the books we read in school are outdated. Here are some of my favorites to get you started.
Helpful Tips
The common genres you’ll see throughout the site:
Fiction: A catchall category for books that are not true or actual events.
Fantasy: Fantasy is a catchall because there are several sub-genres. You’re probably familiar with Urban Fantasy and Epic Fantasy.
Urban Fantasy includes books where magical/supernatural events occur alongside the reality you and I know. I consider the Harry Potter series to fall into Urban Fantasy.
Epic Fantasy includes books like The Lord of the Rings series, where a whole world and history are invented for the story.
Magical Realism: These books usually have everyday people in our reality, but a character or two will have magical power.
Contemporary Fiction: A broad genre of books focused on characters in present-day circumstances. There are dozens of sub-genres.
Historical Fiction: These books take an actual event from history, like the Salem Witch Trials, and showcase invented characters and stories.
Romance: A romance novel is when love is the main plot (not a subplot). True romance books have happy endings where the lovers get together.
Mystery: Mystery covers a wide variety of thrillers all the way to whodunnits, like Sherlock Holmes books.
Non-Fiction: A catchall category for books that are true and/or based on fact.
Narrative Non-Fiction: “Truth is stranger than fiction.” These are actual events, but the writing reads like a novel. One of my favorite genres!
Self-Improvement: A catchall for anything to help you become a better version of yourself, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.
Business/Leadership: Books explicitly focused on workplaces, like organizational culture, building teams, becoming a leader, etc.
Memoir: A person, often well-known, writing about their life experiences.
Books At Work: Read to Lead
Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers. You’ll find Business and Leadership book recommendations are a great way to grow your skills and your career.
Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers
Get Lost
Tired of dealing with life? Escape to a fantasy world like Middle Earth, The Drowning Empire, Crescent City, or Daevabad.
If you don’t enjoy reading, you haven’t found the right book yet.
Non-Fiction
Looking to learn something new or read a true tale? Look no further than these non-fiction books.