Earlier this month, we shared the books that Redditors loved so much, they put everything else on the back-burner until they got to the last page, and the BuzzFeed commenters weighed in with their own nominees in the category of "Books That Devoured My Life." Here are 14 of their most beloved page-turners.
Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
1. "If you like Circe, also read The Song of Achilles. It’s by the same author (Madeline Miller) and is also amazing!"
2. "I'm currently about halfway through Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and can't put it down. There are parts that are extremely hard to read, but it's so worth it. Incredibly eye-opening read about the injustices of our prison system, especially death row."
3. "I read Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake in one sitting. I felt my eyes were bleeding by the end but I simply could not put it down."
4. "Misery by Stephen King. I bought it after wanting to read it and the movie is one of my favorites of all time. I read it in a day and a half; I could not put it down for the life of me. I was and still am obsessed, and I've read it about three times now. It's different from the movie, but after reading it and loving every detail and second, I can say that although the movie had to take some things out, it still holds up. I've read many of his works and it's hard to choose but I'd have to say this, It, and The Shining are his best works!"
5. "Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. Beautiful and creepy and haunting and so full of musings on humanity without being at all didactic and simply very very compelling and readable!"
6. "I read Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen in one afternoon. Just sat in my kitchen and soaked in the sun and the words. It was wonderfully captivating and eye-opening. Definitely a 9/10 in my opinion!"
7. "Mine has to be Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. It has an enlightening take on religion vs. science with mystery and puzzles in every twist and turn, all taking place in the beautiful landscape of Rome and Vatican City. Many times I had to Google what the buildings/statues/paintings look like because I'm just so intrigued! I've read The Da Vinci Code, too, and I found myself Googling quite a lot, but the ending didn't leave me breathless like Angels and Demons did."
8. "Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. I was reading it in the bath and legit just couldn't stop reading; I was in there for hours, having to continually add more hot water. I think I was in there til 1 a.m."
9. "I recently read The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, which then sparked a hyper-fixation on researching the real-life historical events that inspired the book. And I ended up staying up all night then, too, not because I was reading, but because I couldn’t sleep without envisioning everything I had just learned. But it was worth it because the book is fantastic and more people should know about the actual history it represents."
10. "Normal People by Sally Rooney! I could NOT put it down. It was excellent. By the time I finished, my eyes were so tired, but it was totally worth it."
11. "Another one I stayed up late for is The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin. Amazing. Literally anything she writes is phenomenal."
12. "The only riveting book in my personal history that is not on this list is White Oleander by Janet Fitch. Talk about a gorgeously written book! When it came out, I was so moved by the writing that I forced my mother to sit still while I read it aloud to her. Please check it out."
13. "The second Bridgerton book, The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn. It has a lot of details and scenes that the show left out, and is actually a lot faster paced!"
14. And finally: "Gideon the Ninth needs to be on here!!!!! Tamsyn Muir is a genius."
