Animal Crossing has been around for years, but with the release of New Horizons corresponding so nicely with sheltering in place at the start of the pandemic, the game has become a way for countless people to keep themselves occupied and try to stay sane during the dumpster fire that has been the last year.
If you, like me, are obsessed with Animal Crossing, check out the below book recommendations, chosen based on some of my favorite things about the game.
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Into the terraforming/shaping a new world aspect of the game?
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
Alright, reading the description you may be thinking "strange pick, Dewey." But hear me out! When Tierney and the other young women her age are sent into the woods for their grace year, they are forced to shape their new world into a functioning society or risk starvation, illness, or murder at the hands of poachers. Animal Crossing may not be quite so dire, but that Tom Nook is a shady character...similar vibes, friends. Similar vibes.
Starbound trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
These Broken Stars, This Shattered World, and Their Fractured Light follow characters on different planets as they uncover suspicious activity coming from one of the organizations responsible for terraforming new planets and race to stop the corrupt organization from accomplishing its nefarious goals. Look...I wasn't sure how to sum up an entire trilogy in one sentence, so that may sound a little dry, but trust. It's a great trilogy.
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Obsessed with growing hybrid flowers?
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
A mysterious teenage girl rescued from cryo-sleep after centuries? Strange, seemingly sentient flowers? This is the first book in Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff's latest series, The Aurora Cycle. Book two, Aurora Burning, is also out, and both are thrilling. Be warned, there is not yet a date for the third book, so something to look forward to! Something else to look forward to? This series is apparently being made into a TV series! (Although The Illuminae Files was optioned for a movie in 2015 and that never happened, so...I'm keeping my expectations low.)
Beauty by Robin McKinley
It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast! And the Beast grows the best roses, of course. I can only hope that my hybrid blue roses grow as beautiful as his.
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All about the critters?
Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
Over the summer, Zorie's mom encourages her to go on a group camping trip with a friend, but imagine Zorie's horror when she discovers that Lennon, her former best-friend-slash-attempted-boyfriend, is also invited on the trip. Then double that horror when, after a fight, the rest of the group abandons Zorie and Lennon in the woods, leaving the pair to bicker as they backpack their way through wilderness, caves, and snake bites to civilization.
Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw
After discovering the missing boy from the Camp for Wayward Boys in the woods, Nora Walker begins seeing a bone moth, an omen of death, everywhere she goes. Does it mean death is coming for her? Or is the moth a message of some kind? (Hopefully the moths in Animal Crossing aren't death omens.)
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Eager to add art to your museum?
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
Isobel is a prodigy, commissioned to paint a portrait for the Autumn prince of the fair folk. When she paints mortal sorrow into the prince's eyes, she is taken to the Rook's kingdom, forced to stand trial for her crime, and finds herself pulled into the world of the faeries in ways she could never have expected.
Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
Will and Stella both have cystic fibrosis, and while Stella has spent most of her life focusing on regular treatments and focusing on staying as healthy as she can, Will is tired of hospitals and uses his drawing skills to cope with a life centered around his chronic illness. Be warned: this book will make you cry harder than being tricked into buying a fake painting from Redd.
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Hoping to build a closet to rival Cher's in Clueless?
The Belles and The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton
Camille is a Belle, blessed by the Goddess of Beauty to make the people of Orleans beautiful. She is proud to serve the kingdom, until she realizes that life as Belle, and life in Orleans in general, may not be everything she was raised believing it was. (The outfits, though, are amazing.)
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
This trilogy follows Lara Jean as she finds her place in high school, learns how to let people in, and tries to find love after her younger sister mails several old love letters written to Lara Jean's past crushes. Lara Jean's love life may suddenly be a mess, but her wardrobe never is.
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