It’s July, over half-way through 2018 and so far this year I’ve read 20 books (according to my 50 Book Pledge where I track my reading).
I’m terrible at picking one favourite. The question: what’s your favourite book? terrifies me. But, I can easily point to a few that I’ve liked more than others.
Here’s my top five (in no particular order).
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
Amazon | Goodreads | Chapters
I discovered Emma Donoghue by reading Room, which was amazing as well. The Wonder was on my TBR list for a while and I was excited to find it in a used bookstore.
The Wonder is such an interesting story. The characters are so real and the setting is unlike anything I’d read before.
There’s mystery, intrigue, and just enough of a twist near the end. The book has a happy ending, but not in a cheesy sort of way.
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
This was one of those books that got me just from the cover. It also happens to be my exact cup of tea: a fairy tale-esque story with just the right amount of magic sprinkled in, so subtle that it blends with the environment.
Again, the characters were a big draw for me. All I wanted to know was what happened next.
This is the perfect book to read in the winter, to warm your heart and steel yourself for the long cold.
Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot
This book was recommended by Our Shared Shelf, Emma Watson’s book club. I bought the Kindle edition and devoured it in about two days.
This book is food for the soul with its beautiful poetic prose and thoughtful subject matter. It’s a memoir, so things get heavy, but never in a way that is too much.
Mailhot’s work speaks to me in ways that I can’t put into coherent words.
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
I actually listened to the audiobook version of this before I bought a physical copy. It took me a couple minutes to get into it, but then I was enchanted. Novels about books are some of my sweetest treasures. I’m a big fan of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore, and this book is nothing like that, but still very good.
It’s lyrical and warm prose mixed with a heartwarming yet tragic story. The characters were eccentric, funny, and a little sad.
When I finished, I felt like I’d taken a warm bath.
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
This is the sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale, which I read after I bought the beautiful British edition on a trip. I’d been looking forward to this and it didn’t disappoint one bit. It was like going for coffee with an old friend.
Like The Snow Child, Arden draws inspiration from Russian folktales and weaves them effortlessly into the very real medieval Moscow.
I await the next book eagerly!
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating!
Jenna Goldsmith 