TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS I WANTED MORE LIKE

We all have books like this. Books we read, and instantly want to forget so we can discover them again for the first time. Books we want to duplicate, or that we wish would inspire lots of copycats. Here are some of the books I instantly wanted more of!

               

The Uncommon Reader is one of my favourite books. It’s tiny, and a quick read, but it is so lovely and funny, and just perfect for book lovers! Life in Pieces is one I loved for its ability to capture, with no small amount of humour, the perils of being a parent 24/7 during a pandemic, even if you’re famous. There were a lot more things I could relate to than I expected. Interior Chinatown was uniquely formatted and dealt with AAPI racism in a way that I found very effective and informative. It is one of the books that has stuck with me most from my reading this year, and one of the best surprises. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse was just wonderful. It’s full of whimsy, cock-eyed optimism, friendship and great advice. Not to mention the artwork!

               

Good Talk is a graphic novel that deals with Jacob’s experiences of overt racism and micro-aggressions. She presents them in a way that helped me understand the undercurrents of racism that aren’t always readily apparent to White folks, and for that I will be forever grateful. But it’s also a beautiful book, and full of love and hope. The Red Notebook is the closest I’ve ever found to the film Amélie in book form. It has the same magic to it, and the same lighthearted feel. Plus, Paris. My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward is the memoir of a man whose wife suffered severe mental health issues and had to spend time in a psych ward. It is a perspective rarely shared, and handled with such delicacy and honesty. It was deeply moving. The Martian is a sci-fi novel about a man who gets stranded on Mars without proper supplies, with no communication and with no way home. It sounds pretty grim, but somehow also managed to be one of the funniest books I’ve ever read.

     

I adored The Opposite of Loneliness. It’s a collection of short writings by a university student by the name of Marina Keegan. She wrote with a fresh voice, and insight that belied her young age. She also died tragically shortly after graduating from Yale, and never got to fulfill her promise as a writer. I will forever wish I could read more of her work. She had such talent. Black Dove White Raven was a total surprise to me. It is a YA novel that deals with a young mom who is a pilot in a time when women just aren’t. Not only that, but she had a female, Black co-pilot who died unexpectedly. She is left to raise her friend’s son along with her own daughter, alone. She ends up deciding to move the family to Ethiopia so her adopted son can escape the racism and judgment that would come with being raised in a White family in America. The book covers so much ground, has such strong characters, and even deals with some history I knew nothing about. At the time I loved the adventure and daring, the interesting setting and lives of the characters, but now that I’m a mom I’m in awe of the mother in this story and the brave choices she made. I don’t think I’d have her courage.

This was a great topic, because I think every reader has some of these books – the ones that are unique and special. Which book stood out to you from your list this week? Have you read any of these?

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.