TOP TEN TUESDAY | RECOMMENDATIONS

This week’s topic is books that were recommended to me. I just did this post a few months ago, but when I did it, I didn’t give any explanation for my picks. So I’m going to use that same post, but add some context.

            

I discovered About A Boy, Notes from a Small Island and James Herriot’s books because my Nan left the books she had recently read in her guest room, and these were among those selections. Some of my favourite books and authors were discovered this way, and in addition to being great books, it also made me feel a connection to her, which was special for me as I never got to know her much growing up. Travels with My Aunt is one of the first books I remember my parents reading to me when I was a kid. It’s still a favourite.

            

Travels and Jitterbug Perfume were recommended to me by a guy I dated very briefly in high school, and have become two of my favourite books of all time. Malcolm X was recommended to me by someone who is very important to me, and who is the smartest person I’ve ever known. I’ve always respected his opinions, and this book was therefore one that stood out to me both for its content and how it came to me. The Fountainhead is the book on this list that created the most controversy due to lack of context. Let me say up front it is not a favourite of mine. It was recommended to me by a friend as his favourite book when we decided to each read the other’s favourites. Though I didn’t love it (and definitely do not like or approve of the author), it has stood out as a unique reading experience. It is the only book I’ve ever read that actually made me feel physically cold and empty while reading it. I didn’t like the main character, but this book represented a viewpoint and set of beliefs so different from my own that it was an educational experience, even if it did absolutely nothing to shift my feelings. I value it because it gave me the opportunity to critically examine my feelings on capitalism and humanity, and to actually reaffirm my beliefs.

            

Good Omens has the distinction of being both my favourite book of all time, and something my husband and I agree on completely. I’ve read it several times and it only gets better. It was recommended to both of us by a mutual friend. Hearts and Minds was recommended to me by a family friend who is extremely well read and has impeccable taste. I loved it and have been a fan of Amanda Craig’s ever since. If you haven’t heard of her or read anything by her, please do. You won’t regret it. I don’t remember where White Fragility came from originally, but I was reminded of it by my stepmom when she was reading it. It’s a great starting point if you’re a White person looking to learn about racism (though please, please don’t make it the only book you read on the topic – you can find more about racism and by Black authors here). Ethel and Ernest was given to me by my Dad, and it is just such a lovely wee book – it will only take an hour or so to read, but I think it will make even the least sentimental of you feel a bit squishy.

            

My mom gave me a copy of The Prophet when I was in high school, and a lot of passages from it stood out. Cunt was a book we discussed in my Women and Health class in college, and that the teacher lent to me. I spent an emotionally fraught weekend reading it and it has had a huge impact on me. Douglas Coupland is my husband’s favourite author, since they’re both from the same area, and we’ve both read most of his books. This one is probably his best-known, and one of my favourites. The Bean Trees is another my mom passed on to me, and it was my introduction to Barbara Kingsolver, an author I love.

             

The Fault In Our Stars was recommended to me by a friend at work, and it was one of those books that hit me at exactly the right time and drew me back into reading after I hadn’t been reading much for a while. I recently re-read it and still love it. I Capture the Castle is another of my favourite books to re-read when I’m feeling down. It was recommended to me by my best friend in my first high school, and always reminds me of the year I lived with her and her family and the great times we had. Adrian Mole was recommended to me by my cousin (I actually still have the copy of the book he gave me with his inscription in the front cover, and it is one of my favourite books). I went on to read most of the series and Mole is my favourite tragi-comic character. The Diary of Anne Frank is another my mom gave me when I was about twelve. It was the perfect age for me to read it, because I was around the age Anne herself was when she wrote it and it had a huge impact on me.

Alright, so now you guys know why I included each of these books, who recommended them to me, and what I really thought of them! Let me know if you have read any of these, and if so which you loved! Are any being added to your TBR?

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.