You do not need to know me intimately to know that I am a book lover. The fact that I have a Book Your Brains Out category on the blog makes it abundantly clear.
August 9th is Book Lovers Day, an unofficial holiday observed to encourage bibliophiles to celebrate reading and literature. People are advised to put away their smartphones and every possible technological distraction and pick up a book to read.
To mark the occasion I have put together my third book tag. I have taken the day’s theme quite literally by sharing the books that I love and gave 5 stars to on Goodreads. If you are not familiar with the Goodreads rating it works like this:
1 star – did not like it
2 stars – it was okay
3 stars – liked it
4 stars – really liked it
5 stars – it was amazing
I have many other books beyond these 18 that I have given 5 stars to but I am only focusing on books I own and have shelved on Goodreads since joining the site in April 2015. I have also included a review by Emily May that better articulates why I loved a certain book so much.
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
This was the first book I read after joining Goodreads as it was the first book I read as part of my 2015 Reading Challenge. I loved it so much and thinking about it now as I write this has me feeling all warm inside. I hear they are making a movie out of it and I cannot wait. If they do not fuck it up it is bound to be a breathtaking, dazzling and enchanting experience just as the blurbs on the cover page say.
2. The Nightingale and Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
I decided to put these as a twofer as they are by the same author. Firefly Lane was my first 5 star read of this year which is pretty dope.
3. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything by Elizabeth Gilbert
The year before I read this was the first time I went to Malindi and that trip changed my life. Since then my solo jaunts to the beach are my version of Eat Pray Love which is why I made the deliberate decision to read this at the beach when I went to Mombasa in 2015.
4. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
5. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
6. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
7. The Martian by Andy Weir
8. Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir of a Childhood by Frank McCourt
I am not a fan of nonfiction and the few Pulitzer Prize winning books I have read left me underwhelmed but I loved this one.
9. Living la Vida Loca by Belinda Jones
10. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
11. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
12. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
13. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
I was almost for It Ends With Us (it ended up being for Intentionality) meaning I have so much to say about this book but for today I will just share mine and Emily’s reviews on it.
14. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
I was surprised at just how much I loved this because I tend to find classics difficult AF to read.
15. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
I loved this so much I read it in one day and recommended it to my Goodreads friend in Australia.
16. Genuine Lies and Hidden Riches by Nora Roberts
Last but not least another twofer from my favourite author.
Other books I have given 5 stars to since joining Goodreads are:
- A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
- Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen
- Guilty Pleasures by Tasmina Perry
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
- Public Secrets by Nora Roberts
But I did not include them in this book tag as they have appeared in previous book tags and I saw no need for duplication. Also not included is Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which just might be my favourite book of all time, but I do not own a copy of it 😐 (gotta fix that ASAP) hence I left it out.
I hope this inspires you to pick up a book or two 🙂 and if you have read any of these feel free to sound off in the comments.
Lwile the Leo 