Top 5 Wednesday: Books I’m Thankful For

This post is part of Top 5 Wednesday, originally created by Lainey  and now hosted by the amazing Sam from Thoughtsontomes, you can find the goodreads group, with all the weekly topics here if you want to join in the fun.

November 22nd: Books You’re Thankful For
–For whatever reason, big or small.

Here in the UK we don’t celebrate thanksgiving, so this week isn’t a holiday for me, but I do like the idea of looking at the books that I’m thankful for. For this post I’m going to focus on the books I’ve read this year that have had an impact on me as a reader, whether they spoke to me personally, or they covered something incredibly important, or if I just really loved them in general.

1. The Hate U Give – by Angie Thomas

I expect this will be on a lot of lists this week, and for good reason. The Hate U Give is one of the most powerful books that I have ever read. It’s incredibly relevant in today’s society, and it handles important issues with skill and care, while telling the story of a teenage girl as she deals with the aftermath of a horrific traumatic event, and gets caught in the middle of the conflict that follows. This is a book that I recommend to absolutely everyone, without exception.

2. Moxie – by Jennifer Mathieu

Moxie is a great YA feminist contemporary that examines the double standards and everyday sexism that girls face every day. There is a real “girl power” attitude to this book, and I love that there is a focus on girls supporting each other, and standing up for each other. Basically, I’m so here for books that are about girls standing together rather than girl hate. I have a more in-depth review for this book here.

3. The Nowhere Girls – by Amy Reed

This is a book that I recommend for if you enjoyed the feminist message of Moxie, and want more. This book is darker, and more difficult to read due to the fact that it focuses on rape specifically, so of course there is a big trigger warning for this book. There is a lot to this book, so while I am working on a review post for this book, it may take me a while to finish talking about everything. As well as being a great feminist book, this book is also really quite diverse. Of the three main characters, one is a Mexican lesbian, and another is autistic, the third is described as fat, and also opens the topic of religion, as her mother is a pastor. Basically, what makes this book special is that it has multiple voices, and discusses multiple points of view, over preaching that there is one “right” way.

4. Daughter of the Burning City – by Amanda Foody

I loved this book, it’s a great blend of fantasy and murder mystery, has a vivid world, and is full of interesting characters. Seriously there is a lot to love about this book, but this book is also special to me because it is the first book that I have ever read with an asexual character, and that means so much to me because I’m on the Ace spectrum myself. I was seriously over whelmed by the inclusion of that identity, and the fact that it was actually discussed in the book. Representation matters, and this representation made me feel so much, and I will forever be grateful to Amanda Foody for writing it.

5. Radio Silence – by Alice Oseman

This book spoke to me for a number of reasons and left me feeling so validated and accepted. This is a book I wish had been around for me as a teenager, when I was so conflicted, confused and full of self loathing. Firstly this is another book that has an asexual character, and that identity is discussed on page and actually labelled, which as I mentioned above means the world to me. In addition to that this book addresses the pressure put on teenagers in the UK to aspire to university, and carries the message that it’s okay to pursue alternatives, and that doesn’t make you a failure, or worth any less. As someone who chose not to go to university, and instead focused on my mental health, and then found an alternative route to learn and build a career, I wish I’d had someone back then telling me that everything would be okay. I do have a review/love letter to this book here if you want to read more of my gushing about this book.

What books are you thankful for this year? I’d love to read about them in the comments!

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