Books You’re Thankful For | T5W 22nd

Hello bookworms! I’m Nia and today I’m going to be talking about some books I’m thankful for.

I have to say ever since I started this book I’ve been thankful for a lot of books that I’ve read, because either they have make me love reading for the first time or they are part of my reading journey and have helped me step out my confort zone, so I’m going to be talking about some books that either I’ve read recently and adored with my entire heart or they are some that were at the beginning of this journey.

Side note: I’m not going to be talking about Harry Potter because yes, it’s one of my favourite series of all time and I’m incredibly thankful for that saga, but I feel everyone is going to be talking about it and I wanted to mention other books I’m really thankful.

If you aren’t familiar with Top 5 Wednesday, it is a Goodeads group now currently run by Sam over at ToughtsOfTomes on Youtube, where each week they give you a topic and you talk about 5 books that fit that category. You can join the group here if you want to participate!

Without any further ado, let’s start with this week’s topic!

What I Lost | Alexandra Ballard

My thoughts: I read this book previously this year and I was incredibly surprised by how much I adored and related to it. I had it on my radar ever since I read the synopsis, but I’m so thankful I decided to read it, because it was a really poweful read and it was amazing. I cannot recommend this book enough, so if you’re looking about a mental health book definitely pick this one up.

I have a review of this book here.

What sixteen-year-old Elizabeth has lost so far: forty pounds, four jean sizes, a boyfriend, and her peace of mind. As a result, she’s finally a size zero. She’s also the newest resident at Wallingfield, a treatment center for girls like her—girls with eating disorders. Elizabeth is determined to endure the program so she can go back home, where she plans to start restricting her food intake again. She’s pretty sure her mom, who has her own size 0 obsession, needs treatment as much as she does. Maybe even more. Then Elizabeth begins receiving mysterious packages. Are they from her ex-boyfriend, a secret admirer, or someone playing a cruel trick? 

The Night Circus | Erin Morgestern

My thoughts: *coughs* You’ll probably know how much I adore this book already, because I can’t seem to shut my mouth, but it’s honestly for a reason. This book has become one of my all time favourites. I fell in love with the story and the characters that were in it, and I can’t help but make heart eyes everytime someone mentions it. I’m so thankfull I’ve read this book, because I hadn’t read many magical realism books before this, and it made me realise 1. that I love circuses and carnivals and 2. that I enjoy magical realism.

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway – a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love – a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. 

The Female of The Species | Mindy McGinnis

My thoughts: Again, I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did, but it’s one of the stories that surprised me the most, and it has easily become one of my favourite books. The story didn’t seem that unique when I first read the premise, but I once I started reading it I flew through it and I fell in love. It talked about some heavy but very important topics, and THAT ENDING. KILLED. ME.

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.

Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone.

As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

City of Bones | Cassandra Clare

My thoughts: Now I have something special with this series. I first read the books a long time ago and completely obsessed over them. And they were the books that made me love reading. And also Cassandra Clare was the first author I met face to face, and it was such an amazing experience.

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know… 

Six of Crows | Leigh Bardugo

My thoughts: I have to admit I wasn’t one of the first people that read the books, but once everyone’s started praising it I was a bit curious, so I picked it up. And wow, guys, they were THAT good. I love me my antiheroes, so when I knew that the whole cast of characters were outcasts and fellons, well… I got excited. And I’m really thankful for this series, because it made me love high fantasy even more, and of course, Leigh Bardugo.

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he’ll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:

Break into the notorious Ice Court
(a military stronghold that has never been breached)

Retrieve a hostage
(who could unleash magical havoc on the world)

Survive long enough to collect his reward
(and spend it)

Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done – and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable – if they don’t kill each other first.

What books are you thankful for? Let me know if there’s any of the ones I’ve mentioned above in your list!

Follow me on BlogLovin’

Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | Contact Me