Top Ten Books I Read Because of Recommendations

Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. You can find this week's link-up here or for a list of past and future topics check out this page. Since I started blogging I have found so many new books that I otherwise might not have read! So I was kind of spoiled for choice when it came to this topic! 

1) Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

It's terrifying how close I came to not reading what has become maybe my favourite book of all time (outside of Harry Potter). I wasn't a huge fan of the Grisha trilogy - I liked the writing but not the characters. So I almost gave this a miss. Thankfully the sheer number of people telling me to read it finally won me over!

2) The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice

I had a pen pal in Ireland who told me this was her favourite book and that I should definitely read it. Sadly we lost touch but I will always be grateful that she recommended this to me!

3) Sylvester by Georgette Heyer

I was convinced I wouldn't like Georgette Heyer (back when I was a teenager I did not like romance at all) but my Nan got me a copy of Sylvester and I read it when I had nothing else to read. I loved it so much I immediately went about collecting as many of her books as possible! 

4) City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

This is actually a retry! The first time I read this I had just stumbled upon it and I did not enjoy it. It wasn't my kind of book at the time and the ending completely threw me. But later when a friend suggested I read the whole series to give it a chance I bought the whole set (Infernal Devices and all) reasoning that having paid for it - I'd have to read it! It turns out I didn't need that incentive, somehow the second time around I absolutely loved it.

5) Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

My first ever graphic novel! I read this because so many people were writing good reviews and, although I was new to the format, I ended up loving it! It's one I've picked up and re-read a number of times since and I now want to read more graphic novels.

6) Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I was initially put off because my local Waterstones had a "recommended for Hunger Games fans" sticker on it and, whilst I love The Hunger Games, I am very wary when books are described as "like" the hunger games. But people who know I love assassin novels kept saying I should give it a chance and so I did! I will be reading Empire of Storms as soon as I finish A Court of Mist and Fury and I am excited to see where this series goes.

7) The Uninvited by Cat Winters

I had seen Cat Winters' books around before but they weren't high on my wishlist until one of my Goodreads friends wrote a review for The Uninvited that essentially encouraged me to buy it straight away! Now she is one of my favourite authors!

8) Looking for Alaska by John Green

This is more of a John Green in general one! As I mentioned I wasn't a huge fan of romance, and that meant I tended to steer clear of contemporaries. Which meant I missed out on John Green. People actually kept recommending The Fault in Our Stars to me but I decided I wanted to read his novels in publication order - so I started here! 

9) A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

I always wanted to read Charles Dickens but didn't know where to start. My Dad insisted I should start with A Tale of Two Cities which he said I would enjoy the most and he was right. A lot of people suggested Oliver Twist but I've never been able to enjoy it as much (I think because I've seen Oliver a few too many times and keep hearing the characters sing). A Tale of Two Cities was wonderful and is still my favourite Dickens novel.

10) Slammed by Colleen Hoover

I haven't loved some of her recent books (although I have yet to read November 9 or It Ends With Us) but I can still remember how glad I was that I caved to the hype and read Slammed. I loved the characters and thought it was a great story!


You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading