| 3 Books To Read This A/W! |
It's no secret that I love to read and if you read my Autumn Reading post then you'll know that one of my A/W goals is to read more often. My favourite genres to read are dystopian, thrillers and young adult fiction. At the end of last year and the start of this year, I wasn't reading too much young adult fiction and instead I was preferring thrillers and dystopian novels. After the Leaving Cert, I found it very hard to get back into reading as I was completely exhausted. So in an effort to get back into reading, I decided to read lots of young adult romance kinda books as they're always easy to read. Recently I've read three great books from that genre and here's why you should add them to your A/W reading list...
1. When We Collided by Emery Lord:
The first book I picked up was on a whim so I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but I was pleasantly surprised. The story follows Vivi who is lively and energetic and whilst the author doesn't reveal her mental illness to us until the end of the book, it is obvious to the reader that she is dealing with bipolar disorder. Vivi lives in denial about her condition and I thought it was a clever technique for the author not to mention the word bipolar until the end as it really emphasized the fact that Vivi struggles to accept her illness. I really liked that aspect of the book as it portrays life with mental illness really well. I have GAD and OCD so I understand how hard it is to accept it at first and there are some days that having a mental illness is really frustrating and you would love nothing more than to live a life without it.
The second main character in the book is Jonah who is grieving for his father who died 6 months ago and he helps take care of his family because his Mam struggles to get out of bed since the death of her husband. It's a typical boy meets girl kinda story but it's modern and light-hearted and it deals with mental health and bereavement honestly and gracefully.
2. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson:
This is another beautifully written book based on grief and love. Lennie Walker's sister died a few weeks ago and she is struggling to live without her. Her emotionally vulnerable state is depicted to us very well through her confused feelings about her sister's boyfriend. Lennie writes poems about her memories of her sister and through this the reader can feel the immense weight of sadness on her shoulders - I thought that was such a clever way to give the reader insight into her grief.
The book was easy to read and I was hooked by the first chapter. I've just started another Jandy Nelson book 'I'll Give You The Sun' and I'm over 40 pages into it but I'm not loving it so far. Her writing style is a bit all over the place which is unusual because 'The Sky Is Everywhere' was so beautifully written. I'm not sure if it's because I've just finished a dystopian novel and I could possibly be finding it hard to get back into this kind of genre? I've no idea but hopefully, it picks up because I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Sky Is Everywhere'. I would 100% recommend it!
3. Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven:
I saved the best for last! Jennifer Niven has been my favourite author since I read All The Bright Places {review} and I was eager to read more from her! This book was only released a couple of weeks ago and it was worth the wait! Similarly to ATBP, the book deals with two themes or issues: Prosopagnosia and weight. Jack has a rare condition which inhibits him from recognizing faces whilst Libby is dealing with her extreme weight and she endures a great deal of bullying as a result.
I love how Niven provides the reader with great insight into issues that need more awareness raised. It's plainly obvious that she does her research and uses her own experiences and the experience of others around her to not only create a beautiful story but to provide knowledge about issues that people in our society face. In both of her books, she writes beautifully, creates relatable characters, and in this book, she provides a candid world where the characters learn to accept themselves for who they are. It's an easy-to-read book with romance, family life, friendships, laughter and inspiring metaphors all rolled into one.
The first book I picked up was on a whim so I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but I was pleasantly surprised. The story follows Vivi who is lively and energetic and whilst the author doesn't reveal her mental illness to us until the end of the book, it is obvious to the reader that she is dealing with bipolar disorder. Vivi lives in denial about her condition and I thought it was a clever technique for the author not to mention the word bipolar until the end as it really emphasized the fact that Vivi struggles to accept her illness. I really liked that aspect of the book as it portrays life with mental illness really well. I have GAD and OCD so I understand how hard it is to accept it at first and there are some days that having a mental illness is really frustrating and you would love nothing more than to live a life without it.
The second main character in the book is Jonah who is grieving for his father who died 6 months ago and he helps take care of his family because his Mam struggles to get out of bed since the death of her husband. It's a typical boy meets girl kinda story but it's modern and light-hearted and it deals with mental health and bereavement honestly and gracefully.
2. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson:
This is another beautifully written book based on grief and love. Lennie Walker's sister died a few weeks ago and she is struggling to live without her. Her emotionally vulnerable state is depicted to us very well through her confused feelings about her sister's boyfriend. Lennie writes poems about her memories of her sister and through this the reader can feel the immense weight of sadness on her shoulders - I thought that was such a clever way to give the reader insight into her grief.
The book was easy to read and I was hooked by the first chapter. I've just started another Jandy Nelson book 'I'll Give You The Sun' and I'm over 40 pages into it but I'm not loving it so far. Her writing style is a bit all over the place which is unusual because 'The Sky Is Everywhere' was so beautifully written. I'm not sure if it's because I've just finished a dystopian novel and I could possibly be finding it hard to get back into this kind of genre? I've no idea but hopefully, it picks up because I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Sky Is Everywhere'. I would 100% recommend it!
3. Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven:
I saved the best for last! Jennifer Niven has been my favourite author since I read All The Bright Places {review} and I was eager to read more from her! This book was only released a couple of weeks ago and it was worth the wait! Similarly to ATBP, the book deals with two themes or issues: Prosopagnosia and weight. Jack has a rare condition which inhibits him from recognizing faces whilst Libby is dealing with her extreme weight and she endures a great deal of bullying as a result.
I love how Niven provides the reader with great insight into issues that need more awareness raised. It's plainly obvious that she does her research and uses her own experiences and the experience of others around her to not only create a beautiful story but to provide knowledge about issues that people in our society face. In both of her books, she writes beautifully, creates relatable characters, and in this book, she provides a candid world where the characters learn to accept themselves for who they are. It's an easy-to-read book with romance, family life, friendships, laughter and inspiring metaphors all rolled into one.
Have you read any good books recently?
Love,
Cliona xx
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