Hey everyone, today’s post is a ‘top 3 books’ guest post written by the lovely Soph from girlvsworld. She writes a lot about mental health, lifestyle, beauty and of course books. I hope you enjoy this post & be sure to check out Soph’s blog HERE too, it is one of my faves which is why I’m so pleased that she’s written my first ever guest post.
Since 2019 will be over before we know it (WHERE has the year gone?!), I thought today would be the perfect time to summarise the best three books I read throughout the year! I love writing a good book review, so I can’t wait to get stuck into this one.
1Q84 – Haruki Murakami
My brother kindly gave me this book for my 21st birthday, and I was so made up with it! It was lovely of him to give me a book that he knows I’d love (Haruki Murakami is my favourite author) and something I’d never read before. The book he gave me was around 850 pages and contained books 1&2, so I’m yet to read book 3.
This book was incredible. With this novel being full of twists and turns, it’s almost impossible to finish a chapter and not immediately start the next one. The cliffhangers are real throughout this book.
The ‘Q’ in the title apparently refers to a ‘question mark’, as the world the main character finds herself living in is full of mystery and enigmas. This novel shows a woman crossing from one border to the next, ending up in a magical world full of mystery. She first becomes aware that this world may be different to her ordinary one when she begins to see two moons in the sky.
One of the few issues I had with this book was the constant sexual objectification of Aomame throughout the novel. However, having read Murakami’s works before, it would be ridiculous to expect anything less. Although this is a huge flaw (in my opinion) throughout his works, I don’t believe it to be such a huge issue that it necessarily ruins the rest of the book. Furthermore, Murakami is Japanese, so it’s important to recognise the cultural differences between a Japanese author and a UK reader.
The Bunker Diary – Kevin Brooks
I started this book a few years ago then misplaced it, well maybe ‘lost’ is a better word as I never found it again and has to repurchase.. Oops? Anyway, I decided to repurchase this book as I couldn’t stop thinking about the plot and what the novel had to offer.
Repurchasing this book was definitely not a mistake in any form of the word. I thoroughly enjoyed this page-turner of a novel and failed to be able to put it down on multiple occasions. I am an avid lover of an abundance of Brooks’ other works so it came as no surprise that I loved this one as much as I did.
The story begins when a blind man asks a stranger off the street for help loading his van. Next minute, the blind man has suffocated the helpful man with chloroform and dropped him off at a lift that goes down into a ‘bunker’. The bunker contains 6 rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. As more and more people arrive in the bunker, the question continues to arise: What does the blind man want?
I really recommend this read to anyone who loves mysterious psychological thrillers. It’s extremely gruesome at parts and definitely not for the faint hearted, but I personally enjoyed it thoroughly so it definitely needed to feature in my top 3 books.
All The Bright Places – Jenniver Niven
I simply had to include this beautiful novel in this book review. This book really was heart-shattering. As much as I loved this book to pieces, I’m unsure if I could ever read it again as it’s just too upsetting. I have never become as attached to characters in a book as I did with Theodore and Violet.
This beautiful tale portrays two lost teenagers saving each other from their own mind and the hectic lives they each lead. I often find books like this to romanticise mental illness, and whilst this one did that a little I do feel it did a good job at showing the real hardships of living with a mental illness as a teenager.
The ending is heartbreaking, but I’m actually glad it didn’t have an overly happy ending as that’s often not the way mental illness unravels. It isn’t something that goes away, and there isn’t always a happy ending for sufferers. I’d recommend this book to anyone, but especially young people who are feeling a little lost in life.
So, there we have it: My top 3 books of 2019. Did you enjoy this book review? Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you thought of them down in the comments. Thank you so much to Jazmin for allowing me to guest post on her blog! Everyone should check her out as she is such an angel who writes beautifully. <3
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Thank you so very much for having me, Jaz! I hope your readers enjoy this one. 🙂
Soph – https://girlvsworldblog.com x
Author
Thanks so much for writing!! X
wow, 850 pages! sounds like a lot to get through! The last book sounds up my street so i’ll have to give it a read – great post!
Jess xx
Author
Yes it’s definitely a lot!! Sometimes a love a long read haha x
Lovely to see Soph on your blog! I love Soph’s blog anyway. I really enjoyed It’s Kind of a Funny Story when I read it a few years ago! I wasn’t a huge fan of 13 Reasons Why but I did watch the series first so perhaps that’s why! x
Author
She’s amazing isn’t she?! I haven’t read its kind of a funny story. I also watched 13 reasons why before reading, which always makes its strange to read! Thanks for stopping by! X
I love Haruki Murakami! But I prefer Ryu Murakami! His books are so deep and dark, you should both give them I read! I love reading Japanese Lit. I have never heard of the Bunker Dairy but it sounds good! I have been meaning to read All The Bright Places for a while now! xx
Author
I need to check out both those authors! I love discovering new ones. The bunker diary is next on my list after Soph spoke about it! X
Great post + some great recommendations here too from Soph – I’ve always wanted to read Murakami but I have no idea where to start so 1Q84 seems like a good one to try out first. I’ve also never read All the bright places despite the buzz and I’ve heard there’s even going to be a movie adaptation, it sounds like such a touching and important story. Thanks for sharing x
Author
I definitely want to check out Murakami since Soph recommended! & all the bright places is really amazing, it’s the only 1 of the 3 I’ve read myself at the moment. I didn’t know about the film adaptation! X
The Bunker Diary, umm what?! I’m so curious! What happens next? I guess I need to buy the book because I really need to know lol
Author
I’m definitely going to read that one after Soph’s recommendation! X
Great post! Awesome that Soph was your first guest post too! The Bunker Diary sounds really intriguing. I love the mystery/suspense aspect of it!
Author
Thank you! I’m glad she was too she’s a great writer! & doesn’t it? That one is definitely in my tbr pile now x
I haven’t read any of those books. I love Murakami though! I read quite a few of his novels!
Author
I haven’t read them either but I definitely will on Soph’s recommendation x
I’ve always meant to read Haruki Murakami’s novels but have never got round to it. Which would you recommend I start with?
I’d recommend starting with Norwegian wood as it’s not too long! It’s the first of his books I read and it was a perfect first read to ease me into his work as it’s not too hard hitting 🙂
Soph – https://girlvsworldblog.com x
Great post, and I love Soph’s blog so it was great to see her here. I haven’t read any of these but I feel like I need to pick them all up now. It’s so hard to narrow down to a top 3 x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
Author
She has an amazing blog so I was so pleased she wanted to do a guest post on mine! I love the sound of those books too z
Great reviews – you definitely gave me a flavor of the books so I know what to pick for myself.
Author
I’m glad soph could help! I would love to read them all x