Top 5 recommendations from friends

Hello bookworms!! Happy Tuesday!! Today’s Top 5 Tuesday is top 5 recommendations from friends.

Yes, this week I want to shout out our long-suffering friends who are constantly screaming at us to read books that they love. These friends are the life-blood of any book lover because they give us someone to scream into the abyss with. They will hold your hand and cry with you, and then give you more TBR recs when you need consoling. But they also scream book titles in your face (or DMs) until you relent and read the book just to shut them up.

If you missed the November topics post, please click here!! December topics will be up this week!! Top 5 Tuesday was created by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm, and is now being hosted here.

top 5 recommendations from friends

The Belgariad – David Eddings

This is probably one of my favourite origin stories, but when I was the smollest bean (a toddler), we had the best neighbours. Anne was my next door neighbour and she worked at the local city library. We left that house not long before my 6th birthday, but Anne was a constant until I was in high school. Every week when I went to the library to swap books she would have a pile already picked out for me. She was legitimately the BEST.

Anne introduced me to all sorts of books: Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew (and the Hardy Boys), mythology and fairy tales. But I will always be most grateful for Anne loaning me her own copies of The Belgariad by David Eddings when I was 12. Those books set me on a fantasy path that I am still on.

Discworld series – Terry Pratchett

A very long time ago when I was smol teenager (but much bigger than a bean), I had a crush on a boy. His name was Matthew*, and he liked fantasy books. We swapped book recommendations, and that was about as far as our relationship went. We lost touch when I moved to the UK, but I will always remember him as the boy who introduced me to Terry Pratchett. Yes, my love of the Discworld started with a schoolgirl crush at summer camp.

Granny Weatherwax would be so displeased.

* Names have been changed to protect the innocent. The innocent being my pride and dignity.

The Hating Game – Sally Thorne

Cue screaming now. They have started filming this movie!! Where was I? Oh yes, being thankful for Chessca. Chessca (aka @poodles.ponies.peonies on instagram) is one of my favourite people to ever exist. She is funny, sarcastic, loyal, generous, and just a beautiful person inside and out. She has no idea I am writing about her (because she is also a reclusive introvert who is just missing a hermit hut in the woods).

Chessca introduced me to The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, by which I mean she quietly screamed at me every day until I read it. Then after I did and loved it, she got me a signed copy. LOVE HER.

Nevermoor – Jessica Townsend

Yes, my intense love of this series came from TWO people screaming at me to read it. Although the first person to recommend it was actually my niece, and she didn’t scream at all. In fact, it was more of a “what do you want for Christmas?” question I posed, to which she replied “Nevermoor”. She had read a copy from her school library and wanted her own. Although I guess that was less of a recommendation, and more of an introduction.

The second person was Roz (aka @seventyeight.sundays on instagram), my gorgeous friend that I went to book signings with in Melbourne when I still lived there, who softly yelled at me read this book when there was only one out. And by softly yelled, I mean spam messaged me. With love.

Captive Prince – C. S. Pacat

Once upon a time, there were two Italian sisters who I bonded with over our shared love of Jay Kristoff (among other things). Maria Elena and Chiara are honestly two of the sweetest individuals ever to exist. When their debut novel comes out, please anticipate me SHOVING IT down your throats. I have been fortunate enough to read TWO beta versions and it is perfection. Like, both editions were perfect. I think about it constantly. Where was I?

Oh yes! So, I went to the Godsgrave book launch in Melbourne, and all of Jay Kristoff’s writer friends were there, including C. S. Pacat. Not only did Ms Pacat sign copies of this series for Maria and Chiara for me, but after I sobbed slightly on her shoulder (it was a time), she signed copies for me. I already had a copy at home that I was planning to read, but her kindness made me buy a second one. This is also why I have TWO copies of Captive Prince, and only one of the others.

The moral of this story is that I would never have even met Pacat and discovered what an angel she is, without these two. Who you can find on instagram: @_ckarys and @_mkarys.

Please don’t forget to link to one of my posts (not my home page), and I will link back to all of your posts as soon as I can!! (Because I know it’s Tuesday here, but it’s probably still Monday elsewhere…)

PARTICIPANTS

The Punk Theory
The Book Connection
Evelyn Reads
A Fictional Bookworm
Hail and Well Read
DB’s Guide to the Galaxy
Beware of the Reader
Reading at Teatime
Marianna’s Corner
Strange Storyteller
Kira Jeanette

What are your top 5 recommendations from friends?