I talk about so many books that I loved on this blog but I have noticed that there are books that I have rated five stars over the years that I rarely, if ever, find a reason to talk about! I want to shine a light on some of these books that I loved but don’t include in book discussions, lists, or tags for whatever reason! There are a lot more than just the ones that I am mentioning here so maybe I will do this again in the future.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
It has been years since I have read Speak but it is a book that I still look back on and can remember the emotional impact that it had on me. I read it in high school and it was an eye opening experience for me. I think the main reason I never talk about Speak is simply because it has been so long since I have read it and I need to reread it in order to feel confident about recommending it.
Love Anthony by Lisa Genova
Lisa Genova is an auto-buy author for me and she is most well-known for the wildly popular book Still Alice. While I enjoyed Still Alice, it is her lesser known books that really stood out to me. Love Anthony was particularly beautiful and powerful. I do not know why I do not talk about it more often on my blog because it really was fantastic.
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
If you are looking for a story that takes you on a wild ride than you must read Night Film. It is told in a unique way through case notes and articles. It was one of the most unique reading experiences that I have ever had. I think it never comes up in my blog posts because horror is not a genre that I normally read so I never really have to opportunity to gush about it!
The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
The Smell of Other People’s Houses is a short book that has very little plot and is all about the characters. I loved that the book was set in Alaska, and that it is quite apparent that the author has spent some time there. I loved the book when I read it, but since so little happens I think it is a book I just kind of forget about!
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
I am ashamed of myself for not talking about A Long Way Gone more often. It is one of my favourite memoirs! I read this book the year it came out, which was in 2007, and I continue to follow and greatly respect Ishmael Beah. This is one of those books that I would recommend everyone reads and do not be surprised if you see me talking about it more often.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Homegoing was one of the best books that I read last year so why am I not talking about it more often!? I have no excuse. This has everything that I love in a book and it is the book that made me realize just how much I love multi-generational stories. I am always on the hunt for books that are similar to Homegoing so if you have any recommendations I would love that! Kintu was recommended to me because of how much I enjoyed Homegoing and I am loving it so far!
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
War Horse is such an emotional book and do not get me started on the movie! This is another one of those books that is so short and I read a long time ago so I just forget to talk about it. If I think about this book too hard I will start to tear up so lets just move on…
Atonement by Ian McEwan
I really have loved all of the books that I have read by Ian McEwan and I am hoping to eventually read them all! I never talk about him on this blog though! I am sure a lot of you have heard of and seen Atonement, which was an excellent movie, but of course I think that the book was even better!
I would love to know which books you loved but never talk about! Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
Kristin I love this post! Thanks for sharing all these titles, they are books I’ve never heard of but sound very interesting! 💗 Happy Monday!☀️
Thank you! They are all very different but equally wonderful books! Have an amazing day!
These all sound amazing!! I hope you talk about these more!!!
I definitely am going to make more of an effort to talk about these books and others like it!
Great Post! I haven’t read most of these books but they all look really interesting! I have read Night Film though and it was fascinating.
Thank you! I can not wait to read her new book. I have been hearing good things about it!
Interesting list of books! I read “Homegoing” for the library book club that I attend. I enjoyed this powerful story, although I did have a few problems keeping all of the characters straight in my mind. I probably wouldn’t have chosen this book on my own, and this is one reason why I belong to this group…for motivation to widen my reading horizons!
There are definitely a lot of characters! I had to keep referring to the family tree! That is one of the great things about book clubs.
I have been meaning to pick up Night Film for ages and just haven’t gotten around to it. I might try and pick it up in October to really get into the thriller/horror aspect for Halloween. Great post!
It is so perfect for Halloween!! I think you will love it!
Atonement was a difficult read for me. I bought it before the movie came out, and I was a bloody mess by the time I was done. But the adaption was great though.
It is such a heartbreaking book! The movie is excellent. I should rewatch it soon!
Agreed! It’s one of my favourite adaptations.
I loved NightFilm so dang much….so of course I picked up her second book, Never Wake World. It was so different…I need more like Night Film
I love it too! Would you recommend Never Wake World? I wanted to read it when it came out but I haven’t seen many people talking about it!
I do recommend it except I’ll tell you not to go into it thinking it’ll be anything like Night Film. This isn’t horror..at least not to me
Speak was recommended reading for me in Grade 9. We read it as a class and then watched the movie. Talk about deep messages for a 14 year old!
I also had to read Atonement in university, and I very much enjoyed the book! 🙂
It was a recommended book for us as well! It was heavy and an eye opening experience that is correct sure!
Have you seen the movie for Atonement?! It’s great!
Oh nice! Yeah I know at 14 I didn’t really know what to make of it; I don’t think I properly took it all in what it meant.
No, I haven’t, I should add it to my never ending list of movies to watch! 🙂
A good chunk of these I know because of Booktubers. But it’s probably only because I don’t follow YA booktubers and only the ones with smaller audiences. Thanks for the list anyway! 😀
Do you have any favourites? I am always on the look out for more booktubers who don’t exclusively read YA!
Yep! A couple off the top of my head would be Sarah’s Nightstand (some YA, mostly adult mystery/thriller); Abookolive (lots of non fiction, also literary fiction); Not Just Romance (lots of adult romance, contemporary, non fiction and mystery/thriller); Big Haired Bookworm (adult mystery/thriller, think Agatha Christie)..
If you need more recs, let me know! These ladies are pretty much who I’m binge watching right now,
Excellent list, Kristin! Speak, Homegoing, Atonement, and Night Film are all books that I loved as well.
Thank you! Such amazing books!
I loved The Smell of Other People’s Houses, although I think I should read it again since I don’t remember much about the actual story, just how I felt reading it. I think Love Anthony is the only Lisa Genova book that I haven’t read. She’s so talented — thanks for the reminder that I need to read this one!
The Smell of Other People’s Houses is one of those books that is really more about how it makes you feel than the actual plot! Lisa Genova is a really fantastic writer. I absolutely loved most recent book!
These books all sound very interesting! I read Speak when I was younger and I although I don’t remember too much about it, I remember it having a powerful message and impact. A Long Way Gone sounds like a very great book, and I’m going to have to remember this title to read in the future! 🙂
Speak is one of those books where even if you forget the plot you’ll always remember how it made you feel. A Long Way Gone is heartbreaking but powerful. I hope you enjoy it!
There are so many books to talk about, sometimes we forget to mention some and, when we remember them, we’re just so mad because these books are awesome 😅 I know that happens to me ALL the time. This is such a great list! I have heard great things about Homegoing, it sounds like a great book, I’m happy you enjoyed it so much 🙂
It’s so true! For some reason certain books just never come up! Homegoing is a book I think everyone should read!
I read A Long Way Gone ten years ago thanks to a recommendation from a friend, and it was so enlightening! It does deserve praise, so I’m glad you included it here. 😉 Terrific selections!
Thank you! It was an eye opening experience for me that is for sure!
I love this idea for a post! The only book on this list that I have read was Speak. And like you, I don’t talk about it very much even though it left an impact on me too.
Have you seen the movie version?
I have never seen the movie?! Is it any good?
Well, the book is of course better. And it stars Kristen Stewart, who I don’t love. But she does a pretty good job. So yeah. I thought it was pretty good!