All the Books of My “Favourites” Shelf (Part One)

This is a post I have been wanting to write for ages, but I knew it would be time consuming! I filmed a YouTube video sharing all of the books on my shelves, so I figured now was the time. I am someone who only keeps books that they love.

I want my shelves to be a reflection of my reading taste and to say something about me. I have more books scattered throughout my house, and I also have a classic shelf, but these are the ones that I adore and would recommend. Of course these aren’t all of my favourites, as I listened to quite a few books on audio.

First up is some of my favourite nonfiction, starting with Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow. This book was eye-opening for me and made me realize how much I didn’t know about the beginning of the #metoo movement.

Then I have two memoirs (Naturally Tan and Over the Top) from some of the cast of Queer Eye, both of which I recommend on audiobook.

Columbine is one of the books that I think about most, and I think many of us have read. I need to pick up Parkland one of these days, but I know it is going to be a tough read.

Educated by Tara Westover was everywhere when it first came out, and for good reason. I have recommended this book to so many people in real life!

Then I have two of my favourite true crime, which I typically listen to on audio. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is the book that made me fall down the rabbit hole of true crime and Helter Skelter is so well-researched and give you a lot of behind the scenes info if you are into the Manson case.

Untamed was my first memoir from Glennon Doyle, but it was interesting to know how much she had changed and what she had learned from when she published her first one until now.

Quiet was life changing for me and made me look at my introversion in a new way.

The Girl Who Smiled Beads was one of the most honest memoirs I have ever read. I appreciated that Clementine didn’t hold back from telling us how angry she is.

Eat a Peach is one I have talked a lot about already this year, and I have conflicting feelings about it but still felt it belonged on this shelf. I need to read more food memoirs!

I Am, I Am, I Am is probably my favourite memoir and I just loved the way Maggie O’Farrell shared her stories through all of her brushes with death.

Heart Berries is a unique stream-of-consciousness type memoir that takes some getting used to but is worth it.

The Victorian and the Romantic is so underrated and it is a mix of memoir and biography. A must read for fans of Elizabeth Gaskell!

We then have a small collection from one of my favourite authors- Sylvain Neuvel! The Test is a short story that reads a lot like an episode of Black Mirror. Sleeping Giants, Waking Gods, and Only Human make up my favourite series- The Themis Files.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is arguably my favourite book of all time!

The Bear and the Nightingale gets a lot of hype and I really loved it. I heard the series only gets better, so I need to continue on with it!

Then we have some of my Greek myth retellings! The Silence of the Girls is the story of the Trojan War told from Briseis’ perspective. Of course I have Circe and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and A Thousand Ships is another Trojan War retelling but it is from the perspective of all the women affected by the war.

Yaa Gyasi is one of my auto buy authors, so of course both Transcendent Kingdom and Homegoing are on my favourites shelf.

The last book on this shelf is the one that competes with Never Let Me Go as my favourite, and that is The Lonely Hearts Hotel. This is one of the darkest books I have ever read, but it is beautiful.

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