Top 5 Tuesday // U to Z

“First the colours.”

First line in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

It’s the last week of the alphabet challenge! As you may know, the Top 5 Tuesday topics for July were the letters of the alphabet and we’ve reached the final 6. Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by Shanah from Bionic Book Worm so go check out her blog if you’re interested in knowing the topics for August and want to participate.

To say this week was a challenge is a bit of an understatement. We have 6 letters and I have read books beginning with 2 of them… I had to get creative and I’ll explain how for each of the letters I had problems with. Let’s begin.

U is for Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Yes, I can see that’s an M but there is a ‘you’ (U) in there so this is the book I’m going with. I’ve never read a book starting with ‘U’. Me before You is the kind of book, I read a long time ago. I gave it 5 stars but I don’t think the rating would be the same if I read it today.

I remember liking it for giving an insight into what it’s like to be stuck to a wheel chair and need help with so many things. Other than that, the book has some sweet moments and then some not so sweet moments.

V is for Vicious by V. E. Schwab

It was either this or the sequel, Vengeful, so I picked the first in the series obviously. I love Victoria Schwab. However, Vicious was not for me. I gave it 3 stars so not bad but to me this book was just fine. I rarely like it when authors use flashbacks to such a great extent. It creates two storylines and I will just automatically be most interested in the present one. The chapters from the past feel too much like breaks in the story to me.

Still, if you enjoy morally gray characters who are explored throughout a slow-paced book, you should definitely read this.

W is for We are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

I really liked this book although it was very weird. It’s a YA contemporary with a sci-fi twist because our main character Henry keeps getting abducted by aliens. He’s quite used to it so no big deal but that is until the aliens tell him that the world will end in 144 days and that he can prevent it. Henry just has a very shitty life so he’s not sure if he wants to.

It’s a very interesting concept. It makes you wonder whether you yourself would save the world or not if your life sucked like Henry’s does. This is also a bit of a heavy contemporary as it deals with suicide and grief among other things. I really enjoy reading those kinds of books.

X (S) is for The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

You know in math class and you had to find out what X is? Yeah, I did the math and this X is S (not going to explain how I got that result). Therefore, I picked The Song of Achilles.

I will read every book Madeline Miller ever publishes. Her writing is so beautiful, and it almost feels like you’re reading a dream. You don’t get every single detail of scene but you get what you need to feel the atmosphere.

The Song of Achilles is the reimagined life story of Achilles and Patroclus and it’s now the only version of their story that I’ll acknowledge. If you’re just the slightest bit interested in mythology, I think this is a must-read.

Y is for A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

The author’s last name begins with a Y and that’s why. I’ve realized it’s very hard for me to make a post and not mention this book. I swear, I’m trying not to. I read it in February this year and I still find myself thinking about it. I can’t imagine that it’s not going to be my favorite book of the year.

Z is for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The last name again coming in to save me. A very popular and beloved book set in Germany during World War II. By being narrated by Death, this book is both horrifying and heartwarming at the same time. It’s a really cool narrative choice that has made this book into a kind of modern classic. I also really liked this book for its portrayal of everyday life for the ordinary German during the war. It showed how the entire country suffered, even those who weren’t involved in the war itself.  

We made it! Well, not a 100% success but close. I hope you still found this fun and want to chat with me about these books in the comments.