Top 5 Books I Don’t Talk About Enough

“On the morning we are to leave for our Grand Tour of the Continent, I wake in bed beside Percy.”

First line in The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Hi, readers. I’m back again with another Top 5 Tuesday which is created by Shanah over at the Bionic Bookworm. I skipped the topic last week, but this week I’m talking about 5 books that I really love but don’t get to mention enough on this blog. A lovely topic because it a great opportunity to show some love for the books that aren’t my absolute favorites but that I still love. Enjoy!

The Binding by Bridget Collins

I only read The Binding a couple of months ago, but I still want to include it here because I haven’t mentioned it since despite how much I liked it. I would classify it as a romance set in a historical fantasy setting. And it’s about books! There’s just something special about books within books. It’s a beautiful story with even more beautiful writing. It’s a very flowery writing style with a lot of time spent inside the character’s head describing their emotions and thoughts meaning the story can feel kind of slow. I adore that kind of writing but I know that’s not for everyone so just be aware. I have a full review for this if you’re interested in more of my thoughts.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Another historical fiction although this one is slightly more popular, I guess. This is a very fun and light story about a group of young people traveling across Europe but then find themselves in trouble. Totally by accident of course. It’s not the most groundbreaking of stories and also uses the trope of “Europe is only the big and famous cities”. I mean, they literally call it a Grand Tour of Europe but only visit places in western and southern Europe. Where everybody else also goes in these kinds of stories. I still enjoyed the book despite of this but it just annoys a European like me a little bit.

Half Bad by Sally Green

I was obsessed with this series around the time it was published. I couldn’t the sequels fast enough. My fixation has dwindled a bit since then but I still think this series is very good and kind of unique. It very much deals with the topic of whether someone is born evil/bad or if it’s something we learn to be. It’s fantasy so there are witches (although not your typical kind) and magic that’s really cool. If you continue past the first book there’s also a ship-worthy relationship that is still one of my absolute favorites.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus is a must-read if you’re into very beautiful and colorful writing. In my opinion, this is not a book you read for the plot because that’s almost nonexistent. You read it for the imaginative and dreamlike way this circus and its characters are described.

Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

This is one of the few nonfiction books I’ve read but I don’t regret picking it up. Most people know Ellen DeGeneres so as you may have guessed, this book is hilarious. And that was exactly what I wanted it to be when I decided to read it. She tells about her life but in a very light and comedic way so don’t go into it expecting it will be very serious and lifechanging. That’s really not the point of it. It’s the book to pick up if you want a laugh.  

It was really fun picking out these books and I was so excited to share them with you. Chat with me in the comments if you also think these books deserve more recognition.