book recommendations 😋

heyyy 

I wanted to give some book recs bcs I love these books & I feel it is my duty to spread the word of these authors. im like an evangelist of books.

ok anyway here is my list in no particular order :

how to build a girl by caitlin moran - 

omg it is SO GOOD i can't even put into words. i love it bcs the main character talks so explicitly about things with no shame that it actually started to make ME feel more confident and less ashamed about things which i think is so important as a teen girl bcs we are taught to censor ourselves and keep things to ourselves because its not 'feminine' or because boys won't like or we're even scared of what other girls think which is absurd. we should be able to talk about our bodies the same way boys talk about their's. actually, maybe they should just keep it to themselves too, that sounds like a more preferable solution.

anyway, if u like 90s britpop, alternative fashion, pop culture, strong female protagonists who overshare, music journalism, coming of age books, actually idc what u like just read this book. 

side note : i haven't seen the film but it looks kind of rlly bad but bcs i haven't seen it i can't tell u not to watch it or say it doesn't do it justice so when i've finished this i will watch it and THEN i will say my piece on it.

edit: i watched the film and it was actually a lot better than expected but it was like a slightly more toned down version and it felt like it was the time frame of like a couple of months but the book felt like it was through a couple of years and also contained a lot more detail like the film felt like it missed parts out so it didn't feel like we went on as much of a journey. i also struggled to relate as much to the film version of Johanna as i did to the book version of her and didn't like her as much as a character as i did when i read the book. so in conclusion, i wouldn't say don't watch the film, but i think u should def read the book first. 

how to be famous by caitlin moran -

this is the sequel to how to build a girl and it was also very good and i def recommend to read if u have read how to build a girl.

the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime by mark haddon -

i've read this book like 7 times genuinely bcs I LOVE it, it's just so interesting to see the world through someone else's eyes in such detail and its not like a conventional book but I'm so bad at explaining things without giving stuff away so i can't rlly say anything else.

also, i saw this in the theatre but i don't think it compared at all. i didn't rlly enjoy the theatre show so if u have seen it but not read the book then i still recommend it bcs the show missed things out and idk it was just nowhere near as good.

before i go to sleep by sj watson -

omg this has so many twists like i could not predict where it was going at all. that could just be bcs i'm so bad at predicting things like that bcs i don't rlly put 2 and 2 together but still it's so good. it is very strange and I think the writer did a good job of like reflecting the protagonist's disoriented state if that makes sense. if u like psychological thrillers u need to read this book.

behind her eyes by sarah pinborough -

i would say this is similar to before i go to sleep in the sense that they both have a female protagonist who experiences something when they go to sleep and there is another character close to them who they feel they can't quite trust. i would say though that this book is like a slightly trashier, 'chick lit' kind of book but sometimes I love that IBR. 

it's still a psychological thriller but just idk U KNOW WHAT I MEAN ok u probably don't bcs im not acc using words but i can't think of the right ones 😭😭 but i was hooked when i was reading it that's all u need to know.

me before you by jojo moyes -

this is quite a long book and a bit of a slow burner but its just a nice one like its just nice to read and reflect on but also i went through the 5 stages of grief reading it but also rejoiced and laughed and cheered and cried again and got angry and smiled and frowned and rethought my life and ok u get the gist.

my year of rest and relaxation by ottessa moshfegh -

I would give my left kidney to read this book for the fist time again. (not rlly.) 

it was SO good omg like I love it. its very slow pace and usually I don't like that all because I get bored from books very easily like before I start reading a book i have read the beginning of at least 3 others before I finally settled on that one but this is honestly just so good and lowkey depressing and quite strange and surreal at the same time and just talking about it is making me want to read it again.

i have a couple of others but didn't want to make the list too long bcs i thought like the longer the list is the less likely ppl are to read all the recs but lmk if u want anymore !!

ALSO if u have goodreads lmk!! i'll send u my link bcs i love seeing other ppls shelves & if u have any recs for me based off the books in my read/to read shelves then plsss give them to me 🤗