The 100 Book Goal

 

Happy World Book Day!

 

Gone are the years when my Mum and I would sit on the carpet and twist pipe cleaners into my hair so I would look like Pippi Longstocking at school for World Book Day. It doesn't matter how much time passes though, I will always be at my most content flipping through pages, or walking up and down the aisles at Waterstones trying to narrow my choices down because my parents offered to treat me to a new book.

 

This year I've kickstarted my Goodreads page again (here), and with that arrives the chance to set a reading goal. I was probably a bit over-excited, but I've always been a perfectionist so here I am, placed in the middle of a 100 book goal. It's definitely going to be tough, but with a three month University Summer I think I might just be able to do it. Today seemed the perfect day to recommend some books I've raced through lately; I think I've finally found the genres that work best for me, so I rarely pick up a book now and immediately want it to end.

 

13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough - I cannot get enough of the mystery/thriller section of the bookstore, and this one had me completely spellbound. Natasha wakes up is hospital, after being temporarily dead for 13 minutes, and although she's suffering from amnesia she begins to suspect that it was her best friends that put her there. If you like Pretty Little Liars/ The Girl on the Train type storylines, then I think this would be right up your alley.

 

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry - I have nothing to compare this to, its such a beautiful read surrounding the different relationships that you encounter throughout your young life, and what efforts you would exercise to protect them.  I adored the writing style, and its a completely unique read for me in that it has a religious aspect to it, and explores the idea of parallel worlds. I'm not even sure what genre this would fit into, it has a little bit of everything and I guarantee that you won't be able to put it down.

 

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover - Colleen Hoover is up there with my favourite authors; I think she handles issues so brilliantly and makes even mundane events seem captivating. I devoured this in a few hours on an afternoon when I should definitely have been essay writing (oops), and I loved the theme of loyalty that ran throughout this. Its a novel about betrayal, and how cheating is not always carried out with malicious intent, like is portrayed so often in other pieces of writing. I fell in love with Sydney's character, so torn apart by wanting to do the right thing and also accepting that sometimes you have to just follow your heart.

 

Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall - This was so eye opening for me. Louise paints a vivid image of what its like to suffer from agoraphobia, and I couldn't help but feel my heart break a million times for Norah throughout the book. I've read a couple of storylines similar to this one in the past, but have always felt like the illness wasn't at the forefront of the writing. Here, its so intensely spoken about that the focus is in the right place, and although it has all sorts of other elements to it (a lil bit of romance here and there), its predominantly a book about mental illness, giving a misunderstood topic the recognition it needs.

 

Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino - This is your typical 'one that got away' storyline, but I loved it immensely. As I grow older I relate to characters at different stages of their lives - reading about young adults in University is so identical to my life in many ways that I can visualise the story down to a tee. I like that this spans over a significant proportion of the lifetime; Grace and Matt have such strong character development throughout the years, and its moving to read about. If you're a fan of romance, then I have a feeling that you won't be able to get enough of this book/author.

 

What books are you celebrating this World Book Day?