5 Books I Recommend to Everyone

Today is World Book Day, so I thought I’d celebrate by sharing the 5 books I recommend to everyone. I purposely didn’t call this my 5 favourite books list as I don’t think I could narrow it down, but these books definitely are favourites and ones I find myself often telling people to read, for reasons I shall explain…

5 Books I Recommend to Everyone

/ Things in Jars by Jess Kidd

Jess Kidd is such a wonderful author. She mixes supernatural elements into her stories in such an effortless way that you are instantly enraptured and suspend your disbelief. Things in Jars is brilliant for many reasons, but mainly for Bridie Divine. She’s a private detective (in an era – 1863 – where women were not usually such things) and takes us on a brilliant case and may or may not have a romantic entanglement with a charismatic ghost…

/ Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

I appreciate recommending a dystopian novel set after a pandemic wipes out most of the world’s population might not be something you were expecting here (or want to read at this very moment) BUT I read Station Eleven pre-Covid-times and it is equal measures fascinating, terrifying and beautiful, truly something special to read. A powerhouse of a book that has stayed with me.

/ The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder by Sarah J. Harris

You’ve never read a murder mystery like this. The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder is the perfect blend of a clever idea and superb storytelling. Jasper has autism, synesthesia and a complete inability to recognise faces. He uniquely sees the world in colour and when his neighbour, Bee Larkham is murdered, he is an important witness, but can only share what he’s seen through colour and the pictures he paints…

/ Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

This is the debut novel from African author, Ayobami Adebayo, who is a stunning writer, creating characters that you really care about and fully invest in. Set in Nigeria, Stay With Me is told from the point of view of Yejide, in both the present day and flashbacks to her life in the 1980s/1990s. There are also chapters in her husband, Akin’s voice, giving a nice balance to the narrative.

This book explores their marriage and was also an interesting glimpse into a culture very different from my own. There were some exceptionally heartbreaking scenes, but also moments of light comic relief that all balanced wonderfully and made it such a joy to read.

/ Tin Man by Sarah Winman

You know when you finish a book and just have to take a moment to compose yourself? That is exactly what you’ll do when you finish Tin Man. To say it packs an emotional punch is an understatement. This is the tale of Ellis and Michael, close friends since meeting at age 13, they develop a strong, complex friendship that gives them so much delight and so much hurt. Take in every word and lose yourself in this beautiful story.

If any of these caught your eye, you can get your very own copy right here.

So, they were the 5 books I recommend to everyone (I do recommend others too, these are probably the ones I do most frequently though), what do you think?

Let me know if you’ve read them!