Books For My Younger Self

Posted September 12, 2018 by Brin in Memes, Top 5 Wednesday / 2 Comments

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey @GingerReadsLainey on Youtube and is now hosted by Sam @ThoughtsOnTomes

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There’s a new topic every Wednesday, and you then list your Top 5 books related to the particular topic.

Books For My Younger Self

There are so many Young Adult books I dearly wish I could go back in time and give my younger self to read. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of YA books around for me to read back in the day. I heavily disagree with the idea that YA is still a fairly new genre – it has been growing steadily since at least the 1970’s, quite likely even before then.

However, the plethora of choice in the YA market is so much greater now. There are so many books I have read as an adult that I wish were readily available back when I was a youngster. Here are my Top 5 picks of books I would recommend to my younger self:

1. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

I read this book a couple of years ago and it is so powerful (and so moving) that it has stuck with me all these years. I wish I could pass this book to my younger self and whisper to them that this book is worth its weight in gold.

2. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

‘Graceling’ isn’t my favourite book of this trilogy but it is a vitally important one. The main female character is a warrior – stronger than any male in the book. The narrative is feminist without hitting you over the head with it. I wish I could have had Katsa as a role model when I was a girl.

3. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

I debated about which Melina Marchetta book to pick and it was a close call between ‘Jellicoe Road’ and ‘Saving Francesca’. The latter has a very important message about depression but I had to go with ‘Jellicoe’ for the gorgeous prose, amazing story, and fantastic characterization.

4. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The themes of this book are so powerful, I could not justify leaving it off this list. I know I would have loved this story as a youth. ‘The Scorpio Races’ was the book that cemented me as a lifelong fan of Maggie Stiefvater. It is a captivating tale that I would have lapped up in my younger years.

5. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

As much as I get sick and tired of typing out the title of this book, I have to admit it makes it onto most of my top lists! This book is beautifully written and the characters are incredibly nuanced and true to life. It managed to surpass each and every one of my expectations. I would have loved to read this book as a youngster.