These books will clean your soul ! Top Ten Tuesday 03/09/2021

Hi friends,

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Today’s theme is Spring Cleaning Freebie

Instead of going for “cleaning my TBR”, I decided to write about books that cleaned my soul!

Dramatic much?

Not really. Sometimes after reading “THE” book giving me the perfect mix of beauty, levity, fun and gravity, I feel like a new person. Lighter, wiser.

Some authors are really great at mixing insightful topics wrapped in a pretty and fun package.

So let’s go for these little jewels!

Making Faces by Amy Harmon

I wrote the review years before meeting Amy Harmon and I concluded with “A few words for Amy though. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Thank you for your beautiful, sensitive and graceful writing. I don’t know you but I can’t help thinking surely you must also be a beautiful person inside out. I wish you good luck (lots and lots). May you even make better than with “A Different Blue”. And please, never cease to write and regale us with your stories.”

The Switch and The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

I labelled the Switch “an adorable, charming British read” and after having read The Flatshare, my conclusion about Beth’s books was: “

Beth delivers charming and smart stories. With the help of quirky characters, she makes you think about serious topics like abuse and death all with a keen eye for human nature, its flaws and extraordinary resilience too.

You will laugh. You will swoon. You will cry. You will rage too. But above all else, you will root for Tiffy and Leon’s love story.”

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

I called that story “delightful”.

This story simply is a little gem. Essentially character driven, the writing is light, charming, funny and just right.

Wolfsong by TJ Klune

TJ Klune writing is exceptional.
With short sentences he says so much and can convey so many feelings. I never would have believed I would love a M/M romance so much and yet I consider this book one of the best books I’ve ever read.

Win Some, Lose Some by Shay Savage

That book made me snicker and giggle so hard people in my doctor’s waiting room must think I am the freak by now!

Some example of the humor: his uncle realizes Matthew could potentially have a girlfriend and wants him to protect himself. Here is how their discussion went, knowing people suffering from autism take everything literally most of the time: ”I know Kyle gave you “the talk” when you were younger”. “The talk?…What talk?” “The sex talk!” “Yes” “I’d guess that talk was probably pretty…mechanical in nature.” “You can use machines?” I asked. “ I nearly peed my pants with this one!!!

Atticus by Sawyer Bennett

The title of my review was ” Atticus by Sawyer Bennett. Top emotional, fresh and feel good story! Love, Love!”

Told from dual POV, Atticus and Hazel’s POV, this story is moving, funny, insightful, sweet and many other things.

Just to give you a taste of the world through Atticus eyes, here is what he thought when Hazel rescued him

“When the woman appeared, I thought I would just die from pure happiness that someone had found me. She looked nice, although she smelled a little stale. She also smelled… unhappy. All I know is she had me out”

Perfectly Adequate and Fortuity by Jewel E Ann were both amazing books too!

For Perfectly adequate I wrote: “this is a romcom that is more than a romcom as it’s filled to the brim with laughter, emotions and lots of wisdom! I dare you not to like it!”

And Fortuity: “Switching between laughter and tears, reading Fortuity has been a marvelous rollercoaster of emotion and proved once more that Jewel is an exceptional writer.”

And my champion now, the one that will bring you joy, love, hope and faith: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Enchanting.

That’s the best word to describe this story.

You know when, once in many years, you stumble upon a book and everything just …clicks? Well that was what happened in this read that was a book club read.

These characters were so moving, charming, cute, awkward and heart-warming. I wanted to take them in my arms and give them big hugs!

Under that lovely surface also hide deep messages about differences, what makes a monster, acceptance, not being defined by our DNA, making our own choices to be good and …so much more!

This book is magical, charming, poetic …. I don’t have enough words to describe its awesomeness!

Thanks for reading!

Sophie