Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a new theme is suggested for bloggers to participate in. This week’s prompt is Books Too Good to Review Properly (I have no words!) (Submitted by ME!!).

Hello Readers! I hope you had a nice Valentine’s Day reading your favorite kind of love story. <3 It’s also my birthday week, and while I don’t like to celebrate big (hello introvert!), I always enjoy this time of year. And the best birthday present was getting one of my prompt suggestions chosen for Top Ten Tuesday this week! Such a nice coincidence.

I’ll be counting down to the book that inspired my idea for this prompt: books that are too good to review properly. I’m thinking of those books that after you finish reading them, you can’t find the right words to convey your feelings… Because there are no words! Or maybe I did write a review but it didn’t quite capture my inner thoughts. Those are the books I’m thinking about today. Books that blew me away and left me speechless.

Let’s wander in!

10

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows

Synopsis:

“I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb…

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

Goodreads

I avoided this book for so long because of the title; it was long and confusing and not very appetizing, either. But once I finally picked up this little book, I fell in love with it. So much joyfulness packed into this small book of letters set during the most depressing time ever: World War II.

9

Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis

Synopsis:

At sixteen, Emmie Blue stood in the fields of her school and released a red balloon into the sky. Attached was her name, her email address… and a secret she desperately wanted to be free of. Weeks later, on a beach in France, Lucas Moreau discovered the balloon and immediately emailed the attached address, sparking an intense friendship between the two teens.

Now, fourteen years later, Emmie is hiding the fact that she’s desperately in love with Lucas. She has pinned all her hopes on him and waits patiently for him to finally admit that she’s the one for him. So dedicated to her love for Lucas, Emmie has all but neglected her life outside of this relationship—she’s given up the search for her absentee father, no longer tries to build bridges with her distant mother, and lives as a lodger to an old lady she barely knows after being laid off. And when Lucas tells Emmie he has a big question to ask her, she’s convinced this is the moment he’ll reveal his feelings for her. But nothing in life ever quite goes as planned, does it?

Filled with heart and humor, Dear Emmie Blue “beautifully captures the heartache and frustrations of carrying our teenaged selves with us wherever we go” (Anstey Harris, author ofGoodbye Paris) that is perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Evvie Drake Starts Over.

Goodreads
My Review

While I did review this one, I don’t feel like my review did it justice. Dear Emmie Blue is one of my most recommended books. It was such a pleasant surprise, and despite reading it almost two years ago, it’s a book I still think about.

8

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Synopsis:

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen. 

Goodreads

I recently reread The Scorpio Races for the 10th anniversary and it reminded me how good this book is. Beautifully written, with characters who steal your heart. I can never find words worthy of this story.

7

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Synopis:

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic.

Goodreads

Then there are those books that are so important and profound, it’s hard to convey the impression they have on you. The Kite Runner is necessary reading.

6

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Synopsis:

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first. 

Goodreads
My Random Thoughts While Binge-Reading the Six of Crows Duology

Six of Crows is impossible to review properly because there are so many layers and characters and themes. I was so impressed and blown away by this YA fantasy.

5

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Synopsis:

People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world. 

Goodreads

Beartown is a heartbreaking story but it’s done beautifully. Backman has a way of humanizing all his characters—good and bad. When I finished, it was hard to put into words how impactful the story was for me.

4

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Synopsis:

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.

This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward—with hope and pain—into the future.

Goodreads

There are some books that are hard to review but I also don’t want to review them because I feel like readers should go into them blindly. That’s how I felt about An American Marriage. It felt like a modern-day classic.

3

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Synopsis:

The serene and maternal Mrs. Ramsay, the tragic yet absurd Mr. Ramsay, and their children and assorted guests are on holiday on the Isle of Skye. From the seemingly trivial postponement of a visit to a nearby lighthouse, Woolf constructs a remarkable, moving examination of the complex tensions and allegiances of family life and the conflict between men and women.

As time winds its way through their lives, the Ramsays face, alone and simultaneously, the greatest of human challenges and its greatest triumph—the human capacity for change.

Goodreads

It’s been over 10 years since I read To the Lighthouse but I still remember the impact it had on me. I wanted to highlight the entire book. There are so many layers, it’s impossible to even scratch the surface.

2

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Synopsis:

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord…1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Goodreads

Not only is this book a beast—which makes it impossible to comprehensively review—but it’s also unlike anything else I’ve ever read. I felt like I read the entire thing with my mouth hanging open. I finally read this one in 2018 and I’m currently on book #7, so it’s definitely a commitment, but entirely worth it, to me.

1

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Synopsis:

Achilles, “the best of all the Greeks,” son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods’ wrath.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

Goodreads

And finally the book that inspired me to suggest this prompt! When I finally read The Song of Achilles last summer, my review on Goodreads was woefully lacking. I had so many emotions, they were impossible to put down, so I didn’t even try.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by D e d r a (@abookwanderer)

Did you have a hard time reviewing any of these? Are they on your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!