My Top 5 Favourite All-Time Books

These books are the fictitious books which have made me the person I am today, they are heartbreaking but also light hearted and meaningful. If you decide to read any of them, I'm so sorry and also your welcome. :)

1. The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

If you've ever ventured into the realms of BookTok you may be familiar with the name Madeline Miller, she writes adaptations of Greek Myths, in this case the myth of the great Greek fighter Achilles.

The book follows Patroclus the close friend turned lover of Achilles and their lives and eventual deaths.

I love how well written the book is, it describes love so beautifully and with such stunning accuracy, the LGBTQ+ representation is also perfect and addresses the problem with history as it can be frequently change to reflect a certain set of beliefs.

2. Girl, Goddess, Queen - Bea Fitzgerald

You may be noticing a bit of a theme with these books as this is also a Greek Myth adaptation, this Myth however is the Myth of Persephone and Hades, particularly following how Persephone came to marry Hades.

It completely changed my perspective on the Myth as well as my perspective of Persephone's powers, which through the book we come to learn the immense power that she has.

I love how unique of a perspective of their relationship is, and how instead of Persephone being kidnapped, she willingly chose to go to Hell and wanted to marry Hades, instead of the typical view of her being forced to marry Hades.

3. Icarus - K. Ancrum

Okay, I swear this is the last Greek Mythology adaptation in this list ... maybe. Icarus is an adaptation of the story of Icarus, giving a new meaning to the fall.

Icarus is about an art thief called Icarus and how he unexpectedly meets Helios, the son of Mr Black, the art collector who he has been stealing art from, and their unravelling relationship.

To me this adaptation is so unique and special as in the other adaptations I have read the story happens in the time the original myth was set, however this adaptation is set in modern times with a set of interesting and diverse characters, giving the original myth new meaning. 

4. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz

I may have lied, kinda. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is possibly one of the most perfect books ever written. It is tender, honest, loving, beautiful and painfully real. If I were to make everyone in the world read one book from this list, it would be this.

This book follows Aristotle, an angry teen whose brother is in prison, and Dante, an intelligent teen with a unique perspective of life, and their special friendship which develops into something which changes both of them in ways words can't describe.

"A tender, honest exploration of identity and sexuality, and a passionate reminder that love - whether romantic of familial - should be open, free, and without shame." - Publishers Weekly.

Having read this beautiful book this review summarises the experience that this book will take you through.

5. Hate List - Jennifer Brown

This painfully real novel shares the powerful perspective of Valerie Leftman, a teen whose boyfriend, Nick, five months ago open fired in her schools cafeteria. She struggles with working out if she was a hero or villain as it was her idea to make the Hate List, the list which her boyfriend used to kill innocent people with.

This shockingly honest and rivetingly mournful account unlocked a new level of sympathy for school shooting victims as well as the family and friends of the shooters. In a world filled with death and destruction this book allows readers to look within themselves and to others will sympathy and love.

To me this book is unbelievably important as it is a reminder that you never truly know what someones going through and to care for the ones you love, as well as to allow yourself to grieve through things.