my favourite books

As I write this, I am in my pjs lying in my warm bed on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Strewn on my bed are heaps of pillows, blankets and books and I have a Mr. Big bar and a lukewarm coffee waiting for me on my nightstand. This is an ideal Saturday in my mind, and the perfect time and place to write about the books I've been loving lately. So settle in to your favourite comfy spot and open up your Goodreads cause I have a list of heartwarming/heartbreaking books that I think you need to read.

Room by Emma Donoghue

I feel like most people know how good this book is by now, but it has been my favourite book ever since I read it 5 years ago so I absolutely had to include it on this list. My heart was broken to pieces by this fictional five year old and also stitched back together throughout the course of this book. Although I distinctly remember after I finished I felt subtly different from when I first began, so maybe my heart wasn't stitched back together in the same way. That is the only way I can describe this book.





The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Another book that will break your heart and then stitch it back together again. I read this after I had taken an Indigenous Perspectives of Health class which brought to light the complexity behind the challenges Junior and his family face. However, this book mostly reminded me that honesty is so important when communicating with kids and adolescents, even though being honest can be so much messier.






How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

I was looking for young adult books (honestly my favourite genre) that didn't focus on a romantic relationship between the two main characters when I stumbled across this book, and I am so glad I did. This book is just SO GOOD and totally unlike anything I've ever read before. I wish I could hang out with Robot Girl and Ghost Boy.







Wonder by R.J. Palacio

I think this book should be required reading for everyone on Earth, but especially if you spend/will spend any amount of time with kids of any age. This book is definitely happysad but more so happy, it leaves you on an encouraging note. I cannot recommend this book enough.







I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

I'm about halfway through this book right now and it's already one of my favourites, as soon as I read the first chapter I knew I was hooked. It's written from two different perspectives and Noah's perspective in particular is written in such a dynamic and unique way that makes everything about the story seem so alive. Plus it's about twins and when I was younger I used to wish that I was part of a twin, so the inside scoop on being a twin is a bonus.