Top 5 Sat: Unread Authors on My Shelves

Hi all!

Welcome to another Top 5 Saturday Reads meme. It was created by the lovely Mandy over at Devouring Books as a way to share books that we would love to read. This week’s topic is: Books by Unread Authors You Want to Read.

Now, there is a lot I could have done with this topic but what really came to mind were the books that had been sitting on my shelves for years that had not been read. More specifically, the books that had been sitting there unread by authors I hadn’t tried yet. There were quite a few to choose from but these ones have been on there the longest (from my terrible memory).

Here they are:

• 

• 

The Goldfinch – It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art. I bought this book mainly for the hype but haven’t read it because it just looks soooo long. I haven’t quite built up the motivation yet!

One Day – 15th July 1988: Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? I’ve been waiting to read this book before seeing the movie… and I still haven’t done either. I remember starting this once but wasn’t in the mood for romance reading and then left it. I haven’t been back since but definitely should considering the amount of positive reviews it’s got!

• 

• 

• 

Little Fires, Everywhere – Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down. Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of long-held secrets and the ferocious pull of motherhood-and the danger of believing that planning and following the rules can avert disaster, or heartbreak. I’ve had this book on my shelf ever since it started gaining hype however, I just haven’t felt like reading it yet as I think this will be a deeper, meaningful story that will stay with me for a while…

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart – The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a story about stories: those we inherit, those we select to define us, and those we decide to hide. It is a novel about the secrets we keep and how they haunt us, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive. Spanning twenty years, set between the lush sugar cane fields by the sea, a native Australian flower farm, and a celestial crater in the central desert, Alice must go on a journey to discover that the most powerful story she will ever possess is her own. I bought this book because of the stunning cover and the fact that it’s set in Aussie. There aren’t many books that are set Down Under and I was keen to give this a try. Unfortunately, it’s still sitting unread on my shelf.

I Am Malala – I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons. I remember when this book was published. When this story came out. The intrigue and horror I felt was incentive enough to buy this book. It’s still gathering dust on my shelf but I’m interested in picking it up for Non-Fiction November!

// have you read any of these books? what were your thoughts on them? //

Jen