Hey guys! Today I am bringing you another Top 5 Wednesday post! I’ve been skipping a lot of the topics lately but this one sounded like fun. A lot of the books I read come from BookTube – it’s inevitable given how much time I spend watching book hauls, TBR and wrap up videos! – so I’m curious to see out of my read books which of them were influenced by other factors.
You by Caroline Kepnes: Netflix actually made me read this book! I’d never heard of it until the TV show was announced and I immediately added it to my wish list. My friend ended up buying me a copy as she really enjoyed it. Sadly, I wish it was the same for me! I found the book really boring and as I’ve heard the second book doesn’t get better, I won’t be continuing this series. The TV show, on the other hand, was much more interesting and complex and the characters were more engaging, Joe especially was a lot more deceiving. I liked seeing how charming and misleading he was with others. I also liked the relationship he built with Paco and the significance it had at the end of the season. I didn’t enjoy season two as much and struggled to finish each episode, but I’ll definitely be watching the third season. I’m curious to see what happens next with Joe and Love!
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski: Another one I bought because of Netflix! Unfortunately, it was another one I disliked and my interest in the series ends here. Probably an unpopular opinion, but this is a terrible book to start the series with. It’s just a collection of short stories with random characters popping up who I know nothing about. I don’t know what a Witcher is or anything about the world they’re living in. Who’s Yennefer and what’s Geralt’s beef with her? I was so bored and frustrated the whole time I was reading this that it’s put me off the entire series.
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman: Believe it or not but I actually discovered this series while I was at university! We had to read the first book for one of the courses (can’t remember the name of it now) and I enjoyed it so much I went out and bought the rest of the trilogy. Never thought a book I read at university would become one of my favourites! I don’t actually see that many people discussing these books on BookTube, which is a shame because it’s a really unique and adventurous story. Also, I included this on one a very old Top 5 Wednesday post, ‘Books You Want to See as TV Shows‘, and then the BBC made it happen. Pretty cool!
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff: I’d never heard of Jay Kristoff until I got an email from Waterstones with this beautiful exclusive black sprayed edition of Nevernight. I ordered a copy straight away because I was just sold on the cover and the sprayed edges alone. Luckily, it paid off because is really enjoyed it! I was expecting it to be quite dark and it didn’t disappoint. I have matching editions for the other two books but I still need to read those. I’m nervous about continuing though because I feel a lot more bad stuff is going to happen!
Caraval by Stephanie Garber: I got this not long after it came out because the hardback was only £5 on Amazon and that is ridiculously cheap. I think it was £12.99 in Waterstones. So massive savings there! It also came with the dress as the secret cover, which was my least favourite but I can’t complain given the price. This is actually one of my favourite series now, too. I loved all of the characters and I was so, so happy with how the trilogy ended. Finally, an author gives me the ending I want! It was such a mesmerising series and the covers are so beautiful as well.
So these are some books I found outside of BookTube! What books did you find outside of BookTube and any other social media apps? Feel free to leave a comment below. I hope you enjoyed this post and thank you so much for reading!
Divine World of Books 