Hello, friends and book lovers! Today is very exciting because I had an original blog post idea for the first time in a while (🎉). I wanted to do a recommendations post for different genres, and then I thought it could be kind of fun to do a genre recommendations tag. So I created this tag!
The gist of it is very simple: there are some prompts below, and you give a recommendation for each prompt. I tried to do a mixture of classic prompts and kind of fun, different prompts.
So without further ado, here is the recommendations book tag!
Rules
- Tag Ally @ Ally Writes Things so I can see your recommendations!
- Give at least one recommendation for each of the prompts below
- If you don’t have a recommendation, talk about a book you want to read
- Tag your friends
A book about friendship
Everyone should read The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya. It’s about two musicians who become friends, and whose friendship falls apart after one of them subtweets someone. It is one of the best books I’ve read this year, and I really want everyone to read it. It’s super well-written and interesting, and the diversity is fantastic.
A translated book
I have two recommendations. The first is Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam Joo, which is about a woman, Jiyoung, who is experiencing postpartum psychotic-like symptoms. It’s a scathing look at Korean sexism, and it was really well done and interesting.
I also recommend Vi by Kim Thúy, which is a look at the life of a Vietnamese woman growing up in Vietnam, moving to Canada, and finding her way back to Vietnam (kind of). It’s really interesting and well-written, and I think more people should read it.
A diverse romance
If you love romance, you should definitely read Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo. It’s a romance about a Nigerian woman who promises her dying father that she’ll marry a Nigerian man, and ends up having a one night stand with a white man. It’s so cute and fluffy and romantic and funny, but it also has a lot of heart. I highly recommend it.
A fast-paced book
The One by John Marrs is the fastest-paced book I’ve read in a long time. This is a thriller/sci-fi about five people who have taken a genetic test to find their soul mate. It was so intriguing and really pulled you along. Every chapter was interesting, and the plot is so fascinating. I highly recommend it.
A nonfiction other than a memoir
I’m recommending Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Kimmerer is an Indigenous woman and a botanist, and this book is how those two ways of knowing interact and inform each other. This book about plants made me cry, which I think is a testament to how good it is. I highly recommend the audiobook for this one, as well, as the author narrates it.
An underrated memoir
I’m going to recommend The Only Girl in the World by Maude Julien for this one. Julien’s father was convinced he could transform her into a superhuman by subjecting her to severe neglect and abuse as a child. It’s harrowing and hard to read, but it’s also very hopeful and interesting. I’d definitely recommend the audiobook for this one.
A book with fewer than 10,000 ratings on Goodreads
For this, I’m recommending Ragged Company by Richard Wagamese, which has just over 3,000 ratings. It’s about four homeless people who befriend a retired journalist, and find a winning lottery ticket but can’t cash it because they don’t have a permanent address. It’s 100% a character study, and it’s so good. The characters are wonderful and their development is great.
A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist
For this, I’m recommending Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins. The main character is bi and her love interest is a lesbian, and it’s a boarding school enemies-to-friends-to-lovers with a royal love interest in Scotland. It was so much fun to read, and I highly recommend it.
A book by a trans or non-binary author
I highly recommend I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver. This book is about a non-binary teen, Ben, who comes out to their parents, who kick them out so they go to live with their sister who they haven’t spoken to in 10 years. It’s really interesting and well-written, and I loved so much about it. I cannot recommend it enough.
A book with more than 500 pages
I’m going to recommend a popular book here, but The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is really fantastic. This follows a boy, Theo, who accidentally steals a priceless painting. The characters are really fantastic, and the settings are also great. It’s just so well-written, and I would read everything Donna Tartt writes.
A short story collection
I would be remiss to not recommend Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. She is just a fantastic author, and her short stories are incredible. This collection is amazing and everyone should read it, particularly if you enjoy kind of weird things.
Book you want everyone to read
It is my mission to get everyone to read She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore. It’s a fantastical retelling of the formation of the country Liberia. It’s so so so good. I loved literally everything about this book and think it is criminally underrated. So this is your reminder to read it.
I’m tagging: Naty // Sav // Erin // Marija // Sarah // Rachel // Chelsea // Hannah // Rebecca // Ellyn // Kristin // Hadeer // Rae // April // Leaf Pages // Elle // Callum // Jess // Dee // Eustacia // Alexandra // Siobhan // LaRonda // Kal // Eline // Ashley // Meeghan // Yesha // Lou // Hundreds & Thousands // Etta // Amy // Siena // Alison // Kristi
As always, no pressure! And if you want to do this tag, consider yourself tagged! Please tag me, I would love to see all your answers.
And if you have any recommendations for these prompts, let me know below!
Thanks for reading! xx
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Ally Writes Things 
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