My Top 5 “WTF” Books

There’s one thing I haven’t actually mentioned much on this blog at all up until now, and I almost feel like I’ve committed some sort of crime by not mentioning this as a blogger (because it is like, law). And that is, that I love books.

Shocker. I know. I must be the first blogger to ever in the history of the universe talk about how much they love reading. (I’m being sarcastic. One problem with reading is, of course, that the act of subtle sarcasm can’t be perfectly executed through the written word yet).

But the short and short of it is, I really bloody like reading. I love it. Always have. I was that child who actually lost their mum in the supermarket, because they were walking around with a book attached to their face (not literally, obviously). And the only time I ever actually got told off in school, was because I kept reading for longer than the required reading time. Seriously.

So yeah, I like reading. And I wanted to start sharing that part of me with the readers of this blog, but to start off quite lightly. And to do that, I’m going to be talking about the Top 5 Books that I’ve ever read that, when I got to the end, made me stop, spit out my drink, and shout; “What the ever-loving fuck?!”.

1. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars tells the story of Cadence Sinclair and her very wealthy family, and their annual trips to their family island (yes, they are that rich). Cadence has recently been through something terrible, that has caused her a fair amount of mental (and physical) trauma. This YA book tells the story of how Cadence pieces together just what happened the last summer on the island, and why no one talks about it any more.

Seriously, this was one of those books that I devoured in about a day. It’s all mysterious and interesting up until that one single sentence, that one sentence that just chucks all the information it’s been leading up to, and then everything makes sense, and I promise you, you will not be the same.

2.  Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything tells the story of Maddie. A lifelong sufferer of a disease called severe combined immunodeficiency (or ‘bubble baby disease’). This condition requires Maddy to be constantly contained within her house, taking medication after medication, and never making contact with anything that could make her sick. Until (obviously), a young man moves in next door. Maddy starts to break the rules of her disease, which could have disastrous consequences.

This book (again, a YA romance/coming of age) starts off slowly. You start wondering just what on earth could actually happen to Maddy, if she’s so strictly confined to the walls of her home. But trust me, a lot. Like We Were Liars, Everything Everything just gets quicker and quicker, and demands every bit of your attention right up until that one sentence that changes everything. You won’t want to miss this one.

3. One Day by David Nicholls

This famously famous romance novel was adapted into film in 2011 and I, being years behind everyone else in the pop culture world, did not read this until 2016 when I found it in the charity shop for 99p. The story follows Emma and Dexter, university fling, on the same day of each consecutive year of their lives as they constantly overlap and intertwine. Sometimes they’re together, sometimes they aren’t. But do they end up together? That’s what you have to wait to find out.

There is a reason that this book/movie was so popular five years ago, but (not having seen the film) I don’t know whether the same WTF moment actually happens in the movie adaption. But, I can tell you, the twist of this book made me literally stop breathing. I had t reread that one sentence over and over to actually take in what the heck just happened. It’s one of those.

4. Struck By Lightning by Chris Colfer

Chris Colfer isn’t very well known for this one, but the unique but lovable Kurt from Glee actually wrote a book. And then, made it into a movie, pretty much on his own. I’m not going to lie, I did see the film first on this one, and the film was ever so slightly different, “WTF”-wise to the book. The film actually tells you the WTF moment at the very beginning.. so… definitely read the book first. And that’s not just me being a book snob. You will get the ending spoiled.

Struck By Lightning story tells the tale of a young aspiring journalist who feels trapped inside his small town and very much local school, where he is ostracised by his peers for being “That kid who hates his hometown”. It’s almost like every pop punk song ever, but instead of wanting to be a musician, the protagonist wants to be a journalist. And then, at the end… well… something happens.

5. Ghost Hunters by Neil Spring

I think this book really is a hidden gem. I’ve never actually seen or heard anyone talking about it, which – to be honest – is a bit of a crime. I got this for Christmas a few years ago but only managed to get round to reading it last year, but man was I impressed.

The story follows Sarah Grey, a young intelligent woman in 1920s London, and her life and its twists and turns after she begins working for a world famous ghost hunter, Harry Price. A lot of ghost hunting (obviously) ensues, and a descent into the past of Harry Price makes you really wonder what the author is keeping from you the entire time.

That is, of course, until they tell you what they’ve been keeping from you. And let me tell you, it’s a doozy. And I’m not going to tell you any more than that. But, if you like mysterious, slightly paranormal-based early 20th Century fiction then this is the story for you.

And there you have it. There’s my top five WTF books so far. I’m sure, as my reading range grows, so will this list, but I hope you can maybe take away from this one or two books that you now want to read, or if you’ve already read them, tell me what your reactions were in a comment!

Thanks for reading, til next time,

Jess