Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Shanah of Bionic Book Worm. It’s all good vibes and good times and if you’re on the fence about joining, just try it out!
Last week we talked about surprises, this week we’re talking about straight up excellence. I gained a lot of new faves in 2019 but I also wanted to include some old favorites. Five is just too few, but here’s some of the ones I remember best.
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
I feel like I can’t rave enough about this one. I just want everyone to read it, even if psychologically thrillers aren’t usually your thing. Even if you hate mysteries, please give this one a try. It’s so good!
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
I was worried about all the hype, but now I truly understand. I’m not big on re-reading, but I’ll definitely listen to the audiobook some time this year. I love Elizabeth Acevedo’s works and With the Fire on High really blew me away.
Platitudes by Trey Ellis
This was an assigned reading for my African American Lit last semester. I honestly didn’t like it when I first started reading it. It was weird and pretty confusing for the first few chapters. Then I really started getting into it and by that point, I couldn’t stop.
Kindred by Octavia Butler
I’ve been hearing about this book for what seems like forever but I never got to it until I had to read it for my Intro to Lit class. I must say, I fell in love. I think it may be part of the reason I’m taking a science fiction class this semester.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
There’s a reason it’s my favorite classic. I read Things Fall Apart in my first half of high school, and I still think about it’s historical implications pretty regularly. I read it when I was first starting to educate myself on systematic racism. What a fun time.
Honorable Mentions
Have you read any of these books?
What should I check out next?
Did you do a Top 5 Tuesday? (Link it below!)
Let me know in the comments below, let’s chat!
Rae's Reads and Reviews 
It’s really an impressive and creative work. I agree to that shadowing would have been great. It is nice anyway.
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‘Kindred’ is the only book I’ve read on this list, but I honestly thought it was terrific. I had a friend who was in high school who was reading it in English class and he hated every minute of it. To each their own, I guess. 😛
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Kindred can be tough to digest, especially with the sudden shift in past and present but I loved the historical elements. It’s definitely not for everyone but I hope your friend gives it another chance because a lot of times our tastes evolve and he might like it the second time around ☺️
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Just added Slay to my TBR list from our library!
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Yay! I loved Slay so much this summer, it’s so worth the read 😁
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