[Top Ten Tuesday] Top 10 Books I Recommend to Others the Most

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

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Well, after one week, I haven't finished my current reading read. Lol. That's okay. I can fill this blog with whatever I want and now it's time for Top Ten Tuesday again. Yay!

Today's topic is interesting to me. It's about a book that I recommend to others the most. So, here we go.

1. Sapiens: A Graphic History #1 The Bird of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari, David Vandermeulen, Daniel Casanave

The reason is so simple. For me who got a lot of difficulty reading a non-fiction book, this graphic novel is the best. It explained Harari's book in a simpler way and we still can get the full knowledge of it. I love how David and Daniel extract the information into a graphic. I love how they make Harari's explanation into a comic strip that feels connected to each part. It's more enjoyable and easy to digest. 

So, I really recommend this book to anyone who wants to read Harari's though in a more enjoyable way.

2. Kieta Hatsukoi (My Faded First Love) - Wataru Hinekure, Aruko

So, this manga series is one of my favourite BL manga of all time--or, should I say the most favourite one? 

Kieta Hatsukoi told the story about Aoki who got misunderstanding with Ida. At first, Aoki has a huge crush on Hashimoto. One day, in the middle of the exam, he borrowed an eraser from Hashimoto. To his surprise, he sees a written name in that eraser and it's Ida--a guy who seat in front of him. To make it more confusing, Ida sees Aoki hold that eraser and thinks Aoki has a crush on him.

I love this story because every character is so wholesome. They always become supportive of each other. I think this is the most idealistic BL world ever I read. Anyway, I really love how Aoki and Ida become sweeter at the end of the story.

3. Lebih Senyap dari Bisikan (Quieter than a Whisper) - Andina Dwifatma

Who said that marriage is easy? When you married, then all of the decisions that you have to take are not only about you, but you have to pay attention to the needs of your partner, child--if any, and other families member. Marriage is not only about a vow to each other and then getting a happily ever after life. Living as a woman in a patriarchal family could make everything become worst. 

Remember Kim Ji Young Born in 1982? Yes, this is the Indonesian version of it. It told the story of Amara, who struggle with her marriage. Losing a lot of things, including herself. For me, this book is a reminder for everyone that marriage is not only about sunshine and rainbow, moreover, if you live as a woman in this patriarchal society who only look at your achievement based on your marriage life. What a sigh.

4. Almond - Sohn Won Pyung

When your amygdala is not fully developed, you won't feel any emotion such as fear, anger, sadness, or happiness. Almond told the story about Younjae who has Alexitimia, the condition where his amygdala is so tiny. 

From this book, you can contemplate more about what is normal in society. Who decided whether something is normal or not. So, how to be normal if the normal state in society has been decided by some people?

This book is also interesting because it became one of the inspirations for Agust D's song, Amygdala. Please watch his music video for Amygdala. It's amazing how Yoongi tries to capture all of his traumas in this song. 

5. Yakusoku no Neverland (The Promised Neverland) - Kaiu Shirai

So, have you ever read a children's manga but it was so dark? Here is The Promised Neverland. The story of this manga is so dark. This manga told the story of how children should always obey the adult. Since children sometimes never got a chance to voice out their own opinion, they only can accept what the adult says. 

Thankfully, the trio's main character can break those stereotypes and try their best to free themselves from the adult's willpower.

6. Mawar Merah (Red Roses) - Luna Torashyngu

As a teen-lit lover, I always recommend Mawar Merah to everyone who wants to read an unusual Indonesian young adult novel. Luna Torashyngu has succeeded to give an incredible story through Mawar Merah. I love how he manages to give a very complex story about a teenage assassin like Elsa. I always love this trilogy so much.

7. Laut Bercerita (The Sea Speaks His Name) - Leila S. Chudori

This is one of my go-to recommendation books for anyone who wants to read a 'serious' theme. Leila S. Chudori is well known for his historical fiction work. This book is also one of them. It told the story of the missing 98's activists in Indonesia. I remember how sad and depressing the story is, but it is so valuable to be read for every young people to understand the black history that never is told by the government.

8. Girls in the Dark - Akiyoshi Rikako

One of my favourite horror writers ever. Akiyoshi Rikako is a very talented Japanese writer. She always made a horror story that sometimes has a lot of plot twists. Girls in the Dark is one of her very first books. In my opinion, the story is always mindblowing. I love how she tried to play with our minds when reading it.

9. Cinder - Marissa Meyer

Well, I don't know. As a retelling story, I haven't read any book that makes me love it as Cinder has. I love how Meyer executes the story. I remember I tried to finish the tetralogy in one go. It just shows how I really love the story.

10. Animal Farm - George Orwell

This is a famous political allegory written by Orwell. It's always been one of my favourite books to recommend. Well, to understand more about a structural world of view, this book is a must-read book.

Yeay, that's all for today's recommendation. What about you, guys? Which book you have read? Or do you have another book to recommend to me? 

Sincerely,
Ra