Ten Books to Read if You are in the Mood for A Dose of Reality

TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Sometimes I read for escapism. But sometimes, I am in the mood to read something that shows us harsh reflections of reality. So below, I am listed ten books that I feel fits this category.

You Were Here by Cori McCarthy

I have just finished this book so I feel like I can't stop talking about it. But this YA novel is absolutely stunning in its dealings with dark themes such as death, grief, teenage drinking and dangerous stunts. If you want to hear about my raves about this amazing book, click here.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I went into this book thinking it will be a standard murder mystery thriller. But opening this book is like opening a can of worms. Larsson does not hold back anything - every ugly facet of abuse and violence against women are brought out into the open. It's kind of refreshing, in a way.

The 5th Wave trilogy by Rick Yancey

Earth is being systematically destroyed. Only small scattered groups of humans remain. Do we band together? Or do we turn on each other? What is the meaning of being human? I felt so much emotions when I was reading this. All I can say is I cannot wait for The Last Star to be released!

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This book is a lovely juxtaposition of the charms of a childhood story and a backdrop of growing violence on a world scale. See my review here. 

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

One of my favourite books of 2015. I love anything set in World War II. But the scale of brutality in this book can be confronting at times. See my review here.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is another one of my all-time favourites. The Book Thief details World War II through the eyes of death. Absolutely amazing. See my review here.

The Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken

Dystopian fiction always highlights the worse of human kind but there is something about The Darkest Mind trilogy that brings a small glimpse of hope down the track.

Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden

I really enjoyed the Tomorrow series when I first read it back in high school. It may have been one of the earliest series I have read that dealt with human violence and warfare.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

While Black Beauty is a lovely childhood tale, it also highlights not only animal cruelty but also the great class divide between the rich and the poor.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

The story of Eleanor and Park is simple in its premise but it carries such a punch that I still think about this story at times. It contains more than just a romance story. Family drama, bullies, poverty, not fitting in - all of these themes are so subtly scattered throughout the book that I am still in awe.

So there you have it. If you are in the mood for a dose of reality, feel free to pick up any of the books above. Now, if you excuse me, after writing this post, I am going to go and explore everyone else's TTTs and find a good book to escape into.