Ten Books Picked Up On A Whim

This week's Top Ten Tuesday hosted by the amazing The Broke and the Bookish is 'Top Ten Books Picked Up On A Whim.' We have combined some books that we bought without much knowledge of them but ended up loving. 

+ Becky's choices +

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas I picked up Throne of Glass at Waterstones on a whim, during one of the many times that I needed to get a second book for the buy one get one half price offer. I saw the cover, read the blurb and thought I’d maybe enjoy it a little bit, and that if nothing else, it’d at least be an interesting, light hearted read. I definitely didn’t expect it to be the start of one of my favourite series! The book follows the beginning of the story of Celaena, Adarlan’s best assassin, as she is released from her imprisonment in order to take part in a competition to become the crown’s royal assassin.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor Around the time that I really started getting into YA books, I got Daughter of Smoke and Bone for Christmas. Again, this series is now one of my all time favourites, so big thanks go to my Uncle for picking it up for me. It’s the story of Karou, a girl half of this world and half not, as she navigates the secrets surrounding her past and the monsters she works for.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir I genuinely don’t know how I ended up getting hold of An Ember in the Ashes. I’d heard nothing about it, never even heard of the title or author before, but it appeared on Amazon and I immediately bought it there and then just after reading the small synopsis. The book, set in a land inspired by Ancient Rome, follows Laia, a slave, and Elias, a soldier, and how their worlds collide.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh A beautiful, modern retelling of Arabian Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is the story of Shahrzad and Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. I downloaded the free Kindle sample of this, was immediately sucked into the story, and knew that I had to order a hardback of it straight away.

Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen This is the story of Kelsea, the young heir to the throne of a torn kingdom, trying to learn how to bring peace to the land as well as contending with the Red Queen of Mortmesne. This is another book that I stumbled across during a time when I had nothing to read and was looking for something simple that I could get through quickly and easily, and it turned out to be a really interesting story! I can’t wait for the third instalment of this series to come out later this year.

+ Angharad's choices +

Unbecoming by Jenny Downham

One of my all time favourite books 'Before I Die' was written by the same author so when I saw this in Waterstones, I automatically grabbed it without even reading the synopsis. I'm such a fan of Jenny Downham's writing style. Unbecoming tells the story of three generations of women and it deals with dementia, family and truth.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I know it's hard to believe that I picked up this book on a whim considering how much hype was surrounding it but, yep, I did. In my defence, it was before I had Goodreads and before I discovered Booktube so I was pretty much living under a rock. I had previously read the Grisha trilogy and although that series should have ended after the first book, I was still a fan of the world Leigh had created. Six of Crows tells the story of six misfits who come together to attempt a dangerous heist.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Yes, it may have the world's longest title and that's probably what drew me towards it in the book shop. The beautiful cover and promising synopsis was also a winner. This book tells the story of Aristotle and Dante as they develop an unlikely friendship and eventually fall in love.

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

I bought this after seeing it in the same section as 'Dare Me' in the book shop. I have always been fascinated with the complexity of teenage girls and their friendships and the authors brave enough to delve into that world. This book follows the story of a group of friends that go on holiday but tragedy strikes when one girl is found brutally murdered. Anna, our protagonist and the victim's best friend, is framed for the crime but is everything as it seems?

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

I think this book is pretty much unknown in the book community so I had no knowledge of it until I was browsing the Crime Fiction section of Waterstones. I've grown up loving this genre and this book's blurb just drew me in. It tells the story of Ted and Lily, strangers who meet at an airport bar. After revealing secrets to one another, Ted reveals that he believes his wife is having an affair and he could kill her for what she's done. Without a beat, Lily wants to help plan the murder and so a dark plan is formed.

What are some books you picked up on a whim?

Let us know in the comments.