Hello and welcome. It’s so good to see you today! Can we all take a moment to appreciate the fact that it’s finally Friday, hoorah, and the weekend is here. Thank Crunchie. It’s also day 17 of this year’s #R3COMM3ND3D and so far, it’s going swimmingly.  We’ve had 47 individual recommendations and only one book has been picked twice, making it the leader….for the moment. That book is The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward and I suggest you do everything you can to get your mitts on a copy (providing you don’t mind a touch of darkness in your books!).

Joining me today is a fantastic blogger I first ‘met’ last year thanks to #R3COMM3ND3D2020. It’s Emma Kuyateh of Primary Teacher Bookshelf. My daughter has begun to take a real interest in books of late so it’s always great to see what Emma recommends. She currently has one of Emma’s 2020 recommendations sat on her shelf waiting patiently to be read (thanks to Emma’s review). And as a book-mad parent of a newly book-mad tween, I’m always interested to see what’s out there for G now, and when she’s a little older.

So, what is #R3COMM3ND3D2021? It’s about sharing the book love. It’s a chance for authors, book bloggers and bookstagrammers to shout about three (yes, *only* three) books they love. They can be written by any author, in any genre and published in any way (traditionally, indie press or self-published). But there is a catch. All three books must have been published in 2021. To make things interesting there are a couple of teeny, tiny rules; 1) the book must have FIRST been published in 2021 and 2) special editions and reissues do not count. I like to keep you lovely people on your toes 😉

As this is the fifth year of #R3C, things are going to be a smidge different this year. There’s a scary deadline involved *shudder*. The #R3COMM3ND3D application form will only be open until midday (GMT) on Wednesday 1st December. If you would like to take part in #R3C this year (and I would LOVE you to!) then please get your three choices in sooner rather than later. Any posts scheduled for later in December will be brought forward and I will close the series early if I’m not able to fill all of the available dates. The form is at the bottom of this post if you fancy taking part.

Here are the three books Emma recommends…

Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller
As well as being a thrilling and terrifying page-turner, Ghost Bird allowed a glimpse into a First Nations community in rural Australia and the spiritual beliefs of the people. It’s a community I had little knowledge of previously.
Emma’s Review of Ghost Bird

Grow by Luke Palmer
Grow shows how frighteningly easy it is for a vulnerable teenager to slip off the radar into a dangerous world of everyday society without family, friends and teachers realising before it’s too late.
Emma’s Review of Grow

The Shark Caller by Zillah Bethell
Atmospheric, captivating and deeply moving, The Shark Caller is difficult to put down once started and difficult to forget once finished – it’s once of those stories that will stay with me for a long time.
Emma’s Review of The Shark Caller

Thanks so much, Emma. I quite fancy all three of your recommendations myself! Particularly Ghost Bird, what with my obsession for Australian fiction at the moment.

About Emma Kuyateh – Primary Teacher Bookshelf:
I am a Primary School Teacher of 17 years and I blog about picture books, Middle Grade and Young Adult.

Emma’s Blog and Social Media Links:
| Primary Teacher Bookshelf | Twitter @emmakuyateh | Instagram @primaryteacherbookshelf |

If you’re a book blogger, bookstagrammer or an author and you have three books published this year which you want to shout about then please complete the following form (or click this link: https://forms.gle/pHinvKCHGP89wumn9)