Favorite Books

Need a great book?  Below I have listed some of my all-time favorite books.  Pick one up and give it a read!

Although I advocate reading across age divides, I have divided the books into three categories. Click one of the categories below to go to that section:

New Adult

Young Adult

Younger Readers

New Adult

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His Fair Assassin Series

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Assassin Nuns.  Need I say more?  Well-written, action-filled, romances, intrigue- these books have it all.  Read, read, read, READ them.

Stormlight Archives 

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

These are HUGE books, but don't let that scare you off.  Brandon Sanderson (in my opinion) is the best writer EVER.  Words of Radiance is my absolute favorite book of all time.  Sanderson's worlds and magic systems are simply amazing.  I also commend him for his fantastic clue-laying abilities, surprise twists, and character development.  If you started Mistborn and loved it, or maybe started Mistborn and weren't that impressed (like me) READ THESE BOOKS.

The Emperor's Soul 

Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic. Condemned to death after trying to steal the emperor’s scepter, she is given one opportunity to save herself. Though her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead.

Daunted by my recommendation of Sanderson's 1000+ page Stormlight Archives?  Read this book.  This is usually the book I suggest people read when they have not read any Sanderson.  It's a short book, only 190 pages or so, and a compelling, magical read.

Abhorsen Trilogy

Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him.

These books are AMAZING.  Book two: Lirael makes my top 5 favorite book list every time.  It also is the home of my favorite scene of all time, and a library that will make all book lovers jealous.  Garth Nix's way of writing in these book is quite archaic, but it fits the tone of the books perfectly.  I only mention it because some people are put off by it at first.  Give it a chance.  Once you grasp the jargon of the world you'll be sucked in.

There is a fourth book in the series: Across the Wall.  As I did not enjoy this book (it is a series of short stories in the same world) and it was not part of the original trilogy, I did not include it.

Sevenwaters Series

Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her.  But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift-by staying silent. If she speaks before she completes the quest set to her by the Fair Folk and their queen, the Lady of the Forest, she will lose her brothers forever. 


The first book is modeled after the Irish tale of The Children of Lir.  The books are fantastically written and the world is one of my absolute favorites.  If you loved Outlander (the books or the TV show) and are yearning for something of the same quality and setting- read these books.  They are AMAZING.

 Angelica

Every year the god Jovah requires the voices of the archangels to be lifted in praise to him, a tradition that has stood for hundreds of years.  If the songs are not sung, descruction will befall the earth.  

Jovah has appointed a new Archangel to rule: Archangel Gaaron.  The Archangel takes all his duties seriously, except the duty of finding the lifemate chosen for him by Jovah.  This task he leaves until last minute.  Unfortunately his chosen life-mate, the human Susannah, has absolutely no desire to marry him.  

Reluctantly, and somewhat rebelliously, Susannah goes with the Archangel.  For months she practices her part in the Hallelujah, but her impending solo and arrogant, impatient husband-to-be are not her only problems.  A terrible darkness threatens the land, and to defeat it Susannah and Gaaron must find common ground.


While this is book four of the series, I read this book first and usually recommend it as a stand alone book.  It is a great story, the way Sharon Shinn describes singing is absolutely beautiful.  It is a romance, but is very light.  There is no overt sexual scenes, but rather illustrates the slow building trust and mutual respect of Susannah and Gaaron as they fall in love. 

Young Adult

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Throne of Glass Series

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

These books are amazing.  Throne of Glass is good, but a bit too YA cliche with its love triangle.  JUST WAIT.  Get through book one and prepare to have your mind blown by book two.  Fans of augmented fairy tales and bad ass female characters- read these.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns Series

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.  Elisa is the chosen one.   But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will. 

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her as well as a daring, determined revolutionary who thinks she could be his people's savior.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.  Most of the chosen do.

These books were amazing.  I devoured them so rapidly it should be criminal. There were so many fantastic lines.  I took so many pictures when reading the first book so I could put my favorite quotes up on this blog.  There were just too many. 

 Harry Potter

 Nearly everyone has at least heard of these books.  If you haven't read them you are missing out.  READ THEM.  There is a reason they are famous. 

Younger Readers

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The Last Apprentice Series

For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried—some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive.

Only Thomas Ward is left. He's the last hope, the last apprentice. 

I did not expect good things from these books.  I mean...they are in the elementary section of the library and just seem so silly.  NO.  These are the scariest books I have ever read.  I am 24 and I am telling you- THESE BOOKS ARE SCARY.  The back of each book even warns you which pages not to read when it is dark at night.  Joseph Delaney writes the books at a reading level that works for younger kids, but also makes the story so compelling and well written that I didn't feel like I was reading a kids book. 

On another note- a movie has been made about these books called The Seventh Son.  I don't have good hopes for it, but I'll see it anyway just because I adored these books.

Claidi Journals

All her life, Claidi has endured hardship in the House, where she must obey a spoiled princess. Then a golden stranger arrives, living proof of a world beyond the House walls. Claidi risks all to free the charming prisoner and accompanies him across the Waste toward his faraway home. It is a difficult yet marvelous journey, and all the while Claidi is at the side of a man she could come to love. That is, until they reach his home . . . and the Wolf Tower. 

With one of the best openings I have ever read and one of my absolute favorite protagonists, the Claidi Journals have always remained in my top ten favorite book lists.  They are written for a younger audience, but the world is rich and the story line is magical.  Give it a read!

The Hollow Kingdom Series 

 

 In nineteenth-century England, a powerful sorcerer and King of the Goblins chooses Kate, the elder of two orphan girls recently arrived at their ancestral home, Hallow Hill, to become his bride and queen...

This is the coolest book about goblins you will ever read.  One of the main themes of the story is learning to love others for who they are- not what they look like.  I adored the theme, as well as Kate.  She is plucky, brave, and compassionate.  They are short reads, but fantastic in every way shape and form.  Give them a read and see why I love them so much.

Ella Enchanted

At birth, Ella is cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey.  When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem to be in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery as she tries to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. 

The best retelling of Cinderella's story there ever has, and ever will be.   I have read this book over 30 times throughout my life.  Avoid the movie at all costs after reading this book.  Just trust me, read the book instead.

Chanters of Tremaris Series

Calwyn has never been beyond the high ice-wall that guards the sisters of Antaris from the world of Tremaris. She knows only the rounds of her life as a novice ice priestess, tending her bees, singing her ice chantments, and dreaming.

But then Calwyn befriends Darrow, a mysterious Outlander who appears inside the Wall and warns of an approaching danger. To help Darrow, to see the world, and perhaps to save it, Calwyn will leave the safety of the Wall for a journey with a man she barely knows--and an adventure as beautiful and dangerous as the music of chantment itself. 

I have not re-read these books for a while, not since I was in middle school.  But they were some of my absolute favorites because of the magic system.  If you like quick reads and fantasy books, give this one a try.