Favorite Reads

This is a page dedicated to some of my absolute favorite reads, adult and young adult, from many different genres.  I have not reviewed many of these books since I read a lot of them before I had my blog, but I am going to include the synopsis and blurb of what I thought.  Check back every so often to see if any new books have been added!!

Tuesdays with Morrie

Mitch Albom

     Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly 20 years ago. Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn’t you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you? Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man’s life. Knowing he was dying of ALS – or motor neurone disease – Morrie visited Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final “class”: lessons in how to live. This is a chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie’s lasting gift with the world.

     By far one of my absolute favorite books…ever.  This is a nonfiction memoir by Mitch Albom that I had to read for my Developmental Psychology class, and I am so glad that I did.  This book will touch you in a way you never knew a book could.  By the end of this book, I was crying, and I don’t mean a little tear trickle down the cheek crying, I mean faucet pouring from both eyes crying.  Beautiful story, very heartfelt, don’t forget your box of tissues!

Wicked Lovely

Melissa Marr

     All teenagers have problems, but few of them can match those of Aislinn, who has the power to see faeries. Quite understandably, she wishes that she could share her friends’ obliviousness and tries hard to avoid these invisible intruders. But one faery in particular refuses to leave her alone. Keenan the Summer King is convinced beyond all reasoning that Aislinn is the queen he has been seeking for nine centuries. What’s a 21st-century girl to do when she’s stalked by a suitor nobody else can see? 

     Faeries are very colorful creatures who live in a very different world from us, and Melissa Marr certainly knows how to paint that onto a page!  She created an amazing faerie world in this book with truly wonderful characters.

Forgive My Fins and Fins are Forever

Tera Lynn Childs

Forgive My Fins

     Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush. 

     Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life. 

     When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

*Don’t read synopsis of the sequel if you don’t want some minor things given away!*

Fins are Forever

     On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.

     Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

     The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?

     I absolutely adore these books 🙂 There just aren’t enough mermaids gracing the pages of books & Tera does a wonderful job of giving us the mergirl Lily Sanderson.  Quirky, bright, and full of spunk, these books are definitely worth saving a spot on your shelf for.  Find my review of them here.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Sarah Addison Allen

     In her latest enchanting novel, New York Times bestselling author Sarah Addison Allen invites you to a quirky little Southern town with more magic than a full Carolina moon. Here two very different women discover how to find their place in the world…no matter how out of place they feel. 

     Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. For instance, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? Why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life.

     Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.

     Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth and in the hope of bringing back the love she fears she’s lost forever. In Julia, Emily may have found a link to her mother’s past. But why is everyone trying to discourage Emily’s growing relationship with the handsome and mysterious son of Mullaby’s most prominent family? Emily came to Mullaby to get answers, but all she’s found so far are more questions.

     Is there really a ghost dancing in her backyard? Can a cake really bring back a lost love?
In this town of lovable misfits, maybe the right answer is the one that just feels…different.

     Sarah Addison Allen has become one of my favorite authors.  I love her magnificent way of writing.  This book has a good message and is an absolute pleasure to read.  You can find my review here.

Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas

James Patterson

     Katie Wilkinson has found the perfect man at last—but one day he disappears from her life, leaving behind only a diary for her to read.

     The diary is written by a woman named Suzanne and is addressed to her new baby boy, Nicholas. In it she pours out her heart about the joy he has brought her. As Katie reads this moving story, she realizes that the man she’s fallen in love with is Suzanne’s husband, Nicholas’s father. She reads on, filled with terror and hope as she struggles to understand what happened —and whether her new love can survive.

     Written with Patterson’s perfect pitch for emotion and suspense, this novel captures beautifully the joys of a new family. This is an unforgettable story, at once heartbreaking and full of hope.

     This is one of James Patterson’s older novels, and to me it is so much better than his newer books.  This is my top favorite by him and is a very emotional story.  I had goosebumps all over when I finished this book!

 The Harry Potter series

 J.K. Rowling

      Follow Harry Potter on his adventures in the wizarding world.  On his 11th birthday he is told (by a rather large friend) that he is a wizard and gets to go to Hogwarts, the school for witches and wizards.  Through the seven Harry Potter books, you get to see him and his two best friends, Ron and Hermione, go through many challenges and changes as they learn and encounter creatures, spells and all sort of things in the magical realm.

I of course had to include the Harry Potter series on my favorites list!  These books were absolutely fantastic.  You get so attached to these wonderful characters and the magnificent wizarding world.  This series will suck you in a keep you entranced from the first book to the last.

 The Twilight Series

 Stephenie Meyer

 Isabella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife-between desire and danger.  Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

Yes, I am one of those people, but that’s okay.  This and Harry Potter are the main books responsible for me loving Young Adult books so much.  It was also my first introduction to the Love Triangle which has become ever so popular.  I will forever loves these books!

 The Language of Flowers

 Vanessa Diffenbaugh

    The Victorian language of flowers was used to express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas for passion, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it has been more useful in communicating feelings like grief, mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen, Victoria has nowhere to go, and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. When her talent is discovered by a local florist, she discovers her gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But it takes meeting a mysterious vendor at the flower market for her to realise what’s been missing in her own life, and as she starts to fall for him, she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, and decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness. “The Language of Flowers” is a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about the meaning of flowers, the meaning of family, and the meaning of love.

     All I have to say for this book is WOW.  I loved this book.  It is a beautiful read and very meaningful.  The author’s style of writing is exquisite.  It made me want to learn the language of flowers!!  Read my review here.

 Anna  Dressed in Blood

 Kendare Blake

     Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

     So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

     When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas’s life.

     Super fantastic book!!  This one is a definite must read for anyone who likes scary books!  Perfect YA horror read.  Great for Halloween!  This book is one of my new top faves.  Gruesome and creepy in all the right places.  A must read!  Find my review here.

Cinder

Marissa Meyer

     Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 

     In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.

This book was AMAZING!!  Wonderful characters, a unique way to retell Cinderella, and full of emotional turmoil for the reader.  There is no way I couldn’t have this one on my Favorite Reads page!  Find my review here.

Forbidden

Tabitha Suzuma

     Love knows no bounds…

     Lochan and Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings.  Together, they have stepped in for their unreliable, alcoholic mother to take care of their three younger siblings.  The stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. 

So close that they have fallen in love.

     Lochan and Maya know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue.  And yet they are powerless to stop what feels so incredibly right…

This book is so absolutely amazing and brilliant!  Full of emotions and beauty where you never expected to find it.  If you are willing to step out of your comfort zone for a book, then this is the one to read.  This novel has characters who are real and a story that is powerful.  The impact will stay with you for days after you’re finished.  Find my review here.

 Anna and the French Kiss

 Stephanie Perkins

 Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris – until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near – misses end with the French kiss Anna – and readers – have long awaited?  

This was a ridiculously wonderful, charming, funny read! I laughed through almost the entire book.  It sucks you in and has you forcing yourself to put it down when read time is over.  The characters are so real, and St. Clair has every girl crushing on him even if he is a fictional person.  This book reminds you of what it’s like to love for the first time.  Find my full review here.

 Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Laini Taylor

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself? 

This was a great otherwordly book.  There is a lot to this book and a bunch of incredible characters.  The descriptions are marvelous and the world just comes to life.  Dark, mysterious, beautiful.  A definite must read or even a must listen for the audiobook, which was FANTASTIC.  Find my review here.

 On The Jellicoe Road

Melina Merchetta

At age eleven, Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother. At fourteen, she ran away from boarding school, only to be tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now seventeen, Taylor’s the reluctant leader of her school’s underground community, whose annual territory war with the Townies and visiting Cadets has just begun. This year, though, the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, and Taylor can’t avoid his intense gaze for long. To make matters worse, Hannah, the one adult Taylor trusts, has disappeared. But if Taylor can piece together the clues Hannah left behind, the truth she uncovers might not just settle her past, but also change her future.

Oh, this book, this magnificent book!  I read this story because many other bloggers were talking about how great it was and I wanted to see what the hype was about, so I picked up a book I normally wouldn’t read and I am so glad I did because it was AMAZING.  I love all the characters and I wish they were real so I could hug them all.  The story perfectly weaves in two separate stories and makes an incredible tale.  Truly a must read even if it isn’t one you’d normally pick up.  Find my full review here.