I need to geek out about my favorite books for a hot second (fiction edition)

Since we discussed the BROKENNESS of required reading last week, it only seems appropriate to talk about the books I DO like.

Did you know I read a lot? If you’ve reading this blog for a bit, I think you probably figured that out by now. And like any reader, if you give me half a chance to talk about a books, I don’t shut up until long after you’re filled with regret and you have moved into the “I’m going to die here” stage of being stuck in this particular conversation.

Which made me think I should probably take some time to talk about my favorite books!

I’ve written posts about books before. Previously, I even read a top 10 for 2021 new reads. But this is a post of some of my favorite books that I basically can’t ever stop thinking about and therefore can’t ever talk enough about. This is part 1 of a 2 part series. This week we focus on fiction. Nonfiction we’ll dive into next week.

Brace yourself! The nerdy reader monster is about to emerge.

The Raven Cycle and its spinoff Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater (currently 6 books, 7th upcoming)

This is my go-to answer for the question, “What is your favorite book?” If there was one book I can recommend, it will ALWAYS BE THIS SERIES. I’ve gone so far as to beg someone to read it. I’m a sad, desperate reader who just wants to talk about this series all the time.

I apologize in advance.

The Raven Cycle series, which starts with the book The Raven Boys, is about five teenagers (Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah) on a quest to find a dead Welsh king. Yes, really. The story takes place in rural Virginia in the town of Henrietta and is WAY more than meets the eye. The opening chapter is all about how Blue, for her entire life, has been told by every psychic that if she kisses her true love, he will die.

Sounds like YA, right?

It’s funny to think about now, but I almost DNF’d (did not finish) the first book in the series at about the 45% mark. But then I kept going and fell in absolute love. I can’t imagine the alternate reality where I did decide to DNF this book. That sounds like a worse timeline.

But like I said, this book series is wild. It has it allll. Fast expensive cars which irresponsible teens street race! Psychic mothers! A magic forest! A pet raven! A private all-boys school! Violence! Romance! A hitman! Lots of bad decisions!

Yeah, it’s wild.

This series is wonderful and is my favorite obsession. I met Maggie Stiefvater while she was on tour for The Raven King (the fourth book in the series) where she stood on a table in Barnes and Noble and proceeded to tell an audience about her fainting goats and her previous career as a portrait painter. And her peculiar way of looking at the world (that I love) is all over the pages of this wonderful series.

If there’s one book on this list you put on your TBR (to be read list), please let it be this one (well, seven).

Vicious and Vengeance by V.E. Schwab

Vicious and Vengeance are part of the same series. V.E. Schwab is planning to write a third as well, and I’m already excited, even though the book doesn’t exist yet. The best way I can describe this is as a supervillain origin story. It’s a dark, often violent series (want to be honest so you know what you’re getting into) that is absolutely extraordinary. It’s a completely different take on the origins of superheroes and you’ll find yourself rooting for the villain of the story (though, to be honest, most characters are villains in this story).

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (yes, she gets two entries on my list DEAL WITH IT)

Yup, V.E. Schwab gets to be on the list twice. She is one of my favorite writers. I love learning about her process, since I relate to it a lot in my own writing. In fact, I was already a fan of hers and followed her on social media when she was working on The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. It was a story idea she’d had for a long time and only recently had the tools she needed to get it written. And wow, it was worth it.

Addie LaRue is deathly scared of dying in the same town she was born in and prays for something greater. However, after praying in the morning and the afternoon and pretty much every other time of day, she makes the mistake of praying after dark. And a dark entity—very possibly the devil—hears her prayer. She agrees to a dangerous deal: to live forever, or at least until she no longer wishes to. But it comes with an inconvenient hitch she learns later: no one can remember her. The moment they look away, she’s forgotten. Nor can she make any mark on the world—the written word is not something she can create. All in all, a very poetic nightmare.

The story is moving and beautiful and just the right amount of magical. It’s stuck with me to the point that it still drifts in the back of my mind, even though I read it two years ago.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

I get very invested in the books I read, to the point that I think my favorite books are a good indicator of who I am as a person (let’s pretend we didn’t just go over the fact that one of my favorite books is a supervillain origin story…). But even though I get very invested in books, I very rarely cry when reading. I did during The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Fault in Our Starts by John Green (be glad you weren’t in the theater next to me when I went to see that movie). But the book that brought me to tears that has stuck the most with me is Eliza and Her Monsters. Not because it’s sad. But because it was wild to feel so incredibly seen in a story.

In this book, Eliza is the writer and artist behind a viral webcomic…but no one knows. She keeps her online persona separate from who she is. But then she meets the most popular fan fiction writer from her own fandom when he moves to her school. It’s a book that explores the significance of fandom. Which was a critical part of my own childhood but not often depicted in any media ever. This book made me feel seen and I cried with the joy that this book exists and the wish that it had existed when I was a teenager.

The Mara Dyer trilogy and its spinoff The Shaw Confessions by Michelle Hodkin (currently 5 books, 6th upcoming)

In case it wasn’t already clear by the inclusion of Vicious and Vengeance in this list, I’m a fan of dark books. In fact, the first time I read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (first book in this series), I was somewhat overwhelmed by how the twists in the book kept taking the story to a darker place. In fact, like with Vicious, this series is also often referred to as a supervillain origin story. The main difference is that these books feels like they shouldn’t be creating a supervillain. It’s YA but it still goes to dark places.

If you like scary things that don’t quite go into horror, this is a great option. Also, not gonna lie, I love Noah Shaw in this series. He might be the main reason this book series makes the list.

The Shadow and Bone trilogy and its spinoff Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo (there’s another spinoff series as well…I just haven’t finished it yet)

You may have heard of Shadow and Bone before but not know from where. I am here to tell you that you probably saw it while scrolling through Netflix because this amazing book series also has a Netflix series! Watching the show isn’t a substitute for reading the books, though.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t watch it. I loved the series. It’s a fantastic adaptation. Enjoy both.

I actually read the spinoff series Six of Crows first, and only went back to the Shadow and Bone trilogy after I read the spinoff duology. They exist in the same world but they stand on their own beautifully.

Shadow and Bone stars Alina as she discovers her supernatural abilities as a Grisha and how those abilities might just be what saves the world. I read the first book in the series and was immediately obsessed.

Six of Crows, though, is the one that stuck me with me more, maybe just because I read it first. This is a supernatural heist novel, in which a team of Kaz, Jesper, Inej, Nina, Matthias, and Wylan take on an impossible job breaking into an unbreakable prison. I loved this series so much that I literally named my cat after the protagonist (I figured my little black cat would be as mischievous as Kaz Brekker). If that’s doesn’t prove a love for a series, I don’t know what does.

.........

And because I don’t know when to stop, I wanted to share a few honorable mention books.

Honorable Mentions:

• With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo - Cooking that’s basically magical! Learning how to navigate being a mom in high school and managing a relationship with your baby’s father! I loved reading this book. It was so hopeful and warm.

• A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness - For someone who keeps insisting I don’t cry a lot when I read, I keep showcasing books that brought me to tears.

• Invictus by Ryan Graudin - TIME TRAVEL! Like, really REALLY well done time travel. Need I say more?

Basically, there’s a lot of books that I’ve read in my lifetime and a bunch that will stick with me for a lifetime. I hope you can find books that do that for you too and maybe one or more of these suggestions of mine give you a good place to start!

And next week: the nonfiction!