Some of my Favorite Books

As someone who's been reading their entire life, I have a lot of favorite books. If you knew me between the ages of 9-13, you would think I read so much I didn't have time to do anything else (which isn't true, I still had plenty of time to race my siblings down the stairs in sleeping bags and play tennis in the house using a tissue box instead of a ball).

One series that really did keep my eyes glued to it though was the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. If you read much, you probably already have read or at least know about this phenomenal series written by Rick Riordan, but I still have to list it as an all time favorite. Even as an adult, this series and it's sequel series The Heroes of Olympus keep my attention and inspire me to write my own adventures.

This next series I'll shout out is definitely aimed at a younger audience and now that I'm older it's easy to see, but the story itself has always stuck with me. The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer took a bunch of existing fairy tales and kept asking, "what happened next?" It blew my mind as a young kid and I'm pretty sure it's the only thing I talked about for roughly two years. I still pretty constantly think about them and the only thing I can think about Chris is that he must be a genius to weave so many stories together so intricately.

I had to list the kids' series first and foremost because they hold such a dear place in my heart and they really inspired the kids' novels I write now. However, it's time to shout out some darker books.

For starters, Nothing Left to Burn by Patty Blount has been a favorite of mine since I found when I was twelve or thirteen. It depicts teens Reece and Amanda as they navigate school, family, and the junior fire squad they volunteer for. Reece struggles with suicidal ideation and he's only joined the fire squad cadet program to get back at his dad, one of the lieutenants there, who walked out on Reece and his mom. While Reece struggles with that, Amanda is worried that the drama brought into her fire house will impact her ability stay out of trouble so she can stay with the foster family hosting her. She has a connection with the other junior cadets and the younger boy being hosted by the same family. She can't risk losing her foster brother and the stability she's accomplished for herself, but her feelings threaten to break her foster parents' rules for her.

If you want your heart to race while you wonder who, if anyone, will make it out alive I would recommend a book called This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp. The different characters' stories are woven together intricately in a way that gives you every possible harrowing perspective. The school is gathered for an assembly when a gunman takes control of the room. It's quickly discovered that the auditorium doors are locked and the students are trapped with a madman who has a grudge against the entire school, including his own sister. This one definitely comes with a trigger warning, but for those who can, I would highly recommend This is Where it Ends.

On that note, Time Bomb by Joelle Charbonneau features students trapped in their school as they navigate the wreckage made by the first bomb. Authorities refuse to help them as they've deduced that the bomber is still inside. Additionally, they believe another bomb may still be inside with them. Seven students with grudges against themselves and each other try to determine who the bomber is while simultaneously leaning on one another to make it out alive. The entire read I was changing my mind about who the bomber was and the end made my head spin.

I'm going to talk about just one more outstanding novel in this article. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera gripped my heart and made me cry. A lot. Possibly more than any other book. Now, you're probably thinking "do they both die at the end, or is the title meant to just make you think that they do?" I'm not going to answer that question, all I will leave you with is that Adam Silvera crafted a beautiful story that made one day seem simultaneously like the longest one in history and the shortest micro second.

These are just some of the wonderful works on my shelf, but they're the ones I felt like talking about today. The authors I listed above are inspirations to me, and I would highly recommend checking their works out (after you've read mine, of course).