From the last 10 years or so at least. Not including Harry Potter, which of course is probably number 1.
When we first moved to our house we had no internet. Not because we hadn’t set it up or because it wasn’t in the budget (I’m sure it wasn’t.) because we are so rural it wasn’t even available until 2014. Reading has always been one of my favorite past times and in the days before I had internet again, I spent many hours reading on the couch by the big living room window. Even better was when it was raining while I was reading by the big living room window. Then my 2nd was born and I was unable to find any time to sit down with a book. But you know what I did a lot of? Laying in bed next to a sleeping and/or breastfeeding baby. And that’s when I discovered the Kindle App.
Before I was a mom of 2 I was a die hard physical book fan. As in, I didn’t have any interest in reading on a kindle or a nook because it didn’t give me the same feeling as I got opening a book, and smelling the pages. But the whirlwind of noise and crying that was the Secondborn meant that if I wanted to read at all during my hours of laying in bed with him, I must give reading on a device a chance.
Also about a year ago I got Amazon Prime and discovered that as an added bonus, they will email me every month and let me choose one of six books to read for free. FOUR of these books came to me from Amazon Prime, either through this program, or Prime Reading.
I like a good range of fiction novels, science fiction (some), dystopian series (Hunger Games, Maze Runner, etc.) mysteries, thrillers. Fantasy, however, is one I keep coming back to. It some how recaptures the feeling I got reading fairy tales and Donna Jo Napoli’s books as a child. Here’s some of my recent favorite fantasy books
The Mermaid’s Sister by Carrie Anne Noble
There is no cure for being who you truly are….
In a cottage high atop Llanfair Mountain, sixteen-year-old Clara lives with her sister, Maren, and guardian Auntie. By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions. By night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphan infants-Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree.
One day, Clara discovers shimmering scales just beneath her sister’s skin. She realizes that Maren is becoming a mermaid-and knows that no mermaid can survive on land. Desperate to save her, Clara and O’Neill place the mermaid-girl in their gypsy wagon and set out for the sea. But no road is straight, and the trio encounters trouble around every bend. Ensnared by an evil troupe of traveling performers, Clara and O’Neill must find a way to save themselves and the ever-weakening mermaid.
And always, in the back of her mind, Clara wonders, if my sister is a mermaid, then what am I?
I truly loved this book. The author really paints a picture of the setting and the characters, it was very easy to imagine them. Clara is likeable and relatable as she deals with conflicting feelings of love and jealousy of her sister.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Young Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria—even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that old stone wall, Tristran learns, lies Faerie—where nothing, not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.
This is the only book on this list that I didn’t find through the Kindle App. Honestly, I can’t remember now how I discovered it. I have read it now several times, and watched the movie (That stars Charlie Cox from Netflix’ Daredevil as Tristran) a handful of times. Neil Gaiman is amazing. He’s also the author of Coraline and American Gods. Definitely check him out, and Stardust.
The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever.
Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.
An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.
I kept seeing this book series pop up on suggested lists forever and for some reason I always resisted reading it. Once I did, I devoured it and bought the 2nd and 3rd in the series almost immediately after and finished the whole series in about a week. Everything about this book appealed to me. Ceony (who’s name I pronounced in my head as Sea-OH-Nee but apparently is Sea-uh-nee) is an intelligent female protagonist who has to save her tutor. It’s a nice reversal on the damsel in distress theme. I loved reading about the different types of magicians and the sorts of things they were capable of. I’m hoping this series gets turned into a television series or movie.
The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher
Young Rhea is a miller’s daughter of low birth, so she is understandably surprised when a mysterious nobleman, Lord Crevan, shows up on her doorstep and proposes marriage. Since commoners don’t turn down lords—no matter how sinister they may seem—Rhea is forced to agree to the engagement.
Lord Crevan demands that Rhea visit his remote manor before their wedding. Upon arrival, she discovers that not only was her betrothed married six times before, but his previous wives are all imprisoned in his enchanted castle. Determined not to share their same fate, Rhea asserts her desire for freedom. In answer, Lord Crevan gives Rhea a series of magical tasks to complete, with the threat “Come back before dawn, or else I’ll marry you.”
With time running out and each task more dangerous and bizarre than the last, Rhea must use her resourcefulness, compassion, and bravery to rally the other wives and defeat the sorcerer before he binds her to him forever.
This was on my recommended list from Amazon and I wrongly judged it by its cover. The cover, for whatever reason, struck me as one of those cheesy fantasy novels that was predictable and boring. I am pleased that I was wrong. I enjoy books that give the main character tasks or trials in order to escape their fate and Rhea has to save not only herself, but Lord Crevan’s previous wives.
The Woodcutter by Kate Danley
Deep within the Wood, a young woman lies dead. Not a mark on her body. No trace of her murderer. Only her chipped glass slippers hint at her identity.
The Woodcutter, keeper of the peace between the Twelve Kingdoms of Man and the Realm of the Faerie, must find the maiden’s killer before others share her fate. Guided by the wind and aided by three charmed axes won from the River God, the Woodcutter begins his hunt, searching for clues in the whispering dominions of the enchanted unknown.
But quickly he finds that one murdered maiden is not the only nefarious mystery afoot: one of Odin’s hellhounds has escaped, a sinister mansion appears where it shouldn’t, a pixie dust drug trade runs rampant, and more young girls go missing. Looming in the shadows is the malevolent, power-hungry queen, and she will stop at nothing to destroy the Twelve Kingdoms and annihilate the Royal Fae…unless the Woodcutter can outmaneuver her and save the gentle souls of the Wood.
This book was lovely. It managed to mix the feel of classic fairy tale with modern mystery. The Woodcutter was a little hard to figure out for me at first, I wasn’t sure if he was a detective or what. But the more I read, the more I wanted to read and I had a hard time putting it down. I finished it pretty quickly and was a little forlorn when it was over.
I’m currently reading Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, if anyone has suggestions for other novels you think I’d like based on these, I’d love to hear them!
Advertisements Share this:
