Amber hath once again appeared,
So as many of you may (or may not if you are new here) know I am a bit of a nerd.
Nothing beats a great book in my opinion (I personally enjoy reading history or romance).
Since it is currently 10:00 pm in Portland, I decided to share with you a few of my favorite books.
Now, this is an oldie that I read way back in 7th or 8th grade but is amazing still. This series has 5 books, but I personally only liked the first two. The first two focus on a beautifully written love story between Danica Shardae (avian hawk shifter soon to be queen) and Zane Cobriana (serpiente snake shifter soon to be king). I don't want to give much away, but these books ripped my heart out (in a good way) and then slowly put it together again. The only negative I have for these books is some parts seem to drag on/ bore me, yet others are so action packed that you don't even know how to breathe.
I've officially died and gone to heaven...what's this thing called "breathing"? Okay, let me take a moment to stop my inner fan girl. This is a fairly new book, and I bought it about...a week ago. I kid you not: I have read this book 14 times since I bought it. Let me warn you, this is not a middle school romance book; this is steamy and somewhat graphic so be warned. However, the writing was beautiful, and I am honestly in love with everything. The only negatives for me are: 1. I want my own Liam, 2. I would very much like all of this to happen to me, and 3. Everything seems to work out a little too easy if you know what I mean. I love the fact that the heroin isn't a complete wuss. She stands up for herself, yet she does it in a way that makes most girls look like classless rocks. OH MY GOD THE FEELS...EEEEEEK.
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First, let me just explain this whole Amber, that's a second book in a series. Where are the others? situation we have going on. I bought this book solely for the cover, no shame. Then, I realized this was a piece of a series, but I had no motivation to even look at the others. I started this book with a slight hesitation, but let me tell you: it was nothing like what I expected. I had no idea what to think (possibly because the situation she lives in was explained in the first book), but I was like "Oh, a romance with a little suspense." WRONG. So wrong. Firstly, there is romance, but very G-rated romance: as in, he touched my hand/ I gave him a small kiss. I am usually not very into G-rated romances because I get bored fairly easily, but this book was packed with so much action and fear and.....feels. So many feels. Trust me, I'm not much of a post apocalyptic action girl, but this book is just amazing.
I have to admit this series is a girly type and again, not for a young audience. I never really cared much about Meg Cabot because all I knew her as was The Princess Diaries author, but I stumbled upon this book while browsing Barnes and Noble. Thank you, Jesus. This series got to me deeply because at the time, I was aspiring to be a fashion designer, and I was struggling to deal with boys (don't forget the main point: she's a loud mouth who says too much. Sound familiar?). This book is filled with romance, heartbreak, travel, and amazing opportunities. It actually made me want to become like Lizzie. This series is great for a much needed girly read, and trust me, you can't just read one of the books. They all end in this annoyingly beautiful cliffhangers. Dang you Meg.
This series is targets towards girls going into high school. Each book has made me cry, and each book deals with peer pressure, boys, drugs, alcohol, and puberty (in a good way, I promise). The first book of Sarah Dessen's that I read was Someone Like You, and let me warn you, this book will destroy you. Sarah Dessen has this beautiful little gift of completely shattering you with her writing and stories, yet by the end, you have started to heal (much like her characters). My favorite books of hers are: Someone Like You, Dreamland, Lock and Key, The Truth About Forever and Along for the Ride. I have to admit that I couldn't finish That Summer, Keeping the Moon, or This Lullaby. This had nothing to do with her writing but simply, I couldn't get into the story. I bought What Happened to Goodbye, but I have yet to read it. These books are life changing.
Elizabeth Scott is such a talented writer, but this book has stuck with me for over 4 years. I remember it in vivid detail, and it sucked me in. This also falls out of the romance category. This is what I would call a darker novel of Elizabeth Scott's. It focuses on the kidnapping of a young girl, who is forced to stay forever young with the name, Alice. Alice knows who she was before but is trapped with her kidnapper. This is a truly heartbreaking story because it is so realistic. Alice's reactions and reasons for not running are like so many other girls trapped in her situation. This book is not for the light hearted. It is cruel, but it is still a YA book.
I bought this book during my Twilight (obsessed with vampires and werewolves) days. This book is so beautiful. I know werewolves aren't really a thing anymore, but this book is worth it. It is a series with three books (Shiver, Linger, Forever), but let me be honest, I couldn't even finish the second book, let alone the third. The writing went from an amazing story with an engaging plot to a train wreck. For this reason, I am only recommending this book in the series. I feel the second book follows the same plot as the first except the roles are reversed (instead of him being a werewolf, it's her). Regardless, this book is amazing.
Shout out to my 8th grade English teacher who recommended this book to me because I had ran out of books. This book is a historical book (based around WWI), and it takes place in Kansas. It's a beautiful story with a twinge of romance (very small twinge). Just...read it.
I read this in 7th grade when I started to become obsessed with France and Degas. This story revolves around one of the poor dancers that Degas paints (and then sculpts). There is romance, history, and a call to action within this book. So many things happen, yet Marie stays calm through it. Amazing.
If you don't cry while reading this book then you are heartless. Heartless. I can't recommend this book enough. It is so beautiful, and it makes you think differently about everyone you judged. Although this book appears light at first, this book deals with so much. It addresses the big stuff: drugs, death, fear, pretending, and so much more.
I love stories with strong heroines, and Jaxx is just that. I absolutely love this book, and I just keep rereading it. There is no explanation needed. Perfection.
I purposely didn't include a picture for this one because there are two major series: The Coincidence and The Secret. These series are so amazing, but sometimes they are hard to read (because they deal with real crap, and reality is hard to read sometimes).
Okay, these next few will just be a list of classical (or what I consider classical) books that were amazing and well worth a read.
- Oedipus Rex- Sophocles
- Oedipus the King- Sophocles
- Comte de Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas (this is indeed in French)
- Les Misérables- Victor Hugo (once again French)
- Le Petit Prince- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (need I mention it again?)
- Night- Elie Wiesel
- The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas- John Boyne
- Any Dr. Seuss book
- Number the Stars- Lewis Lowery
- Lolita- Vladimir Nabokav
- Brave New World- Aldous Huxley
- 1984- George Orwell
- Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austin
- Hatchet- Gary Paulsen
- To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
- The Outsiders- S.E. Hinton
- The Catcher in the Rye- J.D. Salinger
- In My Hands- Irene Gut Opdyke
There are probably millions that I have left off the list, but here you go!
