March 3, 2015

Top Ten All-Time Favorite Books Since I Started Blogging

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week we're listing our all-time favorite books from the past three or five years. Since I started blogging mid-2012, I decided to list some of my favorite books read since I started Late Nights with Good Books.


All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry
All the Truth That’s in Me hits every single right note for me as a lover of stories. Beautiful and experimental prose, a realistic, well-written protagonist with a host of emotional struggles, a subtle, sweet romance, situations that delve into major life truths. (Read my full review)  
Fire by Kristin Cashore
I didn't think it was possible for Kristin Cashore to create a companion novel in the world of Graceling that I'd love just as much as Graceling. I didn't think it was possible for me to love a new female protagonist just as much as I love Katsa. And then I met Fire and became immersed in a story about the political and societal intrigues of her world beyond the mountains. (Read my full review)
Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst
Vessel is undisputedly one of the superior novels I've read this year. It features a well-crafted storyline, detailed worldbuilding, and three-dimensional characters. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fantastic high fantasy stand-alone.(Read my full review)  
Eon duology by Alison Goodman
In Eon, Goodman has created an incredibly layered world and a heroine worth admiring. Eon is more than a story about a girl who does not wish to follow conventions, but rather about this girl's small part in a society on the verge of many changes. (Read my full review)
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
This is such a subtle, well-imagined, and intelligent fantasy. Yes, it features a world of dragons and magic, but those all simply work to assist the bigger message. Seraphina is all about acceptance and the characters learning to overcome stereotypes. (Read my full review)
The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta
Marchetta deserves the highest possible praise for her characterizations; most of her characters are downright unlikable at times, but they’re so undeniably human, so very real. (Read my full review)
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (or The Sky is Everywhere)
This is a story about learning how to heal and move forward with one’s life, and Noah and Jude’s struggles to do so are both realistic and ultimately satisfying. (Read my full review)  
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
What ultimately made Daughter of Smoke & Bone such a powerful read was that Laini Taylor has this ability to take things that could easily become cliches and turn them instead into something incredibly unique. (Read my full review)
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
Walton’s debut is indeed a strange and beautiful tale. It’s also one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Amid so many young adult novels that feature similar plots, similar characters, and similar storylines, this is a welcome change indeed. (Read my full review)
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Reading this book made me experience such a wide range of emotions, not all pleasant. But, reflecting back on my experience reading the book, I still retain a sense of awe for such a wonderful story. (Read my full review)


Let me know what some of your recent favorite books are! 
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Amanda

Amanda loves few things better than sitting down with a cup of tea and a book. She frequently stays up far too late, telling herself she just needs to finish one more page. When she's not wrapped up in the stories of others, Amanda works as a children's librarian in a public library.

2 comments:

  1. Fire, All the Truth That's in Me, Eon, Seraphina, I'll Give You the Sun, DoSaB, and Finnikin are all some of my all-time favorites too, Amanda. Fantastic list--not sure I could narrow my favorites down to ten but you really did a great job!

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  2. I loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Fire, so I'm thrilled to see that they made it to your list Amanda! I still need to get to Finnikin, The Truth That's in Me and The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. I hope I end up enjoying them just as much as you did! :)

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