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February 9, 2018

7 Books I Should Have Read Years Ago + 7 Books For Your TBR


   Time for another 7 Books post! Who's ready to drown in their tbr (don't say I never warned you)?



 





   So, um ... Savannah might have done a bad thing. She might have read the first book in the series, and then gone straight to the fifth because she owned it. And she might have really really enjoyed it ... but yeah, it still might be a big bad thing. Might xD. And I NEED to get the other three books in the series, because I enjoyed the first and fifth so much! Suzanne Collins is a master - reading these actually made me enjoy her Hunger Games series more, and I have no idea why. But I intend to get my hands on the rest of them!



   I read the first book in this series about a million years ago, and for some reason I never finished it? But most people say they loved it + the author is the keynote speaker for Realm Makers this year, so I'm going to nab the trilogy and give it another shot. Plus Nym was a pretty epic character, if I remember right, and I will always and forever fall for books with epic characters <3. 



   Hey, look - a series that almost know one knows about (you get virtual skittles if you've read it!), but it's really good. I own the first two books in the series, but I never did end up getting my hands on the rest of them - but each books ends on a massive cliffhanger, so I REALLY need to. And I love dystopian books, so I'm dying to finish the Phoenix Files xD.



    I have mixed feelings over the Maze Runner series - it's not one of my favorites, but somehow it got a little better after reading the prequel? But James Dasher wrote a series that seems to be sci-fi called The Mortality Doctrine - I read an excerpt of it in the back of Maze Runner - and OH MY, I think I needed it yesterday xD. It kind of reminds me of The Evaporation Of Sofi Snow? I'm excited to get my hands on it and give it a shot.



   So all the bookdragons seem to have really strong opinions about this book,  and I haven't read it yet! I started it, but got bored a few chapters in...but since the second book is coming out soon, I feel like I should give it another shot? Plus I loved Divergent and Insurgent (I'm reading Allegiant right now because #latetothegame), so I'm hoping that Carve The Mark will get better as it goes on, but we'll see.


same series, different book *shrugs*


   I read the other two books in this trilogy (Howl's Moving Castle and The House Of Many Ways) and ADORE them both, so I don't know - okay, scratch that, I DO know why I haven't read this one yet. It seems to be set in a desert-y area, and for some reason I can't stand most stories that are set in the desert? And I have no idea why xD. But I've enjoyed most everything by this author that I've read so far, so I definitely need to get my hands on this one sometime soon.


 
   I've kinda wanted to read this series for a little while now, but have never nabbed it for some reason? But I found the show on Netflix, and figured I should read the books before I start it. Plus, everyone who talks about these books says that Lemony Snicket has a great sense of humor, and the characters seem like they'll be great - which means (hopefully) I'll love it ;).





   SO there are a bunch of books that have been shamefully buried  beneath my ready-to-topple tbr pile. Hopefully I'll get to them within the next few months, but we'll see what happens. Now - who's ready for me to shove some books onto the top of YOUR trb? Let's do this ;).






   I've talked about this series way too much on here, no? Well HERE I AM AGAIN. I was late to the party for this book - but after I read A Time To Die, there was no going back and I was hooked for good xD. I rarely ever buy books brand-new, especially if I've never read them, but I bought the third book in this trilogy before I'd even finished the second! So if THAT doesn't convince you, I don't know what will. xD 




   Oh look - another book/series that I talk about way too much! (and I don't plan to shut up anytime soon xD) I was totally pushed away from these books because of the title, and the fact that they seemed a little childish? But then some of my friends convinced me to give them a try and OH GRACIOUS <3. The series only gets better from the first book! So don't let the name fool you - The Wingfeather Saga is pretty epic.


same series, different book *shrugs*


   If there was ever a title that desperately needed abbreviation, it's this one xD. The Fairyland series is one of the strangest and yet one of the most fun series I've ever read. I've read the entire five-book series multiple times over, and I LOVE it every time - the characters are so quirky, and the author has the best writing style. It probably won't be everybody's book, but I definitely recommend giving it a shot before letting the long title throw you off xD. 




    And here's a book that I don't talk about nearly enough. I randomly bought The Clockwork Three while I was at a book sale because the cover looked intriguing (*cough* shallow bookdragon alert *cough*) and I did not regret it. Not only is the plot really good, the characters are amazing! I really, really enjoyed it - and it's in a genre I don't read that much, so the fact that I love it to death is a little surprising, but it is what it is xD.



   Illusionarium is a very hard book to describe - all I know is that I love it xD. It's written in  first person with a little bit of steampunk, some high stakes, and epic characters (... you can probably expect that any book I love will have awesome characters xD) I'd read Heather Dixon's debut novel, Entwined, before I picked up Illusionarium, so I already had high expectations - and it didn't disappoint! So this is a book I'd definitely recommend ;).

 


   So this book's a little more well known than some of the others on this list - it's a Newbery award winner, and it absolutely deserved it. The writing style is so beautiful, and the characters are amazing. I bought it on a whim (at the same sale I got The Clockwork Three at, haha - apparently it was a day for randomly buying books? xD), and now it's one of my favorite books that I will recommend to anyone who some much as says the word 'books' <3.


same author, different series *shrugs*


   Red Alert - one of my favorite authors coming through. Seriously, I have yet to dislike something written by Jennifer A. Nielsen, her books are just amazing. The False Prince was the first of her books that I read, and I ADORED it. The whole series is a masterpiece - the plot is incredible, and her CHARACTERS <3. Everyone knows I'm very character-oriented, and the characters in Nielsen's books are always spot on. If you haven't tried one of her series yet, you have to give it a shot. 


   ... and if your tbr hasn't grown just a little bit, I'll be extremely surprised :D. And my own tbr pile is inching towards 'red alert' status, so I guess I better get started before it falls right over and buries me xD. See y'all later *salutes*.

~ Savannah Grace

what are some books that I should have on my tbr? 
did any of these books get added to yours? 
 

30 comments :

  1. HOWL!!!!! EEEE!!!!!!! And A Time to Rise! Oh goodness. I bought that whole trilogy in paperback with my Christmas money, and let me tell ya, it DID NOT disappoint. There were some bits here and there I wasn't crazy about, but in general I LOVED it. Which was excellent. (I mean, I figured I would...but now I really want to read Illusionarium because the steampunk-y-ness of Out of Time really makes me want to find more steampunk!)

    Lovely post! And no, you can never talk about WS too much. It is perfection, absolute perfection. <3

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    1. YOU READ THE OUT OF TIME SERIES?? YAY! I'm so so glad you liked it, that trilogy is amazing! The characters are just the best ever <3 <3. Did you have a favorite? (and I don't know if Illusionarium is in any way like Out Of Time, but you should give it a shot anyways! I love that book, I think I've reread it four times xD)

      Thank you so much, Faith! And I absolutely agree in full <3.

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    2. I'm following in my apparent tradition of liking the second book most (like, seriously! Pretty much every series I've read in recent times, the middle/second one is my favorite. ???) So it was definitely A Time to Speak. So epic. <3 And as far as characters go? I loved them ALLLLLLL! (Except for Elm. Not sure why, but I really, really didn't like him at all. And Willow got weird in the last one. But oh well.) Illusionarium is at my library and I will get it next time I go!!!!!!!!!!

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  2. And I just thought I was finally catching up on my TBR XD

    The ONLY one of these that I've read is A Time To Die *cries* I do have Storm Siren sitting on my shelf (I got it at a used bookstore and it looks like new #score xD), and I just found out about Carve the Mark. I'll probably check it out after I finish Divergent. I'm actually really surprised by how much I liked the first Divergent book? I mean, Tris went on a tragic negative arc, but the concept was cool xD

    audrey caylin

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    1. It's only an illusion, Audrey - no bookdragon shall ever catch up on their TBR xD.

      Ooh, you have Storm Siren? You'll have to tell me what your opinion on it is once you're done with it! I'm excited to reread it and then continue on with the series ;). And yeah, Divergent is a pretty great book! I'm reading Allegiant right now, and I'm hoping the series has a good conclusion :D.

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  3. OH LOOK. A humongous pile of books I desperately need to read. XD We have very similar TBRs and/or book tastes, because these are almost ALL books I want to read (or have read).

    The Underland Chronicles is something I've wanted to read for the longest. Same with Storm Siren. And I HAVE the first books of both of those series so, like, WHY HAVE I NOT READ THEM?!

    YOU NEED TO READ CASTLE IN THE AIR. Actually...it comes before House of Many Ways. Eheh. But they're all stand alone-ish enough that it doesn't really matter. BUT IT'S SO GOOD. And, actually, I don't like stories set in the desert either! :O I thought I was alone in this! But yeah, nooooot my thing. Please give me some grass and cool weather. XD But I still loved that book to death because Diana Wynne Jones is a genius and yes. And I've read the first two books in the Series of Unfortunate Events and LOVED THEM. The humor will slay you. XD I've GOT to read the rest of the books because I've heard the Netflix series is amazing. But yes, gotta read the books first!

    I JUST RECENTLY FINISHED THE TIME TO DIE SERIES AND SLKJDLFJL:SDJK:LFJ:LSKDJ:LFJK. IT WAS SO GOOD OH MY GOODNESS. Why did I wait to long to read this trilogy?!?!?!

    Literally ALL the books you recommended are on my TBR. Like...books I DESPERATELY want to read.

    This whole post made me want to drop my whole life and just go devour ALL the books. I love your posts! <3

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    1. *picks up massive stack of books and stands on tiptoe to shove them onto the top of your tbr* If they all fall over and you drown in books...that's totally not my fault xD.

      Oh gracious, I think you'll LOVE the Underland Chronicles! Suzanne Collins did an amazing job with that series (...or, the books I've read of it, anyways xD). And YES, WE NEED TO READ STORM SIREN - preferably before Realm Makers, as the author is also the keynote speaker there :D.

      *SHOVES CASTLE IN THE AIR TO THE TOP OF MY TBR* And yeah, I get so confused about the order of those books ;P. *gasps* Seriously, you don't like desert book either?? YAY, WE ARE NOT ALONE xD. Grass and cool weather is so much better *highfive*. And I can't wait to start on the Series of Unfortunate Events! Humor-stuffed books are the best (if the author knows what they're doing, anyways xD).

      OH MY GOODNESS YOU FINISHED THEM?? GO YOU, CHRISTINE - AREN'T THEY AMAZING? THE CHARACTERS ARE TO DIE FOR <3 <3 <3. Did you have a favorite??

      Then we shall CONQUER THEM TOGETHER xD. And...yes, that's one drawback of these posts. I can't concentrate on anything after writing them! ;P Thanks for commenting, Christine <3.

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  4. GREGOR THE OVERLANDER!!! The series brings back so many memories... It’s also HIGHLY underrated. I don’t think I’ll read Carve the Mark though, mostly because of some problematic ways things are presented from others (mostly relating to chronic illness and how people describe certain characters), but I’m glad to see you’re liking it!!!

    xoxo Abigail Lennah | ups & downs

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    1. Oh my good gracious, yes, Gregor The Overlander is VERY UNDERRATED. Suzanne Collins did pretty much as good with it as she did with the Hunger Games series, in my opinion. And huh, I didn't know that about Carve the Mark - but I'm hoping I'll still enjoy it ;). I'm excited to dig into it and see what I think!

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  5. YESSS GREGOR <333 That's one of my favorite series from when I was younger <3

    Okay I've read "A Time to Die" but all the rest of those are now on my TBR :D They all seem so good!

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    1. Seriously? It's so cool to find someone else who likes them *highfive*. I can't believe it took me so long to find them!

      EPICNESS, those books are the best <3. I hope you enjoy any of the others you read!

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  6. The "Out of Time" series has been on my TBR for awhile, everyone keeps raving about it! And "On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness" has now been added as well! I absolutely love "The Girl Who Swallowed the Moon" and the first book in the Fairyland trilogy - I have yet to finish the series but I need too. I'm also looking to read A Series of Unfortunate Events this year because my childhood had the unfortunate event of skipping these books and I need to fix that.
    Some books I always recommend are Lilith by George MacDonald, more obscure CS Lewis books like The Great Divorce, Till We Have Faces, and The Space Trilogy, The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, and Vicious by VE Schwab.

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    1. Yay, I hope you enjoy both series immensely when you read them! And OH GRACIOUS, YES - The Girl Who Drank The Moon is an amazing book, the imagery in the words is amazing <3. And you'll have to tell me what you think of the Fairyland series overall once you finish it!

      Ooh, I've heard of The Ocean at the End of the Lane multiple times - I think I've been told that its kind of a creepy book? I might need to look into it ;). And I need to read a book by Schwab, so *adds them both to my tbr*. Thanks for the recommendations, Emily! <3

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  7. I just read The Girl Who Drank the Moon and it jumped onto my list of favorites as well. So beautiful and fun and yet also really, really sad... all the feels.

    I enjoy the Series of Unfortunate Events. It's not earth-shattering, and the books kind of get weirder and weirder as they progress. And there is NOT a good ending... but it's not like you can be upset about that. The author tells you flat out that there won't be on the very first page of the very first book... and he means it! But still, it's clever and entertaining and the humor is... weird enough that it often made me laugh out loud (even now, as my husband is reading it out loud to our kids, it still makes me laugh) Also... the dedications are important.

    I have read Castle in the Air and you should definitely read it! It's a little "Aladdin" in many ways... super fun. I had no idea when I picked it up that it was a sequel to HMC, so when Howl and Sophie showed up, it was a bit of a pleasant shock. :)

    And those are the only ones on this entire list I've read. Most of these others are already on my mountainous TBR pile... though you mentioned a few I haven't heard of before, as well... so... :) yay!

    As far as recommendations go... I am LOVING The Last Motley by DJ Edwardson SO VERY MUCH! So that's my current and latest recommendation :-D

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    1. I definitely agree about all the feels <3 <3 <3. That book was so gorgeous, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Now we'll have to check out more of that author's books ;).

      Haha, I'm pretty into weird books, so long as the author knows what they're doing! And from what you say, Lemony Snicket absolutely knows what he's doing xD. I'll have to check them out really soon!

      THE LAST MOTLEY - I've been waiting to get my hands on that since it came out! The cover is amazing and the premise looks even better - plus, with you and Deborah O Carroll squealing about it, I KNOW I need it xD. Thanks for the recommendation, Jenelle! <3

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    2. Ooh, ooh, I have another new recommendation: just finished After by Savannah Jezowski and I just... *falls over* I can't move on with my life! Well, I can and sort of have to, because my kiddos will starve if I don't... but I kind of want to just crawl into a little reading nook and read it all over again.

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  8. More books to add to my growing tbr list! Hurrah! (I just hope that they're all right with being patient, because the list is growing longer and longer and they might have to wait a while before I get to the.) But they look so good. I've heard various people talk about Peterson and Nielsen's books, and I want to read them. Actually, I've only read a few of the books here - Diana Wynne Jone's and Carve the Mark were two of them - so there are a lot of books I'll be adding to my list!

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    1. Yeah - and if they're not patient, you can threaten to burn them with your dragon you keep in the closet. Except they won't listen, because the books know you would never be able to hurt them xD.

      Yes, you need to read Peterson and Nielsen's books! Both of them are some of my very-favorite authors <3. And you're read Carve the Mark? Cool - what did you think of it?

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  9. ALL THE AWESOME BOOKS!!!

    I have to read Gregor the Overlander too bc SUZANNE COLLINS!! I also want to see if it's recommendable to my sisters XD YES STORM SIREN. Remember I told you that you should wait for my opinion on the last book before reading it? XD well I just put up a review, and also Siren's Song WAS THE BEST OF THE SERIES. The middle one was the slowest, so if you can get through that YIPEE THE ACTION BEGINS!!

    I love Maze Runner with a passion so HELLO I SHOULD TRY SOME OF DASHNERS OTHER SERIES AS WELL!! :P AND I AM SO GLAD YOU ACTUALLY LIKE DIVERGENT!! SO many people don't. Veronica Roth introduced me to sci-fi and dystopia so she is a special author to me haha Carve the Mark was slow paced but seriously WHY THE HATE FOR IT?? *can never understand other people's emotions*

    I need to read A Time to Rise still *cries* WHY DO THE LIBRARIES NOT HAVE IT *screams* but I am totally buying Fawkes! I don't usually buy books that are part of a series bc ... I NEED THE WHOLE SERIES ON MY SHELF. I CANNOT STAND HAVING ONLY THE ONE BOOK :P

    I also HAVE to read The Edge of the Drak Sea ... (etc) because Jonathan and Faith were recommending it AND HELP SO MANY PEOPLE'S ADVICE I HAVE FORGOTTEN TO TAKE *facepalm*

    Ok awesome post as always!! If I don't comment anymore it's all your fault for helping my tbr bury me! Tally ho!

    - lisa @ inkwell

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    1. SUZANNE COLLINS, YES <3 <3. I will seriously read anything she's written ever xD. And YES, I READ YOUR REVIEW (and can't remember if I commented *runs and hides*) and now I'm even more excited to get to it! The way you do reviews is super awesome and unique, I loved seeing you talk about Mary Weber's books! (I actually just got an ARC of her new book that comes out in March and OH MY GRACIOUS, it's SO. GOOD so far!)

      YES WE MUST - I actually didn't even like Maze Runner that much, even though it was good, so I'm HOPING his other series are even more epic! And YES, Divergent is amazing - I think it's probably the best book in the series, because I'm reading Allegiant right now and ... it just isn't impressing me? We'll have to see what my final verdict is xD.

      OH MY GRACIOUS FAWKES *fights to not flail all over the place about it* I'm so, so excited to get my hands on that gorgeous thing IT'S GOING TO BE AMAZING. July can't come fast enough xD.

      YES YOU NEED TO READ IT *shoos you away to go grab a copy of you* JUST DO IT, YOU WON'T REGRET IT xD.

      Well then I guess I have done my job? Who doesn't want to die death by books? xD GOOD LUCK WITH ALL YOUR READING GOALS, MY FRIEND <3.

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  10. The A Series of Unfortunate Events book series sounds good, but I have a friend that read them and got a really bad feeling while doing so. I've watched the NETFLIX series, and it didn't seem as dark as the books, though. My friend thinks they are different. That's why I haven't read the books.

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    1. Huh, really? I didn't think that the books would be dark at all, for some reason. But darker books don't really bother me that much, so I'll probably still give them a shot - I'll tell y'all what I thought of them when I finish! ;)

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    2. I don't know if it's the story per se that's dark, just the feeling. Thank you so much! I've been
      really curious.

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  11. I really wanted to buy A Time to Die the other day, but I only had enough money for one book, and I thought it'd be a better idea to wait until I could buy all three at a time hehe.

    Hailey
    www.haileyhudson.wordpress.com

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  12. I'VE WATCHED HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE SO MANY TIMES BUT I HAVE YET TO READ IT. I feel like a fake bookworm -- watching the movie before the book?? and multiple times?? I even checked out the book once but never actually read it. I need to remedy this asap. xD

    If you haven't read Midnight at the Electric, you need to add that one to your TBR! It's a very lyrical/character driven book and UGH IT'S SO AMAZING. <3 <3

    katie grace
    a writer's faith

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  13. Okay, you are going to LOVE The Traitor's Game!! SO CHARACTER-DRIVEN AND CHARACTER-FOCUSED, I CAN'T EVEN *cough* I just can't wait for you - and everybody - to read it!!!

    A Series of Unfortunate Events is a REALLY strange series, but I personally loved it!! Snicket's style is extremely unique, and his characters are amazing!

    I saw the Girl Who Circumnavigated Etc. Etc. at the library one time, and put it away because the title weirded me out, lol. xD I want to read it sometime, though, since you recommend it!

    Great post, Savannah! <3

    Lila @ The Red-Hooded Writer

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  14. I haven't read any of these, sadly, except for The False Prince, which is so epic it's on my TBR for re-reads anyway. :P (You're not the only one who's behind the times. XP) I've been wanting to read A Time to Die for soooo long now, and The Clockwork Three looks intriguing! Illusionarium sounds pretty epic, too. So maybe I can fit these in my TBR? Which one out of those three do you recommend most strongly?
    Lovely post! :)

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  15. Awesome post idea, I should definitely refer back to this next time I need something to read! (Like the books aren't already stacking up. . . =) )
    I just finished reading Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara. It's a historical fiction book set in the American Revolution, which is not usually my time period. I was expecting it to just be "fine", but I actually LOVED it. Jeff Shaara's characters were BEAUTIFUL, and his attention to detail really helped cement the history in my head. I'm so glad my Dad convinced me to give it a try!
    I watched the first episode of A Series of Unfortunate Events, and I. . . wasn't impressed. I know it's popular, but I was honestly disturbed. My friends have read me quotes from the books which were actually quite funny, but the show was certainly not my thing. You seem to have a pretty high tolerance for disturbing movies, but the dark humor really got under my skin.

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  16. I have not read the Series of Unfortunate Events, but I have watched some of the show. It's so weird, and also hilarious. Hilarious; a word which here means causing much laughter or jollity. (Those who know the Series will get it ;P)

    I have read On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and part of North Or Be Chomped*. It was a while ago, though. I may have to get it out again.
    *EDIT: North Or Be Eaten. We just call it North Or Be Chomped at our house... for some reason or other. *shrugs*

    AAAAND I just got The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making this past Wednesday! *breathes again* I read the first chapter, and the writing style is definitely very unique. Can't wait to read more!

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  17. ILLUSIONARIUM AGGGHHH IT'S SO GOOOOOD. XD

    I've been wanting to start a Series of Unfortunate Events too! The Netflix show kinda piqued my interest, and I now I feel like I should read the books before I watch the show. :)

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