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If you loves didn't know, LovelyFancyMe is also known as LovelyBookyMe. Yup, your girl is a total bookworm and starting this month, I am going to be writing book reviews about the latest novels I read! 📖 As for the first Book Review post, I am going to talk about my all-time favorites, from my childhood books to my latest ride-or-die books. If you just want to shop the books, scroll down to the bottom of this post!!
Little warning: While I do love my trashy, YA teen novels, I do read some more mature books with deeper topics; please inform yourself about the novel before reading. All of these are honestly 5 star reads for me!
Childhood Faves
Holes by Louis Sachar
Holes was such a fun story to read as a child; who else loved Kissin' Kate Barlow; so iconic! Stanley Yelnats gets accused of stealing shoes from a famous baseball play but he swears they just fell out of the sky. Stanley decides to work off his sentence at Camp Green Lake, a camp dedicated to facilitating delinquent boys, for 180 days. Getting there he discovers each day the boys have to dig a 5"x5" hole specifically, each boy has a nickname, and each member has a ranking. The movie made based on the book was also really fun as well and the song "digging up a hole" always got stuck in my head. Overall, such a perfect light-hearted read with amazing friendships and incredible plot twists and I would definitely recommend as this was a fave of elementary school!
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Ok here's a tear jerker for you, Because of Winn-Dixie was a novel I read in about 1st or second grade and I absolutely fell in love with the characters. Because of Winn-Dixie follows a preacher's daughter named Opal who finds this shaggy doge named Winn-Dixie and has her life changed forever. The tragedy that occurred in this novel was one of the first book heartbreaks I ever felt. Like they say, you never forget your first love, nor can you forget your first heartbreak. Definitely a worth while read for those of you who want a heart-felt story that leaves you wanting to cuddle.
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
This book is about two young unlikely friends, Jess and Leslie, who discover the magical world of Terabithia and create their own little secret hiding places. That's all I'm going to tell you guys but this one is mainly on this list because of the strong connection I felt to my Abuela when reading it/watching the movie. Mild spoiler alert, there is a tragedy in this book and reading it in school took me back to the death of my Abuela; I lost her in second grade and we read this in fifth grade, so her passing was still raw to me. I'm not sure why I connected her to Bridge to Terabithia, but I started bawling my eyes out in the middle of class and caused the box of tissues to run out!
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The first book really in which I dipped my toes into a classic dystopian novel... and I loved it. The Giver takes place in a seemingly utopian society where every December the annual Ceremony takes place, in which all the twelve year olds receive their life long jobs from the Elders. These assignments range from caretakers to assistants, but for our main character Jonas, he doesn't receive one of these mundane roles. He, instead, is given a special role that leads him to learn from an old man named the Giver. Together with this strange man, Jonas may discover the dark flaws in his community. This was the perfect introduction to dystopian as it has a clear world building and I could connect Jonas easily. Perfect for anyone wanting a quick dive into a dystopian novel!
Lockwood & Co. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Can I just say, I was obsessed with this book and I definitely did not expect to be that enraptured by the story as I was! The Screaming Staircase is set in a world in which London has been overrun by different supernaturals and only the young have the ability to see and exterminate them. There are various different Psychic Detection Agencies that all work with these kids to handle this dangerous job, but they're all struggling against the extreme competition amongst the companies. We follow Lucy Carlyle who joins Lockwood & Co., a small agency who runs independent of any adult supervision and takes cases against these scary creatures. However, this new trio have taken on the investigation of Combe Carey Hall, which may be more than they can handle. From the witty banter between Lockwood and Lucy to psychic powers to supernatural creatures, I was hooked and loved the mysteriousness the surrounded the case and how close the three characters got as they fight battles together. There are more books to the series, linking the box set, but I only got to book 1.
Emily Windsnap Series by Liz Kessler
The Tail of Emily Windsnap was one of my favorites books growing up as I always loved mermaids and found story of girl turning into one so amazing. We follow Emily Windsnap, a girl who has lived on a boat her entire live but has a mom who's afraid of the ocean, has never really been exposed to the marine life. However, this is all about to change when her mom finally agree to let her have swimming lessons and Emily begins to learn why she has felt a pull towards the sea. These books are so amazing, filled with a magical world, intriguing family secrets, and new found friendships. Even if you aren't young, I would still recommend to any who love a magical read! The series continues to nine books, but I personally only got to Book 4: Emily Windsnap and the Siren's Secret since the others were released after I left the series.
Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
My first ever true series is one I will never forget; Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl are the two most adorable characters ever and I'm so glad I grew up with them. I started reading Percy Jackson in middle school and continued with the series until it finished. Book 1: The Lightening Theif is about a teen boy who discovers he is a half-blood, or the child of a Greek God and mortal. With this new knowledge he joins Camp Half Blood (a camp dedicated to training half bloods to survive against monsters and controlling their powers), meets other friends who are also demigods, battles creatures, and fulfills different prophecies. Hands down one of my top, top fave series! In specific my favorites book from the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series, which is the first 5 books of the Percy Jackson adventures, is The Last Olypian. Then, from the second series, The Heroes of Olympus, my favorite is The House of Hades.
Teen Faves
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Where do I even start?! My all-time favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice is one of Jane Austen's most famous works and focused on the lives of the Bennet family. Our protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, defies the classic rules of women during the British Regency age as she doesn't want to marry just for connection or wealth, but for genuine love. We meet Mr. Bingley, the sweetest newcomer to Meryton, who instantly falls in love with one of the Bennet sisters, Jane (Lizzie's fave sister). We also meet Mr. Darcy, who is Mr. Bingley's very rich and well connected friend, that finds difficulty adjusting to the countryside and freely shows his distain. He may have the money, but Lizzie won't accept his pride and Darcy feels as if he cannot fight her prejudice after this first encounter. Thought the novel, we see Lizzie take on marriage proposal fails, infuriating males, deceiving characters, and family drama. I have loved the 1995 film version of Pride and Prejudice for as long as I can remember; my mom and I would watch and rewatch it when I was younger (still remember being on her bed absolutely fascinated by Mr. Darcy's and Lizzie's interactions). Flash forward to the summer of 2020, I finally read the novel version and absolutely adored it!
Shadowhunter Series by Cassandra Clare
If you are a teen looking for a binge worthy series where you can fall in love with the characters and get lost in a magical world, Shadowhunters is definitely it. Book 1: City of Bones starts off with our protagonist Clary Fray who though she was just a mundane waiting to go to art school, however, on her fifteenth birthday everything changes. She gets swept into the world of Shadowhunters, half angel fighters who train to protect the mortal realm and fight demons. Meeting friends, love, and enemies, Clary's world shifts completely. There are multiple series and novelas included in the series, will leave the full list here. But going through my favorites, from the Mortal Instrumentals, my fave is City of Heavenly Fire and from the Infernal Devices, my fave is Clockwork Princess. Currently on book 1 of the Dark Artifices: Lady Midnight and I'm so excited to see what happens, though City of Heavenly Fire left me so sad that my fave character's series was over.
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
We all know it and love it, but if you don't know, Harry Potter is about a young boy who is told he is a wizard and must attend Hogwarts, the School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. What makes our protagonist unique is that he is the "boy who lived" and is the only one who survived a battle against the infamous Lord Voldemort. As the series goes on, we follow Harry and his amazing new friends (plus some enemies) in his adventures against this major villain and managing this new found power of his. Harry Potter didn't come into my life until mid-seventh grade, but it really made my year. I binged the entire series so fast that you wouldn't ever see me without one of the books in my hand (everyone people in class would tease me about it but I just couldn't stop) and I ended up finishing the entire series by the end of the school year. I even remember my Civics teacher letting me skip the rest of my classes for the day so I could watch the Harry Potter movies in his classroom! Thought the whole series was so darn amazing, the book I would I have to say stuck with me the most was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (love Sirius Black so much!!).
This book absolutely shattered me; I read Anne Frank's diary in eighth grade and it was mind-blowing to read about a girl around my age (at the time) experiencing such a tragic event. Since we were the same age, I could relate to Anne even more, which was terrifying and heartbreaking all at the same time. The Diary of a Young Girl follows Anne as she and her family struggles to hide in the attic of a friend, named the Secret Annex, during the Nazi's regime in Holland. Thought the dairy, we are told of Anne's emotions, passions, hardships as she lives for two straight years in a tiny attic with barely any food and no one but the company who began hiding with her. I couldn't fathom how hard it was to continue being bubbly for her family or keeping the fear of the situation show. Her father had actually published her diary because he was in awe of how mature Anne was for her age and I couldn't agree more. Definitely more of a serious but worth it read and I would recommend to everyone.
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
Another book that broke my little heart; A Walk to Remember begins with Landon Carter remembering his high school days; back in 1958 in Beaufort, North Carolina. The last thing Landon would have thought during those years is that he would fall in love with the shy, bookworm, minister's daughter Jamie. But, after spending time with her for a non-voluntary school play, Landon begins to see the sweet and beautiful side of Jamie and looks for something more than ordinary teenage love. However, like most of Spark's novels, the star-crossed lovers are bound to find tragedy and their romance will teach Landon the joy and pains of living. I first saw A Walk to Remember as a movie and loved it! Landon was a total sweetie at heart and I just fell in love with his character, so much so that I decided I had to read the novel. I ended up crying after I finished it, but it is one definitely on my favorites shelf.
Currently Reading
Now onto what is currently on my bookshelf; some books are for school but most of them are just for fun. Let me just say, I am a big mood reader, so typically go with my list but sometimes I will binge on a book that I hadn't even thought about the day before. Will clarify if I'm reading them by physical book, kindle, or audiobook!
1984 by George Orwell (Read Paperback and switched to Audiobook around the halfway mark.) Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (Reading paperback version.) Hamlet by Shakespeare (Reading on Kindle.) The Season by Sarah MacLean (Reading the ebook version on my phone.) Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare (Reading paperback version and listening to the audiobook as well.) and of course if you guys are following my Instagram, you would have seen my updates as I read the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer (currently 1/2 way through Breaking Dawn, reading hardcover and listening to the audiobook).
Going in depth of these books and more in my next book review!
Books on my TBR (To be read)
To be completely honest, I have over 150 books (and counting) on my TBR, so I can't possible name all, but I can name just the few that are on the priority list: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, Animal Farm by George Orwell, Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco, Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons, and Emma by Jane Austen.
So that is the sum up for this first book review! Im so excited to continue sharing the books I read (click here to read all my blog posts on what I read) and let me know in the comments if you guys have read these and what you thought of them or any other recommendations you may have!
Happy reading my loves!📚