7 More of my Go-To Authors

Do you ever have a certain mood you want to read a book in, so you pick a particular author? I know I do. For example, if I want to read a story with a curios twist on a common trope, I’ll pick Neil Gaiman. Or maybe I’m looking for compelling characters and unpredictable plot twists: Brandon Sanderson. This method has also led me to know which authors I avoid, but today I’d like to focus on the ones whose works I enjoy.

Authors are organized by last name.

 

1. Megan Bannen

Does it count if you’ve only read one of their books but you liked it so much you can’t wait to read the next one even though it’s not a sequel? Eh, who cares. It’s my blog post. I particularly enjoyed her debut, The Bird and the Blade, so much so, that I eagerly awaited her latest book Soulswift. My library finally bought a copy, and I’m currently reading it!

2.   Susanna Clarke

She only has three books out. Who am I kidding? Only three books?! That’s so cool!!! I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read so far. I read her beast-of-a-book Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell back when I was living in England, and I particularly liked the way Clarke connected the fantasy elements with the British culture.

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories was also quite entertaining, especially the one that took place in the world of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust. Crossovers, anybody? Yes, please! I haven’t seen many crossovers outside of graphic novels, so this was a pleasant surprise.

I look forward to reading her latest book, Piranse.

3.   C. G. Drews

I first started following Drews on her blog where she writes as Paper Fury. One of the ways I like to determine if a book is worth reading is by reading her reviews. They’re great.

So are her books, of course! A Thousand Perfect Notes stole my heart with its characters, and her second book The Boy Who Steals Houses was even better. Though they took a while to release in the US (they’re finally here!), I liked to buy them online at Book Depository.

When will the publishing industry give us another one of her books? I know she’s written some! I know you can’t rush publishing, but I can dream.

4.   Neil Gaiman

I know, I know. I’ve only read three of his books. How could I possibly say he’s one of my go-to authors? I highly recommend his speech “Make Good Art.”

Though I wasn’t a particular fan of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, I found Norse Mythology to be quite fascinating. Of course, I’m slightly obsessed with Stardust, especially when it’s the audiobook read by the author.

5.   Hannah Heath

It’s not a proper list if I don’t list an indie author. Heath is one of my go-to indie authors because she always includes some sort of disability representation in her stories. That and she writes fantasy and sci-fi, so of course that’s a plus! Her story “Vengence Hunter” made me hate vampire stories less because she puts an interesting twist on the trope. Her story “So I Accidentally Killed the Chosen One” on Wattpad is quite comical. So far, I think “This Pain Inside” from the anthology Strange Waters, is one of my favorites. I look forward to her next piece.

6.   Jack London

As a kid, I used to pick up a lot of animal stories, and I used to listen to the audiobook of White Fang a lot. When I reread the book as an adult, I remembered why I enjoyed the story so much. Of course, his others books and stories can be good too, though I’ve never particularly cared for Call of the Wild. It has been a while since I’ve read it, though.

I particularly like how his stories include the beauties and wonder of nature and humankind contrasted with its deadly nature. No romanticism here.

7.   J. R. R. Tolkien

When I was a kid, my dad once read The Hobbit to my brother and me. Of course, I loved it! I can’t say I’ve read everything by Tolkien, but I grew up enjoying Lord of the Rings movie marathons, and I later dove into the books.

The last time I attempted to read The Silmarillion was when I was studying English lit. So yeah, it’s been a while. I’ll have to give the book another try at some point.

 

Let’s chat! Who are some of your go-to authors? Have you read any books by the ones I’ve mentioned?

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Similar posts: Don’t Judge a Book by its Author, or Should You?; 7 of my Go-To Authors; and Let’s Agree to Disagree: Reader vs. Author Opinion

Mini Book Reviews: from Isle of Blood and Stone to Sadie

“There’s no rule that says you have to be a prodigy to be a hero,” [Nova] insisted. “If people wanted to stand up for themselves or protect their loved ones or do what they believe in their hearts is the right thing to do, then they would do it. If they wanted to be heroic, they would find ways to be heroic, even without supernatural powers.”

—excerpt from Renegades by Marissa Meyer

I’m changing things up a bit. Usually, this is the time of month where I’d post a book review if I’ve read a good one lately. Or I’ll just cram something else in its place. Seeing as I like to feature exclusive content on my blog before I post things on Goodreads and how my reading schedule is all sorts of messed up, I don’t have a book review for today.

I have five!

If you enjoy young adult and new adult novels, you’re in for a treat. Book are arranged by the order I read them.

Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier

Genre: young adult, fantasy

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Mini description: secretive… shhhh…

“The look Mercedes sent him was pained. ‘That is your first choice? Not every girl enjoys playing with dolls.’“Elias gave her a considering glance. He guessed again. ‘Knives?’”

Yes, Elias. Give the little ghost children knives. There’s no way that could possibly go wrong. A plot built on secrets with characters determined to unravel them, Isle of Blood and Stone swept me away with its world-building.

The sequel, Song of the Abyss, just came out, and I’m impatiently waiting for my library to get a copy. Anybody know how long it typically takes a library on the continental US to get new books? I’m used to waiting a year if that’s any sort of reference.

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Genre: young adult, science fiction, superheroes

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Mini description: heroes?

I almost passed this one up, but I’m glad I didn’t. A story that plays on and embraces superhero tropes and culture, Renegades is an excellent page-turner. Not to mention the characters are well-developed, more so than from what I remember of The Lunar Chronicles, which I actually had some issues with. Renegades, on the other hand, confronts many aspects in its world.

If I could have any prodigy power from those in the book, I’d go with Honey’s. She can talk to bees and wasps and such. Never get stung again and have a lifetime supply of honey. I see no downsides to this aside from possibly getting labeled a supervillain. #savethebees #allthehoney

I recently talked my sister into reading the book. Mwuahaha! And I read the sequel, Arch-Enemies—which was a little mind-bending—and the third and final book, Supernova comes out this fall! Super excited!

The Boy Who Steals Houses by C. G. Drews

Genre: young adult, contemporary

My rating: 5 STARS!

Mini description: waffles

You know how I pre-ordered this book and kept ranting about Drews’ work? (By the way if you haven’t already, you should check out her blog at Paper Fury.) Well, I finally got around to reading her second book, and it was even better than the first! While I was reading it, I kept thinking things like, “Aw! That part’s cute… Oh… Oh, dear. There’s NO WAY this can end well.”

I’ll try not to give spoilers (or repeat authors in reviews on my blog, shhhh), but this book helped me through a recent bout of depression. You should check it out. And for all my American friends, you can buy it in print via Book Depository or other international sellers, AND it’s now out in e-book via Amazon and Barnes & Noble! *throws glitter that will permanently get stuck in the scales of my dragons*

For the full review, check out Goodreads.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Genre: young adult, contemporary

My rating: 5 STARS!

Mini description: relatable

The contemporary novels win the year. I’m just saying. Having read one of Zappia’s works before, I thought I’d give this one a try. Within the first few chapters or so, Eliza and Her Monsters had me hooked, and by that, I mean I-stayed-up-until-two-a.m.-hooked. Since graduating from college, I don’t do that with many any books. And the story hit close to home in its social anxiety and depression representation without belittling either.

For the full review, check out Goodreads.

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Genre: new adult, contemporary, mystery

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Mini description: fight for justice

Yeah, so this book ripped my heart out and stomped on it. A lot of people classify this one as young adult, but I’d put it in the new adult section, especially if you consider the age of the protagonist—19. It was a good book with a fast pace and alternating points of view, though the content was rather intense.

Interested in any of these books? You might also enjoy The Supervillain and Me by Danielle Banas (superheroes), In the Palace of Rygia by L. Nicodemus Lyons (non-magical fantasy), A Thousand Perfect Notes by C. G. Drews (contemporary, see book review), and Made You Up by Francesca Zappia (contemporary).

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Let’s chat! Have you read any of the listed books? Which did you enjoy? Which are you most excited about reading? Want to more mini reviews like this one? Let me know!

Similar book reviews: Kids Like Us, Antiheroes, and A Thousand Perfect Notes

Book Blitz and Giveaway: Why I Pre-Ordered The Boy Who Steals Houses

I don’t get to pre-order books very often simply because I move so much. This year, I was rather disheartened because C. G. Drews’ latest book, The Boy Who Steals Houses, was coming out and I knew I wouldn’t be able to preorder it. Stupid travel. Until I was talking with a fellow fan of Drews’ work who offered to hold onto the book for me. (Thanks, Sarah!) I think she just wants to read my hard copy, but hey, I offered to let her do so.

What’s so exciting about TBWSH, you may be asking?

Here’s a quick breakdown of a few things I’m looking forward to.

A Thousand Perfect Notes was Amazing

I’ve had a lot of fun reading Drews’ blog, Paper Fury, but I had even more fun reading her debut, A Thousand Perfect Notes (see book review). Not only is the cover gorgeous, but my copy also smelled like fruit. Suffice to say, I’m excited about her latest story and want to support her as a book blogger.

Synopsis—from the Book Itself!

Can two broken boys find their perfect home?

Sam is only fifteen but he and his autistic older brother, Avery, have been abandoned by every relative he’s ever known. Now Sam’s trying to build a new life for them. He survives by breaking into empty houses when their owners are away, until one day he’s caught out when a family returns home. To his amazement this large, chaotic family takes him under their wing - each teenager assuming Sam is a friend of another sibling. Sam finds himself inextricably caught up in their life, and falling for the beautiful Moxie.

But Sam has a secret, and his past is about to catch up with him.

(Ooooh, the drama!)

About the Author

C.G. Drews lives in Australia with her dog, a piano, and the goal of reading every book in existence. Consequently, her brain has overflowed with words and she spends her days writing novel after novel. She blogs at Paper Fury, never sleeps and believes in cake for breakfast.

You can buy a copy of The Boy Who Steals Houses on Amazon, Waterstones, The Book Depository, and Wordery. I use Book Depository, even though their shipping is slow as Entish. Seriously. I pre-ordered a copy of A Thousand Perfect Notes, which was released last June. Then in September, I ordered three more books from Barnes & Noble and they still came first! That’s what you get when shipping is free.

So there you have it!

I haven’t actually read my copy yet, because it’s still in the snail mail, but I plan on posting a review on Goodreads once I’ve read it. Thanks to Aussie YA Bloggers for the promo material. Before you go, don’t forget to enter the lovely giveaway for a chance to win your own signed copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now I’m off on a blogging hiatus. Happy Easter, everybody. See you in May!

Let’s chat! Have you read any of Drews’ work yet? Do you like pre-ordering books? Who are some authors whose work you will always read?

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Similar posts: Book Review: A Thousand Perfect Notes, Book Review: Goodbye Days, and Pre-Ordering, Boarding the Hype Train, and Letting it Pass

Book Review: A Thousand Perfect Notes

Today, I rarely buy books. Especially books I’ve never read before. It’s sooooo hard when I live in a country that doesn’t speak English, and the nearest bookstore that carries new books happens to have a tiny English section only has the occasional book I might pick up but not want to own. Instead, I tend to get most of my books from the library, and even then I’m still picky.

To say that I bought A Thousand Perfect Notes on a whim and thoroughly enjoyed it… Wow. Just wow!

Who am I kidding? I’ve been following Paper Fury’s (C. G. Drews) blog for a while now, so I shouldn’t be a surprise. I like to support debut authors, so I’m proud to have bought a copy. The cover is gorgeous, and the book is even more so!

Book: A Thousand Perfect Notes by C. G. Drews

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult

My rating: 4/5 stars

Awards: None (yet!)

One-word description: cake

No, I am not reviewing this book in August simply because one of the characters is named August. It just sort of happened. Actually, most of the book takes place in July, so there you have it.

The characters were definitely one of the best aspects of the book. Beck is such a cinnamon roll, and I would definitely give him all the cake! He could use some more sweetness in his life. Seriously, his friend August and her family were so good for him! I wonder how he’d like the German cakes…

Another reason I enjoyed this story so much was the writing style and all the talk of music. Books about music are so fun! I only wish I could listen to some of the songs. This book would make an excellent movie.

To summarize how much I enjoy this story, here’s an actual conversation I had with my sister:

Me: This book is so good!
Sister: *reads opening line*
ATPN: What he wants most in the world is to cut off his own hands.
Sis: Why does he want to cut off his hands?
Me: Because his mother is insane.
Sis: Oh.

Is it weird that she took that as an actual reason? Wow, we read too many books. She doesn’t read nearly as much as I do, but I try to pass on all the best books.

The only thing was that I had only the faintest idea that the book was set in Australia until three fourths of the way through the book. There was more talk about Beck moving to Germany than there was of him actually living in Australia. As somebody who’s never been to the latter and actually lives in the former, I would have liked to know more than it’s cold there in July. Of course, settings don’t tend to be the focus of young adult books.

Some of the plot twists were fairly predictable, but I enjoyed the ending all the same. Sort of? I mean, I almost cried, so there’s that. It was so intense I was definitely fangirling by the end. Definitely qualifies as a well-written ending in my book!

In all, I gave A Thousand Perfect Notes 4/5 stars for relateable characters and an enjoyable story despite any predictable moments. I’d recommend it to any fans of contemporary YA novels, and I look forward to C. G. Drew’s next book!

Interested in A Thousand Perfect Notes? Have you read it yet? You might also enjoy these books: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab, The Art of Feeling by Laura Tims, and Made You Up by Francesca Zappia.

Let’s chat! Has A Thousand Perfect Notes made it to your to-be-read list yet? Anybody out there read it? Have any contemporary YA recommendations?

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Similar book reviews: The Astonishing Color of After, The Beast of Talesend, and We Were Liars