Fall is one of my favorite seasons (I think I've mentioned this quite a few times). Not only does it have Halloween—the best holiday ever—but it always means cooler weather. Waking up, snuggling in an overwhelmingly large fleece blanket, sipping on a cup of hot cocoa in the crisp morning air, and flipping the pages of a good book. Sounds like heaven to me. In honor of book lovers, and this marvelous time of year, I've put together a list of must-reads for this fall. Whether you are dipping into these stories for the first time, or coming back to an old friend, you will love them!
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Calamity came ten years ago, the same time that ordinary men and women with extraordinary powers started surfacing. They are called Epics, and they are no friend to the rest of mankind. With their powers came a hunger to rule. These supervillains have taken over and no one will fight them, no one but the Reckoners. The Reckoners are a covert group of ordinary people studying the Epics, finding their weakness, and assassinating them. David has spent years studying Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible, the Epic who murdered David's father. David wants Steelheart dead, but he needs the help of the Reckoners, and he has something they need. He has seen Steelheart bleed.
Steelheart is fantastically intense, fast-paced, and action-packed. I, being the nerd that I am, felt like I was in an Avengers comic or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode while reading this book. Loved, loved, loved it.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Hazel has never been anything but terminal. Then, gorgeous Augustus Waters appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, and Hazel just might have to rewrite her ending.
This book was incredible. You will laugh, you will cry, you will love it, and then you will hate it for loving it so much. It is one of those books that will change your life for the better. I apologize for the few and simple words, but that's the only way I know how to describe this phenomenal book accurately. A fantastic read and reread.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
We are the Harry Potter generation*. If you haven't heard of this spectacular series, you must be living under a rock. And I ache for you. I will buy it for you if I have to. You see, I used to hate reading, being frustrated with A.D.D. and dyslexia . . . until my sister practically forced this book into my hands. It changed my life forever. Harry Potter his the best series ever written, in all of time and space, There are a million and a half reasons to read, and reread this series, but I will just say one: it is and will always be one of my best friends.
*This is a link to my previous blog post on Harry Potter and why it is, for lack of better words, inconceivably amazing.
Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
It's the middle of WWIII and the planet's natural resources are next to nothing now. The war is being fought in order to gain control of assets in the solar system, the enemy is winning, and Tom Raines may be the only salvation. Fourteen-year-old acne-covered Tom does not seem like a hero, but his virtual-reality gaming skills make him a force to reckon with behind the controls of the battle drones.
Insignia is fast-paced, action-packed, and disarmingly humorous. The characters S.J. Kincaid created are real, memorable, and will grip you from page one. This book, and it's sequels, are perfect for fans of Ender's Game.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.
I realize that I am late on the bandwagon for the read, but wow, it is amazing. The Help is extremely well-written, emotional, and eerily realistic. It is strange and sad to know that is how the world really was not that long ago, but what I loved about this book is that it made me think about the world in the present as well; how people continue to struggle with similar challenges to those presented in The Help. This book will definitely make you laugh, tear up, swell with frustration, and make you think about how you can change things.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Rating: currently reading... I'll update when I finish!
Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor. Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space, aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers.**
While I have not finished this epic tale yet, what I have completed has been fantastic. This book will keep you on your toes with giggles and have you glued to the adventure-packed pages.
The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Three ordinary children are brought together by extraordinary events. Giuseppe is an orphaned street musician who sees no way to escape from his ruthless master, until the day he finds an enchanted violin. Frederick is an apprentice clockmaker with a past he cannot remember, who secretly works to build the most magnificent clockwork man the world has ever seen. Hannah is a maid in a grand hotel, whose life is one of endless drudgery, until she encounters a mystifying new guest and learns of a hidden treasure. They realize that each one holds the key to the others' puzzles. Together, the three discover they have phenomenal power when they team up as friends, and that they can overcome even the darkest of fears.**
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
The monster showed up after midnight. As they do. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming . . . This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.**
A Monster Calls is captivating. Patrick Ness has an gentle way of getting right to the complex heart of the story, and somehow drags your own pain out in the open and makes you face it in the process. This story was masterfully written, beautifully illustrated, and emotionally stunning.
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Rating: currently reading... will update!
Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee—whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not—stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden—a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives. But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?**
The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Once upon a time, in the Kingdom of Delain, King Roland is murdered and his son and heir, Peter, is framed for the crime. Peter and his loyal friends must battle an evil wizard and Peter's usurper brother, Thomas, for the throne. Imprisoned in a tower, Peter conceives an escape plan that will take him years to execute before taking on Flagg, the powerful sorcerer who has masterminded this coup.***
This is the first book of Stephen King's that I read, and it made me fall in love with books all over again. The Eyes of the Dragon is a magical tale, woven with the struggle between good and evil in the kingdom. I highly recommend this fast and thrilling tale to any reader.
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules. Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next. Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.**
If any book has ever been able to make me enjoy claustrophobia, Across the Universe is it. It is terrifying, inventive, scientific, and dramatic, all deliciously wrapped into a sci-fi novel.
There you have it, ladies and gents. Eleven must-reads for this fall! I really hope you enjoy them as much as I did. If you have any other favorites you have read recently, share below! I am always looking for more stories to live; it is an endless journey.
JR
*Synopses provided by Goodreads.com
**Synopsis provided by Stephenking.com
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