Books I'm Loving This Month

1. If I Stay - Gayle Foreman

There are very few books that I can sit down with and read cover to cover in one sitting. With this book, I could never not. Honestly, there are no words to describe the emotion this novel put me through, and reading it was a pleasure, although it didn’t feel like it at the time. It’s rare for me to be rooting for the characters in a novel at all, let alone as hard as I was (and am still) rooting for Mia, and even for Adam. 100% recommended for everyone, and I’m very much looking forward to watching the film adaptation (and reading the sequel!).

2. Looking For Alaska - John Green
When I first read this book about 4 years ago, I hated it. I didn’t connect with any of the characters, and frankly, I hated Alaska (the character, the place is lovely I’m sure). This did not make for an enjoyable read, but after re-reading recently, I’m in love. Being this little bit older than I was, I found it so much easier to relate to the protagonists, and the story just really resonated with me in a way that it hadn’t before. However, Looking For Alaska still isn’t as life-changing as Green’s other novels.

3. One Of Us Is Lying - Karen McManus
I picked this up by chance in one of my much-too-frequent Waterstones impulse buys, and I am so so glad that I did. A riveting plot, developed yet still guilty-pleasure-esque stereotypical characters, and a deep underlying moral lesson, this novel is so unique and a fresh take on a too-overly-done genre.. So fresh, in fact, that you don’t realise the trope until you come to the big revelation (of which, of course, my lips are sealed).

4. Just Like Fate - Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young
Every single one of Patrick’s novels are incredible. Every single one, no exaggeration. I first fell in love with Forgotten, then Revived, then The Originals (all 100% recommended), and now her collaboration with Suzanne Young. I’m not normally a sucker for romances (not reflected by this list) but I really was for Just Like Fate. Both Patrick’s and Young's writing styles are so comprehensive yet evoke so much emotion, it’s impossible to not adore their characters.

5. What Light - Jay Asher

Okay so I realise I've gone completely romantic on y'all, which wasn't the plan, but I guess that's what I've been reading recently! Jay Asher (author of the incredible novel 13 Reasons Why) is one of my favourite authors of all time, even though I've only read two of his books (both of which are absolute masterpieces). So cheesy, so Christmas-y, so much less dark than 13RW, such a fun read that still really makes you think. 

Top 10 Books

Recently a lot of people have asked me what my favourite book is, so I decided to make a post about it! Here are (in order) my 10 favourite contemporary fiction books.

10) The Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging series (Louise Rennison, 1999-2009 (plus spinoffs))
Guilty pleasure alert!! These books follow Georgia Nicholson, the protagonist, and her band of friends (Jas, Rosie, and Ellen, mainly) as she attempts to find and keep a boyfriend, deal wth her eccentric family, and shrink her nose. All 10 books in this series are absolute comedy gold. The movie based on the first book is exceptionally chick-flicky, and does the entire series justice with how fantastically awkward early-teen-y it is. If you're aged 11+ and haven't read at least one of the books in this series, stop reading this right now and go and read them all. You won't regret it, I promise.

9) Will Grayson, Will Grayson (John Green and David Levithan, 2010)
This book has two protagonists, both with the same name. It is told from the two Will's perspectives, which is difficult to follow at first, but you soon become used to the two authors' writing styles. The book addresses a number of difficult topics as is typical of Green, but also is ver, very funny. The only reason it isn't higher up on my list is that the characters are kind of stereotypical and one-dimensional in my humble opinion (I revel in complex characters).

8) Hex Hall (Rachel Hawkins, 2010)
Oh, Hex Hall. What a story. Complex characters, innovative storylines, humour, drama, horror, mystery. What more could you want from a book? Another solid guilty pleasure of mine, I have absolutely no idea how many times I've read it, apart form too many times and yet not enough.

7) Forgotten (Cat Patrick, 2011)
I adore every single one of Patrick's novels, but Forgotten has to be my favourite. It follows a teenage girl, London, who every morning wakes up not remembering anything. In addition to this, she can see the future, up until 4:33AM every day, when her memory of the coming day is lost. Complicated, I know, but so with it. I've shed many a tear reading this and plan to shed a lot more re-reading it for the millionth time.

6) Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins, 2010)
Do you really think I could do a novel list without mentioning dystopian fiction? It's the BEST genre, so deserves to be mentioned a lot. Do I need to explain the plot of The Hunger Games to you? Surely you know it by now. Mockingjay is easily the best of the trilogy, which is pretty fantastic all round. The final book is so sad and makes you think so much. I especially adore how Katniss is (spoiler alert) suffering from major PTSD, as a real human would be in her situation, and this isn't just glossed over as it would be in many other books. I don't know why, but I really love Katniss as a character in the books, especially in Mockingjay.

5) The Marked series (PC and Kristin Cast, 2007-2014 (plus novellas and spinoffs))
Oh boy, if I could give every book in the series it's own place in this list, I would. This series is set in one of the most developed universes I've ever read about, and I commend the Casts for that. Also, the main characters (Zoey, Stevie-Ray, Shaunee, Erin, Aphrodite, Damien, Jack, Erik, Stark, Neferet, etc) are so wonderfully complex, even though they don't seem it at first. Zoey and her inner circle are kind of Mary-Sues to begin with, but once you're through the first few books they're so developed it's like watching a child grow up. So so so highly recommended. Vampyres, fledglings, crushes, young love, weird teacher-student relationships, and the end of the world. Fantastic.

4) The Fault in Our Stars (John Green, 2012)
Okay yes, I know its everyone's favourite book and I'm so not indie anymore but there is a reason for it's widespread adoration. The movie was pretty good, but the book is exceptional. Hazel is so relatable, even to someone who has never had a life-threatening disease, and somehow Green has the knack of perfectly writing from a teenage girls' perspective, even as a 30-something year old man. Hazel and Augustus' relationship is complicated, and not perfect like its shown to be in the film. (Also, Isaac (the cool blind one) is so cool and so blind and my absolute favourite character). READ IT!

3) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (JK Rowling, 2005)
I know everyone says that Prisoner of Azkaban is the best one, and I kinda agree with them, but for me, Half-Blood Prince is a very close second. I refuse to believe that theres anyone with internet access who doesn't know the plot of Harry Potter, so I won't bother explaining it. HBP is the best book of the series because it explores the world of Draco Malfoy, one of the most interesting characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. I adore how Rowling can make me care for a character so much and feel so bad for them whilst at the same time making me hope for their demise. Genius on her part.

2) The Death Cure (James Dashner, 2011)
NEWTNEWTNEWTNEWT!!!!!!! Oh goodness me I do love Newt. The Death Cure is the third and final instalment of the The Maze Runner trilogy. It's also the best instalment in my opinion. It's funny, it's sad (like really, really, really sad), and it's a perfect end to a perfect series. The Death Cure explores more mature themes than the previous two books, which already explore some pretty nasty ideas. It's not a series for the faint-hearted, but it's pretty darn wonderful.

1) 13 Reasons Why (Jay Asher, 2007)
Here we go, onto my favourite contemporary fiction book of all time (what an honour)!!!!!!!! This book is so thought-provoking and emotional it's still difficult for me to comprehend, even after reading it many times. The basic plot is thus: a boy receives 13 audio tapes in the mail, from a girl he knew who recently committed suicide. Each tape reveals one reason why she felt she had to kill herself and blames one person. The twist is that only the people mentioned on the tapes, so only the people to blame for her death, receive the tapes. Therefore, the boy realises he must be partly to blame for the dying. The book is so powerful I can't accurately express it in words. Jay Asher is a mastermind, and I hope to read more of his work soon.