Top 5 Halloween Recommendations

I am usually not a big "thematic" reader, and don't tend to select books based on what season or holiday it is. So when I first saw the subject for this week's Top 5 Wednesday, I was not even sure if I had 5 recommendations that would be perfect for Halloween. Well, it turns out I do, and here they are. I did try to arrange them by the level of "spookiness" if you will.

*Top 5 Wednesday was created by GingerReadsLainey and the link to the Goodreads group can be found here.

1. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

This book was seriously scary. It is a new take on the story of Dracula. Vampires in Kostova's book are neither friendly nor attractive. They are creatures of evil, death, and horror. I do not want to give anything away about the plot, but if you want to read a book about vampires that is not paranormal romance this is the book to check out. It will keep you on the edge of your seat, and if you read late into the night, be prepared to be scared. A great Halloween read in my opinion.

2. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

This is Brown's first book in a series about symbologist Robert Langdon. But like most readers, this was not the first book in the series I read. I started with his more famous DaVinci Code, which I thought was good, but way over-hyped. And then I picked up Angels & Demons... This book does not have anything supernatural in it. But the reason I decided to include it in my list is because of how scared it made me feel. I remember reading it at home on a Sunday afternoon, alone in a quiet apartment and feeling completely terrified. In this book, we follow Robert Langdon to Rome where he investigates a series of murders each of which contains symbolic clues. I think it is Brown's best novel and I highly recommend it.

3. Night World series by L.J. Smith

L.J. Smith is better known as the author of Vampire Diaries. However, I personally really liked the nine-part series of hers called Night World. I cannot say that the books are overly scary but they are quite dark and feature witches, vampires, and shape-shifters. I did quite enjoy all of the stories and I think they  make a great selection for this time of year.

4. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

I feel like I have been mentioning this graphic novel on my blog quite a bit lately, but it is quite an excellent story. I was pleasantly surprised when I read it earlier this year. And since we are talking about Halloween recommendations, what would make a better selection than one featuring a ghost! I also think that the book can be quite spooky particularly for younger readers.

5. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

This was another recent read for me and one that I enjoyed. It reads more like historical fiction and is very atmospheric, but it is also focused on supernatural forces and secret societies. I also like the feminist themes in this book and the message that basically any woman has the potential of being a witch. Halloween is definitely associated with witches, so if you like historical fiction with a supernatural twist, look no further.

Top 5 Wednesday: Top Authors You Discovered This Year

It is Wednesday and I really like the topic for this week's top 5: top authors you discovered this year. I have already done a post on the top 5 books I read this year. All of them were also my first introductions to the work of those authors. However, I decided not to repeat my selections for this post. Instead, looking over the list of books I read so far in 2015 (ninety-five total), I will pick the authors whose writing appealed to me so much that I would want to read other books by them. I might have not necessarily loved the book I read but definitely think they are an author I would like to follow and continue reading.

*Top 5 Wednesday was created by GingerReadsLainey and the link to the Goodreads group can be found here.

These are listed in the order that I read them, not in the order of preference.

1. Veronica Rossi

I read Rossi's Under the Never Sky trilogy earlier this year and absolutely loved it. Her writing was very engaging and the story was quite original. I have a full review of the series on my blog here and also on Goodreads. I know that Rossi has a new book coming out early next year called Riders, and I will definitely be picking it up.

2. John Steinbeck

I read Of Mice and Men for the first time earlier this year. This book is quite short and I think it was a perfect place for me to start my acquaintance with Steinbeck. I ended up really enjoying the book and the writing style. I also like the time period he focuses on - the great depression in America. I definitely would like to read more of his books. Perhaps The Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden will be next on my list.

3. Gabrielle Zevin

My introduction to Zevin's books was her most recent novel The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. I ended up really enjoying it. The novel is advertised as an ultimate book for all book lovers. I completely agree. It is filled with references to various books, authors and genres. The main character is a bookseller named A.J. Fikry. AJ is a lonely widower who has pretty much resolved to drink himself to death when a series of unexpected events occur that make him reconsider his decision and propel him to experience the most fulfilling days of his life. This was a very satisfying read. I enjoyed it immensely and will definitely read more of this author's work. I already own Elsewhere by her and hope to pick it up soon.

4. Jennifer L. Armentrout

Jennifer L. Armentrout is quite a prolific writer who has penned both young adult and new adult books. Her various series have quite a following in the book blogging/tubing community, and I finally picked up her Lux series this year. The first book in the series resembles Twilight quite a bit only dealing with aliens rather than vampires. But the series gets significantly better and much more original further along. The books are also much more romance heavy than some other books in the sci-fi genre. But I definitely enjoy her writing. Her books are currently in my "guilty pleasure" reading category.

5. Paula McLain

I had seen Paula McLain's The Paris Wife in bookstores for quite some time now. It is quite popular and has great reviews. However, the first book of hers that I read was Circling the Sun about Beryl Markham, a record-setting aviator. I really liked the book and have a full review of it on my blog here. I am definitely planning on checking out The Paris Wife soon.

"1984" by George Orwell

A lot of readers like to dive into horror books in the month of October. Well, 1984 is a very particular horror story, a tale of what might happen in a world where the system is above the individual.

Orwell masterfully describes the worst possible dystopia - mass thought control. The novel is divided into 3 distinct parts. In the first one, the main protagonist Winston Smith, an ordinary outer Party member, commits a "crimethink" - he questions the reality presented by the Party, desperately yearns to know the truth about the past and hopes that change is possible. He also goes as far as committing outward acts of disobedience: he starts a journal, falls in love and becomes a member of the "Brotherhood", a so-called underground dissident movement. In Part II of the novel, Winston, predictably, gets arrested and goes through interrogation and torture, the final goal of which is complete suppression of any independent thought and total brainwashing. In Part II, he wishes for death and expects to be publicly executed. However, sometimes death is not the worst end. In Part III, we see Winston as a shell of a man, completely emptied of any will, rational thought or human emotion. He is a picture of hopelessness, a person so thoroughly crushed by the system that the only way he can function is by getting drunk every day. He exists in a perpetual state of stupor.

I think Orwell's portrayal of this horrific "what-if" world is genius. It is a standing warning to always beware of any system that discourages freedom of thought/speech, rewrites history or tells people how to think. A must read for everyone.

The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1) by Rick Riordan

This was another book from my most anticipated list for this fall. Those of you who have read Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and Gods of Olympus series know that he is a master of writing addicting and highly entertaining stories. Reading his books to me feels sort of like watching Shrek movies - you recognize the characters and references, but the story is completely fresh and original and filled with great humor and sarcasm. Well, this first installment in The Gods of Asgard series has surpassed all of my expectations. I think this is Rick Riordan's best work yet. First of all, it is based on Viking mythology - I just love that. I don't know much about Viking gods, so it was really interesting to learn the myths along the way. The main character - Magnus Chase - is a sixteen-years old homeless kid who one day discovers his relationship to the Viking gods and is suddenly tasked with averting the Viking version of a doomsday. Just like in Riordan's other stories, Magnus and his friends go on an adventure-filled quest, deal with insurmountable challenges and learn lots of new things about themselves. I also really liked the humor and sarcasm in this book. The book is told from Magnus' perspective who is quite snarky and makes lots of great remarks and observations as he tries to deal with his life-changing circumstances. I greatly enjoyed this book and will definitely look forward to Book 2.

"Vengeance Road" by Erin Bowman

Vengeance Road is a young adult western, and was one of my top five most anticipated new releases for this fall. I did enjoy the book. It is very well written, and the story is fast-paced and interesting. One downside for me (and the reason why I rated the book at 4 and not 5 stars) is that it is filled with all the cliches one might anticipate in a western. We have a lone survivor searching for revenge who along the way finds new friends and a romantic interest, earns the respect of Native Americans, and survives against all odds. I did like the fact that the main protagonist is a young girl. There was also a twist in the end that I did not see coming. The romantic story line was a bit weak for me. I tend to not trust love interests that decide to be absent for a while for no apparent reason. Overall, an enjoyable read with a strong female lead and an interesting plot.

"Spinning Starlight" by R.C. Lewis

I got an advanced e-book of this novel from Netgalley for review. The book is coming out next Tuesday, October 6th, 2015. This is a companion novel to Stitching Snow by the same author, but as far as I know you do not have to read one in order to pick up the other. I had not read the first novel, but heard really good things about it, so was super excited to review Spinning Starlight.

This is a sci-fi retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans. I am not familiar with the original fairy tale so cannot really say how the two relate. I did, however, enjoy Spinning Starlight very much. The book is set on a technologically advanced planet where humans enjoy instantaneous interplanetary travel, everyone gets around by hovercraft and celebrities are pursued by ubiquitous vid-cams.

The main heroine Liddi will soon inherit a huge technology firm (JTI) where 8 of her older brothers work on developing tech innovations. Their parents died in an accident when Liddi was only 6 years old. Unlike her brothers, Liddi has not shown any particular talent in technology development, and instead is known throughout the seven planets (or as they call them "the seven points") as a socialite and party goer. What she does not know is that the conduits through which interplanetary travel occurs are rapidly failing, and JTI scientists including her brothers are desperately trying to repair them. Liddi finally learns that her brothers are trapped in the network of conduits and someone is trying to keep her from going public about this.

I flew through the book in 3 days. It is very well written and even with all the technology descriptions, it does not get tedious or boring. I rated it at 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to all who like fairy tale retellings and sci-fi.