When it comes to convincing me to read a certain book, it’s just too easy.
All you have to do is whisper promises of certain types of bookish topics and — BOOM — I have been summoned like an overexcited (yet adorable) wraith of the darkness and WILL NOT LEAVE without the book in my clammy claws.
“But the real question, Cait,” you say trying to be patient with my adorable yet deadly newfound wraith status, “is what are these certain bookish topics you speak of????”
Yes yes, calm your pineapple fronds, I’m getting to that.
The good thing about me * is that I’ve read an enormous amount of books so I know what I like. The second I get a whiff of one of my Favourite Topics of Ever — I am so there. Like instantly. These topics just set my world on fire instantly ** and steal my soul and I will marry them at dawn and immediately and right now.
Today I’m listing types of books that I’m 100% a sucker for. No questions. No blurb reading necessary. *** Just give them to me omg.
* Although I full admit there are many good things about me, including my ability to crack eggs one handed and lift 24 books at a time.
** This is figurative fire, by the way, because fire + books = bad. Don’t do it, kids.
*** Who even has time for blurb reading?!? Sheesh. I look at covers and topics and then I fly off into the sunset with unrealistic expectations AND THIS CAN’T POSSIBLY GO WRONG.
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is “Top Ten Tuesday REWIND” which basically means I CAN DO WHAT I WANT and embrace my inner Loki and wear my crown and strut about with no rules. So basically what I normally do.
PS. There may accidentally be more than 10. Definitely accidentally.
- FOODIE FICTION. Is this a legit book genre/category? Because if it’s not it will be my #1 priority when I take over the world to make it so. I love books that can make me hungry. IT IS MOSTLY THE REASON I’M A BOOKWORM. I demand books include scrumptious high teas and crumpets and cake and tacos and lasagna and the occasional wild pudding. You better believe that if a book has “cake” in the blurb — I AM THERE.
- ARR, ME PIRATEY HEARTIES. By the way: where are all the pirates?? Because I don’t see them enough in current YA and this pains my notoriously piratastic soul. In my youth my Top Career Choice was pirate, actually. (There’s still time, I suppose.) ANYWAY. Bring on the dashing sassy roguish pirates please and thank you.
- DIVERSE FANTASY CULTURES. Basically if a fantasy book says, “Excuse me but hello and my name is Not Set In Medieval Britain” I AM SO SO INTERESTED. There are 196 countries out there (if you count Taiwan, which apparently some people don’t which I think is rude; #PoorTaiwan) and I want to see moooooore of them in books. India! Mozambique! Russia! Iran! Please!!!
- STABBY STABBY. Basically books that promise assassins have already got me disturbingly excited. It could be a problem, quite honestly. But let’s not dwell on that. I basically am insta-in-line for books that involve sharp objects and plenty of blood.
- CRIME AND MAFIA FAMILIES. A family that steals together, stays together! Maybe. Probably? Actually I have no idea because all of the crimey families I’ve read about (White Cat? All This Could End?) generally end badly BECAUSE CRIME IS WRONG, KIDS. DON’T STEAL. Unless you are a sassy thief master in a book because then I want to read about you. If a book even whispers the phrase “masterthief” then I’m in love.
- MAGGIE STIEFVATER. This is definitely a “type” of book, okay? Don’t even doubt me right now. If a book is (A) by Maggie Stiefvater then I am 1000% over it and probably a ridiculous puddle of deranged guacamole in anticipation, or (B) the book has Stiefvaterish “vibes” to it…then see aforementioned guacamole metaphor. (Although quite honestly, exactly zero books have ever come close but at least The Darkest Part of the Forest, Bone Gap, and The Accident Season came pleasantly in the same vicinity. Picture Maggie Stiefvater books as a double-layer chocolate cake. Then these books would be like cute little cake-pops.)
- SASSMASTERS. You only have to say, “Cait, by the way, this book has a sarcastic character –“ and HELLO I AM RUNNING AWAY FROM YOU AND RUNNING TOWARDS THE BOOKS. I will cross continents and swim deserts and hike oceans to get there. I am so notoriously addicted to humour. The sassier the better.
- GOOD VILLAINS AND EVIL HEROES. Okay, hold on a second, I know you’re probably thinking I’ve well and truly lost it this time. Which is true. But that’s not the point. THE POINT IS — I love villains who do unexpected good things, and heroes who make darkly dangerous decisions. I particularly like when heroes go dark side. Bless them. Dark cookies for us all.
- ROYALTY SHENANIGANS. I do so love lost-princes/princesses particularly. I don’t know what it is about royalty that makes them go missing all the time??? (Invest in kiddie leashes, yo.) But anything to do with THE ROYAL ONES I love a ridiculous amount. I love reclaiming thrones and fighting over thrones and thrones in general, basically. In fact, I want one.
- SPECIFIC MINORITIES. Because I’m also a writer and my #1 source of research is = reading fiction. I’m a delicate flower, okay? And story-based-research is all I’m good for. SO! When I get obsessed on specific minority topic, I just hone into ANY BOOK OF EVER that deals with it. Currently I am all about books on (A) deafness, (B) schizophrenia, and (C) Autism. I will literally scroll Goodreads endlessly and howl like a particularly cute, desperate puppy until I find books on these topics. (Give me recommendations if you have them!)
- DRAGONS. This is obvious. I am dragon obsessed. And you know how many dragon books I’ve read? A PITIFUL AMOUNT. LIKE 4 OR 5. So whenever I hear a whisper of a newly-released dragon book you better believe what I am doing. (Spoiler: hugging the book.)
- CLASSICAL MUSICAL BOOKS. Because there aren’t enough books about violinists and cellists and concert pianists. I’m exactly 3% interested in guitars and teenage angst bands (excluding a spare few books) but GIVE ME CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTS. In fact, yes do give them to me. I can play violin, cello, and piano, and I need new strings btw. Feel free to fund.
- SHERLOCK RETELLINGS. Because hello genius mastermind with deduction abilities and complete social ineptness. Be mine. All of them. Ever.
- MONSTERS. Yes I am aware half my list involves THE DARK SIDE. Nothing to be concerned about here. Hahhahahha ha ha…ahem. But seriously, monsters are awesome. ALL KINDS. Nightmares, hiding-under-your-bed, evil mythological creatures, etc. etc. I’ll have them in any form, basically, darkly, angrily, adorably, in cages, free-range, even organic. Just give me monsters.
- LIBRARY SETTINGS. Because books about books are on top of all the rest, okay? There is NO WAY a book set in a library can go wrong. #bookishinception Plus I can live vivaciously through this because I, obviously, wish to live in a library. When I grow up (which is not yet, because just no) I’m going to live in a house ENTIRELY FULL OF BOOKS. Every room will be a different genre. The kitchen will be the fantasy room because that’s the strength of my cooking skills.
Ohmygosh I love so many of these. XD Stabby books, anti-heroes, royalty, and sass make amazing books. I’m totally a complete sucker for books that promise extensive world-building, because it’s one of my favourite parts of the writing process, not to mention I love reading about diverse cultures. Also, yes to more foodie fiction! I’ll never be able to cook food like they have in the books (I’m a horrible cook) so eating it through the pages is one way to experience it. 😀
I’m a horrible cook too.😂 SO BAD. But reading about it does help with that a little bit…I can live vivaciously through books and all the delicious food omg. (NOVEMBER CAKES. AHHHH.) *composes self* But basically then I think most of our tastes here are TWINNING. <3
I LOVE LOVE anything with monsters, small rainy towns, and the paranormal occult (as long as it’s light and nothing too dark, like witches and spells not possession). I didn’t really care for some characters in Spellcaster by Claudia Gray, but I read it for the sole reason of the small rainy town setting ☔️
And crime families! I mean, they’re cool enough if there are fictional mafias the character is a part of, but add that with family bonding?! I desperately wish I could pull that off in writing but I don’t think I’d do justice in any way.
FOODIE FICTION OF COURSE, OKAY. I have an issue especially in fantasy books with characters barely eating anything. LIKE WHY ARE YOU, AN ASSASSIN OR MAGICIAN, CONTENT WITH BREAD AND SOUP? I feel it’s no excuse for a prince or princess to not be in the mood to eat in some banquet, because hello, food. Food makes you a hundred times happier. 😂🎈
Yesss rainy towns and monsters, omg, I 100% plan to write a book containing those someday BECAUSE MONSTERS. AND I HAVE A NEED. And like any book with epic family dynamics is my favourite but add in a little bit o’ crime and a little bit o’ evil…I am just in lvoe. IN LOVE.
But dude, yes. I agree. How can a character run about the world and not be hungry? I get hungry from just, like, reading and I’m not even moving. WHERE IS THE REALISM. *piles food on the heads of all fantasy characters*
Hmmm, I have not yet read anything by Maggie Stiefvater. Clearly I need to remedy that ASAP. Oooh and yay for sassiness and library settings!
OMGGG YES YOU DO!! *piles all the Stiefvater books on your head* She is only the BEST author of EVER I might just add. :’)
If the book has like a villain or anti-hero that everyone’s talking about, I’ll probably read it because I’m like attracted bookishly to villains.
Yessss, omg SO MUCH YES. I am ridiculously attracted to the dark side in books. And no regrets.😂
YESSS characters are so much better when they are morally grey or do the unexpected!! Sassy characters always gets extra points from me as I will teleport myself to those books. I’m a sucker for royal storylines too even though I don’t really have any of those type of books that stand out (from what I’ve read). I am strangely attracted to dark, creepy books. Yes that sounds disturbing. Like books with cultish tendencies because it makes the characters more interesting and leaves me befuddled about their way of thinking. I like books with schools for some reason, especially if they’ve got a really unique speciality. Great post Cait!!
Dark creepy books ARE THE BEST THOUGH. THERE IS NO DOUBT OR QUESTION. Although I generally get annoyed at cultish books because omg use your brains, characters, don’t do the creepy thing. *screams in nervousness* Ahem. Ahem. I’m fine.
I love libraries as a setting *you should read the archived if you haven’t already!) and also diverse fantasy cultures (eas long as it’s not approriatish) and classical music (oh my gosh I have only read one book with a violist mc (the really really good lgbt Empress of the world) and we need more violist and violinist and bassoonist representation) recc: Good Enough, a contemporary by Patti Yoon. Any book (YA, that is) featuring India will instantly draw my attention. I also like books with lots of siblings and non-traditional gender roles (stay at home dads and brothers who like to clean the house). Also, characters who like bright clothing because that = so me. (I’m wearing orange tights right now. 🙂 I do like 🍞🍟🍒🍏🍌🍕🍝🍚🍵🍻🍺☕🍮🍩🍧🍪📕📚 (food books)
I haven’t read The Archived BUT IT’S ON MY TBR AND I REALLY REALLY WANT TO GET TO IT ASAP. Because Schwab is like EVERYTHING. I honestly don’t know why I haven’t read it yet. #shame
But omg YES how did I forget to put families on my list?!? I actually adore books with big families and tons of kids!! THEY ARE THE BEST. And bright clothing is marvellous. I have this mega bright rainbow-striped jacket I wear in winter and it is GLORIOUS. Except I’ve worn it for like 7 years and it’s kind of shrinking. Which is just rude of it. Hmph.
Food is, of course, the greatest Everything.
Good villains and evil heroes I can definitely get behind. Life is way too complicated to be black and white. (though there are times I’d like to be!)
OH SO MUCH AGREEMENT. I mean, IRL, it’d be nice if things were black and white and straight forward….😂 but in books it’s MUCH more interesting if it’s not hahhahaa. omg.
Haruki Murakami: he’s definitely a type all on his own
Unreliable Narrator: I don’t know why this is so interesting to me…
Franz Kafka: ummm… he’s also kinda a type…
Melancholy: I’m a sucker for misery…
Incest-ish: noooooooooo don’t judge me… well, not hardcore ones at least…. but books with underlying incest-ish themes … gaahhh
Psychedelic: well… yea
Unreliable narrators are AWESOME! I particularly like them in thrillers because it makes the ending so much more exciting!! And who doesn’t like a good book of TRAAAAGEDY?
Yes *.* I also love books that are set in differents parts of the world. I would die if somebody write and publish a fantasy book set within Siberia and Mongolia, with shamans and stuffs. I’m actually a bit obessed with it beacuse my Univerisity’s thesis was about shamanics costume and mythology XD
And I also approve Stiefvater’s vibes. Didi you hear she will (well, at least I hope) work on a Roran centered trilogy? I read that yesterday on her twitter, and I was all like: OH. MY. BOOKISH. GOD.
OMG THAT WOULD BE AMAZING. *whispers* I actually wrote a Mongolian inspired fantasy for fun, but I dare say it’s horribly inaccurate hahhha so I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to editing it. BUT IT WAS FUN AT THE TIME.
AND YES I DID HERE THAT. I am praying that it gets confirmed and becomes official because afjdkslafdjakldj I NEED THAT MORE THAN AIR.
Mongolia, and Siberia also, has a really difficult mythology. First of all there are a lot of buddhist influence and usually the name of gods and godess become different betwenn the various ethnc groups and between the tribes of the same ethnicity. The same is for the legends.
I should give a look at Uno Holmberg-Harva’s works. I wrote my thesis with his books. They’re a lifesaver.
Well, I was more basing it off just Genghis Khan’s timeline, and it was dystopian so yeeeeah. But don’t worry, I would do much much more research if I got serious about it.
You too? I always wanted to be a pirate. But alas, I wasn’t born is the 18th century. At the very least I can write about it. They do say that if there is something you want to read that hasn’t been written yet, write it yourself. And, like you, I feel like there are hardly any YA pirates stories. Which is why I’m currently writing my own. It goes something like this: a girl disguised as a boy. She goes abroad a pirate ship to find her missing brother. The ship is ambushed by the Queen Anne’s Revenge. As the girl fights to keep her identity hidden and mission intact, all the while going on adventures and falling for a sassy roguish pirate. After all… a dashing sassy roguish pirate? *swoon* . In the meantime, in England, a princess is fighting to keep her throne in an age of piracy and treachery.
It’s a work it progress ‘^^
You can count me in for anything pirate related (:
Assassins? What a coincidence. I’m also working on a story centering around a princess and a group of assassins ‘^^
Yeah… piracy and assassins are my obsession. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure there is nothing wrong with us, though, Probably.
Crime and Mafia, Sassmasters, good villains and evil heroes, dragons, sherlock retellings, monsters… I’m swooning to hard right now. I want amazing stories like those all around please!
Nope, I’m pretty sure there is nothing missing from your list. Maybe other than Time Travel because I’m a sucker for those type of stories too, I absolutely LOVE time travel.
Other than that… you basically just named every topic EVER I would read first and ask questions later.
P.S: would is be too weird if I said I’m also writing a mafia related story as well? ‘^^
Yeah… I’m not the type to focus on just one story (:
Amazing post as ever, Cait! Your posts are the best medecine when you’re feeling down 😀
Omg you are writing a pirate story?! MY LIFE IS MADE. GO ZOEY. And that sounds like an epic actiony fun plot. Plus sassy roguish pirate is the whole meaning of the pirate life, amirite? SO GOOD. This book will be an insta-best-seller because the world needs it.
I have so many assassin stories too. hahah. I’M SURE IT’S NORMAL TO BE THIS INTERESTED IN STABBY BOOKS.
I actually have only read one time travel book that I liked! Although, I mean, I’ve only read 2 all up.😂 I need to work on that.
DUDE IT’S NOT WEIRD. I literally have books on all the things on this list…because who wants to just write one book? Pffft. Not we smart ones.
Love your post this week. No one can say you don’t read a diversity of books.
Here’s my Top Ten! I take on a subgenre: Armchair Foodie Travel Books.
Well, that’s one way to look at it!
You’ve mentioned so many great things. I am so down for Stabby Stabby, Dragons, Sassmasters and Monsters. Hmm…sounds like a book title. Anyway, I find that I am really drawn to books with tentacles on the covers too. I don’t know what it is about them, but for some reason, if I see tentacles, I have to grab it. You’d think I lived by the ocean rather than in the hills of nowhere WV, but hey, maybe in my previous life I was a pirate or sea captain or something. As always, love your post and photos!
Ooh, then you should take a look at Are You Seeing Me by Darrent Groth. SO MANY TENTACLES ON THE COVER!!😂 I’m definitely sure that means you were a pirate in a previous life *nods* it just makes sense.
I fully support your book house – I’d love to have a meal cooked in your kitchen! 😉
You need to be careful with books written “about” autism – especially fiction, as there are many novels written about a protagonist or narrator that supposedly has autism, but in fact the story is 90% stereotype or misinformation. Since my oldest son is on the spectrum, I’ve explored this area and been very dismayed at what false impressions we civilized people are spreading. “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” by Mark Haddon is pretty accurate. In non-fiction, if you just want to learn more about the condition, anything written by Temple Grandin (who *is* autistic) is great. (I met her once at a talk she gave at my college. She couldn’t make eye contact, bless her, but she has like 4 PhDs and invented a revolutionary way of preparing cattle to, er, become food. She’s amazing.)
As long as that meal is not cooked by me, then we’ll be right.😂
Ah, I have family on the spectrum, which is why the topic interests, me so I actually know all of that. 🙂 Although the spectrum is quite huge, so I think there’s a lot of room to understand people have different experiences and display differently (like girls vs boys for instance) but you know that I’m sure anyway. Have you tried Look Me In the Eye by John Elder Robinson? SO SO GOOD. And also Nerdy Shy and Socially Inappropriate by Cynthia Kim is THE best memoir I’ve read (by an Autistic person).
Thanks for the referrals – it’s been frustratingly hard to find books written about actually living with autism, instead of by doctors or academics who don’t necessarily understand the full picture.
Ugh, sadly it is true. 🙁 I’ve basically devoured everything my library has to offer (which admittedly was not much) but here’s a link to my Goodreads shelf of my reviews if you’re interested! I’m sure none of those will be new to you though. 😜
Thanks so much for the recommendations! Some of them weren’t familiar, and it’s always good to get more insight into a topic that seems to be stagnating locally.
Great list! I did a similar post a while ago about my “auto-read” topics. Twins/sisters, kid drama, and dealing with grief over death are a few of them.
It is a fabulous type of post to write, amirite?! 😀 And twins and sisters are aWESOME. I agree with that one too!
Yes to anti-heroes and anti-villains. Morally gray characters are the best. I like books with unusual structures. I want stories told in new and strange ways. The topic doesn’t always interest me as much as how the topic is written about.
Ooh unusual story structures ftw! I actually really like unique formatting too! Or a book told from not-the-most-important-character….just to shake things up.😂
I didn’t know you could have 15 types of books! I think I’m attracted to books that have characters with dark background story. Or when they are trapped in an unfortunate situation. I like books that stab my heart, in a sense they “break” my heart figuratively rather than literally. So it’s a different “stabby stabby” type from yours :p.
I love fantasy books, but so far I have yet to be impressed by more than 3ish fantasy books? Either I have to give a chance for other fantasy books or it’s just not an easy genre to write. I set my bar too high, perhaps. I read City of Bones a long time ago and sadly I wasn’t impressed. I need something more magical and enchanting.
Oooh, dark backstories are deliciously wonderful too!! TRAGEDY. Everyone loves a good bit of heartbreaking tragedy. <3
And omg I actually understand about the fantasy! It is my #1 genre, but I'm so hard on it.😭 I tend to rate the books so low haha. Ahem.
BOOKS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD. How do you expect us to fangirl over your book, authors, if we aren’t allowed to eat things from the book???? Because if I’m going to have a fangirl party about a certain book, I want to have food from the book. (That is totally on my bucket list). I may have made Elvish waybread from The Lord of the Rings… multiple times… IT’S SO GOOD. And I thought of you when I was writing my own book, because I had to put food in it. COOKIES. <3
A lot of these are ones that I immediately pick up, too. I can't think of a single pirate book I've read… But crime families? I am soooo in. And sassy characters are THE BEST. I'm notorious for snatching up anything that has time travel in it, too.
Great post, Cait! And I loved your Loki reference. 😉 *hands you the glow stick of destiny and some cake*
I entirely agree. *nods sagely* An excellent book should also come with enough bookish food to fill a recipe book. IT JUST NEEDS TO BE A FACT. Forget swooning over love interests. I wish to EAT THE FOOD HERE. Omg you made Elvish bread?!? That is so awesome!! I dream of making November Cakes from The Scorpio Races.
There are so not enough pirate books.😭 The Girl From Everywhere kind of had the vibe going? But not REALL pirating.
*twirls about with the glowstick of destiny and eats all the cake*
THERE ARE TOO MANY AND I LOVE THEM ALL TOO. That Moriarty gif… *dies of sassiness* Also Maggie Stiefvater needed to be top on your list, I’m ashamed to see her all the way down there. I WILL READ ANY NOVEL WITH THE STIEFVATER TOUCH.
That Moriarty gif is clearly my life GOALS. *runs around trying to steal a crown* And the real question is why doesn’t Maggie Stiefvater write 94 books a year?? Because omg seriously I need.
YES TO EEEEEEEEVERYTHING !!!!!!! Except i yet have to read a Maggie Stiefvater AND a Sherlock retelling, woups? I’m getting there though I promise huhu!!
PIRATES AND FOOD AND GOOD VILLAINS AND BAD HEROES AND EEEEVERYTHING !! This list is me in a nutshell!
OH I WILL GET ON MY KNEEDS TO BEG YOU TO READ A STIFEVATER BOOK. *shoves the Scorpio Races in your face* <33 Her books are all glorious and I might shriek EEEEEP.
After reading this list, I KNOW you need to read The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. They contain a masterthief, sassmasters, and royal shenanigans. Plus they are set in a Byzantine and Greek setting. And are some of my favorite books of all time.
SQUEEE. I have like vaguely heard of it!! But I will put it on the TBR for sure. 😀 It sounds like aaaall the things I like omg.
There’s a character in Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson I know you will like – because I fell in love with him.
“Have you no thoughts on the matter?”
“I try to avoid having thoughts. They lead to other thoughts, and – if you’re not careful – those lead to actions. Actions make you tired. I have this on rather good authority from someone who once read it in a book.”
“You avoid thinking, you avoid me, you avoid effort.. is there anything you don’t avoid?”
“Breakfast.”
I LOVE BRANDON SANDERSON ALREADY. And this like doubly confirmed it omg.
Sassmasters are awesome. Library settings are cool too. And pirates. 🙂
We are in completely agreement. :’) All we need is sassy pirate librarians now.
So I’m not the only one that gets books without reading blurbs? I feel so much better now. And yes to foodie books. I requested (and got approved and slightly disappointed by) Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet because of the baking. Yes. magical baking… who cares about the flaws on the book, the cookies sounded magically delicious.
And anything Ilona Andrews has a SONIA WILL READ NOW tag attached – I’m currently very upset with the NetGalley gods since they denied me for the Magic Binds eARC… don’t they know it is more important than air to breathe?
Oh… and on a happy news, my copy of The Scorpio Races arrived today – it even sparked the search for a TTT past topic to celebrate its arrival and being able to use it 😀
(I also made my 3 y.o. niece to hold my precious babies and then arranged it and plastered big letters around to be able to use said picture without my sister to be mad at me for posting her precious around the internet….LOL)
Oh you are absolutely not alone! I never read blurbs.😂 unless I start the book and get confused, then I go read the blurb…like I’m reading a book now that I thought was a Phantom of the Opera retelling. Hahahah. It is not. I was very confused reading the first few chapters. You think this’d teach me to read blurbs more often, right? IT DOES NOT. I am terrible.
Omg how dare Netgalley reject you! HOW CRUEL OF THEM.
AJFDSLKAD I’M SO GLAD YOUR SCOPRIO RACES IS HERE!! Let me know what you think?!
OMG CAIT. THAT AWKWARD MOMENT WHEN 6 (and a half) of your points are basically one of my WIPs, and two of them are another of my WIPs…*flails* (you know if you’re ever willing to beta read…..) – and also that sad moment that you realise no-one will ever ever read your WIPs and they will never see the light of day and WILL I EVER EVEN FINISH THEM?
I 100% agree with all your opinions here, which is probably why i often take your book recommendations to heart and EAT ALL THE BOOKS UP THAT YOU ENJOYED because i probably will to..
although.
i still have yet to read a book by maggie/more than one book by v.e schwab …
IT’S LIKE YOU’RE WRITING BOOKS SPECIFICALLY FOR ME. *blushes* Hawwa, you shouldn’t have. (Just kidding, you totally should.) THIS IS GLORIOUS. You better believe what all my books contain…hahaha….at least most of these in each book. It gets awkward trying to write contemporary though when I’m not supposed to have dragons or stabby stabbings. *sighs*
GO FINISH WRITING THEM, HAWWA. THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR BOOKS.
But seriously. You must try Schwab and Stiefvater. Immediately. I will get on my knees and BEG.
I knew you were going to rank Maggie Stiefvater books as one of your favourite types of book!! 😉 I definitely second you on the sarcasm and the library settings. I also love parody, though I haven’t read nearly enough of it.
Forgot to mention that the Hollow Earth trilogy has a deaf character – Zach. It’s middle grade and it’s not realistic fiction, but I seem to remember there being some sign language early on.
Ohhh, you know me too well! I’m not subtle enough clearly. I must work on this. (Spoiler: I will not be working on this.) And ooh, I shall look up this Hollow Earth series! I’m not generally a wild fan of MG, but I can be convinced. 😉
Ugh except for the stabbing {I am a delicate flower in that regard} I love all of these things. Let me devour them. It makes me sad that so few books have TONS OF DELICIOUS FOOD. About half the reason I loved The Wrath and the Dawn was the FOOD.
Haha, I understand.😂 I shall keep the stabby books and we shall twin on all the rest. Omg delicious food in books is just LIFE. Or actually, death, really, because I start craving fantasy food that never exists.😂 The Wrath and the Dawn was BEAUTIFUL and cRUEL. *mouth waters all over the page*
GOOD VILLAINS AND EVIL HEROES IS LIKE MY FAVORITE THING IN THE HISTORY OF EVER. I LOVE WHEN THE “VILLAIN” DOES ODDLY GOOD THINGS AND THE HEROES MAKE DECISIONS THAT MAKE YOU QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT THEY’RE ACTUALLY THE HERO OF THE STORY. JUST PLEASE GIVE ME ALL THE BOOKS THAT BLUR THE LINES BETWEEN THE HERO AND THE VILLAIN AND GOOD AND BAD AND RIGHT AND WRONG AND MAKE YOU QUESTION EVERYTHING BECAUSE LIKE OMG THESE ARE THE BEST. *I’m looking at V.E. Schwab’s Vicious btw* BECAUSE YES THESE ARE SO GOOD. Ahem. Anyway. I am also so here for anything with dragons and ridiculously sassy characters those are honestly the best.
I’M REALLY GLAD YOU AGREE WITH ME ON THIS BECAUSE IT IS MY #1 FAVOURITE THING OF THE UNIVERSE AND I’M SO SO GLAD WE ARE TWINNING IN THIS THOUGH. HI FIVE ME, FRIEND.
VE Schwab is genius at complex characters. Like are any of her characters true pure good heroes? No. Is this the best thing of ever? Absolutely yes.
I like books with royalty settings, too. And I love Maggie Stiefvater’s books. They are the best! 🙂
AHHH *HI FIVES FOR MUTUAL MAGGIE STIEFVATER APPRECIATION* She truly is the queen of books omg.
No food-books for me, please! Every time I read about some delicious meal/cake/whatever I immediately crave it and end up eating 50kg of sweets or so. Which, as sad as it is, is NOT a healthy thing to do. 🙁 Thus I avoid temptation.
Buuuut I too am sucker for monsters, complex villains and all sorts of terrifying and dark stories! Although I feel that most so-called “dark” books are pretty meh. Or maybe I’ve read too much. I especially love demons and Alien-like stories. (Huh, isn’t it funny that most bookworms seem like total psychopaths if judged by their taste?)
Also: a heartfelt YES! to library settings and sass! And gathering information by reading can be really fun. (I can almost see my friends’ horrified faces.) I have a little collection of books about Asperger’s syndrome, the plague, the history of medicine, medicine in general, and the witch-hunts.
Well that IS a downside of reading foodie fiction I suppose.😂 Or you could read it after you eat?!?! And quell cravings! (Omg I know that totally doesn’t help. It just makes you hungry all over again.😂)
Dark monstery stories are LIFE. Or death for the characters, generally, but life for me. And that’s what’s important. :’) And honestly I’m actually rarely terrified by books haha, but I do like the darker ones, and I do seem to find quite a few of them SO YAY. (And dude, omg, we are probably dubious creatures if we’re defined by our bookish preferences. I mean, after this list, no one is going to believe I’m a quiet nice calm soul…)
Yessss to the diverse fantasy worlds, I love seeing the different places influenced by non-European cultures. It’s something different to see and the authors that write it usually add delightful extra fantasy elements.
Also, I totally know what you mean by good villains and evil heroes. I think more than ever readers are more attuned to the idea that not everyone is fully good or fully evil. Which is mostly a product of Disney brainwashing, probably.
PS. that katniss gif is amazing. I especially like how the guy takes the knife away from her lol
Yes, omg isn’t that Katniss the best? 😂 This is the Mockingjay. This is who will save Panem. “Quick someone take that knife off her”.😂😂I LOVE IT.
Yes! It’s much more realistic to have shades of grey and complex characters with complex morals and goals. <3 I love them. I'm glad we're moving away from the strictly black-and-white stories. hehe.
I agree with all of these, and Meggie Stiefvater
MAGGIE STIEFVATER IS EVERYTHING. *fangirls uncontainably*
I don’t get all the hate that the lost prince/princess trope gets??? Because I love it! Yes, it’s somewhat common, but not annoying common or even super common.
And yes. DRAGON BOOKS. Have you read the Dragonriders of Pern series? It’s older, a sci-fi classic, but there are ten tons of books in the series, so, Y’know, lots of dragons.
I’ve read lost prince/princess stuff and I love nearly all of it. When it’s good is sooo good! Unfortunately, a lot of people do it badly and they give it a bad wrap, While the ones that do it well are unjustly lumped in with the bad ones.
From this genre I recommend (warning, very minor spoilers):
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Westmark Trillogy by Lloyd Alexander (especially the 2nd two books!)
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (sort of fits this genre)
The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace
@Aine: OMG I AGREE!! I mean, I do see it a ton in fantasy books. Nearly every second fantasy book these days seems to be about queens.😂 (Red Queen, Queen of Shadows, Shadow Queen, The Orphan Queen, The Impostor Queen…ahem.) But like I don’t even mind??? I just want more??? *grabs all the queens and hugs them*
I haven’t read Dragonriders of Pern but it’s on the TBR!!
Ooooooh, I love assassin, and sassy books to! I don’t like books if they are supposed to be humorous, I like unexpected jokes. I also like retelling about cool moments in history like Vlad The Impaler, and World War 1. I also like Alice and Wonderland retellings (my favorite fairytale retelling) and I love books about the circus. There is something about the colorful acrobats, the outfits, the big top, and usually one character has crazy cool tattoos. I also love a good heist, my favorite heist book would definitely be Six of Crows. Am I right?! Diverse fantasy cultures are fun too, because they make you feel like you know everything about that country after you read them.
I actually have never read a circus book!! ON NO WAIT. I think I kind of did? But it was only circus-y in backflashes so I don’t know if that counts. It was such a weird book haha.😂 ahem. HEIST STORIES THOUGH = <333 Eternally love. Six of CRows is absolutely EEEEVERYTHING. I even just finished a re-read to confirm I am 100% in love with Kaz & Co.
I got to choose four books from my favorite author ’cause I won one of his contests (a quiz-like thing … #smarts), and I got a book that took me FOREVER to get to!
It’s a (Christian) book all about a kid who is a MASTER (well … his mom literally is the best in the word) at playing violin and opens portals to different dimensions by MUSIC. IT WAS AMAZING!!
MORE FOODIE BOOKS!!!!
(Also, I’m writing a fantasy book with DRAGONS that’s in a Greece-like place. KIDNAPPINGS AND LOST ROYALTY AND PLOT TWISTS. Basically #awesomeness)
OPENING PORTALS BY MAGIC?!?? THAT SOUNDS AMAZINGLY FUN. They did that in Passenger too!! (I don’t know if you’ve heard of Passenger by Alexandra Bracken? It wasn’t the best but I DID appreciate the music😂)
Omg, you are writing a royalty dragon book? :’) *sniffles happily* BLESS YOU.
If it has anything to do with history, it’s an immediate draw for me.
Sherlock retellings are fantastic, but I also really love fairy talk/folk tale retellings, and the darker and twisted, the better!
Also dragons. Anything dragons.
Yesss, dark twisted retellings are the BEST. I basically only want them when it comes to retellings. 😂 Who needs happy fluff? hahaha. ahem.
OH MY GOSH!! I agree with you on so much. Foodie is TOTALLY a genre (no matter what anyone says) and I feel you 115%. YES. One hundred and fifteen percent which you know makes a lot of sense if you… Actually, never mind. I’m babbling. Just a teensy bit. Which I tend to do constantly–whoa, off track. Back to you. First of all, let’s start a petition or something to get more pirate fiction because I AGREE. Can we please have all the pirates? More of the pirates? Pirates and Sass–sounds a bit like a podcast, no? I may or may not be wheezing (yes, wheezing–I sound like an elderly man who has been smoking since he was a young adult and at present may or may not be loosing all functions in his lungs) over “STABBY STABBY” also the rubber knife. That is me.
Not the gif. I’m the literal rubber knife. There’s an insult in there towards myself somewhere, I’m sure of it!
ALSO, long live Maggie Stiefvater she is such a queen and her writing is actually heavenly. I’m not entirely sure how she is real but I would probably read just about anything for her. Yeah, I’m probably wheezing again.
I want sassmaster tattooed on my forehead.
No I don’t?
Whoa. Okay this comments all over this place but YESSSS @ this entire post. Oh, and imagine this: a novel packed with sass, pirates and royalty shenanigans
Did I write you a novel for a comment? Yes.
Was it necessary? Probably not.
Did I do it anyways? *looks up and whistles*
OMG I LOVE LONG COMMENTS. <3 I appreciate them so much, don't even worry. 😂 😀
Yes let's just confirm foodie fiction for a real genre BECAUSE THE WORLD NEEDS IT. But with this pirate petition, I vote it becomes a Foodie Fiction Pirate Petition, not only because of the pleasing alliteration, but because dashing roguish pirates who like food = RELATABLE CHAMPIONS.
MAGGIE STIEFVATER IS QUEEN, OMG YOU ARE A FELLOW FAN? FLIAL WITH ME! FLAIL THE FLAILS OF MAGGIE STIEFVATER LITERATURE ADORATION!!
You could put "SASSMASTER" on a sticky-note and stick that to your forehead instead? Sensible and trendy. #winning
POOR TAIWAN.
Pirates, yesssss! Give me all the pirates, please.
Dragons and royal shenanigans are the best, clearly,
I feel like I’m the only one who’s gotten tired of the “sass master” trope?? Like it seems nowadays every single YA book is pitched by reviewers and publishers alike as having extremely snarky main characters. I like when there’s occasional sass scattered throughout the book, but having every main character spew sarcasm 24/7 kind of ruins it for me.
Ellie | On the Other Side of Reality
All we truly need is royal dragon pirate shenanigans…SET IN TAWAIN! (Because clearly Taiwan needs some love omg.)
I think sass vs snark CAN be a hard one! I actually am a bit sick of the overly-snarky character, because it quickly gets whiny? But the self-depreciating-sassy-quick-witted characters I love. :’) I CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF THEM.
Now that I think of it, I’ve also only read maybe 5 dragon books. I NEED MORE DRAGON BOOKS IN MY LIFE.
And SASSMASTERS. Haha, I immediately thought of A Distance Between Us. So. Much. Sarcasm. <3
SAAAAAAME. Where are all the dragon books?!? It’s like people decided they were cliche and stopped writing about them AND NOW WE ARE SUFFERING.😭
The Distance Between Us was THE BEST. Like the sarcasm was so on point.😂
I disappeared Cait! For just over two weeks! But I’m back now and I would just like to let you know I have still been reading your posts even if I hadn’t been commenting. They always make me smile!!! XD So I really appreciate that.
Is it scary how we love the same types of books?! Because I swear I nodded my head and agreed with EVERY SINGLE TYPE OF BOOK YOU LISTED. It’s like we are bookish twins and I am FREAKING OUT but I also LOVE IT!!! XD Especially Maggie Stiefvater and Foodie books. Especially if the food had anything to do with peanut butter ( my life saving food ). It comforts me though I don’t know why. P.S. do you have a certain type of food you like to see in foodie books? I must know.
OMG GOOD THAT YOU’RE BACK. I MISSED YOU. *gives you welcome back cake* (And also it actually is the most nicest loveliest thing of ever to know that you read my blog so much. LIKE SERIOUSLY. THIS MAKES MY DAY.💕)
It is not scary that we like the same types of books, BECAUSE CLEARLY WE ARE TWINS. *embraces you long lost sister* The best part is when Maggie Stiefvater writes about food, amirite?!? WINNING.
*whispers* Well clearly it is cake I want to read about.😂🍰🍰🍰
PIRATESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! YES CAIT YES! We need more pirates, please. I love those shady half-heroes full of sass and swashbuckle, and there just simply isn’t ENOUGH of them out there. I’m like sooo obsessed with pirates right now and it’s like NO ONE WHO’S WRITING STUFF IS. I mean wut. HOW CAN PEOPLE MISS THE VALUE.
I also agree about the dragons. I’ve read some bad dragon books in my time. NEED MORE GOOD DRAGON BOOKS.
I also think Rick Riordan should be a category unto himself. And like you said about Maggie Stiefvater, no one can truly hold a candle. But the world does need more like him. #thelightningthief #RickRiordanrules #mynewestbookbff
Mindbenders. If a book even sounds like it’s going to be Inception in a book, I’m so there. Books that tie my brain in knots ALL WHILE UNDER PRESSURE. My sadistic pleasure; giving myself the jitters and a migraine.
Books that twist reality and make it a gray area!
And books with lots of magic in unique ways/tellings/presentations/forms.
That’s my main jam. 😈
OMG ABSOLUTELY YES! I’m actually endlessly put out that there aren’t more pirate books around. I NEED THEM. All the dashing sassing rougery. <3
And yes yes to the dragons. I feel like dragons kind of got labelled "cliche" and everyone stopped writing about them? Which is absurd and I'M DYING WITH NEED FOR ALL THE DRAGON BOOKS OF EVER.
ohhh, books that tie one's brain in knots are ALSO GLORIOUS.😍
Maybe it’s the fact that I have never embraced my inner princess when I was little, or because I love fairytales, but I am attracted to anything royalty related.
It’s never too late to embrace one’s inner princess, amirite?! *twirls about in a crown and rules the multitudes*
I was going to do a post like this, but you seem to have covered most of the things I would have. Good post. I love so many of these.
So we are like LONG LOST TWINS HERE, JOYCE. *hi fives*
Love your list of topic! 😉 On my list would SASSMASTERS be on the top. Ha ha. I love when characters are funny. One of my favorite things in books is when a villain is not exactly villain-ish. He / she is not good or bad, and you do not quite know where you have them. I don’t like books where they say “he is a villian”. I like books in which they say: “is he is the hero or the villain?”. Historical books is kind of my doomsday. If anyone gives me or tell me about a historical novel, I’m all over it. Specially if it is books about World war 2 or the 19th Century in London. I’m also totally into reading all books with a gay character. Yes I love Ronan. And Adam. I still reading book number 2: The dream thieves. So I’m a bit unsure about the characters and if they may or may not end up together. But I feel the signs are there, but maybe it’s in my wildest imagination only. Another topic which suck me right in is a character loving books. Yes of course I want to read about a character who loves books as much as me 😀
Oh sass and humour in books MAKES MY LIFE.😂 It’s just so so good. And clearly #goals
If only my witty comebacks came instantly not, you know, like 9 days later hahhahaah. Ahem.
Oh you will be VERY VERY HAPPY with the Raven Cycle. 😉 I promise. <3
I’m glad to hear. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series😄
Have you read A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly? It sounds like it would be right up your alley. Imagine if magic + Prohibition + mafia type families still doing/dealing in magic. 😀 We haven’t gotten that far yet, but my husband says he thinks it would make your list.
Omg I HAVEN’T. *dashes for goodreads* The title is already monstrously pleasing. Eeeep!! Thank you for this excellent rec!
Absolutely loved your post! About the books about books point, have you read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón? IT’S A MUST!
I haven’t!! But I’ll look it up on goodreads asap. 😂
Hahaha!! Food?? Fantasy & assassins are like a drug to me! Yes! Stiefvater all the way! Collect them all, read them all, adore adore. Love a great hero-villain story 😀
STIEFVATER IS EVERYTHING. Honestly she hasn’t written enough books because I’ve read them all and I need mooooooore.
Do you frequent her youtube channel? I love her Raven Boys songs. I think she composed them for the audiobooks. I have one as my ringtone ^_^
I DO. And I love them so much!😍 It’s so unfair how awesomely talented Maggie Stiefvater is in ALL THE THINGS OF EVER.😂
That is true. She is such a talented genius. She is one of those who can do it all.
We’re COMPLETELY in agreement over classical music books and books set in libraries. More of both, please! Kasie West’s next book is set in a library and I’m SO excited. I also love books with good sibling relationships. I’m an only child, so it’s always something that’s really interesting for me to read.
Omggg YES I am so so excited for Kasie West’s next book. Does it come out this year or next?!? I should check because it is like #1 priority.😂 And YES to siblings! I’m actually annoyed at myself for forgetting to put “epic families” on this list. Gah. Because they are monstrously good!
Yessss to Mafia! Love good villains and evil heroes, too!
We are clearly twinning here! *HI FIVES*
YES TO ALL!!!! I know some people that are sick of the library setting, but I can’t get enough! *grabby hands* I also love the stabby stabby…..I too try not to think about that too much. ha
How can anyone be sick of library settings?!? THEY ARE LIFE FOR WE BOOKWORMS.😂 Like who doesn’t secretly want to live in a library? :’)
I love diverse fantasy settings too! The second I see one, I get really excited. And a million times yes to sassmasters, dragons, royal shenanigans and assassins! If I can get all of those in one book, I’m happy. Have you read Ink And Bone by Rachel Caine? I just finished the 2nd book in that series, and it’s what the world would be like if the Library Of Alexandria were still around. If you like libraries as a setting, it’s worth checking out!
YES I have read Ink and Bone!! OMG SO MUCH LOVE. I actually have the sequel on my TBR and I can’t wait to get to it. :’) And aren’t the covers divine?!? I cannot stop petting them.! AHHH.
Ack! I need examples. What are some of your favs from each category? Come on and sell each category to us. 😀
OMG I FAIL SO BAD! I should’ve listed examples. *facepalm*
So many fantastic reading topics here Cait! I hope you have read and loved Ink And Bone and The Colours of Madeleine series because they are both totally up your alley!
YES. I loved Ink and Bone, but can you believe I didn’t like the Madeleine Colours series?!? I was sure I would but nooooo.😭
Bahahahaha! Stabby Stabby. I’m howling with laughter here!
Okay *clears throat* I love your list. Who doesn’t love books about dragons? And good villains *coughs*Killian Captain Hook*coughs* are awesome.
If you want to read a book about classical instruments, I recommend The Silver Swan by Elena Delbanco. Not a YA book though, but good IMO. Okay, so it might be the only book about classical instruments I’ve ever read, because I’m a guitar ho *blushes* But you know, it counts, right?
WELL GOOD. I AM PLEASED.😂 Good villains and dragons are divine. OR BETTER YET — good villainous dragons??? Surely that’s a thing. It should be a thing. *nods*
Ohhh I shall look up The Silver Swan! I’m kind of a rabid YA consumer, buuuut, I can be convinced to venture into the scary outside world.😂
I’m attracted to books with POC characters and also books set in non Western countries? Yeah…
And food books. Those are the best…
*hi fives* We have our priorities IN ORDER. WE ARE WINNING AT LIFE.
If you have foodie book recommendations PLEASE RECOMMEND. Seriously there needs to be a genre “These have food references in them” IF YOU’RE BOOK HAS FOOD IN IT I AM THERE! Also bad heroes are seriously the best things ever. *cough cough Rhysand cough cough* ahhhhh *steals all of the VILLAINOUS HEROES *
OH YOU ARE IN LUCK. I have an entire goodreads shelf devoted to foodie fiction.😂 Because #priorities
I AM WITH YOU! I adore fantasy books, and if they aren’t set in medieval Britain or a version of it, I’ll grab it straight away. Why must everything be about England? SAME mafia books are sooooo awesome! I haven’t read any, though, but I’ll take your recommendations into account! This list is perfect!
So so much agreement, omg. There are a ton of countries out there that I want to see fantasified (that totally is a word right?😂)
Definitely try White Cat if you want the most epic best dysfunctional-family-centred Mafia magical book. <3
Books with food =allll the yesess.–> yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. (this made sense in my mind ok). I bet you can cook better than you claim. (can I win this bet? probably no). I love books which are challenging in some way (no traditional love story? angry characters?) and RETELLINGs. OMG retellings are the BEST (and nobody will DaRE queStiON my USe of Caps right now, oK?) . Reteliing are just so so interesting, yes please and thank you *nods*. I also love intricate fantasy books that aren’t too long. *nods*
All the yeses. I’ll join you in writing yes yes yes yes yes for eternity basically. And unfortunately, no, you will lose the bet.😂 Although I do make mean chocolate chip biscuits, EXCELLENTLY MEAN, I TELL YOU. But otherwise if it’s possibly to destroy something I will. It’s a talent, tbh.
ohh yes, books that challenge the norm, or totally twist around tropes are glorious.
It’d be nice if not all fantasies were like two gazillion pages long, right? they can be SO EXHAUSTING.
Hey, Cait! I’ve tagged you for the Daily Quotes Challenge: http://theinkloft.blogspot.com/2016/08/daily-quote-challenge-day-2.html
Aww, thanks! I’ll come check it out!
FOODIE FICTION YES. I love books about food. OR books about books! Those are really cool too. <3
BOTH. BOTH IS GOOD. I DEMAND BOTH ALL THE TIME BASICALLY.
Ugh no! I can’t read books about food because they make me crave that food and I never happen to have it on hand! It’s cruel. I’m a major sucker for dystopias and romance though, normally in YA or NA.
One must always read foodie books after eating, right!? Or we’ll end up devouring the pages.😂
Random question: Did you ever read the Redwall books when you were a kid? Because there’s so much food in the Redwall books; I feel like you would’ve loved them. (Seriously, there is no such thing as a Redwall book that does not involve at least one feast and enough food description to make your mouth water. Don’t read them if you’re hungry. Seriously.) Technically you could still read them now, though they’re technically Middle Grade- I still pick one up every now and then. Or I mean to, at least.
Also: DRAGONS. YES. A new friend of mine told me about the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, the first of which is Dealing With Dragons, and it sounds fabulous and not just because of the dragons. I think you might like them as well, but I’ll let you know for sure after I’ve read them. And have you ever read Seraphina by Rachel Hartman? It has dragons and sort-of-classical-music (I imagine it would have the same feel as classical, at least?) and it’s generally excellent. I need to reread it so I can read the sequel.
I didn’t read them.😭 WHAT WAS MY CHILDHOOD ABOUT, OMG, CLEARLY NOTHING. I’ve heard of them a few times now, though, and kind of want to try them??? But also worried I might be too old??? Eeep. I want to read more foodie books. ALL the foodie books.
oh oh do tell me if the Dealing with Dragons is good! I need more dragon recommendations desperately. AND I LOVE SERAPHINA. I never got around to the sequel though, which I need to do!!
At the last one my brain was screaming “The Book Thief!!!!!” If you haven’t read it, please do. It has books and is dark.
I HAVE READ IT. I’M STILL BROKEN INTO TINY LITTLE PIECES, LYDIA.😭😭💔💔
YES. SO MUCH YES TO ALL OF THESE, OH MY GOD. Maggie Stiefvater is most DEFINITELY a type of book. And I totally understand what you mean about good villains and evil heroes- I love villains with a past that helps us empathize with them, and I LOVE heroes that do some morally ambiguous things that makes readers pause and wonder if they really are worth rooting for. Diverse fantasy is something that’s been gaining momentum recently and it makes me so happy because I LOVE it.
~ Aimal @ Bookshelves & Paperbacks
MAGGIE STIEFFVATER IS THE BEST TYPE OF BOOK OF THEM ALL. She needs to write more. Like 9 books a year maybe? My heart probably couldn’t take it and I’d die BUT I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE RISK.
So basically we just need more morally grey little grape characters. <3 😂
And YES! So happy with how much more diversity we see in books! It's brilliant!
Good villains and bad heroes AND sass — yep, my favorite things too. AND THEN PUT THOSE TWO TOGETHER and I. AM. SOLD. BYE. *buys all the sassy good villain books*
YESSSS. Basically any book + sass = is going to end up a very good time. But sassy villains just give me life omg.
YES, there absolutely needs to be more pirate books! 😀
Check out my TTT.
*hi fives in agreement*
If you ever find a diverse, foodie, piratey, dragony fantasy novel PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I would like to devour it. Thanks.
All rolled into one? ALAS I AM STILL LOOKING. *sobs* Except The Girl From Everywhere has food, pocket-sized dragons, and sort-of-pirates, and is time travel fantasy….SO IT’S DOING WELL. *awards it all the stars*
Oh man, The Girl From Everywhere just rose a little higher on my TBR!
PLUS IT HAS SO MANY MAPS!! I’m not sure if you’re a map nerd but omg I am. So so much.😂
So many of these book types are totally my book type too! Fantasies that aren’t all medieval england, crime families, good villains, classical music, royalty, sherlock retellings…. it’s all AMAZING. A few things that instantly get me are superheroes, (if done well) heist plots, technopath characters, virtual reality type plots, and parasitic aliens. (that last one is super weird; I blame my childhood Animorphs obsession) I also really love Middle Grade Urban Fantasy, but that has become much more common so it’s not an instant will read thing for me.
So we are basically like TWINS THEN. *hi fives for our epic tastes* Omg heists plots ALWAYS get me too. <3 And I kind of always gravitate to superhero novels but don't generally find they live up to my expectations? I blame you, Marvel.😂 Oh except for Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson. LITERALLY THE BEST SUPERHERO BOOK OF MY LIFE.
Great topic and great themes 😀 I am all in for the dragon-riding assassin who also happens to be a pirate, HARRR!
THAT is the winning combination of a lifetime. :’)
You’ll probably be happy to hear that reading your blog has made me much more aware of food in books – not only when I’m reading, but also when I’m writing. (And, in case you like food in comments, as well, I’m currently eating Rice Chex with almond milk and orange blossom honey. It’s delicious, and cold, cause I added ice cubes, because cold cereal is best when it’s *really* cold.)
One of my WIPs fit in several of your categories: It’s about a teenager struggling with an undiagnosed illness (which is later diagnosed as Lyme disease), who’s a classical musician – she plays both the violin and piano. I’ve found all of one fiction book that deals with Lyme disease, so yeah… I think that’s pretty much a minority subject.
Oh, and royalty? YES PLEASE. They’re the best. I’ve never been into fairy tales, but I’m still holding out for the hope of one day marrying a prince, cause surely it can happen?
I AM very happy about that. :’) Clearly my work on this earth is convincing people to write more about food so I can read it and live a much happier life. *happy twirls* Also I’ve never ever read a book about Lyme Disease so you are clearly filling a desperate need in literature!!!
Dragons. Yes. Foodie fiction, Yes. Mafia families . Yes. I like pirates in movies more than in books. So did you like Alucard and Lila and their ship plus magic in ADSOM?
Of coooooourse I love Lila’s piratish tendencies in ADSOM. <3 It's the highlight of the book tbh.😂 And a big reason why I enjoyed The Girl From Everywhere (although there was not NEARLY enough pirateyness in there. It was just sort of vaguely implied)
All the labels you had for the types made me giggle – hehe, stabby stabby and sassmasters were great! Genres dedicated to food is a thing?! Can you please recommend me some because food is actually life. Other than that, I feel like we have similar taste but I’ve definitely never read any pirate books and I feel like it’s time.
Loved reading this Cait, was so fun!!
Genres dedicated to food SHOLUD be a thing because omg it is literally the BEST THING TO READ OF EVER. I actually have a goodreads shelf dedicated to foodie books here if you’re interested.😂
First, I always love reading your posts. I love your writing style – it’s fun!
Second, I love a good library setting. Here are some books for you:
-Theif of Lies by Brenda Drake
-Love Overdue by Pamela Morse
I’m currently reading Dewey: The Small-town Library Cat Who touched the world by Vicki Myron
Cheers!
Awww, thankyou!! That means so much to me!! <3
And I'm looking those books up IMMEDIATELY because I so struggle to find library settings. EEEP.
Great list – I love so many of these! I’ve only recently discovered my need to read about pirates, but now everytime I see a pirate book I immediately need to read it. Also love a book in which a character plays a classical instrument – I don’t know if its just because I can play one myself or if it does just make everything ten times better, but I always love the character that bit more when I find out 🙂
My TTT
Ohh you play classical instruments too?! What do you play?! THEY ARE THE BEST HONESTLY.😂 And I always love when there are like obscure details that relate to the instrument. Like when the character has callouses on their fingers from hours playing the violin. <3 SO much win in the details!!
Library settings, sass masters, stabby, assassins, royalty, shades of gray heroes and villains, DRAGONS, STIEFVATER, pirates, YES YES YES. I love all of those^^ What we need is for Stiefvater to write a book about library pirates that sass and stab and ride dragons?! Because pirates are already morally gray and could stab royals. YES.WIN.
YESSS. Someone get onto Stiefvater about this because SOME OF US HAVE NEEDS, OKAY?!?!? I think a book needs to combine ALL of these. That would make my life. Also as long as it’s set in a library that is also a bakery or cafe because #foodiefiction
Yes to good villains and evil heroes. This is something I almost always go for, whether it is a heist story or more of a James Bond-esque mission + struggle type of story, and regardless of whether the protagonists are actually heroes or villains. I will admit, though, that reading these books all the time gives me higher standards, so that is also disappointing when people do not live up to mine.
Mostly that is what I like and all I have to say.
I’m glad you got what I meant about the good villains and evil heroes.😂 Honestly they are the BEST and it sounds so contradictory to say BUT IT WORKS REALLY WELL. Plus it makes everything more complex. Complex characters FTW.
YES! GIVE US ALL THE DRAGON BOOKS! But I’ve actually read a very pathetic amount of dragon books? It’s pitiful, really. It’s hard to find ones that aren’t MG, ya know?
Oh, the sassmaster is the best! I love the snarky characters. The sarcasm. Especially when their sense of humor spares no person be it their mortal enemy, their bestie, or themselves.
PIRATES AND SHIPS! Yes! I want all the piratey stuff and the swords and the treasure! This always goes well. . . uh, for some characters at least. There’s usually a lot of stabbing involved. Speaking of, that Jennifer Lawerence gif made me laugh so much. XD
I usually like fairytale retellings also. Dystopian worlds too. Aaaand revenge? I don’t know why. But revenge is always good. Not GOOD, but you know, fascinating. Ahem, anyhow. . .
A while ago you wrote a post about the confessions of a book blogger. I was wondering if it would be okay for me to do a similar post about book blogging confessions and give credit to you?
I knooooow. It’s like the dragons get to be MG or adult, but where are my YA dragons!?! Why is the world disappointing me so??! *sobs* I need more dragon books ASAP! (Actually I should re-read Seraphina so I can read Shadow Scale, sheesh. I procrastinate things too much.😂)
Isn’t the Jennifer Lawrence gif everything though?!😂 That would be me. ME. aHem.
Revenge stories are awesome! IT MAKES ME THINK OF INIGO MONTOYA. So that is always a good thing.
And omg of course, definitely do a confessions post! I didn’t come up with that idea, so you don’t need to credit me. ;D I can’t wait to read it!
I’ve just found your blog, and I really enjoy your writing style. My ears perked up, mixed metaphorically speaking, quite a bit when I read classical music books were one of your fav 15. In the shameless self-promotion category, while hiding behind noble intentions, I’d love to introduce you to the title character of my new book, Ellen the Harpist. I kid you not.
Thanks again for sharing your great website!
Aww, thanks for commenting, Diane! AND WELCOME TO THE MADNESS THAT IS PAPER FURY. *gives you cake* 😂 Also that is super awesome you’re writing (written?) a book about a harpist! I wrote a book about a classical pianist hehe but I really need to write about a cellist at some point because #goals (I love the cello 😉 )
IS THAT THE SERPENT KING I SEE? WHY HAVEN’T YOU READ IT?
But also, I love these genres…well, not genres. They SHOULD be, though. Imagine if you asked a librarian where their dragon section was. If I ruled the world….
GIVE ME TIME. It literally just arrived in the mail last week. (I blame yoooou for me buying it btw.😂)
And omg wouldn’t it be nice to have a whole dragon section???? I will fix so many things when I rule the world.
Recommendations. I has them.
Monsters=the Monster Blood Tattoo series by D. M. Cornish. Stabby countesses in waiting who can shoot lightning out of their fingers! Huzzah!
Schizophrenia=Your Voice is All I Hear.
Ohh I have heard of both of these so I should get onto them ASAP!!
I am right there with you on diverse fantasies – LOVE those! And dragons. I’m also really drawn to books with deaf characters since I’ve always been fascinated by deaf culture; I have an uncle who’s deaf who I adored when I was a child.
We need MORE DIVERSE FANTASIES. It would be nice if they were diverse because all the characters were dragons. #winning But I’ll take whatever I can get. :’)
And YES. Deaf culture is amazingly interesting! I have exactly no real “reason” to be interested omg…but yet I read every YA book featuring a Deaf character that I can get my hands on.
Okay WHAT FOODIE FICTION. I WANT. DO RECOMMEND. I WILL PROBABLY GROAN AND SO WILL MY TBR BUT I WANT.
And also STABBYYYYYYYYYYY I LOVE ASSASSINS SO MUCH THEY ARE CUTE AND FLUFFY AND ADORABLE AND THEY ARE SO SASSY.
It’s quite ironic how much you talk about dragon books and how little you read them. Really though. HOW IS THAT EVEN PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE???
FOODIE FICTION IS EVERYTHING, AMY. I believe all books would be 1000% better if they contained more FOOD.
And yes, omg the dragon irony is not lost on me. *sobs wildly in the corner* I just can’t find any???? Like my library has none??? No new ones are coming out?? WHAT IS THIS LIFe.
YES. THEY WOULD. AND NOW I’M HUNGRY. VERY HUNGRY.
Oh my gosh HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE. Haaaaave you read the Talon series by Jule Kagawa (okay, I haven’t, but DRAGONS)???? Or the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini? I’ve read the first three books and they were REALLY GOOD.
I have read Talon! I LOVE TALON. I haven’t read Soldier yet tho but soooon. And I tried to read Eragon like, omg 5 years ago?? I never got through it but I also wasn’t terribly obsessed with dragons back then (clearly the dark ages) so I want to try again!!
YAY. Hahaha okay! I hope you like it! XD
OMG I LOVE THIS POST. And I completely agree with a lot of your choices too. The “good villain bad hero” troupe is so interesting and thought-provoking, and any book that has food in it I automatically love. 😉
Plus sassmaster characters are the best. (Imagine getting a “How to Sass” class from Percy Jackson or Nico!).
Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous post! <3
Percy Jackson could DEFINITELY write a how-to-sass book.😂 Actually Rick Riordan should write one, omg, because I would be there buying it immediately. SASSMASTERS FTW.
Ohhhh I’ll definitely be attracted by royalty (anything about thrones, prince / princess etc), mafias, and fairytale retellings! <3
http://laxsourire.blogspot.my
Yesss, they are all the best! We have excellent taste. *hi fives*
For dragons, read Tui T Sutherland’s Wings of Fire series. It’s amazing and involves several other things in your list.
Can’t think of many more recommendations right off the bat. I write several of the other things you mentioned(assassins, settings different than medieval England, complicated heroes and villains, etc.) so maybe I’ll have something for you to read some day :p
I’m curious, but how do you tend to feel about stories that focus on animals as the main characters? I know some people tend not to like those stories.
You sound like my kind of writer/reader. Will definitely keep reading your blog in the future 🙂
Oooh, that sounds promising! THANK YOU FOR THE REC! I’ll definitely go look it up. And then I’ll wait impatiently for you to be a published author. 😉
Personally I don’t read animal-protagonist stories. I basically just see them as middle-grade/children’s books. Which I don’t read really! But they’re not bad or anything just not what I’d grab off the shelf. UNLESSSSS the animal is a shape-shifter. And then I am 10000% for it. 😂
You’re welcome 🙂
I will warn you that Wings of Fire is dragon centric, but it is very good. there are assassin characters, a surprising amount of violence for a children’s story, morally gray characters, etc, (one of the biggest criticisms this series receives is that it’s too violent for children.)
I would recommend starting off with the prequel story that just came out for it (Wings of Fire Legends: Darkstalker) if you do read it. The main character is rather dark, complex and manipulative being. I appreciate that the author was willing to write a character like that instead of dumbing down the book for younger readers.
Cait! Have you heard of The Redemption of Althalus by David & Leigh Eddings? It’s a hefty book, but it’s a standalone fantasy novel, and Althalus is the best thief to have ever existed! And it’s his sneaky thievery abilities that cause him to catch the eye of gods and goddesses and they want him to help them fight a war against an evil god! And there’s a KNIFE! A mystical knife that has a forgeign language no-one can read written on it… unless you’re special! And if you can read it, you’re identified as one of the group on the big quest, and the word relates to your “job” in the group, and aaaah! It’s wonderful. Also, there is a talking cat. You may possibly like it.
Also, we’ve talked about them before, but I am going to, again, remind you of the fantasy books by Robin Hobb. Because the Realm of the Elderlings (which features a number of trilogies/series that all interlink) has everything you want! The Farseer Trilogy (starting with Assassin’s Apprentice) has assassins. The Liveship Traders (the next trilogy chronologically, in a different part of the world, starting with The Ship of Magic) has pirates. And as the trilogies/series continue, there are DRAGONS! But you kind of have to read chronologically for it all to make sense, BUT I PROMISE YOU IT’S WORTH IT! There may be 15 books in the series at the moment, but that’s just over a fortnight of reading for you! They’re so, so good! And I really, really want to talk to you about them and hear what you think! YOU ARE SO LUCKY! You get to read them for the first time!!! I am so envious.
Again, I know I’ve said it before, but The Night Circus will make our foodie little heart burst. 🙂
I’m drawn towards epic fantasies, books that are going to make me feel (All the Bright Places, books by David Levithan or Rainbow Rowell, etc), books with diverse characters…. otherwise, I think I’m pretty open. Oooh, retellings! I love a retelling!
Great post, Cait!
OMG I HAVE NOT HEARD OF IT BUT IT SOUNDS BRILLIANT! I’ve only just cautiously started attempting adult fantasy, tbh, so I’m nervously testing the waters.😂 And yes yes I want to try Robin Hobb, but I wanted to do the audios and my library didn’t have them, so I’m trying to decide if I can afford and justify an audible subscription. hehe. So it will happen someday, I promise!! BUT OMG THERE ARE PIRATES?!?! Neeeeeed.
Bahah, not a fortnight reading.😂 I swear I take AGES to read fantasy because I have to read slower to absorb the world-building. 😉
All the Bright Places was so incredible. I can’t love that book enough. <3
Fairytale retellings, Sherlock retellings, pirates, good villains, hate to love romance, magical schools. I love it all!!!!
~Sara
YESSSS. We have such similar adorations clearly *hi fives*
I love everything about this post. Love the sarcastic characters too. Sarcasm in books is awesome. And books about books are my faves too.
Have you read Everything Everything. The main characters has a blog where she does short (like one sentence) book reviews. It’s cool.
Are you on YouTube? You should totally have a book tube channel. I just started one :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYPEHw_VezA
I have read Everything Everything! Although the plot holes bothered me a lot.😂 But it still had some awesome elements that were so cool! And nooo I’m not on booktube (I’m way too shy) but I’ll check out your channel!
Ahahaha yes XD I’m kind of pleased that my current WIP hits some of your sweet spots, lol. I mean, dragons… (Well just the one really but still. Dragon.) The world is inspired by Italy which also means Italian food so HUZZAH two in one! There’s definitely some sass in there between the charactes. Also one of them is a “lost prince” (actually kidnapped but lost either way sshh). Also, it’s not on this list but the other MC is kind of awkward and antisocial and artsy and looks like Logan Lerman a bit. So there. Basically what I’m saying is that I’m writing this book with you in mind. Because naturally. ABOUT TIME REALLY.
YAY FOR ITALIAN FOOD + DRAGONS. That is a combination I have never encountered and definitely want to hahaha. Ahem.
OHHHH ASSASSINS BOOKS. I’m always down for Assassins books. 😀 But I don’t think we have the same reason for liking assassin books. I just like the fighting and action and the story line part, but you…..you like the stabbing. I think you actually like it when someone dies, donchu? HAHAHA amazing post, btw!
Meeee? Nooooo. I’m such a kind-hearted soul. I wouldn’t wish harm on a fly.😇😈
You were talking about diverse fantasy books: my friend is actually publishing a book that is fantasy set in an Australian setting. Thought that was interesting. One of my favorite books EVER is “Mockingbird” by Kathryn Erskine. It’s a middle grade novel with a first person narrative of a young girl with a form of autism. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Oh congrats to your friend. Australia is an awesome country. 😉 I miiiight be biased in that since it’s my country hahaha and it kind of makes me laugh because I don’t consider it diverse!😂 BUT YAY FOR MORE AUSSIE BOOKS.
Fantasy, fantasy, fantasy. I love fantasy. So much. Books that grab my attention also generally include a highly fascinating concept, such as A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes. The premise? What if you lived knowing the day you’d die?
As for recommendations, two words: Brandon Sanderson. Unique fantasy settings that will blow your mind? Check. Sassmasters? Very check. Monsters? Heck yeah. Also, a dystopian America where all the peeps with superpowers happen to be evil? … or are they? *gleeful grin*
Saaaame though. Like I generally add every fantasy book of ever on Goodreads because I honestly want to read them all!!😂 #noregrets
BRANDON SANDERSON IS AMAZING. I am in complete adoration of his Reckoners trilogy (I’m actually reading Calamity right now!) and I’ve read Mistborn and have Well of Ascension to read next. 😀
Wow, that’s impressive. #lifegoals
I KNOW. I still need to read Calamity (found an autographed copy at the bookstore 😀 ). Well of Ascension…OH. MY. WORD. It’s not even funny how incredible the end of that book is. Terrible, painful, wonderful cliffhanger galore. Do yourself a favor and make sure you have Hero of Ages right next to you.
And if you think Mistborn is good, check out the Stormlight Archive. There are literally no words that do justice to the epic amazingness Sanderson packs into those books.
OMG AN AUTOGRAPHED COPYYYYYYY. *flails for you* I’m listening to them via audio and I have to say the narrator is just downright brilliant. Although I probably look kind of like a crazy bean when I’m out walking and listening to it bust out laughing at David’s metaphors. (His metaphors though, omg. They are so bad they are art.)
And I do plan to read the Stormlight Archive too! EVENTUALLY. The size of Sanderson’s books is kind of terrifying though haha.
DRAGONS! That’s definitely a word that will get me to check out, pick up, buy, or borrow a book. I do so love dragons, and I feel like I haven’t read enough stories with them in it yet.
We are absolutely twins then, in our dragon appreciation. *hi fives* MORE BOOKS NEED DRAGONS.
I’ve got a massive lists of book to read now after reading your blog! So many amazing books – I feel an Amazon haul coming up! xx
http://www.pintsizedbeauty.com
AHhh I’m SO glad. *flails wildly* I have very good taste in books (#humble) so you’re in for a glorious time. 😉
Sherlock retellings? Yes please! Also, I love your term “sassmasters.” Sounds like a great character indeed!
Great .gifs too!
I didn’t actually realise sassmaster wasn’t a usual term.😂 But it some up some characters so well, right?! GO THE SASSY ONES!
Yes to the foodie fiction. I am obsessed with food, so dammit everyone else should be too! And don’t you hate those books where it seems like no one EVER eats?!? I mean, come on, I eat twenty times a day. Unbelievable. I am addicted to books that make me cry. Any book that has lots of death or illness or tough subjects or whatever . . . I am all over it.
Omg I totally agree. And it always annoys me when a character has been like on the run for 48 hours or whatever and they fiiiinally get a chance to eat but then “I LOST MY APPETITE BECAUSE SOMEONE SAID A MEAN THING TO ME THAT REMINDED ME OF MY SAD PAST”. I mean, wut even dude? No. To live = you eat. And plus snacks. Like 3hrs is maxiumum starvation time without a snack. Basically books need a severe talking to and double the amount of snack opportunities. #sensible
I couldn’t agree more with ALL of these. There is just something addicting about certain types of books, and some books have it and others don’t. Sassiness is life.
YESSSS to all the sassiness. It just wins me over every time! I have so many book weaknesses and no regrets.😂
SASSMASTERS and STABBY- STABBY ones.. I mean. I’m just so.. SOLD then. I can basically look ages for those books until I find them and… I will sit, 24/7, reading those books until I finish them.
(BTW- “Mortal Instruments” are full of “stabby- stabby” and “sassmasters” moments.) : )
P.S. Loved your post!
x
OH yes I love TMI!! I love all of Cassandra Clare’s books basically…her sass is ON POINT EVERY TIME.😂