How to Count to One by Casper Salmon Illustrated by Matt Hunt
Picture book! I love this book, I think it’s. hilarious. I think I loved it more than my kids did. I’d like to read it to a crowd of first-graders. 10/10
The Only Pirate at the Party by Lindsey Stirling
I don’t usually read biographies, in fact I think this might be the only one I’ve ever read. But I loe Lindsey Stirling’s music, ad I have heard some of her life story, so I was curious. This is an easy read, and Lindsey gave a lot of great down-to-earth perspective on being a celebrity, as well as being very vulnerable and open about her struggles with body image. I learned a lot, and I loved her story. 10/10
The Book of Mormon
This is a little tongue-in-cheek, but The Book of Mormon is a book of scripture comparable to the bible. It’s a central text of the church I attend, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love it because it testifies of Jesus Christ, clarifies some of the doctrines of the bible, and demonstrates how Christ loves all people. It has an account of him visiting the ancient indigenous of the Americas. If you want to know more about what I believe, visit https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/welcome/what-do-latter-day-saints-believe?lang=eng. 10/10 🙂
The Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell
This book is one that I found at the library, and really enjoyed. The magic is light, but fun and interesting. I really enjoyed the moral struggles of the main characters. The trilogy revolves around three characters in a country being invaded by an imperial superpower with a deadline of one year. The three characters debate several times whether or not saving their country is actually worth it, or if they’d be better off with the invaders. Great books, ones I’d like to reread. 10/10
The Bartimaeus Sequence by Jonathan Stroud
I love this series! I read it first as a teenager, then listened to the whole series again on audio recently and loved it even more. The characterization is excellent, the worldbuilding is fun and interesting, and the setup and payoff (especially over the series) is superb. It’s also an interesting premise and is funny, at least in the Bartimaeus chapters. It is a little bit sexist at times. But still a 10/10 for me.
Alcoholics Anonymous (The Big Book)
Definitely a departure from my usual recommendations, but this book has been hugely helpful for me. I recommend it for anyone who wants to understand addiction, whether your own or that of a loved one. The book is available to read online for free at aa.org. 10/10
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques
I absolutely loved this series as a teenager, and I read all of them I could find (which is almost 30). Two of my favorites were: The Outcast of Redwall, and Taggerung. These are true epic fantasy but the characters are all woodland creatures, which made it fun and approachable for me as a kid. 10/10
Brandon Sanderson (author)
Brandon Sanderson is my favorite author. I’ve read almost everything he’s written (still missing a couple, he’s very prolific). My favorite series of his is my favorite book series: The Stormlight Archive. Stormlight is very long and dense though, so if you want to read Brandon Sanderson, I’d recommend starting with Tress of the Emerald Sea, or Mistborn: The Final Empire.
Sanderson has inspired and influenced my writing a lot. I’ve been to his convention multiple times, I applied to his class one year, I listen to his podcasts, and I buy almost everything he writes. He writes really fun worlds with very relatable characters that encounter meaningful struggles. 10/10
The Never Ending Story by Michael Ende (translated by Ralph Manheim)
I love this book. Most people know it by the movies (which I’ve never actually seen all the way through, they’re old now), but this book is wonderful. It plays with expectations a lot, and shows the reader participating in an epic heroic adventure, and it’s beautiful. The second half is a bit of a downer at times, but I still enjoy it. I also really love the eccentric sense of wonder, and the spectacular settings and creatures we get to meet. I’m a sucker for fantastic creatures. 10/10
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