Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. Each Tuesday is assigned a topic. This weeks topic: Our Favourite books by our favourite authors.
Here are mine!
Title: The Hobbit
Author: J.R.R Tolkien
Originally Published: September 21, 1937
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis:
Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out on to the floor when he caught a sudden thin ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug’s left eye. He was only pretending to be asleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance…
Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole in Bag End by Gandalf the wizard and a company of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.
I first read this book in High School it was my first exposure to the world of Middle Earth that Tolkien had created. It wasn’t until after the movie trilogy began in the 2000’s that I attempted for the first time reading The Lord of the Rings. Teenager me had a hard time getting through the books. I think I got about halfway through The Two Towers before giving up. I ended up a few years ago listening to the audiobook versions narrated by Andy Serkis. The world building in this story and the ones that followed are unparalled.
Title: The Host
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Published: May 6, 2008
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Synopsis:
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, didn’t expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
As Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she’s never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.
While the Twilight Saga will remain in my top loved books. This book by Stephenie Meyer is actually my favourite. I remember buying it simply because it was another Stephenie Meyer book when it was first published, had no idea what it was about, just knew that I liked this author and wanted to read more of what she had created. Once we find an author we like that’s just how it goes, right?. I loved this story so much. I really wish there had been more books, exploring the world in this story created, either with the characters that appeared in this one and the aftermath of the events that took place, or maybe other characters somewhere else in the world.
Title: The Summoning
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Published: July 1, 2008
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy
Series: The Darkest Powers
Synopsis:
Chloe Saunders used to have a relatively normal life.
But now she finds herself in the middle of some really strange situations because:
~She suddenly starts seeing dead people.
~She gets locked up in a group home for unstable teens.
~The group home isn’t what it seems.
My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.
All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don’t even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me.
Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won’t leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a “special home” for troubled teens. Yet the home isn’t what it seems. Don’t tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It’s up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House… before its skeletons come back to haunt me.
This was the first book I ever read by Kelley Armstrong, which by default makes it my favourite. I devoured this series as a young adult and have been reading as many of her books as I can get my hands on. There are so many out there, and the genres she writes in are so diverse there’s something out there of hers for everyone i’m sure.
Title: Under the Dome
Author: Stephen King
Published: November 10, 2009
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction
Synopsis: Under the Dome is the story of the small town of Chester’s Mill, Maine which is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. No one can get in and no one can get out.
When food, electricity and water run short, the normal rules of society are changed. A new and more sinister social order develops, Dale Barbara, a young Iraq veteran, teams up with a handful of intrepid citizens to fight against the corruption that is sweeping through the town and to try to discover the source of the Dome before it is too late…
There are so many Stephen King books out there, I have yet to read them all. Of the ones I have read so far this is my favourite. While there were a few scenes in the book I could have done without, the overarching story is incredible, but it is a beast of a book to read at just over 1000 pages.
Title: Sunrise on the Reaping
Author: Suzanne Collins
Published: March 18, 2025
Genre: YA, Dystopia, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Series: The Hunger Games
Synopsis:
When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?
As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.
Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.
When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.
I remember when The Hunger Games first came out and reading the series and absolutely despising Haymitch, his alcoholic ways, and not taking things seriously when it came to Katniss and Peeta, until the shift happened. This book though, put everything into perspective, why Haymitch was the way he was and honestly after re-reading the entire series as an adult things just make a lot more sense. I was just as naive as Katniss and Peeta when I first read this book. I didn’t pick up on a lot of things I saw reading it again as an adult. This is why I will never stop recommending this series, and it will probably appear on a lot of my top ten lists. The fact that the themes the books talk about are relevant to current events happening in reality.
Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Published: February 10, 2015
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, YA
Series: Red Queen
Synopsis:
This is a world divided by blood—red or silver.
The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.
That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.
Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.
But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.
This is another book series I will never stop recommending. For me Mare was a very relatable character. The world building that Victoria Aveyard created for this series is fantastic. I have since purchased everything she has published. I’m looking forward to her new release this year Tempest.
Title: The Haunting of Hill House
Author: Shirley Jackson
Published: October 16, 1959
Genre: Gothic Horror
Synopsis:
“Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within. . . .”
Four seekers have arrived at the rambling old pile known as Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of psychic phenomena; Theodora, his lovely and lighthearted assistant; Luke, the adventurous future inheritor of the estate; and Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman with a dark past. As they begin to cope with chilling, even horrifying occurrences beyond their control or understanding, they cannot possibly know what lies ahead. For Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.
One thing to know about me is I love all things paranormal, especially for horror movies and other types of media, the spookier the better, but only if I can enjoy them from the safety of my own home. So it’s no wonder that this is my favourite of what I have read by Shirley Jackson.
Title: Caraval
Author: Stephanie Garber
Published: September 29, 2016
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Series: Caraval
Synopsis:
A legendary competition.
A mesmerizing romance.
An unbreakable bond
between two sisters.
Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.
Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.
This one was actually one of the first books social media influenced me to start reading, and I’m grateful for it. This series is fantastic. The fantasy themes mixed with the mystery and the romance, wonderful! I have Stephanie Garber’s series Once Upon a Broken Heart on my ever growing TBR I’m hoping to get to that one at some point this year.
Title: A Fate Inked in Blood
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Published: February 27, 2024
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Series: Saga of the Unfated
Synopsis:
A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.
Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.
Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.
The first series I read by this author was The Bridge Kingdom, I still have a few books in that series to read, but this book I enjoyed a lot more. The characters were more defined and their personalites blasting out from the pages. I have the second book of the series in my TBR that I picked up last fall for my birthday book haul. I plan to read it this year.
Title: Stardust
Author: Neil Gaiman
Published: February 1, 1999
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, YA
Synopsis:
Young Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria – even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that old stone wall, Tristran learns, lies Faerie – where nothing, not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.
From #1 New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman comes a remarkable quest into the dark and miraculous – in pursuit of love and the utterly impossible.
I know Neil Gaiman has come under some scrutiny in the last couple years, and wether the allegations are true or not. I cannot say. I do however believe in seperating art from the artist because this is just such a wonderful story. That I recommend reading. I do admit I saw the movie first, but I love the book even more.
Thanks for reading!
What books would you have added to your list?
Who are your favourite authors?
What are your favourite books by them?
Leave a comment below and let me know!
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