My Top Ten Books of All Time /My Last Blog Post

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
– Ray Bradbury

Yep, I’m done with my blog

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

This year I’ve taken on more then I can handle.

Who am I kidding, I have to prepare for some stupid SAT.

At first I thought I could keep up my blog but it’s not possible. I’ve had to drop out of so many things – things I never imagined myself ever leaving – this school year.

It’s been hard.

I really wanted to keep writing reviews but I have bigger priorities.

Apparently you are supposed to do well on this SAT thing.

My main passion in life is music and spending time writing book reviews takes away time from practicing piano.

As much as I love my blog I will always love my music more.

In other words: this was my first and last love triangle #mylifeasaYAnovel

So insert lots of sentimental words here it’s been fun but I gotta go.

I couldn’t decide what meme to put here.

However, I’m not totally disappearing from the internet.

I still plan to keep my Facebook page and Instagram account  active so please follow me on those platforms!

If I ever do go back to blogging, my followers on those sites will be the first and only people to know!

I will post micro-reviews of books I read – but obviously those reviews won’t be quite like the ones you’re used to.

But for now sit back, relax, and enjoy my top ten nineteen books!

I couldn’t lower the list down to ten.

19. The Westing Game – Ellen Raskin
Check out my full review HERE!

18. The Doomsday Book – Connie Willis (Goodreads link)
A time traveling historian gets stuck in the middle-ages – seriously, this book is amazing.
I have so much respect for the amount of time/research Connie Willis puts into her books. If you are looking for a extremely incredible historical read (with the added bonus of reading about London 2054) I highly recommend this book!
Age Range: 13 through adult

17. Noble Imposter (Second book in the Precisely Terminated series) – Amanda L. Davis (Goodreads Link)
Not quite sure how to describe this one other than: royal intrigue meets dystopia. I highly recommend it for dystopian fans looking for something not anywhere near as dark as The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, or Divergent. (You do need to read the first book in the series: Precisely Terminated – first in order to understand Noble Imposter)
Age Range: 11 and up

16. The entire collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories and novels – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Goodreads Link)
If I need to describe Sherlock Holmes to you we can’t be friends.
Meet the world’s greatest detective (take that Hercules Poirot) and that’s all anyone can say.
NOTE: I highly, highly, highly recommend seeing if you can get hold of annotated editions of the Sherlock Holmes stories. (Barnes and Noble makes them and many libraries have them.) Using an annotated edition lets you dive deeper into the mysteries of the story while not being baffled by the meaning of “compunction”, “coquettishly”, or “amalgam”, etc.
Age Range: 12 and up

15. Chasing Jupiter – Rachel Cooker (Goodreads Link)
The only romance book on this list.
Written by homeschooler Rachel Cooker, this book makes me laugh and cry at the same time. It’s tragic, poignant, and simply brilliant.
Age Range: 13 and up

14. The Mysterious Benedict Society series – Trenton Lee Stewart (Official Website)
Four children with special gifts are sent to a boarding school to defeat a supervillain
No, this is not Harry Potter.
I am OBSESSED with this series. There are almost no “Caution-able” parts and I would have no problem reading this to any child I found wandering alone in the woods.
Age Range: 9 and up

13. Raising Dragons (First book of the Dragon’s in Our Mist series) – Brian Davis (Goodreads Link)
#theawkwardmomentwhenyoufindoutyourdadisadragon
There are dragons in this book. There are people who can breathe fire and have FREAKING wings.
I recommend this book for all fantasy nerds out there (just be warned this series is long and branches off into three other series- two of which I haven’t read)

12. Where’d You Go Bernadette – Maria Semple
Check out my full review HERE!

11. Fossil Hunter – John Olson (Goodreads Link)
Archeologists meet guns, foreign intrigue, and spies.
(This book is definitely my most read book of all time!)
 Age Range: 12 and up

10. A Wizard of Earthsea – Ursula K. Le Guin (Goodreads Link)
This is the story of a wizard named Sparrowhawk and his adventures in the realm of Earthsea.
(This is the first book in the Earthsea Cycle and I don’t recommend books three through six)
Age Range: 12 and up

9. Island of the Aunts – Eva Ibbotson (Goodreads Link)
Three children are kidnapped to a magical island to take care of things and creatures that should not be real.
This is one of my all time favorite fantasy books – it’s witty, fun, and written very well.
Age Range: 8 though adult

8. When You Reach Me – Rebecca Steed
Check out my full review HERE!

7. Inkheart – Cornelia Funke
Check out my full review HERE!

6. The Neverending Story – Michael Ende (Goodreads Link)
A beautiful German classic I don’t actually know if it’s a classic about a boy who escapes this world by saving one inside a book.
Age Range: 10 and up

5. The Giver – Lois Lowery
Check out my full review HERE!

4. The Tombs of Atuan – Ursula K. Le Guin (Goodreads Link)
A priestess, a wizard, and a powerful ring.
No, this is not Lord of the Rings.
An absolutely stunning fantasy novel that had me spellbound from page one. A must read!
(This book comes after A Wizard of Earthsea)
Age Range: 12 and up

3. The Passage to Tel-Wazee – My Dad (Link to his blog)
Unfortunately, you will never be able to get your hands on this wonderful book. Written solely for me and my brothers’ enjoyment this action-packed book contains everything from hijacked cities to French spies to falling out of an air blimp.
Age Range: Me

2. The Blue Sword – Robin McKinley (Goodreads Link)
The plot for this one sounds very cliché but it’s about a kidnapped girl who winds up fulfilling a prophesy linked to the magical and mysterious Blue Sword.
Age Range: 12 and up

1. Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card (Goodreads Link)
I can say nothing about this book except: READ IT.
I have never been more blown away by the amount of profanity used by children then while reading this book.
I don’t recommend it for all ages because of high profanity and graphic violence content – but for all older teens and adults Ender’s Game is a must read.
Age Range: 14 though adult

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So, goodbye for now and God bless,
Her Homeschooled Highness