My Top Book Picks!
Five-Star Gems: My All-Time Favourite Reads!
Looking for something amazing to read? These are my best of the best, all time favourite top reads!
Whether you're into fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, adult or young adult fiction, sci-fi, historical fiction, contemporary reads, writing books, memoirs, or classics, I've got a recommendation that's right up your alley!
I hope you find something you enjoy from this list. Happy Reading!
*This post contains affiliate links to products I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Top Fantasy Books
The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible…
The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) by Patrick Rothfuss
My name is Kvothe. I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in…
A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab
Kell is one of the last Antari―magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime…
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders…
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
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…
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents…
Top Young Adult Fantasy Books
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J Maas
In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom…
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable-yet-strong Katsa, who is smart and beautiful and lives in the Seven Kingdoms where selected people are born with a Grace, a special talent that can be anything at all. Katsa’s Grace is killing…
The Northern Lights (His Dark Materials #1) by Phili Pullman
Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal--including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world…
Top Fantasy Romance Books
From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
A Maiden…Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure...
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.
Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove) by Shelby Mahurin
Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned…
Top Urban Fantasy Books
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City) by Sarah J Maas
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation…
A Blade So Black (The Nightmare-verse #1) by L.L. McKinney
The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she's trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew…
Storm Front (Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butcher
As a professional wizard, Harry Dresden knows firsthand that the “everyday” world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most of them don’t play well with humans. And those that do enjoy playing with humans far too much. He also knows he’s the best at what he does…
Top Fairytale Retelling Books
The Stolen Kingdom (The Stolen Kingdom #1) by Bethany Atazadeh
Arie never expected to manifest a Jinni's Gift. When she begins to hear the thoughts of those around her, she hides it to the best of her ability. But to her dismay, the forbidden Gift is growing out of control…
A Curse So Dark and Lonely (The Cursebreaker #1) by Brigid Kemmerer
It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him…
Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl…
Top Middle Grade Fantasy Books
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan
After learning he is a demigod, Percy Jackson is sent to a summer camp on Long Island, where he meets the father he never knew--Poseidon, god of the sea…
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J K Rowling
A dazzling new edition of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, fully illustrated in brilliant color and featuring exclusive interactive paper craft elements, including a foldout Hogwarts letter and more!
Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness #1) by Tamora Pierce
In a time when girls are forbidden to be warriors, Alanna of Trebond wants nothing more than to be a knight of the realm of Tortall. So she finds a way to switch places with her twin brother, Thom, and, disguised as a boy, begins her training as a page at the palace of King Roald.
Top Gaslamp Fantasy Books
The Lord of Stariel (Stariel #1) by A. J Lancaster
The Lord of Stariel is dead. Long live the Lord of Stariel. Whoever that is. Everyone knows who the magical estate will choose for its next ruler. Or do they?
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains…
Top Mythology Retelling Books
Mythos by Stephen Fry
The Greek myths are amongst the greatest stories ever told, passed down through millennia and inspiring writers and artists as varied as Shakespeare, Michelangelo, James Joyce and Walt Disney…
Circe by Madeline Miller
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child -- not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother…
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad…
Top Science Fiction Books
Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1) by Neal Shusterman
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control…
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence…
Skyward (Skyward #1) by Brandon Sanderson
Spensa's world has been under attack for decades. Now pilots are the heroes of what's left of the human race, and becoming one has always been Spensa's dream…
Top Dystopian Books
The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth Book 1) by N. K. Jemisin
This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time. It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun…
Tomorrow When the War Began (Tomorrow #1) by John Marsden
When Ellie and her friends go camping, they have no idea they're leaving their old lives behind forever. Despite a less-than-tragic food shortage and a secret crush or two, everything goes as planned. But a week later, they return home to find their houses empty and their pets starving…
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games Trilogy #1) by Suzanne Collins
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated…
Top Historical Fiction Books
The Other Boleyn Girl (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels #1) by Phillipa Gregory
When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of the handsome and charming Henry VIII…
The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth’s Children #1) by Jean M Auel
A natural disaster leaves the young girl wandering alone in an unfamiliar and dangerous land until she is found by a woman of the Clan, people very different from her own kind. To them, blond, blue-eyed Ayla looks peculiar and ugly—she is one of the Others..
Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon
Scottish Highlands, 1945. Claire Randall, a former British combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles…
Top Contemporary Books
Yelllowface by R. F. Kuang
Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident..
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life―and she's really good at it…
I Am Not Esther (The Esther Series #1) by Fleur Beale
Imagine that your mother tells you she's going away. She is going to leave you with relatives you've never heard of - and they are members of a strict religious cult…
Top Classic Books
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind…
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Extravagant rumors abound of a man named Jay Gatsby who has newly arrived to the coastline of a section of Long Island known colloquially as West Egg…
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carol
Journey with Alice down the rabbit hole into a world of wonder where oddities, logic and wordplay rule supreme…
Top Memoir Books
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy…
Emotional Female by Yumiko Kadota
Yumiko Kadota was every Asian parent's dream- model student, top of her class in medical school and on track to becoming a surgeon. A self-confessed workaholic, she regularly put 'knife before life'…
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood…
Top Writing Craft Books
Creating Character Arcs (Helping Writers Become Authors # 8) by K. M. Weiland
Have you written a story with an exciting concept and interesting characters—but it just isn’t grabbing the attention of readers or agents?
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
Novelist Jessica Brody presents a comprehensive story-structure guide for novelists that applies the famed Save the Cat! screenwriting methodology to the world of novel writing.
On Writing by Stephen King
Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have.
Top Books For Novel Editing
The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
One of the biggest struggles for writers is how to convey emotion to readers in a unique and compelling way. When showing our characters’ feelings, we often use the first idea that comes to mind, and they end up smiling, nodding, and frowning too much…
Intuitive Editing by Tiffany Yates Martin
Editing your own writing can feel like doing your own brain surgery. After you’ve completed your manuscript and you’re standing at the foot of Revision Mountain, climbing to the summit can feel impossible…
Top Books for Creativity And Inspiration
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity…
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
A succinct, engaging, and practical guide for succeeding in any creative sphere, The War of Art is nothing less than Sun-Tzu for the soul…
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