The Book List

No I am not planning on turning this blog into a book review blog or anything, but I have been posting about books a lot lately, so I thought I’d make a list of books I would recommend. I’m trying to include some of the most basic genre’s, but my heart does lie in middle grade fiction, thus, that’s what most of my recommended books are.

I’m including pictures, with the hope that you’ll see the book somewhere and go, “Oh, I recognize that cover! Emily recommended that book. Perhaps I should try it out.”

So far I’ve put up the few adult woman’s books and guy books that I like. This is taking a while, but after a bit you should be able to see my realistic MG picks, my fantasy MG picks, classic MG, nonsense MG, mystery, YA, and books that I can’t quite classify.

A * by the author’s name means that I can recommend virtually anything by that author. If there is no star either I don’t like the author’s other books, the author has no other books, or I haven’t read the author’s other books.

 

Realistic Middle Grade Fiction

Holes, by Louis Sachar*
The way all the little things come together and make sense is phenomenal.

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Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli*
Stargirl is amazing. She doesn’t care what people think of her, yet she is constantly serving.

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Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli*
Maniac Magee is a fascinating character. This book is fun and easy to read. Everyone in my family, young and old, was picking up this book and reading it.

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Bloomability, by Sharon Creech*
Dinnie goes to a super-cool international school in Switzerland and has interesting dreams. Score!

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The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare*
Besides being a really good read, this  book gives an interesting picture of what early America was like, and the way people feared witches.

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There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom, by Louis Sachar*
Reading this book was like looking into the mind of a child. I am amazed by it every time I read it.

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Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes, by Louis Sachar*
This book is hilarious. It also gives a great picture of the right time to tell jokes, and the wrong time.

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The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi*
This book not only has a fascinating setting, but it demonstrates how someone can change little by little over time, simply by making day-by-day choices.

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Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, by EL Konigsburg*
This  book  is enchanting, mysterious, and has good messages about people who are just…different. The biggest drawback was the main character’s obsession with witchcraft. No one does any real witchcraft in the story, but it’s disturbing nonetheless.

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The Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes*
This book is short, but it’s dreamy and beautiful.

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The Wheel on the School, by Meindert DeJong*
This is a lovely story that gives fascinating glimpses into Dutch culture. By the time you finish it you will begin looking around for a wagon wheel to bolt onto the top of your house.

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Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Patterson
Lovely and haunting.

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Judy’s Journey, by Lois Lenski*
Judy and her family travel up and down the east coast looking for work. They have lots of adventures. I haven’t read this for ages, but I still remember the way it made my imagination run wild.

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The Wanderer, by Sharon Creech*
The book is about six people on a boat. Sounds boring, but it reality it’s fascinating. The most spectacular thing is the way certain scenes are shown from two perspectives, demonstrating the way different people look at things differently.

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney*
Greg is a terrible role model. He is lazy and rude. At the same time, this book is easy to read and full of funny jokes and cartoons. The thing I like best about it is the way everyone in my family started reading this book, and jokes from the book became family jokes.

Books for Women/Romance

Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
This book fascinated me. Scarlet was such an interesting character, and I got a real Southern perspective on the Civil War. The racism was irksome at times, of course, but still very interesting. I think I learned more about the Civil War from this book than from anything I ever studied in school.
Negative elements: It took Scarlet forever to grow up. It’s a long book, but she really doesn’t mature much until the last chapter or so. Also, this book is famous for its bad ending. Rhett walks out and you have no idea if she ever gets him or not. But conversely, this “bad ending” is the only thing in the book that makes her grow up, which I think is kind of the point.

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The Blue Castle, by L. M. Montgomery*
Valancy is just sort of stuck in life. Then she learns that she only has a year to live, and begins standing up to people she’s always been scared of (resulting in absolutely hilarious scenes) and generally improving her life drastically because, who cares if her aunts turn up their noses, she’s only around for a year anyway. Seriously, haven’t we all wanted to do that at some point or another? This book is such a lovely read.

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Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austin
For an old classic, this book is very easy to read. Not only that but it’s funny, it’s accurate historical fiction (well duh) that really shows you what England was like back then, and the romance is lovely yet sensible. By sensible I mean that Elizabeth Bennet actually sits down and reasons out why her personality and Mr. Darcy’s personality are suited to each other. And it shows that first impressions are very often faulty.

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Mark of the Lion Series, by Francine Rivers* (A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, As Sure as the Dawn)
Again, this is really good historical fiction that really brings you into ancient Rome. And the romance, while a bit weird at times, is fairly good. Hadassah is willing to give up the man she loves because she loves God more. And that’s another thing. Hadassah’s dedication to God, and especially her willingness to be a servant, is phenomenal.
Negative Elements: ancient Rome was an evil, evil place. Therefore, the books can get a bit graphic at times.

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The Last Sin Eater, By Francine Rivers*
Wow, this book was so great. There isn’t really much for romance to bog it down, the setting is exceedingly interesting, and it really gives you a clear picture of sin, and what it takes to get your sins taken away.

 

Guy Books

Three, by Ted Dekker
A good book. One of the few Guy books I ever really liked. Yes, it did get quite bizarre at moments, but it was interesting.