Books That Bring Out the Best

Hi friends! I had trouble deciding what my first post would be since I’m in the middle of the Harry Potter books right now ( more on that in a future post). Therefore, I’ve decided I’d like to introduce you to the top five books that left a lasting impression on me. I have a hard time choosing my five favorite books although some of these absolutely star in the top five. Instead I went with books that I have a hard time forgetting; books that really give me joy and make me think. I’m a person that almost NEVER rereads books because it spoils the ending for me, but some of these I have read numerous times because of the impact they’ve left. Buckle up, this is my first, but definitely not last, long post. So without further ado….

I won’t call it number one, but it’s high up on my list. I know the “Christian” genre may throw some people off but let me just tell you… I’ve read this book at least five times. And it’s not my normal style either. For someone that only has a handful of books she’s ever reread, that really says something. It’s somewhat religious without being preachy and there is SO much more to this story. It addresses all the core beliefs you never even knew you held. I remember when I was first introduced when my grandma gave me this book back in middle/high school (probably concerned with the number of murder mysteries I read). I was absolutely shocked with how much Caroline Fletcher resonated with me. The writing is just so chef kiss. Lynn Austin draws you in and gives you so much to think about. It’s so powerful! In a time when there is so much civil unrest in our country, I HIGHLY recommend this story. I’m including the book blurb below.

“Caroline Fletcher is caught in a nation split apart and torn between the ones she loves and a truth she can’t deny. The daughter of a wealthy slave-holding family from Richmond, Virginia, Caroline Fletcher is raised to believe slavery is God-ordained and acceptable. But on awakening to its cruelty and injustice, her eyes are opened to the men and women who have cared tirelessly for her. At the same time, her father and her fiance, Charles St. John, are fighting for the Confederacy and their beloved way of life and traditions. Where does Caroline’s loyalty lie? Emboldened by her passion to make a difference and her growing faith, will she risk everything she holds dear?”

I felt this book all the way to my soul. I laughed, I cried (a lot), I contemplated, and I wanted so much more. In researching I realized this book has some sisters that follow it and in all fairness, while I haven’t yet read them, I will soon. It’s just that good.

If you watched the movie first and thought it was amazing, turn around. I don’t want you here. JK! Seriously though, the movie doesn’t do this book justice. I have a very deep seated love for Greek mythology (I took a whole class on it for no reason in college. An online class. And I still took notes.). This is absolutely my top YA series. I was hooked. I’ve read the whole series at least three times, if not more. The adventure was, to me, gripping, the characters well rounded, and the historical references accurate enough to keep my interest while reinventing all the legends of myth I knew and loved. Rick Riordan brought to life the gods and creatures in mythology whom had once been very stagnant to me. While doing some research on this book, I came across the news that it will soon be made into a Disney+ series and I started to actually scream out loud, that’s how amazing it is.

“Half boy. Half God. ALL Hero. Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek God. I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. Now I spend my time battling monsters and generally trying to stay alive. This is the one where Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks I’ve stolen his lightning bolt – and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.”

Daddy’s Little Girl
By: Mary Higgins Clark
Genre: Mystery, Suspense

If you like this you’ll also like: Any number of her books! I strongly suggest “Where are the children?” or “Two Little Girls in Blue.” Her later books are not my fave but they aren’t bad by any means! Also Heather Graham, Julie Garwood, or Lisa Gardner.

Picture it. Sixth grade. What were you doing? Me? I was growing exponentially from a literary standpoint (completely inept everywhere else, trust me). It was the year I left behind Nancy Drew for my first “adult” book thanks to a fellow sixth grader named Heather. It is to her I owe my deep, dark love for mystery and suspense that has since spawned a love for true crime. Mary Higgins Clark was literally a Queen for me. You never suspect what’s coming. Her prose is elegant and engaging. She will be greatly missed from the suspense genre. I can’t begin to count the number of books she produced that I basically inhaled. I remember this book as scaring the pants off me and making me check behind the shower curtains but still keeping me so on edge that I HAD to finish. To this day, I can picture the cover of the book…a gold heart chain with blood on it left neglected in the grass. I highly recommend you step into this race against time to save Ellie. Yes we are on a first name basis. Mind ya business.

“Ellie Cavanaugh was only seven years old when her fifteen-year-old sister, Andrea was murdered. Ellie’s testimony was vital to the conviction of Rob Westerfield, son of a wealthy, prominent family. Twenty-two years later Ellie remains convinced of Westerfield’s guilt. When he is released on parole and attempts to prove himself the victim of a miscarriage of justice, Ellie begins work on a book she believes will prove Westerfield’s guilt beyond doubt. As she delves deeper into her research, she uncovers horrifying facts that shed new light on her sister’s murder. And with each new discovery she comes closer to a confrontation with a desperate killer.”

Is it obvious what my favorite style book is yet? I LOVED this book and the suceeding series. Spoiler alert, the author dies before the end of the series and when I tell you I was traumatized, I mean I cried actual tears. Her style and voice are those that keep you coming back for more over and over. Adelia, the protagonist, is doing something I can only dream of doing: mastering forensic science during Mediveal times when women are shunned as child bearers and homemakers and science is considered witchcraft. It is further down on the list for a few reasons really. One, the series felt very incomplete since the author (RIP) passed away, two, it takes place over years and years (which i really dislike in a book series), and three, Adelia, who is a boss in her own right, ends up being someone’s dirty little secret and that hurts my heart. However, the strength of this woman fighting the Catholic church’s mysogonisitic idealology gives me so much life. I mean who doesnt love a 1100’s serial killer? I still get heated thinking about the relationship between certain characters. If you read this book, please message me afterwards so I can finally express my opinons about these ‘ships. K? Thanks.

“In medieval Cambridge, England, Adelia, a female forensics expert, is summoned by King Henry II to investigate a series of gruesome murders that has wrongly implicated the Jewish population, yielding even more tragic results. As Adelia’s investigation takes her behind the closed doors of the country’s churches, the killer prepares to strike again.”

It was just announced earlier this year that her daughter will be concluding the series and I am truly psyched to see what she can produce and how it compares to Ariana Franklin’s enthralling writing!

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Last but not least… Two books tie for the last spot on this list. The Color Purple and A Wrinkle in Time
By: Alice Walker, Madeline L’Enlge
Genre: Historical fiction/epistolary novel, sci-fi/fantasy

If you like this you will like: Kindred by Octavia Butler or The Giver by Lois Lowry

I know, I know. You’re wondering, Morg, how are the books possibly comparable? Reality: They’re not. However, they both have made a big impact on how I view my favorite books and my favorite writing style. The Color Purple was a book I read for an assignment in high school. Is it a feminist book? Kinda, but not really. It’s more about having your voice taken from you, and how to overcome that. The journey from being an object in the background, to being a subject that speaks and has its own free will and is tired of being downtrodden. It is powerful and leaves a lasting impression. In regards to A Wrinkle in Time… if you’ve seen the movie, don’t read the book. And vice versa. To me, the movie ruins what I remember most about the book. I, however, am horribly biased about books to movies and will follow up on that topic in another post. One of my mom’s friends gave me this book years and years ago when I used to babysit for her. I remember reading the back of the book, rolling my eyes, and saying something along the lines of “Wow, this sounds stupid.” It was not the first, nor the last time I was wrong. This book allows you to spread your mental wings. If you like insurmountable imagery, this book is for you. I can still picture Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which out to help fight the evil taking over Camazotz and the Black Thing. Is this truthfully a children’s story? More or less, but so worth the read. I loved it.