Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jana @That Artsy Reader Girl. Weekly prompts are posted on her blog each week and any blogger who want to participate can create their own list of 10, 5, 2, 1 or any combo of numbers in between in answer to that prompt. Do what works for you on your blog, and join in the listing fun!
This week’s prompt is so much fun! Top 10 Books From My Favorite Genre!
My favorite genre far and away is Fantasy. Ever since I was a child, I’ve felt this strong connection with fantasy genre literature, movies, games – you name it! I think it all started when I was first introduced as a kid to the movies Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal – speaking of, did anyone else see the new Netflix trailer drop for the prequel show and just about die? It looks so good! – and just got lost in those magical worlds and characters.
That love for fantasy translated into a love for fantasy books. I yearn for the escape from reality, to experience true magic and nothing does that for me like the fantasy genre.
10 Books From My Favorite Genre! (Fantasy)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – JK Rowling | Okay, lets be real, I could fill this list up with books from the Harry Potter series, but because I don’t want to cheat, I went with my all-time favorite instead. The Goblet of Fire was the book from the series that I probably revisited the most. I just loved the tournament aspect of the story. It provided countless hours of entertainment for me as a kid!
- Nevernight – Jay Kristoff | I read this book for the first time last year, and I was so wowed by it. My exposure to Jay Kristoff before this novel was in his joint works with other authors. This book went above and beyond my expectations! The characters were awesome, and the plot was so intriguing. I was hooked from the opening chapter to the very end.
- The Child Thief – Brom | I was gifted this book as a teenager by a family member, and as is my lot in life, it sat on my shelf unread for far too long before I finally sat down with it. I loved every moment of it! A dark fantasy retelling of Peter Pan, Brom turns the Disney hero on his head, crafting a much darker world and character than readers will be used to. The story was magic from beginning to end, and the pages are peppered with Brom’s own paintings and sketches of the characters and creatures.
- Circe – Madeline Miller | This book caught my eye when it was all the buzz in the book review community last year. Madeline Miller had already wowed me with The Song of Achilles, so I was pleasantly surprised when this book surpassed even those expectations. It was pure magic, from beginning to end.
- Lost Gods – Brom | Okay, Brom might be one of my favorite authors and artists, so he’s going to grace this list twice. This book is much more ambitious, and even darker than The Child Thief. It’s like a mix of carefully crafted mythology, horror and fantasy all in one. And again, the artwork dispersed throughout the book and the cover is stunning.
- A Game of Thrones – George R.R. Martin | How was I gonna write a list of favorite fantasy novels and not include my boy George on this list? While the book series has clearly stagnated and I’m doubtful that they’ll be finished, one cannot ignore how entertaining and ambitious this series is from the very opening page to the end. Not to mention that it birthed 8 years of my favorite televised fantasy adaptation of all time!
- The Way of Kings – Brandon Sanderson | This was the first Brandon Sanderson book I’d ever read! I won’t lie – I bought it simply because at the time I had never seen a book quite so massive and I really just wanted to have a copy on my shelf. I was blown away by the scope of this project. The world, creatures and characters therein are almost unrivaled in works by other authors in the genre. And Sanderson just keeps cranking these tomes out!
- The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss | Another series that I’m not certain will ever be finished, but I had to give this one the credit it deserves. It’s just that well done. Rothfuss’ prose is beautiful, and this is another novel where the scope of the story and of all of the history and subplots is almost unmatched. It’s an epic work, and while I didn’t love the second book quite so much, I’d still like to see how this series closes out someday.
- Ruin – John Gwynne | I read this entire series last year and while it was hard to pick a favorite, I think I have to tip my hat to this entry in the series. Every book is epic, but this one just elevates the story to another level. Plus, Gwynne exercises his considerable skill at tugging the heartstrings with some of my favorite characters in this one.
Beyond Redemption – Michael R. Fletcher | I’d be remiss if I didn’t include a brand new favorite on this list! Michael R. Fletcher’s writing was instantly engaging, and I was astounded by how creative the worldbuilding and magic system in this novel was. I loved everything about it, and definitely had a hard time putting it down once I’d started!
Did one of your favorites make it onto this list? What fantasy series do you love that I missed and should check out?
xoxo
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No OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE?
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Unfortunately, I haven’t read it yet! I’ve heard it’s amazing though. I really do need to make time for it.
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It’s Gaiman’s best work. I know everyone thinks it’s American Gods. They’re wrong. It’s this one. 🙂
Thanks for the list btw. I’m a horror guy, and have read some fantasy, but this’ll let me dig a lil deeper
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If you’re a horror fan, you should give Beyond Redemption a try. It’s got some real horror vibes to it.
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Great list! I’ll have to look into some of the books you put down!
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Thank you! I hope you enjoy them if you do! 🙂
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I’m such a wimp – some of those covers scare me!
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Hahaha DJ you crack me up! I built up a tolerance for scary stuff having older siblings who made me watch horror movies with them as kids!
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Oh it’s been so long since I’ve read fantasy! I kind of miss it. You may just get me back into reading it 🙂
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Aww I’m glad I maybe rekindled a little bit of excitement for fantasy for you. It’s such a great genre. So diverse and so magical.
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I am finally finally reading Nevernight this month which is expected to become a new favorite!!
Great list though and I am jealous because half of these are on my tbr!
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Ooh enjoy Nevernight!! It’s such a great read!
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I hope so 😀
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So many good ones on here. I really want to get to Name of the Wind and Nevernight soon!
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They’re both so good – both are shining examples of all the great that Fantasy can be.
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The way of kings is an amazing book to read.
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Yes it is! I need to continue on the series soon.
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Great choices, I know most of them but have only ever read the Harry Potter books.
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I started out with Harry Potter. My addition to fantasy pretty much grew from there.
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Not much of a fantasy reader, but this looks like a good list.
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Thank you!
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I don’t read a lot of fantasy but your list looks good. I am only familiar with Harry Potter and Game of Thrones.
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Thank you!!
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I really only read YA fantasy, but you make me want to explore adult fantasy too! I loved GoT, though I wasn’t happy with the last season. I tried the first book but it was so similar to the first season that I just got bored. Maybe I should give it another go in a few years.
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I used to primarily read YA fantasy, but lately I’ve been gravitating away from it. I find that a lot of YA fantasy lately gets bogged down by romance. Adult fantasy tends to skirt around romance as a plot device.
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This is such a solid list! I agree that Harry Potter could probably complete my whole list too. I was lucky enough to watch Cursed Child in London a couple weeks ago, so it has become my latest obsession.
http://e135-abookaweek.blogspot.com/
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Oh you’re so lucky! I’ve heard Cursed Child is magical to see.
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I’ve had my eye on Nevernight for quite some time!
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It’s so worth reading, Kayla. It’s a very well done fantasy novel.
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I always get intimidated and end up not picking it up. One day I will though!
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I haven’t read any of these books but Game of Thrones is on my TBR.
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The books are great – long but great!
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*DANCE* Stormlight! Stormlight! He’s working on book 4 so we’ll see what happens! Are you all caught up with the series? I can’t remember lol
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I’m not, unfortunately! I still need to read books 2 and 3. I own them both, so it’s just a matter of getting the time to read them.
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Ah ok 🙂 there is a novella called “Edge Dancer” to read in between books 2 and 3 that’s about Lyft whose one of the side characters. It helps develop her and there’s some fun stuff in there as well. Can’t wait for you to read more of it 😀
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Oooh, Circe was also on my TTT list! How is Madeline Miller’s writing so gorgeous??
And aaah, I still need to read The Name of the Wind, Nevernight, Game of Thrones, and Brandon Sanderson! How are there so many good fantasy books in the world? (and wow, what a fake fantasy book nerd I am 😅)
And happy reading! I hope you continue to find more new favorites! 🙂
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Thank you Keri! Yes, Madeline Miller’s writing style is out of this world. And there are a LOT of fantasy books out there! So much to choose from. I’m still underread in the genre!
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So true! And glad I’m not the only one that feels that way! 😆
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Great list! I haven’t read too many of these, but will need to check them out!
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Thank you, Amanda!
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I recently discovered Brandon Sanderson through Skyward and now I am smitten! I love Jay Kristoff’s Lifel1k3 and Aurora Rising but I confess struggling with Nevernight ….
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Nevernight is definitely a novel that isn’t for everyone! I do need to read Aurora Rising, and I absolutely adored LifeL1k3!
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