Top 100 Favorite Books

In honor of our 100th blog post, Stephanie and I have created a combined list of 100 of our favorite books (in alphabetical order). Since there are several series that we liked we included the series name in parentheses, but only listed the first book in the series. So if you see parentheses, then we highly recommend that you read the entire series by that author.


Also, in case you hadn't noticed, we decided to update the look of our blog. Plus we added a search button on the side for you to search our blog. Let us know what you think.

We have already posted reviews for several of the books on our list in the past. For those books we have included the link to our reviews. If we haven't written a review for a book on this list yet, we will strive to accomplish that over the next year. Please take time to check out this list and hopefully we can add a few of our favorites to your personal favorite list. Happy Reading!!!

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
A Door in the Woods (The Jimmy Fincher saga) by James Dashner
A Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg
A Woman's Place: A Novel by Lynn Austin
Airhead (Airhead series) by Meg Cabot
Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Barry
Among the Hidden (Shadow Children series) by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari
Boy (and "Going Solo") by Roald Dahl
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
Christy by Catherine Marshall
Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine
Dragon Slippers (Dragon series) by Jessica Day George
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Emeralds and Espionage (Jewel series) by Lynn Gardner
Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
Eye of the World (Wheel of Time series) by Robert Jordan
Fablehaven (Fablehaven series) by Brandon Mull
Fearless Pregnancy: Wisdom and Reassurance from a Doctor, a Midwife and a Mom by Victoria Clayton
Five People You Meet in Heaven Mitch Albom
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanan
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Guilt-Free Motherhood: How to Raise Kids and Have Fun Doing It by Joni Hilton
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter series) by J.K. Rowling
Hattie Big Sky by Kerby Larsen
Holes by Louis Sachar
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
Invitation to the Game by Monica Hughes
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Journal of Curious Letters (13th Reality series) by James Dashner
Just Take My Heart: A Novel by Mary Higgins Clark
Lee Pike Ridge by N.D. Wilson
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Magyk (Septimus Heap series) by Angie Sage
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Midnight for Charlie Bone (Children of the Red King series) by Jenny Nimmo
My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart
My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison
Penny From Heaven by Jennifer Holm
Peter & The Starcatchers (Starcatchers series) Dave Barry
Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Savvy by Ingrid Law
Secret of the Sirens (The Quartet Companion series) by Julia Golding
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Mary Russell series) by Laurie R. King
The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness: A True Story by Joel Ben Izzy
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
The Bonemender (Bonemender series) by Holly Bennett
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
The Bridesmaid by Hailey Abbott
The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz
The Candy Shop Wars by Brandon Mull
The Chosen by Chiam Potok
The Fairy-Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm series) by Michael Buckley
The Farwalker's Quest by Joni Sensel
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman
The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern series) by Shannon Hale
The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again (Hobbit/Lord of the Rings series) by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hollow Kingdom (The Hollow Kingdom Triology) by Clare B. Dunkle
The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sherlock Holmes series) by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Hunger Games (Hunger Games Trilogy) by Suzanne Collins
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians series) by Rick Riordan
The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Karen Cushman
The Maze of Bones (39 Clues series written by various authors) by Rick Riordan
The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart
The Mysterious Benedict Society (The Mysterious Benedict Society series) by Trenton Lee Stewart
The President's Lady: A Novel about Rachel and Andrew Jackson by Irving Stone
The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
The Squire's Tale (The Squire's Tales series) by Gerald Morris
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Wishing Moon by Michael O. Tunnell
There's A Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar
Things Not Seen (Things series) by Andrew Clements
This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Uglies (Uglies series) by Scott Westerfeld
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Water Keep (Farworld series) by J. Scott Savage
While My Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark
Wings (Wings series) by Aprilynne Pike
Wren to the Rescue (Wren series) by Sherwood Smith

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Title: The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time Series)
Author: Robert Jordan
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: Violence
Premise: In the Third Age, an age of prophecy when the world and time themselves hang in the balance, the Dark One, imprisoned by the Creator, is stirring in Shayol Ghul. (King County Library System)
Opinions: My husband introduced me to the Wheel of Time series as soon as we were married as we took turns reading allowed to each other. There is so much to discuss about this book and its series that is daunting to try and sum it up into one or two paragraphs. The books may at first seem daunting, but once you become immersed in their world, it is hard to not want to know more. I was fascinated by Robert Jordan's world and characters - especially his strong female characters such as Moiraine the Aes Sedai who seeks out Rand al'Thor and his friends to determine if one of them might be the Dragon Reborn. I also enjoyed Egwene, the innkeeper's daughter, and Nynaeve, the village Wisdom, and how each characters' journey intertwines one with another. The magic that is learned over the series, both for bad and good, is intriguing and Robert Jordan's descriptions of his Trollocs, Myrddrall, the Forsaken, as well as many others who serve the Dark One, keep the balance of good and evil constantly tugging at one another, keeping the reader wanting more.

I'm impressed at how Mr. Jordan was able to keep all of his characters and locations straight. Even though Mr. Jordan past away a few years ago, his work is being carried out by Brandon Sanderson, who was specifically chosen by Mr. Jordan's wife, Harriet. Book twelve of this series was just released this fall and the final two novels of the series will be released each fall for the next two years.

Al Capone Does My Shirts By Gennifer Choldenko

Title: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Reviewer: Stephanie
Genre: YA Fiction
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister. (King County Library System)
Opinions: I picked up this book several years ago and I have read it many times since. This is a beautiful story of a young boy living on Alcatraz while his father is a guard there. Not only do you have this very interesting premise of what would a young boy do while living on Alcatraz, you throw in his autistic sister, Natalie, and it makes for a complex and interesting tale. This book addresses the issues of mental health in during the 1930's, parental and sibling struggles and a young boy wanting to still be a kid but having to grow up.

I love this book. After the many times I have read it, I still get goose bumps. You know those "That was such an amazing book!" goosebumps. Without fail, the last sentence ALWAYS gives me those goosebumps. (But don't peek ahead! And even if you do, it doesn't make sense until you read the whole book.)

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

Title: Enthusiasm
Author: Polly Shulman
Reviewer: Stephanie
Genre: YA Fiction
Rating: Worship
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: Julie and Ashleigh, high school sophomores and Jane Austen fans, seem to fall for the same Mr. Darcy-like boy and struggle to hide their true feelings from one another while rehearsing for a school musical. (King County Library System)
Opinions: I am Enthusiastic about Enthusiasm. Ashleigh is an enthusiast that goes through phases where she becomes obsessed about certain topics, like balloon animals, military strategm or Pride and Prejudice. Julie has always loved Jane Austen and when Ashleigh reads Pride and Prejudice for the first time it becomes her new Enthusiasm. Thus leading Ashleigh and Julie in a quest to find their Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley.

This is a highly entertaining book. It was funny and full of life. It is one of my favorite reads of this year. I loved all of the characters and the situations were so funny. I laughed out loud when I was reading this book, and it is at the top of my wish list this year. :)

And the Winner Is......

The winner for the autographed copy of The 13th Reality: Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner is . . . . . Mary A. Congratulations Mary!!! Please email us at FabulousReads@yahoo.com with your address and we will mail your book to you as soon as possible.

Look forward in the next week or two as we celebrate our 100th post with a list of our Top 100 favorite books/series.

Keep on reading and let us know if you read something fabulous that you would like us to promote on our blog.

Thanks,
Karen