1. "Miss Peregrine's School For Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
I would first like to say that I have never read another book that had the same general idea behind it, and that is very rare. I liked the way it incorporated images because I felt that it would be able to make teens/young adults reading this be able to picture it easier without making them feel stupid. I would recommend this to almost everyone, but I would say that younger kids will enjoy it more. Keep in mind though, if you have no ability to enjoy the fantastical, than you will not enjoy this novel.
2. "The Giver"
The only reason I rate this a three is because it is most often read by young students. I think that this is an amazing book full of meaningful messages. However, we have students read these when they are so young that they don't understand the morals, and then they can't be applied to life. Read it, though, if you haven't. The older you are, the more you will get out of it.
3. "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan
I was obsessed with this novel for awhile. I found it incredibly interesting, engaging, and it had just the right amount of challenge. Granted, I read this when I was in high school. The characters were especially interesting to me, since they all inhabit a world so different from the one we live in.
4. The Scarlet Letter/ Jane Eyre/ Frankenstein/ Huckleberry Finn.
Read these. They will make you and your life better. I give them a three because I totally agree that they can be really difficult to get through (especially Jane Eyre, Jeez!) but these are the books I advocate reading during your lifetime. That might be the teacher in me.
5. "The Blackhouse" by Peter May
This book was incredibly interesting. It is set in the England area (England, Scottland, Ireland kind of thing), so expect some funny words. However, I was thrown for a loop several times during this book. The characters were beyond amazing. I was so interested in the relations and dynamics between everyone. And this is one of the most interesting revenge novels that I have come across. Usually revenge novels read in a very contrived way, but not this one.
6. The "Inn Boonsboro" Trilogy by Nora Roberts
I really like the first and third, and I was alright with the second. This is not a book I would suggest to any guys. It is all romance and no real substance. Yes, there is a ghost story woven in, but it isn't prominent enough to make it really interesting. I think Nora Roberts is an Excellent writer. The only comments I have about her is that sometimes her editor messed up and didn't notice that she put the wrong person's name somewhere, and that all of her stories have a LOT of the same elements. If you read her you need to expect strong female characters, devastatingly hot and romantic male characters, and a lot of nursing mothers.
7. "The Calhoun Series" by Nora Roberts
I read all six of these several times. I like the ghost story in these books better than the "Inn Boonsboro" series but less than the "In the Garden" series. But still, each book is centered around a love story that happens at a pace that is so unrealistic it has your head spinning until you are used to it and, again, has romantic male characters that make you jealous.
8. The "You Are Next" series by Katia Lief
I have been in crime fiction kick, and I came across these. The stories are very interesting, and the writing is alright. Its normal, rather than super done up and elegant. There are a fair few twists and turns in these books. I gave them only three stars because while they were entertaining certainly, they didn't have a lot of substance underneath the entertainment.
9. "The Awakening of Ren Crown" by Anne Zoelle
This book was honestly like nothing I have ever in my life read before. It was really creative and very well written. The reason I gave it only three stars is that it seemed too long. Like, it didn't need to be that long. I believe you can tell when an author just wants to fill up space, and that takes away from the story.
10. "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks
I was shocked by this rating, too. Usually his books are really good on the romance, not so good on the rest of the story. However, I was very pleased with this book. The romantic part was like a pretty cool side story. There's action and just a bunch of interesting aspects. I'm not saying this book will change your life, because it won't, but it is pretty good.
11. "A Series Of Unfortunate Events" By Lemony Snicket
Young or old, these are a really good read. I did get annoyed every once in awhile because of his habit to define words in his writing. However, that is only because I already knew what they mean and I was a little older when I read them. I think these are very good books to have young children read. Not only are they good for vocabulary, but they are also interesting. They go by really quickly, so even though there are thirteen books, it really does not take long to read them. Each book is very predictable, though. It has pretty much the same events with different characters, so that can get a little tedious. One thing I really enjoyed about the books that I did not notice until I was older is how he ties information from the first and the last books together.
12. "Beach Colors" by Shelly Noble
This is another book that doesn't take the most brain power in the world to read, but the characters are interesting if not terribly original. I felt that the story gripped you from the start and it had some surprising twists for a romance novel. I was pleased with it. This is another one that I would suggest for maybe a rainy day or to pass the time on a flight.
13. "Stealing Heaven" by Elizabeth Scott
hmm. This is a book I would recommend for young adult females. I felt like I hadn't really read something too much like it before, and that is always interesting. Of course, it wasn't the most original novel ever, either. There was no intellectual challenge, but it was still entertaining.
14. "The Impact of You" by Kendall Ryan
For what it was, this book was excellent. As you can tell by reading the back of this book, it is about a college relationship where the girl has something she is running from in her past. While it isn't terribly intricate or even surprising, I could really feel the emotions that were happening in the novel. It even makes you remember how passion felt when it was new, and that's interesting. Even though you knew how it was going to end, more or less, you find yourself rooting for the main characters. This is not a long book, and it goes very quickly.
15. "Mine To Take" by Cynthia Eden
Why I gave this three stars, I don't rightly know. It is classified as a "romantic suspense" novel, and I wasn't even sure I was going to be into this. The characters were entirely unbelievable, and while the situations in the book were plausible, I would not say they were probable. However, I was so hooked. I needed to know what was going to happen next. In fact, I was desperate to. The author did a very good job at making me want to continue reading without taking a break, and that is just what I did.
16. "She Loves Me Not" by Wendy Corsi Staub: While I only give this book three stars overall, I think it was very good. I enjoyed reading this, a lot. The reason that I do not give it four stars is that there was not a whole lot of underlying messages, morals, and meanings, which I think make literature more fun to read. However, the suspense in this novel was very well done. I was convinced multiple times that I knew who the bad guy was, and I was wrong each and every time. I thought the characters were believable and interesting, and the plot was worth reading. I read this book in one go: I could not put it down. This is, of course, a mystery novel. While there is some murder, it isn't described in great, gut-wrenching detail, so even those who don't have the strongest stomachs should be able to read it.
17. "Adrenaline" and "The Last Minute" by Jeff Abbot
These books involve a main character names Sam Capra who was in a special division of the CIA who was double, triple, even quadruple crossed. While I did enjoy this novel quite a bit, I was able to put it down pretty easily. I usually find it hard to put down a novel, but not this one. There were a lot of aspects of this story that pique intrigue. I think these books would be more interesting to guys. There was just the right amount of humor, too, which makes sure that the tense atmosphere is relieved. I also thought the characters were really believable. Usually when you read novels that deal with CIA characters, you get really robotic personalities. But, not here.
I would first like to say that I have never read another book that had the same general idea behind it, and that is very rare. I liked the way it incorporated images because I felt that it would be able to make teens/young adults reading this be able to picture it easier without making them feel stupid. I would recommend this to almost everyone, but I would say that younger kids will enjoy it more. Keep in mind though, if you have no ability to enjoy the fantastical, than you will not enjoy this novel.
2. "The Giver"
The only reason I rate this a three is because it is most often read by young students. I think that this is an amazing book full of meaningful messages. However, we have students read these when they are so young that they don't understand the morals, and then they can't be applied to life. Read it, though, if you haven't. The older you are, the more you will get out of it.
3. "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan
I was obsessed with this novel for awhile. I found it incredibly interesting, engaging, and it had just the right amount of challenge. Granted, I read this when I was in high school. The characters were especially interesting to me, since they all inhabit a world so different from the one we live in.
4. The Scarlet Letter/ Jane Eyre/ Frankenstein/ Huckleberry Finn.
Read these. They will make you and your life better. I give them a three because I totally agree that they can be really difficult to get through (especially Jane Eyre, Jeez!) but these are the books I advocate reading during your lifetime. That might be the teacher in me.
5. "The Blackhouse" by Peter May
This book was incredibly interesting. It is set in the England area (England, Scottland, Ireland kind of thing), so expect some funny words. However, I was thrown for a loop several times during this book. The characters were beyond amazing. I was so interested in the relations and dynamics between everyone. And this is one of the most interesting revenge novels that I have come across. Usually revenge novels read in a very contrived way, but not this one.
6. The "Inn Boonsboro" Trilogy by Nora Roberts
I really like the first and third, and I was alright with the second. This is not a book I would suggest to any guys. It is all romance and no real substance. Yes, there is a ghost story woven in, but it isn't prominent enough to make it really interesting. I think Nora Roberts is an Excellent writer. The only comments I have about her is that sometimes her editor messed up and didn't notice that she put the wrong person's name somewhere, and that all of her stories have a LOT of the same elements. If you read her you need to expect strong female characters, devastatingly hot and romantic male characters, and a lot of nursing mothers.
7. "The Calhoun Series" by Nora Roberts
I read all six of these several times. I like the ghost story in these books better than the "Inn Boonsboro" series but less than the "In the Garden" series. But still, each book is centered around a love story that happens at a pace that is so unrealistic it has your head spinning until you are used to it and, again, has romantic male characters that make you jealous.
8. The "You Are Next" series by Katia Lief
I have been in crime fiction kick, and I came across these. The stories are very interesting, and the writing is alright. Its normal, rather than super done up and elegant. There are a fair few twists and turns in these books. I gave them only three stars because while they were entertaining certainly, they didn't have a lot of substance underneath the entertainment.
9. "The Awakening of Ren Crown" by Anne Zoelle
This book was honestly like nothing I have ever in my life read before. It was really creative and very well written. The reason I gave it only three stars is that it seemed too long. Like, it didn't need to be that long. I believe you can tell when an author just wants to fill up space, and that takes away from the story.
10. "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks
I was shocked by this rating, too. Usually his books are really good on the romance, not so good on the rest of the story. However, I was very pleased with this book. The romantic part was like a pretty cool side story. There's action and just a bunch of interesting aspects. I'm not saying this book will change your life, because it won't, but it is pretty good.
11. "A Series Of Unfortunate Events" By Lemony Snicket
Young or old, these are a really good read. I did get annoyed every once in awhile because of his habit to define words in his writing. However, that is only because I already knew what they mean and I was a little older when I read them. I think these are very good books to have young children read. Not only are they good for vocabulary, but they are also interesting. They go by really quickly, so even though there are thirteen books, it really does not take long to read them. Each book is very predictable, though. It has pretty much the same events with different characters, so that can get a little tedious. One thing I really enjoyed about the books that I did not notice until I was older is how he ties information from the first and the last books together.
12. "Beach Colors" by Shelly Noble
This is another book that doesn't take the most brain power in the world to read, but the characters are interesting if not terribly original. I felt that the story gripped you from the start and it had some surprising twists for a romance novel. I was pleased with it. This is another one that I would suggest for maybe a rainy day or to pass the time on a flight.
13. "Stealing Heaven" by Elizabeth Scott
hmm. This is a book I would recommend for young adult females. I felt like I hadn't really read something too much like it before, and that is always interesting. Of course, it wasn't the most original novel ever, either. There was no intellectual challenge, but it was still entertaining.
14. "The Impact of You" by Kendall Ryan
For what it was, this book was excellent. As you can tell by reading the back of this book, it is about a college relationship where the girl has something she is running from in her past. While it isn't terribly intricate or even surprising, I could really feel the emotions that were happening in the novel. It even makes you remember how passion felt when it was new, and that's interesting. Even though you knew how it was going to end, more or less, you find yourself rooting for the main characters. This is not a long book, and it goes very quickly.
15. "Mine To Take" by Cynthia Eden
Why I gave this three stars, I don't rightly know. It is classified as a "romantic suspense" novel, and I wasn't even sure I was going to be into this. The characters were entirely unbelievable, and while the situations in the book were plausible, I would not say they were probable. However, I was so hooked. I needed to know what was going to happen next. In fact, I was desperate to. The author did a very good job at making me want to continue reading without taking a break, and that is just what I did.
16. "She Loves Me Not" by Wendy Corsi Staub: While I only give this book three stars overall, I think it was very good. I enjoyed reading this, a lot. The reason that I do not give it four stars is that there was not a whole lot of underlying messages, morals, and meanings, which I think make literature more fun to read. However, the suspense in this novel was very well done. I was convinced multiple times that I knew who the bad guy was, and I was wrong each and every time. I thought the characters were believable and interesting, and the plot was worth reading. I read this book in one go: I could not put it down. This is, of course, a mystery novel. While there is some murder, it isn't described in great, gut-wrenching detail, so even those who don't have the strongest stomachs should be able to read it.
17. "Adrenaline" and "The Last Minute" by Jeff Abbot
These books involve a main character names Sam Capra who was in a special division of the CIA who was double, triple, even quadruple crossed. While I did enjoy this novel quite a bit, I was able to put it down pretty easily. I usually find it hard to put down a novel, but not this one. There were a lot of aspects of this story that pique intrigue. I think these books would be more interesting to guys. There was just the right amount of humor, too, which makes sure that the tense atmosphere is relieved. I also thought the characters were really believable. Usually when you read novels that deal with CIA characters, you get really robotic personalities. But, not here.