If/Then Book Recs [Top 10 (4) Tuesday]

Hey, y'all! So once again, I'll be participating in Top 10 Tuesday, hosted on The Broke and the Bookish. I'm doing this very last second again, but oh well. This week's topic is to recommend underrated books for people who have read & loved super-popular books. I was only able to come up with 4 comparisons, but oh well!

1. If you love...

 (Harry Potter, jic you were confused...)

check out...

The Pendragon Series
by DJ MacHale

This is one of my all-time favorite series. I've loved it since jr. high, and it's almost as special to me as Harry Potter. There are just so many similarities between these books. They're both long series revolving around a young boy who is thrust into a world (or worlds, in Bobby Pendragon's case) that he had no idea existed. This series is just wonderful, and if you're interested, you can check out some more about the series here.

2. If you love...

check out...

The Rithmatist
by Brandon Sanderson

It's an interesting fantasy novel set at a magic school! I really like the way that this book messes with what's expected, and the magic system is super cool and unique. One of the best middle grade books I've read, TBH.

3. If you love...

check out...

The Body Electric
by Beth Revis

I read The Body Electric first, and I definitely saw a lot of similarities as far as the world and technology. Plus, they're both sci-fi dystopians set abroad (Body Electric is set in a dystopian Italy), so there's that. Honestly, just check out all of Beth Revis's stuff because it's super cool and I love her.

4. If you love...

check out...

Night Film
by Marisha Pessl

Night Film has been getting quite a bit of buzz lately, so it's not quite so underrated anymore, but I decided to add it on here. Full disclosure, I really enjoyed Night Film, but didn't really like Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore. However, they have very similar vibes/moods and are extremely mysterious, so I feel that if you did like Mr. Penumbra's, you'd enjoy Night Film too.  

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Top 10 Most Read Authors

Hey, y'all! So I recently (as in a few hours ago) discovered that this weekly series called "Top 10 Tuesday" exists. This is a weekly series created by The Broke and the Bookish (link here if you want to check it out!), where each Tuesday has a certain "top 10" topic attached to it. 

This week's topic is Top 10 Most Read Authors, which was actually kinda difficult for me. I'm not sure how this works for y'all, but I definitely get more attached to genres than I do to specific authors. While there are definitely some authors that I get attached to, in general, I tend to focus more upon the book descriptions that interest me or on the genres that interest me than upon certain authors. So, because of that, there are a very small handful of authors who I've read a lot of books from, but past that, my reads are stretched across a very wide range of authors. So because of that, you'll see some authors where I've read a lot of books by them, and a lot where I've only read a handful. That being said, let's jump into the list! 

10. Peg Kehret

# of books read: ???

OK, so I honestly have no idea how many Peg Kehret books I've read. On this list, I tried to exclude authors I read when I was a kid, because I read so many books, and I simply just can't remember all of the books I read. However, I was getting to the point where I'd only read 4 books by an author, and I didn't want to get to any smaller numbers, so I just decided to talk about Peg Kehret. She was one of my favorite authors, and I read a ton of her books. But I just can't remember how many. Oops. 

9. Stephenie Meyer

# of books read: 4

She's tied with the next person on the list, but I've only read one series by her (Twilight, obvi) so I decided to give her the lower spot. Plus, I don't like her books as much as I like the books by the next person. 

8. Brandon Sanderson

# of books read: 4

This is a recent addition to the list, because until June, I hadn't read any of his books. But I fell in love with his Mistborn trilogy and really enjoyed The Rithmatist, so I completely expect him to move up this list very rapidly. He'll probably be up in the top 5 by the end of the year! New favorite author, for sure. 

7. Beth Revis

# of books read: 5

I've read almost everything (if not everything) that Beth Revis has published: her Across the Universe trilogy, The Body Electric, and The Future Collection (a collection of her short stories). I may be missing a few short stories, but that's it! She's one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait to read whatever she publishes next! 

6. Joe Hill

# of books read: 6

I actually forgot about Joe Hill until I looked at my "most read authors" on Goodreads and saw him on there. The 6 books I've read by him are the 6 books in his Locke & Key graphic novel/comic series. Not sure I'm going to be reading any more books by him, but I did enjoy the series!

5. J.K. Rowling

# of books read: 8

The first seven books that I've read by J.K. Rowling should be pretty obvious: the Harry Potter series. Although I probably should've read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them & Quidditch Through the Ages by this point, I haven't. The only other book I've actually read by her is The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I might read some of her Robert Galbraith books, but those are probably the only other books by her that I would actually read.

4. D.J. MacHale

# of books read: 10

The books I've read by him are the 10 books of the Pendragon series, which is one of my favorite series of all-time. I don't plan on reading any more of his books, mostly because they're middle grade and don't really interest me, but I do really enjoy the ones I have read by him.

3. Cassandra Clare

# of books read: 10

Cassie Clare is most definitely among my favorite authors. I love her Mortal Instruments series and Infernal Devices trilogy, and I also enjoyed The Bane Chronicles... or at least most of it. And I also plan on reading the rest of her books as well. I also plan on reading the first two books from her Magisterium series (cowritten by Holly Black) very soon, so she'll be moving up on this list really soon.

2. Agatha Christie

# of books read: 11

Once again, Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors. My favorite stand-alone of all time is her book, And Then There Were None, and I've also enjoyed (almost) all of the 10 books that I've read from her Poirot series. And I do plan to read many, many more of her books in the future, so I expect her to stay up high on this list, if not all the way at the top.

1. Lemony Snicket

# of books read: 13

Lemony Snicket is, of course, the pen name of Daniel Handler, but I haven't read any Daniel Handler books, so I decided to name Lemony Snicket. I almost didn't include him in this list, because I consider these books as ones that I read when I was a kid (I think I read them mostly in elementary school). However, I was running low on people, so I decided to include him and he ended up at #1! Now, I'm sure there are authors that I've read more from than Lemony Snicket, but they're all among the authors I read when I was a kid and (as mentioned earlier) I'm not including those on this list. 

So, that's it for my post on my top 10 most read authors! I definitely plan to keep doing the Top 10 Tuesday series in the future, mostly on here, but possibly on my YouTube channel as well if I decide that the topic would work better in video form. My YouTube channel is linked below, so feel free to check that out if you want to!

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Night Film by Marisha Pessl [SPOILER FREE REVIEW]

Hey, y'all! So, I recently read Night Film by Marisha Pessl. Normally, I would film a video review and would eventually get around to writing a review. HOWEVER, given the nature of this book and my opinions on it, I realized that it would be really difficult to articulate my feelings in video form.
But because it was such an interesting read, I had to at least do some sort of review, and decided to just do a written review. So let's jump into it!

Stanislas Cordova is an enigma. This cult horror director hasn't made a public appearance in over 30 years, but maintains a rabid, obsessive fanbase. 

Scott McGrath is a once-revered journalist whose life fell apart when he dug too deep into Cordova's life a few years back. Disgraced and drug through the mud by the media and Cordova's lawyers, his career became irreparable. But, when Cordova's daughter, Ashley, dies in an apparent suicide, McGrath's curiosity and desire for revenge drives him to dig once again into the life and career of Stanislas Cordova. 

This book... the best way that I can describe it is a mindfreak. After finishing the book, I went back and re-watched some of Regan's (PeruseProject on YouTube) videos where she talked about the book, and she said several times that this was one of the most immersive books that she's ever read, and that perfectly hits the nail on the head for me as well. Everything about the world and the characters feels so real and well developed that it felt real. I've made it no secret on here and my YouTube channel that I don't get scared/ freaked out easily. I watched Saw for the first time while chowing down on popcorn and see horror movies in the theater almost solely to see my friends freak out. 

However, this book FREAKED. ME. OUT. (Granted, I'd also just discovered that my hallway is "haunted," but given the fact that I don't believe ghosts exist and that I've been perfectly fine since finishing the book, I think I'm going to chalk it up to Night Film.) Anyway, the best way I can describe my emotional state while reading this is paranoia. While walking down the hall in my dorm, I found myself constantly double-checking to make sure the nonexistent ghost wasn't behind me, and when I went to sleep, I was convinced that every single sound was someone (or that freaking ghost) in my room. Seriously. And I knew it was possibly my most illogical and idiotic reaction to anything ever, but that's just the state of mind that this book put me into. 

As well as messing with my emotions, Night Film also messed with my mind. I found myself constantly questioning what was really going on. One second I would believe one thing, the next second I had completely changed my mind. It felt like the further I got into the book and the more that was uncovered, it just felt like I had less and less of an idea as to what was really going on. That, for me, is the sign of a really great mystery. 

One of the coolest aspects of this book, for me, was that there were visual aspects strewn throughout the book that just added to the immersive experience. If Scott was on a website researching something, there would be a screenshot of the website shown in the book. Images of the case files are also shown several times, and this just added a wonderful visual element to the reading experience.

That doesn't mean that the book is without its flaws, however. While I really liked the characters, I did think that one or two seemed a little stereotypical. Personally, this did not bother me because (as I said), I did really like the characters. However, I know that this might bother some people, so I figured I should at least mention it. 

Per usual, I did think that at least a few aspects of the book were pretty easy to figure out. I do think that these were probably purposeful, however, which is a nice change from just figuring out the twist because it's accidentally obvious. Aside from those few moments, though, I did think that the book was pretty unpredictable. Like I said, it messed with my mind. I found myself chasing different ideas that I was certain were the twists that would ultimately be unsurprisingly thrown in... just to learn a new piece of information 10 pages later which made my idea impossible. So while a couple things were pretty easy to predict, I thought that the book overall was very surprising.

The plot was very engrossing as well. I found myself constantly either thinking about the book or wanting to read the book, and that's always a really great sign. I've found that people are torn half and half between liking and disliking the ending. I'm kind of torn on this. I think that it was a really great ending, but I'm not totally sure how much I liked the ending. I think my opinion on the end sums up my opinion on the book in general. 

It comes down to the dichotomy of appreciation versus liking. I can absolutely appreciate this book, and enjoyed the experience of reading it thoroughly and liked it, but I definitely like some books more than this one even if I would say that Night Film is a better book overall. The best explanation/example that I can use for this is that I gave both Night Film and The Body Electric by Beth Revis the same rating and ranked Night Film higher on my 2015 rankings list because I feel like its slightly better overall than The Body Electric, but I ranked The Body Electric higher on my top 20 standalones because I like it slightly more than I like Night Film. 

So, in the end, I gave Night Film 9.5 stars out of 10. It was a really excellent read, but the appreciation/like dichotomy kept me from giving it a full 10/10.

So, that's it for my review of Night Film by Marisha Pessl! Let me know down in the comments if you have any questions about the book, because I can absolutely answer them for you. Also, if you've read Night Film, tell me what you thought of it! It's such an interesting experience that I feel like there will be many varying opinions on it, so I'd love to hear what everyone else thought.

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Books I Read In One Sitting [Top 5 Wednesday]

Hey, y'all! So for Top 5 Wednesday this week, the topic was books you read in one sitting (or close to). I had so many books that I wanted to mention that I decided to do a blog post just listing (and briefly discussing) all of the books that I could think of that I'd read in one sitting or close to one sitting.

So, since the list is so long, let's just go ahead and jump into it!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

by J.K. Rowling

This is still the only book that I've ever been able to get at its midnight release, and I dove into it as soon as possible. I probably had to set it down a few times to do chores and such, but I pretty much read it in a single sitting. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

by J.K. Rowling

I've mentioned this several times, but I was on vacation when this book came out and instead of waiting until I got home to get the copy I reserved, I bought this at the airport and spent the entire day on the plane reading it and once again finished it in a day.

City of Bones

by Cassandra Clare

This book was my introduction to the Shadowhunter world, and I was hooked right from the start. I remember discovering it and being completely unable to put it down. And ever since, I've loved Cassie Clare and her books.

City of Heavenly Fire

by Cassandra Clare

I read this Cassie Clare novel really quickly for a very different reason. Last May, I was doing a reading challenge where I read all of Clare's books in one month. This was the last book I had to read for the challenge, and I had only one day left to read it, so I buckled down and read the entire thing in a single day.

Clockwork Princess

by Cassandra Clare

Similar to the last one, I was reading this for my challenge, and I was getting a little behind, so I really wanted to get it done quickly. However, that quickly changed when I got so pulled into the book that I couldn't put it down, and I fell in love with it.

13 Reasons Why

by Jay Asher

This is one of my all-time favorite books, and the first time I read it, I was so drawn in that I read it all in a single sitting. I just wanted to find out everything about the story, and couldn't put it down.

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

For this one, I read about 50 pages before going to sleep. When I picked it up the next day, I got pulled in and couldn't put it down. Like with Clockwork Princess, I got so invested in the story, I just had to keep reading and reading. 

The Shadow Throne

by Jennifer A. Nielsen

With this one, I'd been reading the trilogy for a while and just really wanted to figure out how it ended, and so I buckled down and read the whole thing in one sitting.

And Then There Were None

by Agatha Christie

I've obviously read this one in a single sitting multiple times, but I'm pretty sure that the first time I read it, I also either read it in one or two sittings. It's just too good. 

The Future of Us

by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Like with Jay Asher's other book, 13 Reasons Why, this book had a really intriguing concept and I eagerly anticipated its release. When it finally came out, I bought it and was so intrigued that I just sat down and read the whole thing. Although the book didn't live up to my expectations, it was at least good enough to keep me interested until the end.

Ten

by Gretchen McNeil

This quick read was actually due more to a time constraint than to actual interest, even though I was curious about what was going to happen. I read this in the month where I had to read 6 books, and I was getting down to the end and just needed to fly through books, so I just sat down and got through this one in a couple hours.

Wildflower

by Janine Carbone

Just like with Ten, I read this in February where I had to read 6 books in a month. Plus, this book is really short and fast-paced, so I probably would have read it in a single sitting either way.

Evil Under The Sun

by Agatha Christie

This is another February, 6-books-in-a-month book. But this one was the last one of the month, so I was under even more of a time crunch. I definitely wouldn't have gotten through it as quickly without the time constraint though, because this is (so far) my least favorite book that I've read this year.

Horrorstor

by Grady Hendrix

I read this in October as a horror marathon, and was so intrigued by the concept and the very interesting and unique format of the book that I just wanted to see what would happen. It wasn't an amazing book by any stretch of the imagination, but it was intriguing enough that I finished it in one sitting. 

Ignite Me

by Tahereh Mafi

This was another reading challenge one. Otherwise, I don't think that I would've read it in a single sitting like I did. Definitely the best book in the Shatter Me trilogy by far, but still not anywhere near being one of my favorite books.

The Body Electric

by Beth Revis

This book was just so good. I couldn't put it down. The world was so cool and the story was so intriguing, and I just kept reading and reading. 

The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green

I was actually on a trip when I read this. It's a pretty short book, so it wasn't hard to finish it in a single sitting. And after this one, I actually continued right on to...

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

...this one! Which I also read during that same sitting. Probably not the best idea to read both of these books in the same day, but oh well. They were both really good. 

Whodunnit? Murder on Mystery Island

by Anthony E. Zuiker

Murder mysteries are really quick reads for me because I just want to know what's going to happen. And these books are particularly quick reads because of the way that the murder investigations are conducted, so I just flew through this. 

The Twilight Saga (except Breaking Dawn)

by Stephenie Meyer

Yep, I read the first three books in the Twilight Saga in about 6 days. Two sittings per book, even though they're massive. I almost want to go back and reread them just to see if I actually enjoy them now. Breaking Dawn, however, took me a really long time to read because I hated Jacob's POV (even though he was one of my favorite characters in the series).

So, those are all of the books that I can think of that I read in (pretty much) one sitting! Let me know down in the comments what books y'all have read in one sitting!

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My Top 15 Stand-Alone Books [Jan. 2015]

Hey, y'all! So back in July, I did a post where I discussed my 15 favorite stand-alone books (which you can check out HERE, and said that I would probably make it a bi-annual series. SOMEHOW, it's already January, and time for an updated top 15 list!

As I've said in the past, this list is not limited just to Stand-Alone novels. It really just includes any book that is not part of a series. I find that series tend to sometimes muddle my lists up, because you can only put Harry Potter on your favorites list a few times before it becomes repetitive. Very repetitive. Also, for the recurring books, I'm going to leave the same description, only tweaking when necessary. 

#15: 172 Hours on the Moon

by Johan Harstad

This was one of the books that I read for my October Horror Marathon (Full discussion here). It was a really interesting novel. I did think that the pacing was a bit off-- the beginning was very slow, and then once it hit the action, it seemed like everything happened way too quickly. However, I really enjoyed it other than that. It really kept me guessing as to what was going on, and that suspense kept me intrigued and I got through it really quickly because of that.

#14: Carrie

by Stephen King

I discussed this book in my book discussions post #1 (Click here to check that out).The story and characters were interesting, but the way it was written was the star of the show. The main plot of the book is intertwined with articles, book excerpts, interviews, etc. about the "incident." I absolutely loved that. It made the book significantly more interesting and added anticipation for the scene at prom. This book was a very pleasant surprise. And I still haven't seen either of the movies based on this book. I haven't heard many good things about the new one, but I do really want to see the old one.

#13: Gone Girl

by Gillian Flynn

This one is very interesting. Although I definitely enjoyed this book, I think that my feelings lean more toward appreciation than enjoyment. I thought that this book was really well-crafted and interesting. The book kept me guessing all the way up until Gillian Flynn actually told us what was going on. I probably won't be re-reading this book, because for me most of the enjoyment came from wondering what was about to happen, but I do think that it's a really well-done book.

#12: The Princess Bride

by William Goldman

Generally, I'm of the mindset that the book is always better than the movie, but in this case, I have to say that I like the movie better. I grew up with the movie, and didn't pick up the book until high school. That being said, I do still really enjoy the book. This is one of my books that I really feel like I need to re-read. Maybe I'll like it even more when I re-read it!

#11: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

Given my love for young adult books, you might be surprised that it's not higher on my list. Although I really liked this book, I feel like I didn't love it as much as everyone else seemed to. Its strengths are the characters. All of the characters are really interesting, unique, and multi-faceted. It's also written really well and I really like the letter format. I guess that the reason it's not a little higher is because while I liked the plot, it wasn't amazing. That being said, it's obviously in my top 10 stand-alone books, so I do really enjoy the book. For this one, it's just the difference between like and love that keeps it in the lower half of my top 10.

#10: 1984

by George Orwell

I also discussed this book in my stand-alone book discussions post #1 (Click here to check that out). I absolutely love the concept behind the world in this book. This one and the book at #9 tend to go back and forth as to which one I prefer because they're both classic dystopians, so they're pretty interchangeable.While the entire world isn't quite as fleshed out as the book at #9 (because 1984 is a little more character-based and we only really see the world surrounding that one character), I think that the concept behind the world is amazing and terrifying. A world where you can't even think freely, let alone speak or write freely is just terrifying, and I can see how it terrified people who read it before 1984. And the ending is so great but so terrible at the same time.

#9: Brave New World

by Aldous Huxley

This book is a combination of several things that I really love. I love almost anything that came out of the first half of the 20th century- books, music, art, etc. I love it all. I'm also a big fan of dystopian novels. What I love about dystopians is learning about the world that the book is set in. That's my favorite part about Brave New World. The plot is kinda meh for me. But the world is incredible. And I love that a lot of the focus is upon the world, and the commentary that Huxley is making using this dystopian world. The plot and characters really take a backseat, and I really appreciate that. Like I said, Brave New World and 1984 are mostly tied, but I had to put one above the other, so I gave the higher spot to Brave New World this time since 1984 got it last time.

#8: The Fault In Our Stars

by John Green

We have officially gotten to the books that I love, love, love. From this point onward, all of these books are super special to me. Also, as you might notice, this is a signed copy. I came across it in Target and thought it was a joke. NOPE. I hate that I can't get the red cloud off (it's not a sticker- it's part of the jacket) but my desire for a signed copy won out. We all know all about this beautiful book. You're probably just surprised it's not #1 or #2. While I do really love this book, there are books that I love even more. You'll also notice that I don't have any other John Green books on this list. I've only read 2, and I did NOT like the other one. Anyway, this book is great and I sobbed all the way through it. Also, I read both this and The Perks of Being a Wallflower for the first time in the same day. Bad decision. All the feels.

#7: This Is Your Brain on Music

by Daniel Levitin

If I were to name the one book that has had the most impact on my actual life/future, I'd have to say this one. I read it my freshman year of college for a class called "The Psychology of Music." The class is still my favorite class that I've ever taken. Ever. (It helps that my advisor/music theory prof./favorite prof. ever was teaching it). I need to go back and re-read this because I procrastinated and had to read this book in a very short time period. Regardless, I absolutely loved it. Levitin likes to focus on the mind/thoughts and music rather than the neuroscience aspects, and I really agree. This entire book was just a wonderful look at psychology and music and I absolutely love it. 

#6: Fangirl

by Rainbow Rowell

I typically don't read a lot of contemporary novels, but this one really caught my attention because I knew that the main character was a quiet girl in her first year of college who writes fan-fiction. It just reminded me a lot of myself and so I was really excited to read it. And it definitely didn't disappoint. It was super cute, and I absolutely giggled my way through this book. And I really don't giggle very much while reading books. It was just too adorable. If you want, you can check out my full discussion on this book here.

#5: All-American Girl

by Meg Cabot

I'm honestly not sure how well-known this book is. For the longest time during my childhood, this was my favorite book. You can probably tell how many times I've read it just because of how beat up the book is. It was brand new when I got it. I haven't always been so nice to my books. Anyway, I remember getting this at a book fair. My memory says that it was in 4th grade, but it doesn't seem to fit timeline-wise, because I feel like I read it before that. Maybe I got it in 2nd or 3rd grade? I dunno. It took me a while before I actually read it, but once I did, I fell in love. I recognize now that it's not actually an amazing book, but I've read it so many times and loved it for so long that I just can't help but continue to love it. This book is a heavier dose of nostalgia than even Harry Potter, because I read it before I read Harry Potter. And yes, this book technically has a sequel, but it's terrible and I pretend it doesn't exist.

#4: Unsaid Things... Our Story

by McFly

This may be obvious since it's at my #4 spot, but I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK. I've mentioned this several times on here, but McFly is my favorite band. And I don't mean it in a way where I'm just a casual fan and I just like their music. I love all four of these guys and I absolutely love reading the story of the band from their POV. I'll be the first one to say that this book isn't for everyone. This isn't one of those deep autobiographies that can be enjoyed even if you don't know much about the person. It's not an incredibly written piece of literature. It's for the fans. It gives fans an inside look into the entire history of the band. For me, it's the emotional connection I have to the band that causes me to love this book so much. I laughed, I cried, and I laughed some more. It's great. 

So, we're now getting down to the nitty-gritty. These top 3 are super special.

#3: Ready Player One

by Ernest Cline

I was just absolutely blown away by this book. I loved everything about it. I absolutely love dystopian novels, 80s culture, video games, and virtual reality. I loved how all of those elements combined, added with the adventure of the tasks and gates. Overall, I just cannot say enough good things about this book. After I read it, I was so obsessed with it that I wanted to read something else that was really similar to it, and since this is such a unique book, there wasn't really anything that was like this, so I went into a little bit of a reading slump. This book is just really wonderful and I've wanted to re-read it since the second that I finished it.

#2: Thirteen Reason Why

by Jay Asher

I remember seeing this book in Barnes & Noble right after it was released in 2009 and thinking that it was a really cool concept. But I hadn't ever heard of it, and didn't want to pay full-price for a brand-new hardcover. Fast-forward about a year, when I found it for $7 at Half-Price Books. I recognized it and remembered how awesome the concept had sounded, so I decided to get it. One of the best decisions I've ever made. Like I said, I thought this concept was really interesting, and I think it was really well executed (unlike Jay Asher's other book, The Future of Us). This book is just so emotional, and I love the back and forth between Hannah's story and Clay's story. Overall, it's just an amazing, tear-jerking book. I love it. So much.

#1: And Then There Were None

by Agatha Christie

I don't even know what all to say about this book. It's just... so perfect. There's a reason that this is the best-selling mystery book ever. This is the most intricately and brilliantly concocted mystery... ever. When I got to the final reveal, I was awe-struck and amazed. I've read this book countless times, and even though I know what happens I still love it every time. I don't know what else to say... it's incredibly written, an incredibly clever mystery, and just an amazing book. I love it so much.

Books That Will Hopefully Make My Next List!

Just like last time, I decided to give y'all a little glimpse at the stand-alones I hope to read before my next post. The following books are the stand-alones that I have up highest on my TBR. My last list didn't turn out so well (Read 2 and only 1 ended up on the list-- Ready Player One) so hopefully I do better this time. And even though I've dubbed this year the year of the series, there are definitely still stand-alones that I want to read.

The Book Thief

by Marcus Zusak

This was on my list last time as well, and I didn't get to it. I'm not totally sure that I'm going to get to it this time, but I definitely still plan to read it.

Vicious

by V.E. Schwab

This was on my list last time and even though I started it, I only got a few pages in. I plan to hopefully actually read it this time. Crossing my fingers!

The Hobbit

by J.R.R. Tolkien

I just really need to read this. It's time.

The Body Electric

by Beth Revis

I really loved her Across The Universe trilogy, and this has a really interesting premise, so I hope to get to it really soon.

Afterworlds

by Scott Westerfeld

This book is really intriguing to me. I love the book within a book idea, especially since one book is about an author trying to get her book published, and the other is the book that she wrote. I think it sounds really awesome, especially since her book is a fantasy. So excite.

So, there you go, those were my top 15 stand-alones, and the stand-alones that I hope make the list next time around! Have you read these books? How do you feel about them? What books are your favorite stand-alones?

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