Interview with Author Jaclyn Moriarty
I once emailed a famous author, Jaclyn Moriarty, asking her about a book of hers.
Read MoreWelcome back to The Radish! Today, I thought I should share some of my favorite books, just to see if you may or may not be interested. And don’t worry, I’ve read all of these books before, so they won’t just be so-so.
The list will be varying, so basically it’s not just one genre. Feeling classic? Cool. Need some magic? Right on. Action like Indiana Jones? Not a problem. Need a hodge-podge of things? Absolutely!!
The Kingdoms and Empires Series
A few post ago, I shared my interview with Mrs. Jaclyn Moriarty, who was kind enough to respond to me 😊 She has written some MARVELous books, (yes I pulled a cheeky one) that I have enjoyed over and over. Her Kingdoms and Empires series is an extremely creative and fun set of books, that I would highly recommend to even someone who doesn’t typically read fantasy novels. The series includes the following titles: The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars Which is a variant title for: The Whispering Wars Continuing on: The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere
Alright, come on. The titles are just charming! With that in mind, look at the ravishing covers.
The vibrancy! The elegance!! The finesse!!!
Pride and Prejudice
I’m going to be very straight-forward about this one. Most classics are quite boring, and aren’t really worth it, from my experience. This one, is an exception. It’s just…phenomenal beyond comparison. I devoured it in two days. (It could have been one day, but I read it during the week, therefore preventing me from staying up in the wee hours 🥲) Despite this books AMAZING tale, it is certainly one you have to be mature to read. And no, I don’t mean it’s inappropriate. Shockingly, it is beyond clean. I mean, that it’s written in old english, and there are concepts and ideals you have to be older and more appreciative to understand. If I were eight or nine years of age, I wouldn’t know a thing Ms. Jane Austen is talking about! My recommendation is to wait until middle school to read it, and if you still don’t get it, wait a little longer. Trust me, it is SOOOO worth the wait 😉
The Artemis Fowl Series
Alright look. This series is one you need to read before you kick the bucket. It is completely underrated, and is shooed off as “a little kid’s fairytale.” It is SOOO much more complex than that. It’s taking traditional fairy tale creatures, and painting them in a rougher, young-adult picture. Yes, there is light swearing, but if you can be mature about it, I recommend starting it in fourth or fifth grade. And before you say, “I loved the movie!” let me say this: IT DID AN ABSOLUTE DISSERVICE TO THE BOOK!!!!!!!! I love Disney! Who doesn’t? But oh my lord, they FAILED when making this movie. The movie itself, without the books, was just cringe!! And my oh my, was it inaccurate. Whew. I’m calm now. Back to the book. Even though people say the whole modern fairytale thing is overused, the Artemis Fowl series is nothing similar to what’s out there. I personally believe it’s far more action and adventure than fantasy. The gizmos and gadgets with all the bells and whistles are sure to engross you in the book. Please, take this recommendation into consideration! Some cool fanart I saw:
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Honestly, I was surprised by how attached I got to this book. I read it a few years ago, and it remains a memorable story. I saw it in passing when visiting a book store, and read the synopsis. It is as follows:
Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.
One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge–with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface…
You can probably tell it’s not an ordinary book. It’s a lot more creative, and thought-provoking than any ol’ book. Well, I read it, and I instantly loved it. It was certainly on the sadder side, but I feel as though that is one reason it’s so wonderful. A great read.
The Thief Lord
First and foremost. My greatest weakness of all time, is that I constantly forget how to spell thief. Most often, I’ll spell it “theif,” and to me, it is the most egregious of my mistakes. Just thought I’d share 😁 Anyways..
I like to compare this book to Artemis Fowl. Not because of the stories, as they’re not really similar at all. But because of how underrated the story is. It’s about, well, I won’t spoil it. The basic concept of the story, which you won’t discover until the end, is called overused. However, it is yet again an example of taking a used story, and making it so completely different, original, and simply witty. The book isn’t as it seems, and I won’t delve too deep in it, due to the delicacy it holds, and how easy it would be to spoil and completely ruin this masterful story.
The simple, unspoiled version would be this:
A rag-tag group of misfit kids, who are on the streets, and tangled in a scheme beyond their wildest dreams.
The Serafina Series
I have adored this series since the third grade. It is dark, gory, and enchanting. One thing I regret is reading this series at night. I scared myself silly!! This series is a great example of a story and plat that builds, and leaves you at the edge of your seat. The main character, Serafina, is a wonderful misfit, that audiences will immediately begin to appeal to. It is a mystery, and is written so ridiculously well. A gentle warning, it is grotesque and scary at certain times, so make sure you are comfortable with getting a little frightened. It’s certainly a novel one can visualize deeply. Lastly, I love the twists of magic this series contains. Lord, it’s sooo creative, and provided me with wonderful memories, such as running to my dad’s desk at three a.m., in complete and utter fear 🥹 Great times!
The Sisters Grimm Series
I was in the third grade when we were assigned book clubs. I HATED book clubs, and class novels in general. But third grade was such a delightful exception. My teacher was a wonderful, sweet person, who had a vast appreciation for ACTUALLY GOOD books. So. This book I was assigned, was titled The Sisters Grimm, and I remember devouring it in a few days. (To be fair, everyone else did the same, as we all recognized how unique, and lovely this book was.) I hadn’t even known who the Brothers Grimm were to love this series.
It’s a spin on the dark, far more macabre tales renowned writers such as the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen wrote, and frankly, it’s genius. Two sisters are left as the responsibility of their grandmother, who they were wary of. She turns out to be the keeper of an insane fairytale bunch, who face large, dangerous, and thrilling problems.
After reading the first book in clubs, I asked my teacher for the next few books to borrow, and she gladly let me lend them. I finished them so fast, that I wished I had taken more time to appreciate their sincerity. After I finished my teacher’s books, I found myself scavenging the town library in search of the rest of the series. I cried at the end of the ninth book, but it wasn’t a sad ending. I was distraught that I had finished one of the best series’ I had ever read. It’s a wonderful read, and is actually really funny.
That’s the end! Those are all my recommendations, and believe me, this isn’t even 1/100 of my favorite books. I love to read, and really believe it can take you places, not just metaphorically. Books are the best way to advance your education, and can grant you opportunities unbeknownst to non-readers. I hope you take some of these into consideration, and continue to read! See ya soon!
