Another lovely tag from the talented Nicolette at A Little Bookish, A Little Writerly. You can find her awesome list of reads on her blog, here.

And since I have some books I’d love to gush about myself, here’s the post.

Pure Paradise – A book that was pure perfection 
A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab. I know I said this in my book review but this book legitimately had EVERYTHING I’ve ever wanted in a fantasy novel. Magic, Intrigue, Betrayal, Suspense, and OH MY GOD, THE PACING! Not to mention the incredibly elegant prose with which Schwab writes. It’s all just so… BRILLIANT!

Sweet Pea – A romance/contemporary you really enjoyed
My Heart And Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga. This book. I don’t read a lot of contemporary or romance, but the stuff I do, I need to be complex and beautiful and have an epic-level character arch. This book was all these things, along with a carve-my-heart-out realism that had me going through all the feels. There is a trigger warning of suicide with this one, but I highly recommend picking this up. Warga does a fantastic job at tackling a difficult and complex topic.

Fresh Strawberries – A book you really enjoyed that came out this year
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I enjoyed a LOT of books this year, and there were a lot of fantastic new releases (a lot that I haven’t had the chance to read just yet). But Red Queen was the first new release for 2015, as well as a debut, and I was really all around impressed with it. The writing, the incredible fight scenes. Mind you I’m a total sucker for twisty plots, but Aveyard does a great job at laying the ground work for her twists that makes them both surprising and expected. They’re the kind of twists that have you smacking yourself because you should have seen them coming. I’m really looking forward to seeing where the series goes.

Warm Vanilla – A character and/or book that made you feel all warm inside
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas. I know this is an odd choice for “Warm Vanilla”, but I promise there’s a good reason, though it is incredibly personal. If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know I spent 2011 in Iraq and struggle with PTSD as a result. During this book, Celaena confronts a lot of her own demons, things that have been weighing on her shoulders, things that have made her doubt/hate herself. This book gave me the safe place I needed to process emotions I hadn’t had the courage to deal with before. So as Celaena healed throughout the book, I was able to do some healing of my own. Here’s the link to my book review.

Paris Amour – A couple you majorly ship together
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas. I’m sure this comes as no surprise to anyone, but AELIN AND ROWAN. ALL DAY. EVERY DAY. I don’t care what you Celorian shippers say, Rowan is my ultimate ship for Aelin. He’s her match in every way. He understands her without judgment and loves every bit of her. I want one. Can I have one? Someone find me one. Please? Here’s the link to my book review.

Dancing Waters – A book that takes place on the beach/ the perfect beach read
Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding. To be fair, it’s the only book I’ve read that can be considered a “beach read.” But this book is HILARIOUS. The voice, the constant failings of the MC. It’s all a fun, ridiculous story. Plus it’s a loose Pride and Prejudice retelling. What’s not to love?

I Heart Cake (and Books) – your favorite book
The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce. I know, I’m totally cheating. I don’t care. I can’t pick an individual book in this quartet. They all just fit together so nicely. You should really just read them all in one sitting… But seriously, this series is the reason I’m a writer. The protagonist has ambition and doesn’t let anyone, even a love interest, get in her way. It’s an incredibly progressive book in terms of how a young woman addresses life and love, but you know, in a fantasy setting. *high-fives young feminists everywhere*

Winter Candy Apple – A book set during Christmas or winter
Winter by Marissa Meyer. I know, I’m cheating here too because it’s not set in Winter, it’s set ON THE MOON! But I figured the title counted enough. Plus there’s the whole thing where there’s also apple candies in the book, so this totally fits. Anyhoo, if you haven’t picked up the Lunar Chronicles series yet, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! This series is incredibly expansive, and Winter is the most brilliant, well-done finale I’ve read in a LONG TIME. Seriously. Meyer covers all her bases in this book and ties up ALL the loose ends. She also does a fantastic job at keeping the pace consistent. There’s no lull. There’s no here-let-me-cramp-in-all-the-answers. It’s just incredibly well done. Writers, take note. That’s how you end a series.

Beautiful Day – A book with an unusual / interesting / appealing setting
Bloodline by Kate Cary. It’s set during WWI, and is a sort of a continuation/spin off of Dracula. It’s also told in a series of journal entries from all characters involved, including the antagonist. Need I say more?

Dazzling Diamonds – A beautiful cover
Gates Of Thread And Stone by Lori M. Lee. So in order to REALLY get the full scope of how gorgeous this book is, you have to take off the dust jacket. Not only is the dust jacket impeccable, giving us our MC, her world, AND her ability (she can manipulate the threads of time), not to mention the title text is GORGEOUS, BUT the actual hard cover IS PRINTED! That’s right, undress the cover and you get a city scape. The words inside are also fantastic. Lee’s writing is deliciously detailed and the action scenes and the way she writes Kai’s ability makes you feel like you’re fighting a boss in a video game. I don’t know how she does it, but it’s spectacular.

If you’ve read the above books, I’d love to here your thoughts! As for the lovely book bloggers I’m going to tag…

*Reaches into massive fishbowl*

*Pulls out paper*

Kelly @ Stellar Scrutiny Book Blog

Ember @ Literary Constellation

Charley @ BooksandBakes1

Crystel @ Where Is Crystel

HAPPY READING!