Bookshelf Tour – Part 2
Some of you may remember my first Bookshelf Tour: Part 1 and a lot of my favorite books featured there. Today, I am going to do part 2 of my bookshelf tour, navigating you through a variety of novels: their genres, content, etc.
This tour will be a little different because some of the books featured on here I still have yet to read. They are on my ever-growing “to-read” list which I’m hopeful will never be shortened. ‘Tis the bane of a bibliophile I s’pose.
Anyways, I’m so excited for this second segment! I hope you are too! (It’s a bit long, so bear with me.)
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[image error][image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Chronicles of Narnia and Boxen by C.S. Lewis
GENRE: Fantasy, Adventure, Classics (all ages)
CONTENT: Narnia has been one of my absolute favorite series for a while now. It’s brilliantly written, the characters are well-developed, and the world Lewis creates makes me feel like it very well could be real. I love everything about it!
Boxen, on the other hand, is a compilation of Lewis’ early works before he even wrote Narnia. In this book, we can glimpse his inspiration and the foreshadowing of his greatness. It’s fascinating work!
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Lord of the Rings and Other Works by J.R.R. Tolkien
GENRE: High Fantasy, Adventure, Classics
CONTENT: It’s probably not surprising that I chose LOTR to talk about next. Lewis and Tolkien were buds, so naturally, I feel as though their books are friends. I finished the LOTR trilogy a year ago, and I read The Hobbit long before that my freshman year of college. I’ve dabbled in The Silmarillion a bit, but soon realized with my new job I wouldn’t have enough mental capacity to both read this novel and lesson plan. It’s, again, on my long list of “musts.” The other books are also on my list, and I just safely assume that everything Tolkien touches (wrote) is basically magic. They’ll probably rock my socks right off.
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
GENRE: High Fantasy, Fiction
CONTENT: Speaking of Tolkien, here is a man who writes similarly. Now I have yet to read this book, but a friend of mine recommended Rothfuss due to our mutual love of LOTR. So this book must be brilliant. Oh, and its 662 pages, so good luck – I can’t wait to read it!
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Book of Dragons by Michael Hague
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, Children’s
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, YA
CONTENT: Now who doesn’t love beasts and dragons? I have only every skimmed the covers and pages of these beautiful, intriguing books, but I’m very excited to finally sit down and read them.
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle
The Arthur Trilogy by Kevin Crossley-Holland (I’m missing book 1)
Faeries, Elves & Goblins by Rosalind Kerven
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, YA,
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Folktales of Ireland by Sean O’Sullivan
Masterpieces of Fantasy and Enchantment by David G. Hartwell
Irish Fairy and Folk Tales by various authors
GENRE: Fantasy, Folklore, Short Stories, Cultural
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
The Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest by Nancy Springer
Maid Marian by Elsa Watson
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, YA
CONTENT: Wow, this one is loaded, but I couldn’t separate them. Howard Pyle was ingenious enough to write Arthurian Legends and tales of the great Robin Hood, so they had to stick together. I also had to throw in some books of Irish folklore in there as well. You can’t go wrong with any of these.
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Adventure, Children’s
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry (I’m missing books 2, 4-5)
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure, YA
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure, YA
CONTENT: Another classic story with many book adaptations. It’s my goal to get the rest of the Starcatchers series, so I’m on the lookout. Peter Pan is definitely an all time favorite of mine; there’s so much nostalgia. This is a must read!
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Moorchild by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, YA
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
GENRE: Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Retelling, Romance, YA
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, YA
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
GENRE: Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Retelling, Romance, YA
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, Adventure, YA
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, Adventure, YA
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Silver Bowl by Diane Stanley
GENRE: Fantasy, Adventure, YA
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley
GENRE: Fantasy, Romance, YA
CONTENT: I pictured all these novels together because they have a common theme. They are adventure novels with twists of fairy tales and fantasy. These are all YA novels that could be read at the middle-grade level as well. They are clean and full of adventure. And of course, I have yet to read these. They are on my list!
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson
GENRE: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, YA
CONTENT: I loved this book so much! It was a super sweet story, and the main character was a peach. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel from start to finish. It was very descriptive and took a little while to develop, but I enjoyed that aspect. If you like Ibbotson, this is an awesome one to add to the list.
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
GENRE: Historical Fiction, Romance, Classics, YA
CONTENT: This was such a great book! I had no idea what to expect going in, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it to my taste. It was filled with adventure, heartache and longing, and a beautiful coming of age story. I enjoyed every aspect of this novel.
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Princess Bride by William Goldman
GENRE: Fantasy, Humor, Adventure, Romance, Classics, YA
CONTENT: I’ll admit that I’ve only seen the movie, but I’ve heard the book is better. I look forward to reading this classic novel and confronting the ROUS’s face to face.
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Waterfire Saga by Jennifer Donnelly
GENRE: Fantasy, Mermaids, Romance, YA
CONTENT: This saga was awesome. I’m not usually one for mermaid stories, but I couldn’t put these down. I just thought they were super creative and provided a unique perspective of a world below the water. Intriguing, suspenseful, and captivating, these are great books!
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Rose Legacy by Jessica Day George
GENRE: Fantasy, Adventure, Animals, Middle-grade
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
GENRE: Fantasy, Adventure, Middle-grade
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
GENRE: Historical Fiction, European History, Cultural, Middle-grade, YA
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, Middle-grade
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Briar and Rose and Jack by Katherine Coville
GENRE: Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Retelling, Adventure, Middle-grade
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Hatching Magic by Ann Downer
GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction, Animals, Middle-grade
CONTENT: The only one I’ve read on this list is Briar and Rose and Jack, but I am eager to read the rest. Coville’s book was fun and lighthearted, and it was a cute twist on the stories of “Sleeping Beauty” and “Jack and the Beanstalk.” These books are all geared towards a Middle-grade audience, though I’m sure plenty of teens may find them interesting.
[image error][image error][image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: East of the Sun, West of the Moon by Jackie Morris
The Wild Swans by Jackie Morris
GENRE: Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Adventure, Animals, Middle-grade, YA
CONTENT: These are some of my favorite books ever. Not only is the writing fantastic, but the illustrations are beautiful. I tried to take decent pictures of some of the full-paged prints, but honestly it doesn’t do it justice. These are so so good. Please read them.
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
GENRE: High Fantasy, Romance, Retelling, YA
TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn
GENRE: High Fantasy, Romance, YA
CONTENT: Both exquisite books, Marillier and Shinn do some of the best fantasy. The word building, plots, characterization, and vocabulary is so great. It’s been a while since I’ve read these books, but I’d gladly read them again. If you like high fantasy, like LOTR, then these would be good for you: Just think less war and more faeries.
[image error]TITLE(S)/AUTHOR: The Wilde Island Chronicles by Janet Lee Carey
GENRE: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, YA
CONTENT: These were recommended to me by a very dear friend, and I’m loving them! I’m on the last book, so hopefully I’ll finish up soon. My friend suggested for me to read Dragonswood first, then Dragon’s Keep, and then In the Time of Dragon Moon. Even though that’s not the order they were written, it actually makes more sense that way. If you like dragons, faeries, and magic, then you’ll most likely enjoy these 
