My favorite fiction books

The lion, the witch and the wardrobe - C.S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This might be the first book I can ever remember loving. It might have been because the characters were all kids roughly my age, or I somehow cared about a fictional land with all my heart. C.S. Lewis has a fantastic way that he spins a tale that gets you so invested that you can’t help but fall in love with his characters.

I remember finishing it for the first time and both wanting to go heads down into the next book in the series AND wanting to find someone to sit down and talk through what had just happened. It’s so good. The whole Narnia series is incredible, but this one in particular has a special spot in my heart.

During the pandemic, my kids and I listened to the audiobook version of this story. I cried all over again. I don’t know how you can’t. Lewis brilliantly uses a book that is obviously fiction to connect his readers with the heart of the God that made us all.

KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES - SHANNON MESSENGER

Ok, real talk here… I started this series because I wanted to connect with my daughter more. I probably owe Shannon Messenger a gift card for getting my daughter addicted to reading (Thank you, Shannon!)

Then I started reading this series that she wouldn’t stop talking about.

Yes, it’s meant for kids.

Yes, there are some parts that I would love to talk to her about.

But holy moly, it’s great. From beginning to end, the story has been incredible. And our friend, Shannon, continues to leave us with cliffhanger after cliffhanger. She is nine books into the series (I don’t count book 8.5, sorry, friends), and I can’t figure out if I want her to end the series because I need closure or if I want her to keep writing them because it’s such a fun ride.

I haven’t been this into a series since Harry Potter (I’m also a huge Harry Potter fan).

This book is excellent for 40-year-old men, 11-year-old girls, and everyone.

Could you let me know if anyone wants to have an in-depth discussion on Team Keefe vs. Team Fitz vs. Why are we picking teams for a teenage girl to be attracted to? (And honestly, I’m team Dex, but I know that ship has probably sailed.)

RED RISING - PIERCE BROWN

Fair warning: The book Keeper of the Lost Cities is meant for children. Red Rising….. is not.

Darrow, Sevro, and friends have an incredible adventure here. A lot of people ask me, “What’s it about?” and frankly, I don’t love giving clues to what happens in this book because it starts very differently than it ends, and as someone who loves to guess where a story is going along the way, this one keeps you on your toes the entire time.

I will say that I’ve recommended this book to dozens of adults (again, probably not a great read for your kids), and I have a 100% success rate of people enjoying it.

What I will tell you is that this book has one of my favorite characters in it. The Jackal. Spoiler: he’s not the good guy… but has such a complex character.

This is a weird comment, but I love good, bad guys. The more you dislike someone, the better it is for the story as a whole. I believe that great stories (Star Wars, MCU/Avengers, Batman, etc.) are all so well done because you both understand the bad guy and don’t want him (or her) to win.