When the lovely Eleanor asked if I wanted to do a collaboration with her I immediately said yes! And what other topic would I rather participate in than some good ol’ book chat?
Over the past year I have become an avid reader. I’ve religiously been using the GoodReads app which I highly recommend to eager readers; it’s a great network and platform for bookworms (like me)!
I’m going to share with you some of my favourite books from the following categories: 12+, YA, adult and classics. So let’s just dive in…
12+
Charlene: I think every teenage girl, at some point, picked up a Cathy Cassidy book. The book covers were always so enticing that I don’t think we could resist. In fact, I remember attempting to draw Cathy Cassidy’s ‘Scarlett’ once for a school project in primary school which went horribly wrong (I’m a writer: Not an artist).
I’ll be 21 this year and I haven’t read a Cathy Cassidy book since primary school – so we are talking at least 9 years! Maybe 10? And yet Cathy Cassidy’s books stayed with me all this time. She had a way of reaching out to a younger audience and helping teenage girls’ resonate with the protagonist in some way within every book. I admire Cathy Cassidy’s style of writing. From what I remember, every book was easy-reading, fast paced and hooked the reader easily.
I think Dizzy by Cathy Cassidy will always be my favourite. Reminiscing on these books is making me want to go and purchase them all relive my childhood!
Eleanor: Charlene's fave books just reminded me how much I also used to love Cathy Cassidy! My favourite one is Scarlet, I used to love that book. My other favourite 12+ books include The Maze Runner series (James Dashner) which I read a few years ago and loved! So tense! Similarly, the Chaos Walking Trilogy (Parick Ness) which a read and reviewed a while ago I loved so much! I also have to say the confessions of Georgia Nicholson books (Louise Rennison) are probably my all time favourite series! And also I can't forget the Princess Diaries which I adore, both those series are so funny and I would recommend for any age (My mum loves the confessions of Georgia Nicholson books). A little known series which I loved when I was younger is the Viral series by Kathy Reiches the author of Bones. I would really go and have a look at this book it's amazing, all about a group of kids that get superpowers.
Young Adult
Charlene: This is my favourite category at the moment. I can’t get enough YA in my life. I’m excited to share with you some of my favourite YA books. Here goes nothing: The Mortal Instrument Series (every. single. one.), All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma, and The Lunar Chronicles Series by Marrisa Meyer. I’ve currently only read 2 out of 4 of the Lunar Chronicles Series but I’ve got the next 2 by my bedside which I plan on reading ASAP. I’ve just finished reading Me Before You and After You by Jojo Moyes and I am not emotionally ready to start reading anything else yet. I need a day or two to recover…
Eleanor: Some of my favourite YA novels include all of the John Green novels apart from Looking for Alaska which I didn't like! I know people don't like his work for a lot of reasons but I honestly have enjoyed all the other of his books so I have to put them all here! I would also say that More Than This (Patrick Ness) is an amazing book! The Divergent trilogy and the Hunger Games trilogy I have to put here too I really loved them! I am reading The Rosie Project (Graeme Stinson) at the moment and loving that.
Adult
Charlene: I always find this category rather similar to that of Young Adult. I mean, I can still see myself in 10-20 years’ time still enjoying books from the YA category. I guess when we think ‘Adult’ books we automatically start thinking fifty of Grey and all that jazz (just me?) but anyway here are a few that I would consider ‘Adult’ books which I have enjoyed reading recently: Girl on The Train (I think this is more of a thriller/crime kind of genre but I’m popping it in here anyway), The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Sisters on Bread Street by Frances Brody and Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. Each of these are pretty decent reads and I reviewed them all on my blog if you want to go and hear my thoughts on them all!
Eleanor: My all time favourite adult books are the Millenium trilogy (Stieg Larsson) which is potentially one of my all time favourite book series! They are quite dark but I love them and if you like crime and thrillers I would go and check them out! The Cormoron Strike (Robert Galbraith or JK Rowling) series I am loving and I am eagerly waiting for the next book. Still Alice (Lisa Genova) is quite a sad book but it's amazing and it's now a film on Netflix too! Versions of Us (Laura Barnett) and The Quality of Silence (Rosamund Lupton) I talked about in my annual book round-up as being two of my favourite books last year and I would recommend going to read them! Finally the Time-Travelers wife I loved and have to put that in here too.
Classics
Charlene: I’m probably a bit of a let-down when it comes to the classics. There aren’t many classic books that I have read because I’ve only become a really interested reader over the past year or so and I’ve been totally drawn in by the YA category and my to be read list has been huge! However, I did study 1984 by George Orwell for my Higher English at school and it’s definitely up there with the classics – it’ll stay with me forever. I also aim to read The Great Gatsby in the near future following seeing the film (I’ve heard the book is miles better: It usually is, right?). I’ve also read and studied The Time Machine by H.G Wells in my college course this year which is also a notorious classic read! One more classic book which I read only a week ago and have been ranting and raving about (and mentioned earlier) was The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I’ve even started reading Plath’s poetry now – you have to read The Bell Jar, guys! It’s Sylvia’s only novel.
Eleanor: One of my favourites also includes 1984! I love that book. I also adore the Moonstone (Wilkie Colins) which is a classic mystery book which I loved reading so much, Wilkie Colins is one of my favourite writers. My all time favourite books, The Colour Purple (Alice Walker) and The catcher in the rye (J.D Salinger) come into this category. If you haven't already read these you totally should, they're my favourite books and I love them. Finally, the Handmaids Tale (Margret Attwood) I love too.
Have you read any of the books I’ve mentioned in this post? Do you use the GoodReads app? I love love love discussing books with people so feel free to contact me!
I recently became a published author myself, last month, publishing a poetry collection called ‘Melancholy Mind’. It is a collection of poetry on Mental Health covering all different aspects of the illness: Reality, causes, symptoms, medication, insomnia, loving with depression, coping and ‘recovery’. You can get it on amazon by clicking this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1543245765/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491158140&sr=8-1&keywords=melancholy+mind (available on paperback & kindle).
Thank you so much for having me, Eleanor, it’s always a pleasure chatting books and it’s a privilege to feature on your blog doing so!
You guys can follow me at @blogabtnothing1 or pop me an email at charlenemcelhinney@icloud.com if you want to chat about anything I’ve mentioned in the post – or just to say hello! I love a good chinwag!
Thanks again, Eleanor!
I hoped you enjoyed this post! If you did go and give Charlene a check out and go and see her new book which looks amazing!
Lots of love,
Eleanor x
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