Favorite Books by Genre

I realized I haven't actually done a post just talking about my favorite books of all time. It is so hard for me to choose, so I have a hard time narrowing down the list and then ranking the books in the list. To make it a little bit easier, I'm going to give a favorite book from a bunch of different genres. My categorization for what is considered a genre has no real formula, but some genres are broken into age groups and some aren't based on if I like that genre more, etc.

Genre #1: YA Fantasy
This is probably my most read/favorite genre. My pick for YA fantasy is A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas

This book gave me so many feels, and I was just completely shook at the beginning, and then the middle, and the ENDING. I can't even. I love this series overall, but the second book really kills me. Disclaimer: I like romance in my fantasy, including heavy romance, so if that's not your thing this is probably NOT the series for you. (Unfortunately.)

Genre #2: Middle Grade Fantasy
I include this category because I think you have to approach middle grade fantasy very differently than YA or adult fantasy, and that can make these books completely incomparable to other books on this list. My choice for favorite middle grade fantasy is The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan.

This book was complete magic for me when I was 9 years old. This series is what started everything. Notice I used the original cover here - the new covers just make Percy look so old. I think that due in large part to the movies (yiiiiiiikes), people forget that Percy was only 12 years old in the first book. This is a middle grade series through and through, and it is extremely well done. I have such a craving to go back and read these books soon, which I hope to start by the end of this summer.

Genre #3: Adult Fantasy
Getting a little bit predictable, but I couldn't make this list without including The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The amount of detail in this world is mind blowing, a key reason they were able to make just the prelude into three 2-and-a-half hour long movies. And no, I cannot pick a favorite book out of the series!

Genre #4: Science Fiction
While very closely related to fantasy, science fiction is definitely a league of its own. Sci-Fi is unique because it can include both dystopian sagas and space-based novels, which aren't super close in nature. For this genre, I'm choosing The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

This book was just so original when it came out, and I devoured every part of it. There are plenty of redos and spin-offs nowadays, but this is an OG YA dystopian series, and it is so good.

Genre #5: YA Contemporary
I have only recently started reading YA contemporary, and that's because many recommendations that are given to me belong to this genre. While I'm reading it more now, it's still not my favorite and the books herein tend to be hit or miss more me. A definite hit was It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini.

This is one of those books where the main character is odd. And not like weird in a cute or funny or charming way, but weird in a way that kind of makes you cringe. And I think it's brilliant. Contemporary books are full of idealized teenage protagonists, and it makes the book fake and implausible and cheesy. This book is real, and it deals with mental illness in a way that so accurately describes the quality of life people who have depression/anxiety live with. Brilliant. One of my absolute favorites and I recommend to everyone.

Genre #6: Adult Fiction
Contemporary for the big kids! I only recently got really into reading again, so adult fiction was not even in my sights until about two years ago. Needless to say, I have a lot of catching up to do. So far, my favorite adult fiction book is Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.

There is so much going on in this book, it's never boring, and it's constantly funny and mysterious and endearing. I loved the Pretty Little Liars books when I was in middle school, and this book is essentially PLL for PTA moms. 10/10 would recommend. I also recommend the audiobook for this one.

Genre #7: Nonfantasy Middle Grade
This is a genre I devoured back in the middle school days, and while I wouldn't read as many these days, I still have distinct favorites, such as Ghost (Track #1) by Jason Reynolds.

This is an important book for middle school kids to read. It has so many important lessons, especially for people who come from privileged families and might not know the struggles of not being white and upper class in America. Also shoutout to Sunny (Track #3), because I just finished it and it's another one of those books that just captures the weirdness of kids, that authors so often want to overlook when writing their perfect characters, perfectly.

Genre #8: Suspense, Mystery, Thriller, and Horror (SMTH)
This is not my genre. Also, it's four different genres. But because I so rarely read books from any of these genres, and they're related, I smoosh them into one category. My favorite for SMTH books is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

If I'm not going to read a lot of this genre, it seems fitting that the books I do read from it are Agatha Christie, the queen of mystery. This was creepy and crawly and captivating and I liked it. Most SMTH books fail to impress me because I either see the twist coming or the twist just didn't blow my mind. This book didn't have to worry about that because you essentially know how the book ends in the beginning. Sounds confusing? Read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Genre #9: Mythology/Retellings
I love mythology and retellings!!! It's hard for me to categorize books of this genre into any preexisting categories. Too fantastical to be historical fiction, too historical to be fantasy. Plus I really like retellings of classics fairy tales, so I made up this genre of mythology (Greek, Roman, Norse, etc.) and classic retellings (Beauty and the Beast, Red Riding Hood, The Wizard of Oz, etc.). My pick for this category is The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, no contest.

This book is......... stunning. So beautiful. This may be my favorite love story book of all. Maybe it's slow, maybe it's historical, but all I need to Achilles and Patroclus. I love them. This book is everything. Definitely on my list of all time favorite books.

Genre #10: Classics
Definitely not my favorite genre, but like almost every other reader out there, I suffer through them! I also tend to categorize books here when I don't know where else to shelve them and they are generally well-loved. My favorite classic book is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Like every other 9th grader, I had to read this as a part of my high school curiculum. Unlike some others who Sparknoted the whole thing, I did actually read it back then, but did not appreciate it until I was well past graduated. I have a preference for books that take place during things that are really heavy and serious and are narrated by someone too young and innocent to understand them, such as Scout's struggle to understand racial injustice. More on that in future genres.

Genre #11: Memoir
I like reading memoirs for sure. It's hard to rate a person's life, but there are definitely standouts in this genre. For my, my favorite memoir is When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.

If the circumstances of this book alone are not enough to draw you in, allow me to persuade you. This book is one of the saddest and at the same time most uplifting books I've ever read. It honestly makes me want to do what I love, be a better person, and work harder for my dreams. It is truly an inspiration.

Genre #12: Historical Fiction
While historical fiction is still not one of my favorite genres, I'm drawn to WWII books. I really loved Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, but as that is a biographical narrative and not fictional, my favorite historical fiction book has to be The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.

I told you we would come back to it! There is something so captivating about Bruno's inability to physically comprehend the injustice of Nazi concentration camps, and his friendship with a little Jewish boy is so compelling. It's not perfect, but it's real. And I threw this book at a wall when I read that ending.

Genre #13: Nonfiction
Not my most read genre, but I definitely wish I read it more. The thing is, this genre heavily overlaps with the Science category. However, the author made it clear that this book was not written by a scientist and is meant more as a common man's curiosity quelcher than a presentation of research, so for that reason my favorite nonfiction book is Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.

This book is fascinating, funny, and super accessible. I love the organization and facts presented here, and I like the fact that Mary Roach wasn't a scientist and was able to break things down to a really understandable level for the common reader.

Genre #14: Science
I study science in school, so this genre feels like a requisite. I study cell biology, but I am really interested in evolutionary biology as well, so in my leisure reading I like to pick up books about anthropology, herpetology, and evolution. My favorite science book is Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal

This book started my fascination in evolutionary biology. I read this book as a senior and high school and it was just so. darn. fascinating. de Waal's use of anecdotes, research, and illustration really sold this book for me. Definitely recommend to anyone interested in this field of science.

Genre #15: Romance
I usually just include romance books under the categories of contemporary or fiction, but there are some love stories that just need to be shared with the world. One of these love stories is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

I know, I know, how typical. But in all seriousness, I think this book is written beautifully. I also have a weird reading preference for terminally ill star-crossed lovers (yikes) and this was the beginning of that obsession for me. I didn't sob over the book like I know many people did, but writing about it now is making me want to go back and read it again!

BEST BOOKS OF 2018

These are all my favorite books I read this year! I read 42 books this year, and there are a lot of good ones. I am only going to list the books here; if you want more information I recommend checking out my reviews and monthly wrap-ups as well as Goodreads! I've narrowed my list down to the top 20% of books I've read throughout the year, and they are all recommendations. There is a variety of genres, so I'll include those as well. (These are in order of date read, not in order of priority.)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, read in February
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Nonfiction, science, biography


Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach, read in March
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Nonfiction, science


A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas, read in October
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: YA fantasy series


Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, read in November
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Nonfiction, historical, biography


The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, read in November
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Greek mythology


Artemis by Andy Weir, read in December
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Science fiction


It's King of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, read in December
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: YA contemporary


Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo, read in December
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: YA fantasy series

My Life in Books Tag

Here's a book tag so you can get to know me!! These will mostly be books I recommend too, so you should pick some of them up if they look interesting to you. This is called the "My Life in Books" tag and I will link the creator here: https://booklovingnut.com/2017/08/24/life-books-tag/

1. Pick a book for each of your initials: 

L -

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

M -

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

D -

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

2. Count your age along your bookshelf. What book is it?

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. I couldn't really control this one, but coincidentally it is also a book I highly recommend!

3. Pick a book set in your city or country.

I'm choosing Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief for this one because I do highly recommend it, and it features a journey across the U.S.

4. Pick a book that represents a place you'd like to travel to.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I would love to go to Greece!

5. Pick a book that's your favorite color.

Kissed by an Angel series by Elizabeth Chandler. It's kind of multicolor, but I love the combination of colors, and it does feature my favorite color, pink.

6. Which book do you have the fondest memories of?

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce. This is a book my sister and I really bonded over because of how much we both loved it.

7. Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. This is one of my all-time favorites, and I say it's "hard to read" because from the onset, you know that the author dies before the book is finished and that he's writing about his own physical demise. It's difficult to read because it's a heavy topic, but absolutely worth it.

8. Which book in your TBR will give you the biggest sense of accomplishment when you finally read it?

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. This is a huge book/series, and it's daunting to think about reading, but I know I will get around to it eventually!

Hyped Books That I Want to Read

I've been active on Goodreads and Booktube for a few months now, and I've found a lot of super hyped books that I want to read (eventually!). I'm going to share them here. Most of these books are YA/NA fantasy series, and I'm so okay with that!

The reason I wanted to do this post is because I recently read the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas and I really loved it so it makes me excited to read the other books that are heavily recommended by other readers.

In no particular order:

#1: The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

I'm not sure if I'll like this one as much as ACOTAR but I'm definitely excited to give it a try! Overall, I think people like ACOTAR more, but that doesn't mean this one isn't also hyped in its own right.

#2: Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo

I feel like I hear about this series every day. I have already bought both Six of Crows  and Crooked Kingdom and I'm hoping to get to them soon!

#3: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Honestly I don't even remember what the basic plot of this is, I just remember hearing everyone talk about it and reading the synopsis and plopping it down on my TBR list a while ago. And it has like 4 medals on the front, so it has to be good I guess??

#4: A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Ever since I read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, I've been hooked on the premise of forbidden love because of "out of time" societal barriers. This is like George Washington but... with GAYS! Amazing. Or at least that's what I've heard.

#5: The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater

This is another series that I hear about constantly, with all amazing ratings. I really loved Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver trilogy (which I actually want to reread), so I'm very excited to collect and read all of these.

#6: The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

This book deals with a topic I have not read a lot about or (thankfully) ever come close to experiencing, so I think that it will be refreshing for me. I also think it will break my heart in half, but it's fine.

#7: Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

I've seen this book get mixed reviews, and the bad reviews are mostly from people who are too uncomfortable with the taboo theme of it. And that's exactly why I was intrigued to read it. Again, here's another book that I'm pretty sure will snap my heart like a twig. But  i t ' s  f i n e.

#8: I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Here's another book that I don't actually know what it's about, but the reviews, recommendations, and synopsis were enough to set it on my TBR. Also the cover is pretty :)

#9: The Wrath and the Dawn duology by Renee Ahdieh

I think this is the only book on my list that the synopsis stopped me from immediately putting it on my TBR. I heard really good reviews, went to look it up, and thought that the plot/theme/setting were not really my style in fantasy series. After a few more recommendations, I went back a few times and finally put it on my TBR. It might end up being my favorite series ever, who knows??

#10: Vicious by V.E. Schwab

This book sounds exactly like something I would like, and everyone is always talking about Victoria Schwab so I wanted to see what all the fuss is about.


There we have it, my list of hyped books that I am most anxious to read. There are plenty of other hyped books that are on my TBR but these are my top ones. I know I am super late to the party on all of these books/series (which I'm fine with actually because I hate starting series and then having to wait months-a year for each new book to come out *cough* ACOTAR *cough*), so I'm hoping to knock them out in 2019, and I'll probably be posting reviews for most of them!

Welcome to Lynsie Loves Literature

Hi! My name is Lynsie and I love to read. I started this blog without the intention of anyone actually seeing it, so if you're here, welcome!

What kind of books do I read?
Favorite genres: YA/NA fantasy, science fiction, memoir, contemporary
I'm trash for a good high fantasy or paranormal romance series! I love YA and highly prefer series over standalone. I also can find a book enjoyable solely for plot/characters, in spite of "bad writing" (a guilty pleasure, honestly).

On this blog I will be posting reviews and popular book tags. I love Booktube, so I draw a lot of inspiration from there.

Here is a guide to my rating system:
5 stars: Not only do I love this book, but it made me feel a very intense feeling. Usually a book that makes me so happy that I actively look up fan art/merch of the book/series later, so sad that I cry, or so angry that I want to punch a wall (it is my personal opinion that an author that can make you feel any emotion very intensely has made an effective piece of literature).
4 stars: I really like this book, and I would recommend it to almost anyone.
3 stars: This book is fine, but I didn’t feel much reading it. There way be minor details about the writing or plot devices that bother me. I may recommend this book to people with different reading tastes than me.
2 stars: I have major problems with aspects of this book. I could suggest many things I didn’t like about it, and I would not like to read it again. I will not recommend this book.
1 star: This book had a lot of problems! I found myself incredulous while reading at how unenjoyable or illogical it was, or I was so bored that i wanted to DNF.

A couple more general things:

• I do not DNF! It may take me months to finish a book because I dislike it, but I will eventually finish it.
• I have to read books in a series all together. The exception is if it's a new series so the books are only coming out once a year. It is for this reason that I tend to wait until an entire series is published to start it. I may also do a review of books as a series, rather than reviewing the individual books.
• I might recommend books that I myself did not enjoy. I can appreciate that people have different book tastes, especially if my opinion on a book is an unpopular one.

Thanks for checking out my page! You can find me on Goodreads under my user name Lynsie Daniels.

Happy reading!