5 Must-Read Books

Books are the best way to get to know people, and to connect with different interests.

I think the best way to start off this blog is to talk about my five favorite books. These books will range from children to adult, as they are books that I have read over the years.

1. Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling

"Happiness can be found in even the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - Albus Dumbledore

Harry Potter has to be one of my favorite series, hands down. I love both the movies and the books.

For those of you who don't know, the series follows Harry Potter, a boy who finds out he is a wizard, on his adventures at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, as he progresses through school, Harry finds out that he has more in store for himself as his role in a battle for good and evil unfolds.

The series has so many characters that you can find at least one that you can relate to. For instance, I can relate to both Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood. If you have never read the series, I highly suggest you give it a try, but I also advise that you keep away from fan sites and other fans to form your own opinions.

I feel that this series would be on anyone's list. The series is meant for children but is enjoyed by all ages. It has created two movie franchises, multiple theme parks, and millions of fans. It's one of the few books that focuses on the adventure and not just the relationships, which I greatly appreciate. I find that a lot of books nowadays focus more on relationships and less on the plot.

I know that J.K. Rowling hasn't been the best lately (or at least since 2011), but her series is still amazing. Just stay away from her Twitter.

2. Red Queen Series - Victoria Aveyard

The series follows Mare Barrow, a poor Redblood, as she finds herself thrown into the Silverblood Court after she is discovered to have a unique power that was thought to only be born to Silverbloods. The quartet follows Mare and the two princes, Cal and Maven, through politics, revolution, tyranny, and love.

I am still reading the series, but I find it very promising. The only book that I've heard is the most difficult to read (due to pacing issues) is the second novel, "Glass Sword". I've also heard that the third, "King's Cage" is the best, but I haven't heard anything about the fourth, "War Storm". Aveyard also has several novella's out that are a part of this world, which is good if you like extra world building/content.

3. The Dark Artifices - Cassandra Clare

As the third series by Cassandra Clare, I found that this series is her best so far, which might come from the fact that she is a seasoned writer at this point. I personally never liked her first series, The Mortal Instruments, but liked the second one, The Infernal Devices. I say that this series is the best because her main character, Emma Carstairs, is not a Mary-Sue, and doesn't have her own unique abilities other than the skills she learned through hard work.

Some people have an issue with Clare, which I totally understand. There are aspects of her that I do not like or agree with. However, her last two series have been phenomenal and some of the best reading experiences that

4. Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan

First off, yes, you can go and watch the movie, but the book is a much better experience. The movie itself is a good romantic-comedy, but the book goes into much darker, and more mature themes. The book also differs greatly in certain, key aspects that really lose some of the emotion and heart that exudes from the book.

The book follows the different points of view (third person subjective) of five main characters:

1. Rachel Chu - an economics professor at NYU, who is the Chinese-American girlfriend of Nick Young.

2. Nick Young - heir apparent of the entire Young clan (including the side branches, Shang and T'sien clans), he is an NYU professor, and boyfriend of Rachel Chu

3. Eleanor Young - Nick's mother that married into the illustrious Young family, but was never accepted by the matriarch of the family.

4. Astrid Leong - Nick's favorite cousin, who is loved throughout the Singapore elite, but is down to earth, and favors Nick's relationship with Rachel.

5. Edison Cheng - one of Nick's cousins that wants to live a luxurious life, a result of his parents raising him humbly but him looking at Nick's upbringing in jealousy.

I highly suggest you read the book before seeing the movie, but reading it after is still good. It's also great to support diversity in literature (especially in the American market).

5. Vampire Academy series - Richelle Mead

So bare with me because I feel that there is a lot of stigma surrounding vampire books (Thanks, Twilight), but this is one of the best series I've read to date. I love all of Richelle Mead's books (I am currently reading the Glittering Court series and am loving it). Richelle is great at interweaving plot and relationships that they are an equal balance.

Vampire Academy follows Rose Hathaway, a Dhampir (kinda like a cross between a vampire and a human: better reflexes and fighting capabilities but they don't drink blood), who has been set to be the Guardian of her best friend, Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir, last of her family. The six-book series follows Rose's journey of uncovering plots that threaten Lissa and the vampire world, while also dealing with her budding relationship with fellow Guardian, Dimitri Belikov.

The entire series is based off of the old Russian folktales of vampires, and has themes of feminism against the misogyny of how male vampires treat female dhampirs. The first three books follow the two girls in school and as they uncover the dark secrets that are behind Lissa's new found powers and how her family actually died.