Top 5 Wednesday

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Fantasy Books

Amanda @Cover2CoverMom

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Hello and welcome to my Top 5 Wednesday post!

T5W is a weekly meme is hosted by Sam @ThoughtsOnTomes.  You can visit the Goodreads T5W group for more info.

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This week’s theme is…

March 8th – Favorite Science Fiction & Fantasy Books *BooktubeSFF Awards Crossover Topic!*
–In collaboration with the BooktubeSFF Awards, talk about your favorite science fiction and fantasy books of all time!

I must admit, science fiction and fantasy are not genres that I have frequented in the past, which is a shame.  Over the past year, I have been visiting more and more fantasy books, but still find that I am not reaching for science fiction.   I definitely want to make an effort to explore more into the realm of science fiction this year.  Since I’ve hardly read any science fiction, my list is made up of fantasy novels.

In no particular order, here are a few of my favorite fantasy novels…

*Book titles link to Goodreads

» Neverwhere, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, & Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I know, I know.  I am totally cheating.  I have no regrets.  I discovered Neil Gaiman last year, and I can’t believe I’ve been missing out for so long.  I just love everything he puts to paper.  If you asked me which of his books is my favorite, I wouldn’t be able to just give you one, so here are my top 3.

You can read my review for Stardust here → Book Review: Stardust by Neil Gaiman

» A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows, and A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic Trilogy) by V.E. Schwab

I’m not even finished with this series yet and it made my favorites list.  I read the first book this past year and was introduced into the awesomness that is Schwab.  I flew through A Gathering of Shadows last week in preparation for the A Conjuring of Light book tour this past weekend.  How do these book just keep getting better and better?  I am currently reading A Conjuring of Light, which I am slowly savoring.  It is definitely bitter sweet reading the final book in this series.

You can read my review for A Darker Shade of Magic here → Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

» The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

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I read The Hobbit as a freshman in high school.   I remember seeing it on the required reading list and not being too excited about it.  The 14 year old me didn’t know what was about to hit her.  I was pleasantly surprised how immersed I was in this epic journey.  I think my hesitation came from the fact that this book was published back in the 1930s, so I was anticipating it to be a difficult read, but I had no issues following along as a young teen.  Oddly enough, I tried to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but gave up after the first book.  I found The Fellowship of the Ring to be sluggish in comparison to The Hobbit. 

» The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

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I mean obviously the Harry Potter series was going to be on my list.  I was 10 years old back when the first Harry Potter came out back in 1997, so I grew up devouring these books until the 7th book came out in 2007 when I was a 20 year old college student.  These books were such a huge part of my childhood, and hope that my own children will love them as much as I did.

» The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

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I actually read this one for the first time last year.  I regret that I didn’t read this book as a child, as I know I would have adored it.  There is something very warm and comforting about this book.  It just feels like an old friend.

You can read my review for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe here → Book Review of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis

» Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

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Aside from Harry Potter, Ella Enchanted was my favorite book as a child.  I remember checking it out from my school library OVER and OVER again.  When they adapted it to film back in 2004, I was highly disappointed with it, despite the fact that I adore Anne Hathaway.  If you’ve seen the film adaptation, please do not judge the book by the movie!  Go read the book!

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What are your favorite fantasy books?

Do you have any science fiction recommendations for me?

*Feel free to link to your own T5W

 

Published by Amanda @Cover2CoverMom

Amanda is a 33 year-old who was born and bred in Ohio. She is happily married to her high school sweetheart and they have two children aged 14 and 7. She is a part-time youth services librarian and currently pursuing her MLIS. When not juggling family, work, and grad school, she enjoys reading, being outdoors, and fitness.

37 thoughts on “Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Fantasy Books”

      2. They are very slow reads in general. It’s also my favorite fanatasy series of all time. I love to become lost in Middle Earth and in Tolkien’s love for language. It’s not for everyone, but I always recommend reading the whole thing at least once in a lifetime. It’s definitely not like the Hobbit, but I like it better myself. Also this list is awesome!!! I’m intending to read Schwab this year.

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  4. Nice picks, Amanda! My favorites are HP and The Darker Shades trilogy. I can’t believe I still haven’t read The Hobbit or LOTR. Crazy…

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      1. That’s how I feel. I hate that I have to say no when people ask me if I’ve read them lol.

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  9. Shades of Magic would’ve been on my list too, if I had made one! Maybe I should make the switch from Top Ten Tuesday to Top Five Wednesday… it does seem less of a commitment since there’s only five.

    Anyway! I got so excited when I saw Ella Enchanted on your list, haha. I read that book as a teenager and really, really loved it. I watched the movie as a teen and remember enjoying it, but a couple of months back I re-watched it and it was just really boring, so I understand your disappointment, especially because I’m also a huge Anne Hathaway fan.

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    1. I like both TTT and T5W but I am not a regular participant like I used to be. T5W is less time consuming, but I often like the themes better on TTT… basically I only participate when I have the time and really like the theme.

      I am so happy to find a fellow Ella Enchanted lover! If I had to pick one book from my childhood that really instilled a love for reading into me, it would be Ella Enchanted. I want to say I was in the 5th grade when I read it? This was even before I picked up the Harry Potter series. Ella will always have a special place in my heart. I really wish the movie hadn’t been such a flop though… It was just so cheesy. It breaks my heart because the movie potential is there!

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      1. That’s a good idea. I used to do TTT regularly as well and now only pick the themes I want to do, but T5W is tempting. I feel like the themes might get repeated quite often though. :/

        Oh wow! I picked up HP first, but Ella Enchanted was something that my then-best friend and I really liked so it also has a special place in my heart. The movie WAS a flop, though… so unfortunate.

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  10. Lots of good books on here. Especially Gaiman of course! I need to read Schwab – I have bought a couple of her books but haven’t had time yet. Soon though.
    Lynn 😀

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  13. Ah Narnia I really need to re-read those books they were so enchanting as a kid as well as the HP series just coz xD I haven’t read any Neil Gaiman and I need to fix that asap so many people love him and he’s always in the NYT bestsellers list so he must be doing something right! I also haven’t read any Lord of the Rings, I’ve gone to start them multiple times and then just lost interest I have no idea if I’m going to attempt it again so many people love them and I want to as well I just don’t know if I will 😦

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  14. As always, an amazing list I completely agree with. Ella Enchanted was not something I read as a child, but I did read it recently as an adult and loved it. Such a wonderful story! I didn’t know there was a film, but I will not avoid it like the plague. 🙂 I also obviously adore Gaiman and the Shades of Magic trilogy. I’m *almost* done with ACOL! And, well, Harry Potter, obviously.

    I was surprised, looking back at my own reads, at how few science fiction books I’ve read in the last few years. I used to really love reading SciFi. I wonder what happened…

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  15. I also tend to read more fantasy than sci-fi as well. I often wonder why that is and though the major reason is my love of magic, I also think that sci-fi is often closer to reality (like dystopian novels), which I sometimes find scary.

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