Young Writers Society

This tough! This will just be some of my all time favourites.

1. Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman - a good plot, series and also great meaning to it as well. I loved them all, especially the characters.

2. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - it has always been my favourite classic. I can't wait to reread it.

3. Gone by Michael Grant - After every book I wondered what could possibly be in store next, and every time he brought something new and better to the book. Yes, every book in the series was better than the last and left me mind blown...

4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - One of the few books to make me cry. Such a heavy story... stayed on my mind for days after reading it.

5. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper - I read a lot of books about physical disabilities, but none affected me like this one dead. I love this book and have recently bought it so I own it myself <3

NOT IN ORDER:

1. Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden - this one just stuck with me, and I liked it in a way, but it's hard to explain why.

2. Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky - a story about survivors of a nuclear holocaust in the Moscow metro system in 2033; very good story; it is suspenseful and creepy, which is exactly what I expected.

3. The Iliad by Homer - the ancient Epic about the siege of Troy--still one of my favorites, and I have read plenty of great books since!

4. Histories by Herodotus of Halicarnassus - Herodotus wrote the inquiry (the Greek word for "history" means "inquiry") on the famous war between the Greeks and Persians which saw such battles as Marathon, Salamis, Thermopylae, and Platea. I love history and Herodotus will always be special to me!

5. Phaedo by Plato - Ever since I really analyzed this Plato dialogue in depth I found that it is very beautiful and inspirational; the classes we spent on it were fun, awesome, and thought provoking.

Deanie wrote:4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - One of the few books to make me cry. Such a heavy story... stayed on my mind for days after reading it.

This is a very good book. I like it--but, since you've read it, you probably understand that when I say "like" it's not because it's all rainbows and unicorns in the story, but because of how powerful it is and such.

This is going to be tough, considering these lists are ever-changing, but, let's give it a shot.

5. Emma ~Jane Austen
I adore this book; it's an utterly fascinating read if you take it from an (amateur) sociological perspective. I love how rigid the writing style is, how up against the wall everything feels, and the atmosphere is gorgeous: it echoes perfectly the trapped feeling you get from being a woman in the landed gentry, and I enjoyed the experience a great deal.

Besides that, of course, Mr Knightley is perf.

4. The Wind in the Willows ~Kenneth Grahame

Been a while since I picked this up, but this is the book I issued most from the local library--the only library--I visited when I was five. I remember always putting it in the exact same place, hiding it behind this huge, boring volume that was brown and I can't remember the name of. This book enchanted me and introduced me to reading, and I'll always keep it on my top-shelf, as well as in a special place in my heart. c':

3. The Book Thief ~Markus Zusak

This book gave me chills and achey feelings; it's beautifully written, and just so ... beautiful. Yeah, I really like this book.

2. The Importance of Being Earnest ~Oscar Wilde

I don't read that many plays, but I carry a copy of this one around with me; it's a quick read and the witticism makes me laugh. This book, along with Dorian Gray, is one of my favourites, although Dorian Gray wins because of its beautiful prologue, and TIoBE is just delightful, overall.

1. Muhammad: his life based on the earliest sources ~Martin Lings

I read this book originally because I wanted to do well on my Islamiyat exam, but it touches me vastly. It's written in an archaic, almost poetic, manner, with references from the Quran; it's heavy and it makes me ache, and I had to let my eyes search my bookshelf before I found a book deserving of this #1 position. It's a beautiful read, and I've always adored history.

-EDIT- Anne of Green Gables! How could I forget? ;-; Let's just adjust this somewhere alongside Wilde, now. *adjusts* I've always felt this great connection to this book; it's so poignant and full of loveliness, and Anne reminds me of myself in so many ways--the silliness, the scrapes.... Oh, I love this book. <3

Ah books. My favourite topic <3

1. Harry Potter & The Order of The Phoenix (+every other one!) - J.K Rowling
This will always be my favourite book. I've read it over & over and will continue to do so. Rowling fired up my passion for reading & creating new worlds. Harry & I are bezzies.

2. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
Unbelievable book! So many emotions and genius writing. I sobbed my way through the whole trilogy.

3. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Literally THE book I've never ever been able to stop thinking about. I would never have picked this up normally - I'm a fantasy reader through and through - but this blew my mind and, it might sound crazy, I don't think I'll ever be the same again!

4. The Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb
Love love love this. Original story, amazing characters and amazingly written! I can't get enough of Hobb at the moment.

5. Beyond the Deepwoods - Paul Stewart and Chris Riddle
This has been a kind of guilty pleasure of mine since childhood. I never get bored of it. I'm crazy about how writers can completely imagine a whole new world with so many weird and wonderful beings and creatures. THIS IS THAT WORLD. There are 18 books in the Edge Chronicle series so far & still counting! and every one is brilliant.

My choices are going to seem trashy, childish and amateur, but oh well

1) Matilda by Roald Dahl.

Even now I can read this and be cheered up by the sheer comic genius. I've read it so many times.

2) Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy

I like the story, and again, I've taken the time to reread it. The ending was good, if predictable - exactly how it was supposed to be resolved, though.

3) Marked by PC Cast

It was fast paced, but the story still developed well. The plot was sustained through several more books in the series (before it got stupid) and the characters were cool to read.

4) The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. AKA The Secret of Moonacre

This story was so touching, and I loved the mystery as Maria gradually finds out about everything.

5) Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind by Marylin Kaye

I really got to know the characters in this whole series, as they told their stories. The powers were also interesting. Also, the overall plot provided lots of mystery.

-Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
-The Trial by Franz Kafka
-The Plague by Albert Camus
-Naked Lunch by William Burroughs
-King, Queen, Knave by Vladimir Nabokov

Up in the stratosphere above all other books: The entire Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (and if I had to rank those - 7, 5, 3, 1, 6, 2, 4).
The rest are in order of when they were added to my list because this list is ever growing and changing

1. Looking for Alaska by John Green. I think this was one of the first books that made me fall in love with YA. (PS-this whole list is YA.)

2. If I Stay/Where She Went by Gayle Forman. I just gush over these books <3 And they have to be thought of together. You cannot have one without the other.

3. Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller. Love her and love this book.

4. Personal Effects by E.M. Kokie. Because there was a twist I did NOT see coming and it was awesome.

5. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. Such a well done, important book.

6. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay. Scary beautiful. Haunting really.

Oops I listed more than five :p

I could go on and on and on with honorable mentions. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series; Speak; everything by John Green, Gayle Forman, and Trish Doller; the Uglies series; the first three books in the Maximum Ride series. I'll stop before I break out my Goodreads list :p

Ooh, interesting. I don't remember all the books, so this list is for the remembered ones.

1. Word of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson - Because it features Shallan as the focal character, and pretty brilliant.

2. The Way of Kings by Bradon Sanderson - The reason why I fell in love with Brandon and high fantasy.

3. Divergent by Veronica Roth - The best dystopia novel I've ever read. Love the idea of factions.

4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - It's just so heartfelt that I'm not expecting for that to happen. The reason I fell in love with Khaled.

5. Never Enough by Denise Jaden - The only novel that uses my favourite setting, school. The characters are just genuine and the novel is so honest.

Oh, wow this one is so difficult. I have an everchanging list of "favorite" book so this is my list for today.

Head in the Clouds by Witemeyer, Karen-
I have reread this book numerous of times, when I was bored because this is the only book that I can keep on coming back to and still enjoy all of the beautiful mysterious air,suspense, and romance that is intertwined within this book. This is literally a pernament book on my bookshelf, one that I will keep on coming back to forever and ever. The character Adelaide still encants me and makes me want to be like her <3

Gods and Kings (Chronicles of the Kings, #1) by Lynn Austin
Being a big history buff and growing up where the Bible is taught and mentioned in my house, this book really opened my eyes to new perspective. I literally felt like I was being dragged into history through this thread and strand back to the past.

Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas-
I am most definitively a fan-fic girl of this novel. The first time that I read it was when I listened to it on Audible, and now I am totally won in and can't stop reading/thinking about this. I actually have a copy of this book sitting on my desk right now. I had to read the book cover to cover and I couldn't put it down because of my favorite character:
Cealaena Sardothien <3

Number the Stars by Louis Lowry
Just one of those extraordinary childhood books that opened up the door in reading for me,you know? I can still remember reading it in class while listening to the audio, and I have always enjoyed going back to it because it brings childhood memories.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler This book was reccomended to me by my neighbor and when I read it something cool happened. I just connected with the book, because something in my mind clicked in unison with the book's message. I bawled my eyes out through the whole thing, and at was greatly shocked at the ending and cried again because I didn't like it and I didn't think that it was enough.