Books I Loved So Much I Had to Get a Copy for My Personal Library

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Books I Loved So Much I Had to Get a Copy for My Personal Library

The Prompt: Maybe you received an ARC or borrowed it from a friend/the library and loved it so much you wanted your own! Or maybe you read it in one format and wanted another format, like you read it in ebook and wanted a physical copy to display on your shelves, or you read it the paperback and would love to re-read it on audio. Change this TTT title to fit your post best!

(Submitted by Alecia @ The Staircase Reader)

For this prompt, I decided to do the books that I had to buy right after I read their ARCs. I have them below in order of how I read them over the years. Along with an explanation about each book, I will provide a link to my reviews of them on this blog or from Goodreads. 

1.)  180 Seconds by Jessica Park- I remember loving this book from the first page until the end. There was something about Simon and Allison's relationship in the first chapter that made me adore them so much. I did not know too much going into this book. I knew that Allison was a college student who had been adopted at sixteen. That interested me so much because I had never read a book with a character that had been adopted at such a late age. Her interactions with Simon (her adopted father) were so beautiful, and I adored them immensely as characters. 

I also remember enjoying the romantic relationship in this book between Allison and Esben. But my favorite part about this book was Simon and the family aspects. "He shifts the box to rest on his hip, freeing up a hand. His voice elevates. 'Grab everything you can and run! Only take what you need! Run like the wind!' He yanks a small duffel from the car and dashes to the sidewalk, calling out over his shoulder, 'Come on, Allison! There's no time to waste!' " -A quote from the book that I used in my original review that I just had to put here because it made me laugh.

Review of 180 seconds from Goodreads

2.) The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell- I vividly remember listening to the audiobook for review for Audiofile magazine back in 2017 and absolutely loving it. David Tennant is one of my favorite audiobook narrators, and he does a fantastic job with this book and the rest of the series. I had to get this and the rest of the books in the series as they came out. This series has become one of my absolute favorite ones. Also, as I said in my original review, the witches are some of the most interesting depictions I have ever seen, and I love their creepiness. 

I've been thinking about picking up this book again this year for Halloween. It's been a while since I have listened to it, and I would love to get back into the story again. 

My The Wizards of Once review on Goodreads

3.) Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao- In 2017 and 2018, I listened to a lot of great books for review for Audiofile magazine, that I then had to buy physical copies for my personal library. One example is Forest of a Thousand Lanterns along with The Wizards of Once, Wizard for Hire, Weave a Circle Round, and Sky in the Deep. I love a book that can draw you in from the beginning and keep you invested the entire time. This book was a great example of a villain origin story that I remember thoroughly enjoying when I read it. I have yet to pick up the next book in the series, but I plan on doing so eventually. 

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns review from Goodreads

4.) Wizard for Hire by Obert Skye- I adore Rin, the wizard in this series. Obert Skye hooked me into this book with his writing style, quirky characters, and the story as a whole. Kirby Heyborne's narration was perfect for Ozzy's perspective. I listened to the second book through audiobook and reviewed the third book in the series through an ARC. It is my hope that Obert will revisit this series someday because I would love to read more about Rin and the rest of the gang.  

Review of Wizard for Hire from Audiofile Magazine

5.) Weave a Circle Round by Kari Maaren- I loved this book and the plot when I first listened to the audiobook. It, like the books I mentioned above, was a book that I bought right after doing my reviews of them. Another book that I would love to reread sometime and see if I enjoy it as much this time around. It's been many years since I have read it, and I don't remember much of the plot, so I think it would be fun to revisit. 

Review from Goodreads of Weave a Circle Round

6.) Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young- This book was one of the first Viking stories I had ever read, and I was so in love with this book in 2018. I remember loving Eelyn as a character and her relationship with Fiske (whose name I actually remembered after all these years). What I loved the most about this book, though, was the family relationships with Eelyn, her father, her brother, and the Riki family that Eelyn joins. This book was one of my favorites of 2018. I enjoyed the companion book but not as much as this one. Also, this has one of my favorite covers. 

Review from Goodreads of Sky in the Deep 

7.) The Lost Wonderland Diaries by J. Scott Savage- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland retellings are some of my absolute favorite books of all time. I was so excited when I saw this book on NetGalley two years ago, and I had to request a copy of it to read. It, along with its sequel from this year, became two of my favorite books of all time. Savage does an incredible job creating a version of Wonderland that feels so much like Lewis Carroll's but also adds his own spin to it. 

I loved the characters that he created this time around that fit so well with the world of Wonderland. They feel like they could be pulled off the pages of the original. Also, it was great seeing so many familiar faces of Wonderland. My favorites of his takes are probably Cheshire and the Mad Hatter. Also, I really loved his wordplay, puzzles, and riddles throughout the entire book. 

Review of The Lost Wonderland Diaries from this blog

8.) Lava Red Feather Blue by Molly Ringle- These last few books on this list show my love of retellings. I have been and always will be a sucker for them, especially such great twists on the original stories. This is a male/male romance retelling of "Sleeping Beauty," but it's so much more than that. I loved how Molly took the original story and used it at the beginning of this one and then how she broke off from it. Also, her take on the original tale was so great. Larkin is forced into being put into a magical sleep as one side of a truce between the humans and the fae of the island Eidolonia. He is awoken over two hundred years later by Merrick by accident, and the adventure continues from there.

Lava Red Feather Blue blended many of my favorite things fairy tales, fae stories, slow-burn romances, stories with strong familial bonds, and wonderful writing. I fell in love with it instantly and did not want to stop reading it at all. It was a wonderful story, and I cannot wait to pick up more books written by Molly Ringle.

Review of Lava Red Feather Blue from Goodreads

9.) Medusa by Jessie Burton- One of the mythology retellings that I have wanted for years is one where Medusa was given a voice. Many of the tales that even have a focus on Medusa only focus on her character as a feature of someone else's story. I was excited when I saw this book on NetGalley, and I requested the book right away. This was such an entertaining retelling with absolutely beautiful illustrations. I also am looking forward to Natalie Haynes' Medusa book coming out later this month. 

Review of Medusa from this blog

10.) The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick- The last book on this list is one of my absolute favorite books from this year. This book is a cross between Beauty and the Beast/ Hades and Persephone retelling, along with the Gods of the winds playing an important part. I loved the slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance throughout this entire book, and I loved every single minute of reading it. There is supposed to be more coming out from this series. I will definitely be picking up whatever comes out from this series. 

Review of The North Wind from this blog