Hi there! This is Emily, I am a huge book reader (obviously, duh!). I am married to my own Prince Charming and we have our own little princess, who runs the house. I also love the great outdoors, whether it’s hiking, rock climbing, camping or just hanging in a hammock.
I graduated from Brigham Young University in 2018 with a B. A. in English. Right now this blog is my first priority, but I’m planning on writing a book or three in the future when I can find time to write.
Since I am always in the middle of at least one book I always get the question, “What is your favorite book?” Well, I’ve read so many that I have too many, so I narrow it down by category.
Classics
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Dumas was a French writer in the 1800s. This book is full of twists and turns and well-thought-out revenge! The book is better than the movie, but the unabridged version is about 1500 pages. The first five hundred and last five hundred are super good, so just push through the middle, or read an abridged version. - Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
This is the first of a huge series all about Tarzan and who he became. These books are also very different from the Disney movie. Plus, Tarzan and Clayton turn out to be friends. I love how we get to explore a version of Africa through the eyes of Tarzan and get his side of the story, along with the beloved cast of friends. - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
This book literally invented the genre of the novel and shows the ins and outs of 19th-century society while Elizabeth tries to find her place in society. I think this is also one of the first Young Adult novels about the hardships that come with growing up, it just happens to take place in a little different era.
Murder Mystery
- The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
I love how The Naturals combines NCIS with a superhero book. This is about a bunch of teens who are geniuses and can out think serial killers. They each have their unique talents like a human lie detector, a human calculator and a couple of teens who can get into the minds of the killer and his victim to replay the events and predict what will happen in the future. Super cool and definitely a favorite! - Origin: A Novel by Dan Brown
I loved this book so much!! Every day after reading or listening to part of it I would have to fill in my husband with everything that was happening. This book has Robert Langdon in it from The DaVinci Code, so it is full of references to art and architecture history as they go through Spain. It is also full of political and religious intrigue as you try and figure out who the murderer is. Just saying, totally not who you think it is! This is book 5 but you can totally read it out of order. - A Study In Scarlet Women (The Lady Sherlock Series) by Sherry Thomas
This is a gender-swapped version of Sherlock Holmes. At first, I thought it would be really weird but it is awesome! I love how it shows how Charlotte (Sherlock) is able to solve crimes on behalf of her “brother” Holmes. Watson is also a woman in this novel and their stories are truly unique with all the beloved details of the original Sherlock Holmes stories.
Action
- Always Watching by Lynette Eason
It is about an all-female bodyguard agency who obviously guard people in danger. There is also a clean romance woven through as Olivia tries to stay professional while falling in love. I love how it also brings in generic Christian themes. I really enjoyed it and flew through the rest in the Elite Guardians series. Each of them gets into the details of personal security while also dealing with explosives, run fire and abduction. - Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
Three Dark Crowns is a dystopian society where triplet sisters have to fight for the throne, and it’s a tradition. In order for one of them to become queen, she must kill her two sisters. Each of them was born with the power to help her win the throne. One is immune to poison, one can summon and control animals, and one can control the elements. The sisters are gearing up to meet each other for the first time in years and there are plenty of political intrigues to go around. - Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
Everyone dreams of being a pirate, but what about a pirate princess who intentionally gets herself kidnapped so she can find and steal a map away from a rival pirate. Her interrogator just happens to be very cute though, and can she keep them from discovering her secret. I always love a good pirate sea-faring book, especially if the main character is a woman. This was well done and the second one is just as good!
Historical
- Bomb: The Race to Build–and Steal–the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
Usually, I’m not a fan of non-fiction or books about World War 2, but this one was amazing! It talks a lot about the development of the nuclear bomb and the science behind it in a very easy to understand way. Plus, it pulls in different spy efforts and real-life secret missions happening in Germany at the same time, as we hindered the German and Russian efforts to create a nuclear weapon. Honestly, it is high praise if I finish a non-fiction book, let alone if I enjoyed myself and can’t put it down. - The Lost Heiress by Roseanne M. White
Set in the 1910s, this book is an action-packed mystery combined with a clean love story. Brook has grown up among the gypsies who cater to the royalty in Monte Carlo but always wondered where she came from. Her friend Justin discovers that she is a missing heiress. Her newly-found family is uncertain of her until her life is threatened and the mysterious death of her mother years before is re-opened. - Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
This is a steampunk murder mystery during the time of Jack the Ripper. Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth, a daughter of a lord, is fascinated with forensics and human dissection to solve a crime. If you love Bones or physiology you will love this book! Audrey has to figure out who is committing the crimes but all the evidence points to members of her family.
Romance/Princess
- The Kiss of Deception: The Remnant Chronicles, Book One by Mary E. Pearson
Princess Lia runs away on her way to the altar and steals ancient documents from a secret collection. After running away from a prince she has never met, and marriage just for a political alliance, Lia starts fresh in a little town. Then two strangers come into town, but which one is the jilted prince bent on tracking down his would-be bride, and which is the assassin sent to kill the princess in “an accident.” I loved reading this book because the entire time you don’t know which one is which until the very end! When it shifts to the assassin’s perspective or the prince’s perspective there are no telling features to know which is which until the very end. It will keep you second-guessing your whole way through. Also, I loved this book so much that I bought the entire trilogy without reading the last two because I couldn’t get them from the library fast enough. - The Goose Girl (Books of Bayern) by Shannon Hale
This story is based on the Grimm’s fairy-tale about a crown princess who becomes a goose girl before she becomes queen. This princess though learned the language of birds. The princess must discover her unique talents and who she really is before she can be killed by those looking for her. This book and all of the books in the series shows girls growing up and developing their gifts for survival. Plus, a little magic never hurt anyone, or does it? - The Healers Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
Honestly, anything by Melanie Dickerson is amazing and worth reading. This was my first introduction to her. Rose, a woodcutters daughter, has been apprenticed to the healer which is an amazing opportunity and it gets her out of having to marry an ugly, fat merchant. One day she gets called up to the castle to tend to the future duke and she starts falling for him. But Lord Hamlin is promised to a young woman in hiding. They are both on a journey to discovering their destiny.
