Today is day ONE of my holiday gift guides. Christmas is just two weeks away and I have created three gift guides to share with you. Today’s guide features fiction (mainly YA Fantasy and Sci Fi – my favorites). Tomorrow’s will be a bookish guide featuring nonfiction books in the natural beauty / lifestyle category and the third guide will feature natural beauty products. I hope you enjoy and find some inspiration for your holiday shopping!
All books are linked to their Goodreads page. Some of these I read and loved this year, and some are on my to-read list, and for good reason.
1) The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden: A young woman’s family is threatened by forces both real and fantastical in this debut novel inspired by Russian fairy tales. Out January 10th 2017. This book has curl-up-and-read-with-a-mug-of-cocoa written all over it.
2) Brian and Wendy Froud’s The Pressed Fairy Journal of Madeline Cottington: Renowned artist/author duo Brian and Wendy Froud present, for the first time, the backstory of Cottington Hall and its intriguing inhabitants: the Cottington family and the faeries living among them. I own this one and it is glorious.
3) Dreamer’s Pool (Blackthorn & Grim #1) by Juliet Marillier: An enchanting series that will transport readers to a magical vision of ancient Ireland…weaves magic, mythology, and folklore. I just got this and cannot wait to dive in! The third book in this series was released on November 1st of this year.
4) Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff: I just finished this a few days ago and OMG! It is a must-read if you haven’t already! If you have a friend who loves sci fi, get them this book! It takes place in the year 2575 and is told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more. Five stars.
5) Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff, and Marie Lu (Illustrator): Just released in mid-October, the sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.
6) Brian Froud’s Faeries’ Tales by Brian and Wendy Froud: Following in the footsteps of Trolls, Brian and Wendy Froud lead readers deep into the world of faeries. This is an enormous book (great for your coffee table!) in which readers encounter individual faeries, each with a story to uncover, as told by the faeries themselves.
7) READ MORE BOOKS locket by Violette & Iris: I couldn’t help include this seeing as I make them : ) From my line of Lothirielle lockets, currently only available in my Etsy shop.
8) Heartless by Marissa Meyer: I am a HUGE fan of Marissa Meyer and thoroughly enjoyed her Lunar Chronicles series. She specializes in retellings and in this one she takes us into Wonderland and tells the story of the Queen of Hearts.
9) Flamecaster (Shattered Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima: Another of my favorite YA Fantasy authors! This takes place in the same world as her Seven Realms series, a generation later. Adrian sul’Han, known as Ash, is a trained healer with a powerful gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. The son of the queen of the Fells, Ash is forced into hiding after a series of murders throws the queendom into chaos.
10) Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2) by Rachel Caine: The sequel to Ink and Bone. In this series the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time and has become supremely powerful. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden. Book three is due out in 2017.
11) The Beauty of Darkness (The Remnant Chronicles #3) by Mary E. Pearson: This is the final book in this series, so you might want to make sure the person you are gifting it to has read the first two, and if not then why not gift them the set! I gave this entire series five stars.
12) Fairy Tale Fashion by Colleen Hill: I reviewed this book earlier this year. You can read all about it here. A conceptually innovative and visually stunning investigation of the interconnected worlds of high fashion and fairy tales.
13) The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman: I believe there are going to be at least five books in this series. This is the first installment of an adventure featuring stolen books, secret agents and forbidden societies. Librarian spies in an alternate London. The third installment will be released January 10th so it is the perfect time of year to gift the first two.
14) Frostfire (Kanin Chronicles #1) by Amanda Hocking: Fast-paced and has mixed reviews (don’t most books) but I really enjoyed it. Bryn Aven is an outcast among the Kanin, the most powerful of the troll tribes. Set apart by her heritage and her past, Bryn is a tracker who’s determined to become a member of the elite King’s Guard. There is murder, forbidden romance, and odd ice castles.