A Book List for Christmas Break
According to Goodreads, I’ve read thirty-two books this year. That doesn’t count the paperback books I’ve read, and as I look at my kindle app, I see several more books that I read but didn’t make it to Goodreads’ book list. So, I should be able to give you a good book list for your Christmas break and new year.
Books for Kids
Kids need book lists just as much as adults do. These are books that will be fine for your advanced readers and middle grade students.
To Save Two Worlds (is twice as much fun) by A. J. Bakke
This is a fun romp of about an anxious, OCD man who by virtue of an accident ends up expelled from his colony along with a young girl who despises him. Together they must brave the wilderness and help the ‘sparkles’ save a planet they’ve never been to.
This is book one of the Worlds Akilter Series, and is good as a stand alone as well. It’s in the same world as Magic is to Dance.
You can pick up your copy on amazon, and it’s also available through Audible.
King of Malorn by Annie Douglass Lima
I I love Annie Douglass LIma’s Annals of Alasia series. This is the latest, but not the last. I’ve heard she has one more coming, and I can’t wait to read it. You can read an interview with one of the characters of King of Malorn from a couple blog posts ago.
The Annals follow Jaymin, prince of Alasia, Korram, prince of Malorn, and their various bodyguards, helpers, soldiers, and friends through the invasion of Alasia by Malorn, and then through to peace. This book is from Korram’s sister’s perspective and peace has only a tenuous hold at the moment, especially as another assassination attempt has her, her brother, and King Jaymin fleeing for their lives! It’s a fun read for both younger children and adults.
You can find the full series on amazon, and it’s on sale for the holidays.
Mirrors and Pearls: A Retelling of Snow White by Lea Doue
This book was a Fellowship of Fantasy book club read this year. The retelling is fun and unique, including dragon riders for dwarves and a mirror that captures people and dragons!
The most common regret is that it’s a short story and is a quick read, but if you like what you read, you can always check out her Firethorn Crown fairytale retellings series.
Find Mirrors and Pearls on amazon.
Knight’s Rebirth by Sarah Ashwood
Most fairytales have the knight rescuing the princess, but how can that happen if the knight’s dead? This fun tale follows our stuck-up hero as he avoids princesses and does everything to stay single, until the unexpected happens. It’s a delightful read for all ages.
If you haven’t checked out Sarah Ashwood’s Aerisia series, Sunset Lands Beyond and Beyond the Sunset Lands, go do so. They are well worth the read. I was so excited to see Beyond the Sunset Lands in our local library, I posted about it on Instagram.
Find your copy on amazon, and the other series are linked right there as well.
Horseman by Kyle Robert Schultz
Another Fellowship of Fantasy Book Club read, Horseman takes place in the fantasy Old West. Think typical western story-line, but add in magic, centaurs, dragons, and other mythical creatures! The story of Ichabod Crane comes to life in a new way as the Headless Horseman starts haunting the Old West. Time travel and shootouts take place before our hero overcomes.
The Dragonback Series by Timothy Zahn
Timothy Zahn is known for his Star Wars books and most recently Thrawn, but did you know he has a middle grade/young adult series? Yep, in fact, it was this series that started me on my publishing career.
Take a jaunt through space following a teen and a K’da poet-warrior who happens to be similar to a dragon and needs a host to recuperate and rejuvenate every six hours. To do so, they become like a dragon tattoo, but not just any species will work. They need compatible ones, and humans just happen to fit that bill. Together the two try to gather the pieces of the puzzle to discover who’s trying to demolish the K’da people.
The first three books are on sale for $2.99, which is an awesome deal, and the next three are available as a read now with Amazon prime!
Books for Young Adults
For me the difference between clean middle grade and clean young adult books is content. These books have more intense scenes or deal with high school or other advanced topics that younger kids may not wish to meet yet.
Recompense by Michelle Isenhof
This series is amazing! I’ve only read book 1, but am eager to grab the rest of the series and read it. I was waiting for my paycheck to purchase it. Maybe it’ll be my Christmas gift to myself.
I received a similar vibe as The Hunger Games and Divergent. The story starts with Jack, short for Jaclyn, eager to make the exit exam and possibly get promoted from Lower to Military. When she’s approached by a mysterious man offering her a job and a leg out of her settlement with money to give her adoptive mom and family, she takes it, but the intrigue only intensifies as well as the training. Kidnappings, portals, and love all blend in this excellent book.
It’s available on amazon with the rest of the series.
Keen by Laura L. Zimmerman
Why I put off reading this book, I’m not sure, maybe because it was about a teen in high school who happens to be half-fae, a banshee no less. Whatever my reasoning, I left it until I had few other choices left on my kindle. It was a wonderful read. Not only did the author do a great job of skimming over the boring parts of high school, she made complex teens who had real-life issues. She didn’t downplay those problems, and she made the father an ally. With more fae in the high school than she had first thought, Caoine (pronounced Cane) finds her first friends ever, and learns of the Unseelie Prince who has plans to destroy the portals to the fae realms and wants to use Caoine’s powers for his own gain.
It’s also available on amazon, and has a second in the series due out next year some time.
The Tethering by Megan O’Russell
This book is for lovers of Harry Potter, X-Men, and The Mortal Instruments. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the others, but if you like those three series, you’ll love this one. A world where wizards and witches live among ordinary mortals. When Jacob discovers he’s a wizard, he’s secreted away to a private academy much like Professor X’s school for X-Men. Since he used his unknown about powers accidentally to blow out all the windows in his high school, the magic council is ready to try him for lawlessness, but there’s really another entity at work who wants to rip apart the fragile peace between humans and wizards.
Grab your copy of this first book in the series.
Fate of Dragons by Alisha Klapheke
As the sea rises, a mother desperately holds her infant daughter above the waves. A dragon swoops past and rescues the baby as the mother and the rest of humankind perish in the flood. Raised by dragons, believed to be an Earth Queen, Vahly is a disappointment to most of dragonkind. Seeking a way to bring to life her non-existent magic, Vahly convinces some clanless dragons to go with her to seek the elves. War is in the making, and the Sea Queen is determined to win, but when the last human makes a pact with elves and dragons, anything is possible.
Definitely worth the read, and I’ll be adding the rest of the series to my list of to-be-read. You can find out more on amazon.
Pemberley, Mr. Darcy’s Dragon by Maria Grace
This is for lovers of Pride and Prejudice. I’ve never read the book. Gasp! It’s one of my daughter’s favorites. This has a fantasy twist though–dragons! Yes, it’s good. Yes, it has the feel of an old classic in the way it’s written and the dialogue. So, if you’re ready for an old classic with a new twist, grab Pemberley. I’ll even be looking at picking up the rest of the series.
You can find them on amazon and on audible.
Game of Stars and Shadows series by Kara Jaynes
This series hooked me from the start. It’s a fun dystopian set in Seattle, Washington, after space elves have taken control of earth to help bring it back from the brink of destruction due to human inattentiveness and lack of stewardship. Throw in an elven experiment gone awry and you end up with vampires roaming the nights. Among the humans, is Stella a street rat trying to make a living for her and her younger brother. When a dumpster diving event goes awry, she’s brought before the elves. Unfortunately, an elven connection sparks between her and the prince–a connection that usually can’t be fought and leads to marriage! The only problem is her heart was given to her first boyfriend who disappeared with his addiction to an elven drug.
I definitely can’t wait for book 3 to come out. It’s due in 2020. In the meantime, you can read books one and two while you wait and follow Kara Jaynes on facebook to get updates and see snippets of the work in progress.
Books for Adults and Young Adults
Divine Summons by Rebecca P. Minor
With a starting off point of a battle gone awry, Divine Summons is a page turner from the get-go. Mystery and intrigue join as a warrior becomes tasked with creating a new group of elves–dragon riders. However, he must work with a prophetess that he’d rather ignore or strangle, to save his city.
Dragons, orc-like creatures, and adventure await. Available on amazon.
Legends of the Guardian-King series by Karen Hancock
My dad asked me to read this to preview it for the church library. I fell in love and had the whole series read in under a month! I even used it as a book report sample for my 8th graders.
A monk, ready to give his final vows, is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Okay, so the monk happens to be prince of the land, and all his other brothers save one have died mysterious deaths. As he chooses to live by going against his calling and fighting in the games, he gains the courage to look at his beliefs and a possible life beyond slavery.
I loved how the author worked in spiritual truths through the story narrative without destroying the plot. You can start this must read by picking it up on amazon or checking your local library.
The Line Between by Tosca Lee
I picked up The Line Between in audio format on Chirp this summer and started to listen to it with my teen son. He wasn’t as thrilled with it as I was. I think reading it may be a bit better. Tosca weaves a story of a girl growing up in a commune along with a pandemic of early onset dementia spreading over the country. This action-packed thriller delivers and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
It’s available in kindle, paperback, hardback, and audio.
Ice and Fate Duology by H. L. Burke
I can’t have a book list with at least one book by H. L. Burke. In my original listing, I had multiples of hers, but decided to pare this down. This new duology was excellent. I planned to only read book one, but then had to grab book two. I love the world of dark and sun. The two cultures are perfect for their environments as are the characters. A princess from the land of sun heads off to marry a prince she’s never met, just to get out from under her brother’s rules and to learn how to use her magic. What she doesn’t expect is to fall in love with the prince’s guard, nor to find a deadly enemy that’s ready to take out her new husband and his home!
Lion of Babylon by Davis Bunn
Last week in Sunday School, I saw this book sitting on the library display. I picked it up but didn’t start reading until Saturday afternoon. Boy, was I glad I had the day to relax and focus on the book! This is an edge of your seat page-turner. It’s not fantasy at all, but adventure and action based in Iraq during the transition years of the US military trying to leave.
Marc Royce has been dismissed from the intelligence bureau for six years, but when his friend goes missing in Baghdad, the boss who fired him, hires him back for the job. His only ally is a local Christian lawyer. On every corner they meet resistance, and their lives are threatened. As they uncover the clues, they learn life’s not always easy, but unity can be reached.
Check out the book on your own. I can’t wait to meet Davis Bunn at next year’s Realm Makers.
I could go on and add in so many other good reads, but this will do for now. If you haven’t found a book for your last minute gift giving, or to relax after the holidays are over, from this list, then I don’t know what to tell you. I hope this book list helps you find some new authors and some great reads.
