5 5-Star Books I've Read in the Last Year

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
A story about stories. Adventure, fairy-tales, contemporary romance, pirates, secret book groups, timeless love, twists and turns, endless libraries, Harry Potter and Where the Wild Things Are references. This book has it all. The Night Circus was my favorite book in 2013 and I've been waiting breathlessly for her to release another book. I was absolutely not disappointed, but I know some people were. This is a love/hate book. You will have strong feelings for it. Luckily for me, they were strong feelings of "omg I adored this book, it sucked me in and didn't let go!"

Not all stories speak to all listeners, but all listeners can find a story that does, somewhere, sometime. In one form or another.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

"Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town." But it turns out that Xan, the witch, isn't terrorizing their town, in fact she thinks the town people are a little crazy, leaving innocent babies in the woods each year. So she feeds them on moonlight and takes them to the next village over, where the people are more than happy to raise the star children. Xan just wants to live peacefully in her swamp with her swamp monster friend and tiny dragon who doesn't know he's tiny. Then she accidentally feeds a baby too much moonlight and things change forever. This middle-grade book broke my heart for awhile but then put it back together.

How many feelings can one heart hold?... Infinite, Luna thought. 

The way the universe is infinite. It is light and dark and endless motion; 

it is space and time, and space within space, and time within time. 

And she knew: there is no limit to what the heart can carry.

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell
This graphic novel will have you yearning, yearning I say!, for crisp fall weather, caramel apples, and all things pumpkin (even if you can't stand pumpkin any other time of the year). Think if this was made into a cartoon special! It would become an instant classic, like It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Deja & Josiah are seasonal bffs who work each fall at the local pumpkin patch. It's their last year & they want to have the best night possible. And they totally do. I want to reread this now but I will restrain myself. Maybe.

Like every autumn smell all at once.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
A dark twisty tale that will leave you breathless at the end. Two sisters and their uncle live together in a large old house after the rest of the family dies under suspicious circumstances. They do not like to go into town or interact with anyone outside their little circle. Until they are forced to and bad things happen. I was completely bewitched by this classic from the very first page. When I finished, I hungered for more and more.

On the moon we have everything. 

Lettuce, and pumpkin pie and Amanita phalloides. 

We have cat-furred plants and horses dancing with their wings. 

All the locks are solid and tight, and there are no ghosts.

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
For 5 years, Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have been travelling the country in their renovated school bus. They are running from sadness but eventually it will catch up to them. I love roadtrip stories and this one was full of adventure, quirky friends they meet along the way, crazy animals, laughter, songs, tears, and everything you need! When I finished this book, I wondered if I could have a favorite author after only one book. I haven't read any of his others yet, so I'm not sure, but if they're like this one then he will definitely be in the running!
I just wanted everyone to be happy...

It's hard, though, when everyone carries around a heart 

inside them that is so loud and so strong and so easily broken.

Review: "The Night Circus"

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
5 out of 5 stars

I've seen lots of "love it or hate it" reviews for this book, so I was kind of hesitant to start it. I'm so glad I finally did though. I am absolutely in the "love it" group. Before we get into my reasons though, let's start with the incredibly misleading Goodreads summary, because I think that is a big problem for most people who pick this book up.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

This book is not about the "fierce competition" or the "high stakes". The story spans about 30 years, set in the late 1800s, so this is obviously not a fast-paced book. There's no big climactic battle between the two magicians. The magicians aren't even the main character, in my opinion, and aren't truly fleshed out. If it's possible for an inanimate object to be a main character (and I do believe it is) then I would have to say that would be the circus itself in this story. It may not breathe or walk on its own, but it is definitely a living being. And that is what makes this story so special. The magical wonder of a circus that "arrives without warning" and is open from sundown to sunup and is designed in all black & white. "Le cirque des rêves", the circus of dreams, where anything can happen: from a maze of clouds to an ice garden to a tree of candle wishes. The imagery is just beautiful, so much that I had to create a Pinterest board just for it (may be spoilers). And since I don't have much more to say in this actual review, I'm going to share some of the pretties with you here! :)

First up, the official book trailer...although I much prefer this fanmade one by Zozomagod. That one may have some spoilers, so be warned if you haven't read it yet.

This perfectly illustrates the relationship between the two main characters and the magic of their meeting. "The Illusionist & The Assistant" by Smileys-4-Eva on DeviantART.

Poppet & Widget, two of my favorite characters. I believe this is by The-More-I-Arty on Tumblr, but if I am mistaken, please let me know! I also adore this one by *Pinkie-Perfect on DeviantART, but only click it if you have read the book already! (Minor details spoiled)

And I'm going to stop there, but leave you with this quote that I think sums up the book and my experience with it perfectly:

Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift. [...] Do not forget that... there are many kinds of magic, after all.