Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Pulled me Out of a Reading Slump

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish,
Now, hosted by Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl 

To take part, just pick your top ten, and add the link here.

   I sat at my computer for over an hour trying to think of what I could do for "bookish memories" and I kept coming up blank. I've never been to a convention, I've never been to a book signing, I honestly don't remember most of the books I read as a small child even though I know I read a lot before middle school, and little in middle school. 

   So, I just went rogue. Here are some of the books that have pulled me out of a reading slump. 

*****

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn - In hindsight, there are a few flaws in this book. But since it pulled me out of a 3-month reading slump, I can overlook them. It is a debut novel, and I am very excited to see how she improved when the sequel comes out next year.

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid - There were so few flaws in this book, and I fully enjoyed every moment in this book. It was so good, and I can't wait to read what she writes next. I was reading books before I read this one, but I wasn't really enjoying any of them. This book blew me away. 

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor - I will literally read anything she writes. These short stories were dark, whimsical, enchanting, and I think this book is criminally underrated compared to her other books. If you like any of her books, read this.

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend - This book more reinvigorated my love for Middle Grade. Before this book, I had read some mediocre middle-grade, and I was starting to think that the genre just wasn't for me anymore. But this book was so magical and whimsical. I love everything about this book and series. When I read this book, I got the same feeling I got the first time I read Harry Potter. 

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black - I know people hate this series now... for some reason. Whatever, I loved this book. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting based on how people talked about it, but I liked what it ended up being more than what my expectations were. Less bully romance/hate-to-love more, court espionage and spycraft. Yeah, there was kind of an underlying "romance" but it wasn't the focus of the book. 

The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon - When I read this book, the third in the Bone Season series, I wasn't really remembering any of the books I was reading. I was kind of just reading books because they were either free Kindle Downloads or "read now" books from NetGalley. Neither were very memorable. I had this one on my shelf, and kind of on a whim decided to continue the series. And I'm so glad I did... It was great. 

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young - A NetGalley gem. The premise sounded interesting, but it turned out to be so much more than I thought it was going to be. I could barely put it down. This was the first Norse-inspired book I read. 

The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle - The thing that stands out to me still to this day with this book, is how weird it was. I want to re-read it. But the mythology used in this book was really interesting. And it's set near Puget Sound, which isn't anywhere near where I live, but I am familiar with the area, so I felt a small connection to the story.

The Falconer by Elizabeth May - Probably one of the more interesting takes on the Fae-lore. Set in 1844 Edinburgh, Scotland. Our heroine hunts and kills fae who seek to harm other humans. There is some romance, but I really like how it was handled in the series. 

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - Just a book that once I started reading, every other book I had read just melted away and seemed to pale in comparison. There's an element to the plot that isn't mentioned, that a few people who read this book expecting a lot of magic, were let down by. There's a lot of commentary on religion, and some people weren't expecting that and it made the book not as enjoyable for them. 

I personally thought it was a really interesting commentary, as somebody who used to go to church.