Book Recommendations from January and February

Ah yes, my literary dragons! The time has come for Dalriana to spew out a long list of books that you have to read right now no it's not buts no maybes. Here are some book recommendations (in no particular order) from January and February.

Photo by Alex Loup on Unsplash

We'll dive right in, shall we?

1. The Chronicles of Prydian by Lloyd Alexander 
Genre: Fantasy 
The books are set in the fantasy land, Prydian, which is based off of Medieval Wales. All the names are also welsh-inspired. The first book was harder to get through then the other ones. At first, I didn't like the main character, Taran, but after you become acclimated to the story, they're very enjoyable! There are five books in the series and I enjoyed them all immensely.

2. The Silver Spoon by Hiromu Arakawa 
Manga Comic 
This comic follows Hachiken, who is just beginning a year in a dairy program. It's widely about his hilarious experiences on this enormous college for farming. It sounds boring, but trust me, it's hilarious. It offers interesting experiences, awesome characters who are extraordinarily relateable, great friendships and lots of animals.This comic is absolutely hilarious and extremely enjoyable. I've only read the first one, but I think there are 14 volumes. Easy read. Highly recommend. :)

3. Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis 

Genre: Myth/Legend 
Till We Have Faces is a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche but from Psyche's half-sister, Orual's, point of view. It;s a absolutely fascinating take on an old myth. Both my sister and myself have read this book and I enjoyed it all the way through. Just read it, that's all I gotta say.

4. Mystery and Manners by Flannery O'Connor
This is a short book of essays on writing as well as some short stories. I HIGHLY recommend this book to any writer. I just finished it as a matter of fact, and it got me out of a huge rut. It is very inspirational and offers very beneficial advice on writing.

5. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Genre: Fantasy
Set in Medieval Russia, this book follows Vasya, who can see and speak with mythical creatures from Russian mythology. With her mother dead and Father remarried, the peace in their hamlet is beginning to erode and an ancient spirit begins to wake in the forest. This book was mixed for me. There were aspects that I LOVED and other aspects that I disapproved of. And the negatives were pretty strong, but so were the positives. I'd advise you to read the book with a grain of salt, or consider it with a purely critical point of view. It's the first of the Winternight Trilogy, though this is the only one I have read and I'm not sure if I will continue reading the trilogy.

Let me know if you want a book review about this, because I would love to write one! (Also I have a LOT to say about this book, pros and cons, so....)

So, this list did not end up being too long. January and February were both busy months for me overall and I couldn't scrape out a lot of time for free reading between school, dance and multiple projects. 

I will have another list of book recommendations out in two months for March and April. 
Lemme know if you would like any movie/show/anime recommendations too, because I'm positively brimming with those. Hehe...hehe...

*Update* 
>I have an article on In Defense of Thieves coming out next week 
>I also have a SHORT story coming out the last week of February, so that'll be fun! 
>I updated my posting schedule and if you haven't seen that yet, feel free to check it out on my homepage! 

Alright, that's all for today folks! 
Have a nice weekend. :)

Let's Chat! 
1. Have you read any of these books? If so, what do you think of them? 
2. What are some of your book recommendations from the past two months?