books Archives - Page 3 of 102 - Better Than Dreams

Fairytale retellings are my jam. Actually, I’m not a big fan of jam. So maybe not. Anyway. Fairytale retellings! I am absolutely obsessed with fairytale retellings and have been since my first year of university. I adore them. I haven’t read any for a while, despite having several on my TBR, but there are far more than ten with a place in my heart, so writing this was tricky…

1. ‘The Bloody Chamber’, by Angela Carter, from The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories – Beautiful, beautiful story from the queen of fairytale retellings. It’s Bluebeard, deliciously told and with a feminist twist.

2. ‘Puss in Boots’, by Angela Carter, from The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories – ‘The Bloody Chamber’ is gorgeous but it’s actually ‘Puss in Boots’ that is my favourite. It’s narrated BY THE CAT! There’s lust, there’s love, it’s masses of fun! I LOVE IT.

3. Valiant, by Holly Black – Val goes through hell and kicks butt and it’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ without the nasty stink of Stockholm Syndrome.

4. ‘Snow’, by Francesca Lia Block, from The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold – it hits on a lot of standard FLB tropes but it’s a perfect retelling of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’.

5. Spindle’s End, by Robin McKinley – a retelling of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ that managed to be both epic and down to earth, being from the point of view of both the cursed princess and the fairy that’s trying to save her life and the kingdom.

6. Jack, the Giant Killer, by Charles de Lint – Jack is actually Jacky, and Jack is also a job description. I keep meaning to read more Charles de Lint but his books are not well stocked by libraries.

7. Ash, by Malinda Lo – a quietly beautiful retelling of Cinderella.

8. ‘The Kith of the Elf-Folk’ by Lord Dunsany (out of copyright, so click to read) – ‘The Little Mermaid’ except the Little Mermaid realises that being human is actually kind of rubbish compared to being a mermaid…

9. ‘Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf’, by Roald Dahl, from Revolting Rhymes – “The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers…” perfect.

10. Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones – possibly the only retelling ever to make me cry!

If you enjoyed this you’ll probably also like to read my previous post, Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Characters in Modern Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Retellings.

Let me know in a comment if you did this week’s topic, and please leave recommendations for fairytale retellings you think I should read! Top Ten Tuesday was created and is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

It’s been a great year for reading and me! I read way more books than I expected to, and (re)discovered some really fabulous authors. So without further preamble, I present:

My Top Ten Books Read in 2014 (in the order I read them)

1. The Worst Girlfriend in the World, by Sarra Manning

Sarra Manning is one of my favourite authors of all time so it was no surprise that I adored this. I loved it so much that when I finished reading it I wanted to start over again from the beginning! I think fans old and new will find plenty to love about this novel, which follows the (mis)adventures of would-be fashion designer Franny and her best friend Alice, from tiny seaside town to big city.

2. Adaptation, by Malinda Lo

Need the sequel, like, yesterday. Cool twist on the love triangle. And (redacted spoilery thing)!

3. Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell

I FINALLY got around to reading Fangirl, and I loved it. If you want to read a story about fanfic and university and first, incredibly awkward romantic adventures, you should definitely read Fangirl.

4. We Were Liars, by E Lockhart

This is actually my least favourite E Lockhart book. But that still makes it better than most other books. Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for YA, barely a day has gone by without someone gasping excitedly about it on Twitter.

5. Murder Most Unladylike, by Robin Stevens

Boarding school! MURDER! Friendship! Bunbreaks! MURDER!

6. The Diviners, by Libba Bray

This is so gorgeous I swooned over almost every page. I had mixed feelings about the Gemma Doyle trilogy by the end (although overall I loved it) but it looks like The Diviners will avoid all those issues. Thrilled that the sequel is coming out next year!

7. White Cat, by Holly Black

I love this series and this is one hell of an opener. The magic system is unique and the characters vivid and real. Very much recommended.

8. Through the Ever Night/Into the Still Blue, by Veronica Rossi

I loved both the second and the third books in this trilogy, which began with Under the Never Sky. Aria is one of my favourite protagonists ever.

9. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me, by Sarra Manning

This book was highly hyped and with good reason. It was published in 2011 but it took me this long to read it as I was hoping to find the *good cover* in a bookshop (I don’t trust online shops to send me the right one!). Eventually I gave up and borrowed it from the library, and I’m very glad I did as I needed Neve, Max, Keith and all their family and friends in my life.

10. My True Love Gave To Me, edited by Stephanie Perkins

Finally a short story collection by novelists that isn’t mediocre! A wonderful diverse seasonal anthology that stole my heart and wrapped it in tinsel.

Honorary mentions go to two non-fiction books (I didn’t read enough non-fic for a proper non-fic list): The Bookshop Book, by Jen Campbell, though I still have a few pages to read, and Story, by Robert McKee – my god, I finally understand plotting thanks to this book!

Last year I did my top books list in a Bookish Brits video:

This year, we have done a series of videos talking about our favourite 2014 books in different categories. To watch, just press play below:

Did any of these books make it onto your top ten?

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