Top Ten Tuesday: Most Recommended, 2023 Edition!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by the Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week the theme is most recommended books.

In my capacity as librarian, I do recommend a lot of books.

Dragon Masters by Tracey West (Rise of the Earth Dragon is first.), The Last Firehawk by Jeremy Norton (The Ember Stone is first.), and The Kingdom of Wrenly by Jordan Quinn (The Lost Stone is first.) are all really easy chapter book series.

These middle grade chapter books are more advanced but still very engaging: The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis, Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon, and The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy.

For teens who want some dark fairy tale retellings with a bit of romance: I’ve written about A Curse so Dark and Lonely recently but I think it has been a minute since I mentioned Shadow of the Fox. I enjoyed this trilogy.

Last but not least are a few adult options.

I’ve regularly recommended Jade City and then I’ve been recommending the trilogy as a whole. I love Fonda Lee’s young adult science fiction stuff but this trilogy was a major level-up. (I’m excited that in a recent conversation she said she’s working on science fiction again though.)

Since finishing the second season of Shadow and Bone, I’ve found myself recommending Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente again. It mixes Russian fairy tale and history in really interesting ways.

I’ve loved a few of Silvia Moreno-Garcia books so far but I recommend Gods of Jade and Shadow the most.