There are so many GREAT books out there.  My TBR stack is one-hundred books deep — that’s not a joke. But every now and then I want to read something familiar, something comfortable, something that makes me feel whatever it is I need to feel. 

Here are some of my tried and trues, the ones I’ve read several times and will probably re-read again very soon: 


1.  The Witch of Blackbird Pond. I read this book for the first time when I was in sixth grade and it’s stuck with me all these years.  It has a headstrong, courageous main character, witch hunts, a pretty sailor boy, and memorable side characters. I think this was the first time I had a crush on a fictional character.  Read it. Then come back and we’ll have a virtual book club about it. 




2.  Banner in the Sky. Again, another oldie, but a goodie. This book is about conquering insurmountable odds and courage and defying your parents to reach your goals. I think this is the first book that ever made me cry.


3.  City of Bones.  My BFF says that it’s embarrassing for a grown woman to claim a book with that cover as one of her favorites. Half-naked boy aside, I really do love this book, but probably not for reasons that you would expect.  I think of it like a manual.  You want to write tension?  Read Cassandra Clare.  You want to write a memorable love story?  Read Cassandra Clare.  You want to write an excellent first kiss?  Yep.  Read Cassandra Clare.  The greenhouse scene is the one I refer to every time I write a first kiss. The emotions, the use of other senses, the sheer perfectness of the setting.  Make fun all you wish, but I bet you won’t write anything that will succeed like this book has.  Unless you’re JK Rowling.  And if JK Rowling is reading this post then…Ohmygosh! JK Rowling is reading my blog!!



4.  Daughter of Smoke and Bone. You can hate urban fantasy, YA, all fiction books in general, and still recognize the quality of Laini Taylor’s writing. The vocabulary, the metaphors, the story telling, the characters — all of those things are fantastic.  It’s the kind of book that makes me want to delete every manuscript I’ve ever written because they will never compare.


5.  A Tree for Peter. That picture is from my personal copy of this very lovely children’s tale.  Originally published in 1941, A Tree for Peter tells a story of a little boy growing up in a shantytown outside a big city.  The setting is dark and dreary, but it is a story of hope.  With the help of an old vagabond — and maybe a figment of a lonely boy’s imagination — Peter finds beauty and light in a place where everything appears ugly and dark. My mother read this to us at Christmastime from my great grandmother’s old, beat up copy.  I found a copy a few years ago and am carrying the tradition on with my own little brood.  They love the story and the gorgeous illustrations just as much as I do. 

Are any of you re-readers? And if so, what are your favorite books to re-read? 

You guys know that I don’t review a book unless I have a LOT of good to say about it.  And I have a lot of good to say about THE CADET OF TILDOR by Alex Lidell.

Don’t let yourself be fooled by the cover copy.  This is not another tough-chick-kicks-boys’-butts book. And that’s probably one of the things I loved about it the most.  The main character, Renee de Winter, struggles to keep up with the boys.  Learning how to fight like a girl — and that doesn’t mean losing in combat — is a fantastic theme throughout the entire novel. 

So let’s break this down into categories of awesome:

Characters:  The cast is large; the characters are diverse and beautifully developed.  Renee is an MC that you cheer for through the story.  She’s a loyal friend, a devoted student, and a brave soldier, but that doesn’t mean she’s perfect.  In fact, she lets herself become enamored with one of her teachers, the uber-hot Korish Savoy, and some of the decisions she makes are not wise ones.

And while we’re on the subject of Savoy, can I just say yum-to-the-nth degree?  He’s complicated and a little off-putting, but that doesn’t diminish his bad boy appeal.  Except that he’s not bad.  He’s good and talented and smart and a great leader, all wrapped in a package of lean muscle.  

Tension:  Alex Lidell makes every paragraph drip with tension.  There is conflict between characters, there is conflict between factions (the world is divided into three very distinct groups with conflicting interests), there is a delicious moral conflict.  The book is long (I think it’s over 430 pages), but you never feel bogged down.  You want to know what happens next.  You have to turn the page.

Plot:  As mentioned above there is a LOT going on — this isn’t a simple story of a girl finding her way in a male-dominated profession.  Yes, that’s how the story starts but there are so many other layers.  There is also a lot of misdirection and intrigue.  You wonder, along with the characters, who is worthy of your trust and none of the issues are clearly delineated by good vs bad. 

World-building:  There is a magical element to The Cadet of Tildor, but it’s understated until the second half of the book.  I think that will appeal to readers who don’t necessarily love high-high fantasy elements.  It is well-explained and does play a relevant part of the story, but this isn’t a magic story.  It’s a story with magical elements. 

My only complaint, and it’s a very, very small one, is that I wanted more right away.  I wanted to see if there was any hope for romance between two specific characters. And after visiting the author’s website, I’m not positive if there is a sequel planned.  Hmpf.

Soooo…if you like Cinda Williams Chima’s Seven Realms series or Robin LaFever’s Grave Mercy, then you will probably enjoy The Cadet of Tildor. 

I certainly did. 

In other news, KATE SCOTT is the winner of the entire POSSESSION trilogy.  Congrats Kate!  I’m sure you’ll love it!  To redeem your prize, please email me at becky (underscore) vallett (at) hotmail (dot) com by July 10, 2013.  Thanks for participating.