Book Appreciation: The Beginning

Posted on Apr 27, 2018 by Cat

For a while now I’ve been wanting to give appreciation to the books that set off my wild and thrilling love affair with the written world. Whilst, as a young child, I had a collection of Disney books with focus on princesses and the like, I didn’t properly succumb to the wiles of paper-bound delights until just before I entered the hardships of those dreadful teenage years.

One particular Christmas morning I was smacked in the face (not literally) with a black cover, from which a sinister red spider stared, enticing me to delve into the story contained within.

The first five instalments of the Darren Shan Saga! This series revolves around a boy that becomes heavily involved with an illegal freak show that’s made up of real supernatural creatures.

Much to my surprise, I quickly became obsessively engrossed, and from then on, I started collecting what I could get my hands on. The internet wasn’t available to me at the time, so I had to make do with a small YA section of a store. I didn’t complain; it actually had some good stuff!

The first five instalments of the Night World series! With strong emphasis on supernatural creatures, it’s primary focus is romance, with each addition involving a new teenage protagonist finding their “soulmate”.

The first five instalments of the Wicca series! The concept of this series is all about witchcraft, and a teenage girl discovering her hidden power.

I still have these beloved books safely tucked away, but I don’t think I’ll ever read them again, as I don’t want to sully that blissful nostalgia. I mean, there’s the possibility that I wouldn’t even like them now, as my tastes over the years have drastically changed.

Other than those long-running series’ I became invested in, I also picked up some standalone novels. For the life of me I can’t remember most of them, apart from one!

burning issy — More witchcraft, placed in a historical setting.

I’ll forever be grateful to these authors, as they’re responsible for bringing me happiness and wonder in a difficult time. I admittedly didn’t have many friends, and without much of a social life, I spent a significant amount of time indoors, so reading became something very special.

Darren Shan Series by Darren Shan

Night World Series by L.J. Smith

Wicca Series by Cate Tiernan

Burning Issy by Melvin Burgess

What books got you into reading? What’s the earliest books you can remember? Let me know, I’m genuinely interested!

Thanks for reading!

Red xx

Category: Personal TopicsTags: blog, blogging, book review, book reviews, books, bookworm, Burning Issy, Cate Tiernan, Cirque Du Freak, Darren Shan, Darren Shan Saga, L. J. Smith, Melvin Burgress, Night World, novel, Personal Topics, reading, review, reviews, Wicca Series, YA fantasy, YA lit, Young Adult Book Reviews

6 Comments on “Book Appreciation: The Beginning”

Ichabod Temperance
Apr 27, 2018

‘The Three Investigators’

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- redlacereviews
  Apr 28, 2018
  
  Alfred Hitchcock? Did you dream of solving mysteries when you grew up? 😀
  
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Ichabod Temperance
Apr 28, 2018

Pete Crenshaw, Bob Something and Jupiter Jones. Yeah, I wanted to be in that crew when i was young. I was so proud to be reading on that level when I was small. 🙂

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barksbknonsense (@barksbknonsense)
Apr 30, 2018

This is such a great post. I loved reading your horror origin story 🙂 Mine began with King, Koontz, McCammon, Barker’s Books of Blood and those old Charles Grant, William Johnstone & Ruby Jean Jensen books, I wish I had kept them all!

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- redlacereviews
  May 2, 2018
  
  You sure did jump all in! I feel like I haven’t even skimmed the surface of what’s out there in terms of horror. Too many books, not enough years to live. 😀
  
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