Hey, friends!
It’s been a bit since I’ve done a blog tag or a book post, and then I saw this one on Liesl’s blog, Quote Unquote, so I thought I’d give it a try. Enjoy reading all my bookish thoughts!
your favorite book of all time
This was such a hard choice because I have so many favorite books but I think it comes down to Holly’s Heart by Beverly Lewis. I’ve been reading this series for years, and I don’t think I will ever stop re-reading them. Holly and I have so much in common, and when you finish the series – or even one book – you feel like you have a new best friend. If you’re looking for books for tweens or younger teens, I’d recommend this series over and over again!
your favorite book five years ago
Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright, for sure. I read this book for school for the first time, and have read it a few times a year ever since. This sweet summery story follows Julian and Portia, two cousins who discover a swamp that was once an elegant lake resort. I love all of Elizabeth Enright’s writing, and the sequel to this, Return to Gone Away Lake, is just as good as the first book.
your favorite duology/trilogy/series
I love so many different series but my favorite is most likely The Penderwicks. The first book in the series is about four sisters, and their dog Hound, and the adventures they have on their summer vacation in Arendale. The first three books are the best, in my opinion. If you love Little Women or Anne of Green Gables, you will love this series.
the last book you read
Crossing the Pressure Line was a book I picked up at Barnes and Noble this summer, and only got around to reading now. The story follows Clare Burch, a twelve-year-old girl who just lost her grandfather. There were a few things I didn’t love about the book, but overall, it was a cute story and you can’t help rooting for Clare.
the last book of poetry you read
I honestly don’t read poetry, at all, except for school. The last book of poetry I read was Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. I finished it on May 19th last year, so like I said, I don’t read poetry that much. This book was beautiful, though. It’s set in the Great Depression and is the story of fourteen-year-old Billie Jo, growing up in Oklahoma, during the Dust Bowl. Out of the Dust is an inspiring and heartbreaking read, and I enjoyed it.
a book that most influenced your life
Other than the Bible, I have to say The Boxcar Children. These books – especially the newer ones – are very cliche and not the best writing, but this series is what originally inspired my love for books and made me want to be an author, which has brought me so much! Until the latest book was released a few, I had all 163 of them, and many of the super specials and other series. When I was seven or eight, I planned to ghost-write Boxcar Children books, but make them more interesting and better. 😉 There have been so many books that have influenced me, but in the end, The Boxcar Children probably influenced me the most.
a book that made you cry
Belle Prater’s Boy by Ruth White; I wasn’t expecting this book to be so sad, but then I got to the end, and I couldn’t help crying. It is such a beautifully heartbreaking story, Woodrow is so sweet, and Gyspy made me laugh and cry. I’ve been waiting to get my hands on a copy of the sequel, The Search for Belle Prater.
a book that made you laugh
Henry Huggins by Beverly Clearly; I’ve been listening to this book again for the first time in a long time, and Henry’s constant way of getting into trouble, his adventures with Ribsy, and his problems with Ramona will always make me laugh.
a book you dnf’d
If you can’t tell, I re-read a lot, like 75% of the books I read are books I’ve already read before. I’m working on getting myself to try new books except the thing with a lot of newer middle-grade fic is that there are things I don’t like in it and then I don’t want to waste my time reading a book I’m not liking. Summer at Meadow Wood by Amy Rebekah Tan was one of those. I started out enjoying it, and then there was an LBTQ+ main character, and the constant taking of God’s name in vain was bothering me, so I stopped reading it.
a book you are excited to read
My most recent writing project is set in the U.S. during World War 2 and since my last three projects have been set in WW1 and right after, I’ve been reading a lot of WW2 books for research. Nothing Else but Miracles by Kate Albus is set in Brooklyn during that time, and I’ve heard it’s a good book, so I’m excited to read it!
now, it’s your turn!
If you want to keep up with what I’m reading, go check out my Goodreads! I’d love to know your answer to any one of the questions from this post in the comments!
Hiii Pearl! So cool! I’ll answer some questions
Fav book of all time
probly if your sayin single books, Close to Famous by Joan Bauer or Glitch by Laura Martin. (Shoutout to Cal from the podcast Cal’s Corner who recommended it go check her out rn shes amazing) Lol lil tangent there, moving on
Favorite series
Wings Of Fire!!! Then Keeper Of The Lost Cities and Warriors as my runner-ups, and i also love the Penderwicks, Pearl, it was read-aloud in my 4th grade class, one of the only good ones XD ive read the whole series its so good!
A book that made me cry:
Path Of Stars (Its actually one of the many warriors books, lol) i cried twice during it LOL , for singles i’d say Focused by Alyson Gerber
Fav Duology: the Firefly Code by Megan Frazer Blakemore
Favorite trilogy: i love trilogies, maybe then, Above World, by Jenn Reese.
My fav book 5 years ago, idk…. i think Dragon Masters, this dumb beginning readers series. Ok ok maybe it wasn’t dumb, I still kinda like it, but there are waaaaayyyy better books out there lol
And yes ill definitely check out your Goodreads <3
ooh, loved reading your answers!! thanks for commenting, hannah 🫶🏻
Wow, there’s so many MG books in here that I’ve never heard of but sound so interesting!! Thanks for putting this together, Pearl! I love stories that make me cry, so I will definitely be trying to find Belle Praters Boy 😊 The cover looks so sweet 🥹 A book that makes me cry every time I read/listen to it is Nest by Esther Ehlrich. So good but so heartbreaking 😭
aw yay!! i’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🫶🏻 belle prater’s boy is amazing, and i would definitely recommend it. nest has been on my tbr for so long, maybe i’ll finally get around to reading it sometime. 😂 thank you so much for commenting, emily!! 🤍
Haha, I relate to “75% of the books I read are books I’ve already read before.” I’m trying to branch out a little more, so I ask for book recs, or if I see something interesting I research it on pluggedin.com or ask for CWs on it in Reading Like Writers on YDubs. It’s a helpful way avoid books I don’t want to read.
I have the first Holly’s Heart collection, but I haven’t read it yet. I guess I’m a little scared to, after reading other collections like Christy Miller (by Robin Jones Gunn). XD
I also have Belle Prater’s Boy but haven’t read it yet. XD I have lots of books I need to read.
I definitely agree that the first three Penderwick books are the best. The first two are my favorites, but after book three, it’s not as good. Still enjoyable, but not as good.
A book that most influenced my life I’d have to say is the Nancy Drew series. We own all fifty-six, and I’ve read every one of them (most of them multiple times). Sadly, I cannot read them anymore because they are cliche and cringy to me, but they are still like pure gold. They were the books that made me fall in love with reading. 💜
yes, i agree! i always check CWs before i read anything, except the frustrating thing is there is a lot of times content that wasn’t mentioned in the reviews. goodreads can be really helpful for this, especially if you have friends who list really indepth CWs. 🙂
ahh girl you need to read holly’s heart! i read it and loved it, and wanted more books like it so i tried christy miller because supposedly, it’s similar. let me tell you, it isn’t at all, haha. i think you would really enjoy holly’s heart!
aww that’s so fun! i love nancy drew 🙂 thank you so much for commenting!! 🫶🏻
Ooo that is a solid list Pearl!!! I love it!! So much fun!!
thank you!! 🤍
Favorite book of all time: Oof, I can never decide on my favorite SINGLE book of all time! Maybe
Favorite book five years ago: I think it was The Wizard of Oz. I was eight five years ago and obsessed with the Scarecrow *fp*
Favorite duology/trilogy/series: I usually answer favorite book of all time with this: Lord of the Rings! They are literally the best books I’ve ever read lol but Ranger’s Apprentice and KOTLC come close.
Last book you read: I just reread Anne of the Island last night lol I love the Anne books so much!
Last book of poetry you read: I honestly don’t read many books of poetry, just scattered poetry here and there, so I can’t exactly answer this question.
A book that influenced your life: Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS EVER! I RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE!
A book that made you cry: Okay, so I cry with a LOT of books – The Icebound Land by John Flanagan, Everblaze by Shannon Messenger, Son by Lois Lowry… and my own books!!! So I can’t choose just one. Though the books that make me cry the most are probably my own.
A book that made you laugh: Can I just say KOTLC? Because I’m laughing on every other page with those books.
A book you dnf’d: Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan. I read Percy Jackson and loved it and went on to the next series, but by the end of The House of Hades one of the characters was revealed to be LGBTQ+ so I had to stop.
A book you are excited to read: Shadow by Kara Swanson. Still reading Dust lol but I can’t wait to be done and read the next one!
ooh, i’ll have to look into stepping heavenward! i adored son by lois lowry- such a good book! and ugh, i hate when at the end of a series there’s content and you have to stop reading. it’s so frustrating. thank you so much for reading & commenting! 🤍
This was so fun to read, Pearl! I feel like I really got to know you more, and I now have a few more books to check out! I’m with you, I love rereading books. There’s a handfull of books that we have that I have read so. many. times! Haha.
so glad you enjoyed it! and yesss, why read it just once when you can read it over and over again??
Hi Pearl! Should I get a goodreads account? Is it free + worth it? I have a wattpad account which I never use, and all the other sites I have accounts on are tech support and/or blogging websites lol
i love goodreads! it’s free, and really nice to use to track the books you’ve read or want to read. it’s a bit confusing at first, but i would def recommend it. i just saw your friend request and approved it! <3
Heyyy Pearl!! I sent you a friend request! I wont tell you my full name here, but just know Hannah is the first name
Hi, Pearl! I just discovered your blog, and I just want to say: LOVE the aesthetic and theme. I always love hearing about others’ favorite books, and I was interested to see that I don’t know any of these books except The Boxcar Children and the Bible, of course. 🙂
hi reesa! so glad you found my blog and like it. 🤍🤍 i hope you enjoy reading the books!