vampires, and dragons, and witches... oh my!

i've been reading a LOT ever since i graduated and have rediscovered the freedom of reading for pleasure! if you are at all into fantasy books - and i'm not talking the aliens invade earth kind - then here are some suggestions of the series i've been reading!

1. the twilight series by stephenie meyer: i'm sure you've all heard the hype, but i started reading these books this time last year. they were not nearly as popular as they are now, but i had recommendations from resalin and keely so i read them.... and fell in love. yes, they're about vampires, but they really are more of the romance genre. bella swan moves to forks, washington to live with her dad and falls in with a group of vampires who live as humans (or at least as close as possible) and feed on animal instead of human blood. the series is four books long, and a very easy read. even though it falls in the young adult category, it is not too tweeny for adults to read, and if you haven't yet read them, i highly highly reccomend that you do!

2. the house of night series by p.c. and kristin cast: this is another set of vampire books, also recomended to me by keely. they are more geared to the young adult scene, but if you can get past some of the silly words and phrases, they are an even easier read than the twilight books. so far four of the books are out and the fifth will be out in march i believe. the series is to be nine books long and there is talk of a movie! in the HON books, humans are aware of the vampires existence and they coincide peacefully for the most part. the main character, zoey redbird exhibits exraordinary powers and like aunt mae said in spiderman, "with great power comes great responsibility." zoey is tested and makes many mistakes, but she learns from them and stays focused on the means to a good end.

well enough about vampires... now on to dragons!

3. the inheritance cycle by christopher paolini: the first book in this series, eragon, was made into a movie, but did not do very well, which is no indication of the quality of the book! the author graduated high school at 15 and became a new york times bestseller at 19 with this book. he created an entire new world with humans, elves, dwarves, and dragons... all with their own languages! eragon becomes a dragon rider and is destined to fight against the evil leader of alagaesia. the first two books are easy to read; however, i had a little more trouble with the third. it could have been that so much time passed between reading the second and third that it was difficult to get back into the story, but by the end of brisingr i was ready for the fourth book! if i were you, i'd wait until the fourth is almost ready for release so you can read them back to back.

4. the gemma doyle trilogy by libba bray: another recomendation from keely - are we seeing a pattern? - this series is set in victorian london. gemma doyle has just turned 16 and her entire world changes with the death of her mother and a sudden move from her home in india to london, where she will attend the spence academy for girls. she discovers a magical world through a newfound power and must navigate through these realms and the danger that comes with holding the magic. gemma must also deal with the pressures of being a young lady of good standing in society along with family troubles.

i hope that you do give these books a chance, even if you aren't normally a reader of "fantasy." books on the list to be read are, in no particular order:
1. the blue bloods series by melissa de la cruz
2. his dark materials trilogy by philip pullman
3. enchantment by orson scott card
4. the ender's game series by orson scott card
5. and any suggestions that you might have...