The Bookish Mindset

We all come to reading at different points in our lives and that’s truly wonderful. I was reading from a young age and even remember listening to some on tape too (always loved an audiobook). I have fond memories of reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with my mum and loving the songs. I read a lot in primary school and it was encouraged with quiet reading time and I remember being so proud of a bookmark that quoted “Shh! I’m reading!”.

The books I read when I was younger fall under similar themes: fantasy, adventure and escapism (let’s not look too much into that one, hello therapy!). I’ve already mentioned The Lord of Rings and I really did love it. I now love the films and will re-read them one day. But there were some other absolute stand outs that need a mention:

The Beyond the Deep Woods by Paul Stewart series had me absolutely hooked. The series just kept going and going and I’m pretty sure we even had a female main character at one point? The illustrations by Chris Riddell were stand out for me, to this date he’s still one of my favourite illustrators. The maps were always beautiful and I loved the adventure this series brought. I’m keen to re-read these one day.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is one of the first books I remember re-reading, I boasted about it on my High School application. The idea that books held stories and characters that could literally come alive blew me away and I’m sure this is why I’m imagine whatever I’m reading. The book itself felt utterly beautiful too, I treasured my copy. We won’t talk about the film.

I think Artemis Fowl by Eion Colfer was one of the first series with a bad ass female character, I was obsessed with Holly. I remember playing Artemis Fowl with friends behind the year three building and always being Holly. These books felt very clever at the time, aside from Mulch and his interesting digging and dirt removal techniques. I quite enjoyed the film remake, it wasn’t terrible!

Now to ones I’m sure you will have hear of: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. I had these from the get go and was obsessed with them. I have only recently found out I’ve been pronouncing Klaus’s name wrong. I think I remember having to loan out the second half the series to a family friend and never seeing them again. I will rectify that one day. Again, no talking about the film or series.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini always felt like a grown up book when I was younger. The cover felt serious, the series was full of thick books I felt like I was really getting somewhere in life. I think I only ever read the first three for whatever reason. Will I go back and finish the series? Maybe. I’m in no rush but I remember enjoying them. No film mentions, thank you.

There is absolutely no exaggeration when I tell you that Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman changed me. I read that book not totally understanding some of the adult content but it broke me. It’s the first book I remember crying at while reading and again the day after. I’m not sure what number I got up to in the series but I will absolutely be revisiting.

I’m sure there’s more I’m missing but those were really the stand out books for me. It’s such a shame that there were so few girls as main characters and such little diversity. My adult self definitely is doing the work reading YA fantasy, I often wonder how I would have turned out if I’d have read The Gilded Ones or This Poison Heart as a kid.

I’d love to know if we have any in common, did you read any of these growing up? What stood out for you?

Time is running out to enter my reading challenge, check it out here! Read nine books from nine prompts over the first six months of the year and be entered into a draw to win a bundle of bookish goodies.

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And don’t forget to check out my other blogs and reviews – you can find books with similar themes in the same folder link below, or click back onto blogs to see the whole offering.

Last updated 21/05/2025