The ABC Book Challenge – F

Hey, everyone! Welcome back to another ABC Book Challenge post. I decided to do this to add more variety to the blog and also because it looked incredibly fun (and so far, it is!). Once again, thank you to Sofii @A Book. A Thought. for introducing this tag to me, and for her support. You should definitely check out her blog if you haven’t already!

Here’s the challenge: Every week (though I have not strictly been following this, haaaa), I’ll have a post sharing my most favorite titles as well as those on my current TBR list that start with the corresponding letter. (For weird letters like Q, X, and Z, I might have to bend the rules a little and just have those letters somewhere in the title, but we’ll see.)

This week is the letter F!

Favorite Titles That Start with “F”

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was, of course, a school read. Middle school, I think–but I loved it so much. Not only was it my first foray into dystopian lit, but this is the book that showed me just how strongly I felt about censorship and how against it I am in nearly every circumstance. It was less of a lesson and more of a revealed truth about myself. The imagery and warnings are nothing short of well done; Bradbury knows how to write a compelling book, for sure. Also, the Hulu film with Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon is choice, I have to say.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley couldn’t not be on this list. Shelley invented sci-fi and horror with Frankenstein, something I must always pay homage to in utter gratefulness, and this novel only reinforced my love of gothic literature. I was happy to finally read the book that pop culture referenced so much–and got so much wrong. I remember being in awe of the monster, who spoke so eloquently even as he was in abject pain, rejected by his creator Victor Frankenstein, who clearly didn’t think his little experiment through. It’s so tragic, but it makes you ponder over human nature, too. I love it to pieces.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes was another book I was subjected to in school, and I’m really not sure why it was on the curriculum, but… I’m glad it was. This book had me completely bawling my eyes out; I felt as deeply for Charlie as I did for Algernon, the lab mouse, and again, I don’t know why this was on the curriculum?? To teach us empathy??? Well, mission accomplished, because I empathized all over this book. It’s also one of the best examples of a story told well through diary entries, so if that’s your thing, I’d definitely recommend it. Just have some tissues handy.

Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes is, by far, the best book of the Falling Kingdoms series for me. To be honest, I have a love/hate affair with this kiddy Game of Thrones. On the one hand, the world and world-building are pretty cool, and I love and root for Cleo and Magnus to death, both as individual characters and as a ship. But on the other hand, the majority of the rest of the characters are boring or straight-up annoying to me, and the *surprise stabbing* trope that Rhodes likes to pull for killing off characters got old, hmm… about two books ago. However, Frozen Tides will always have a special place in my heart because the Magneo, “will they, won’t they” drama was at an all-time high, and the payoff was so good.

Forever Evil: Arkham War by Peter J. Tomasi, Scot Eaton, and Jaime Mendoza was an unexpectedly good read for me. I didn’t hear about many good things coming out of the New 52 comic run, but I picked this one up after a friend recommended it to me, and it was awesome. First, it’s one of the few comics that features Bane being anything other than a mindless brute doped up on venom. Second, it’s full of villains galore as the inmates of Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison have all escaped, and they’re fighting Bane and his army for territory. Pretty typical plot, sure, but the Batman villains are some of my absolute favorites, so I’ll read anything about them all day long. Plus, at one point, Killer Croc carries Scarecrow out of the sewers, bridal-style, and this is peak content. I adore crazy scenarios like this.

Books on My TBR List That Start with “F”

See kids, sometimes books you read in school do become your favorites. It’s all about the experience, I guess (but also if you have a really great teacher). But oh boy, look at all I have to read. Still no improvement there. I should really think about doing something about that.

Which of my favorites have you read that you loved? Are there any on my TBR list you’d recommend become a priority for me, stat? Let me know!

Photo Credit: Paul Schafer