Top Ten Books On My TBR From Before I Started Blogging

Okay, so I'm gonna cheat on this topic. I've been blogging off and on for like 5 years, and I had a blog before this one. But I decided to include titles on my TBR that I haven't read from before I started being more active on this blog (so, like, December of 2015). While compiling this list, I just kept thinking, "Wow, how haven't I read this book yet?"There are some major throwback books on this list!

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kandare Blake - People were raving about this when it first came out, and I love all things spooky so I knew I needed to read it. I bought it, but I still haven't read it. Maybe this October will be my time???

Uprooted by Naomi Novik - I've had this on my Goodreads shelf since November 2015, and I just know that everyone is in love with it. ONE DAY, MY FRIENDS. ONE DAY.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer - Listen, I read an ARC of Cinder and really enjoyed it. I was so excited for the rest of the series, but I ended up losing track of the series and never got around to reading them, but I WANT TO SO BADLY. I need to buy the entire series and binge read them all.

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins - I was all over this the second Rachel Hawkins announced this book, having adored her Hex Hall series. Well, now the entire trilogy is released and I still have not read book 1.

Everneath by Brodi Ashton - To be honest, I feel like this novel is kind of irrelevant now. It was really popular when it first came out, but nobody talks about it anymore. GUESS WHAT, THOUGH. I bought the first book a while back and I just recently bought the other 2 books and will I ever read it? The world may never know.

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers - I OWN THIS ENTIRE TRILOGY...SIGNED. I don't even know how this happened, but it did. I like won the first 2 books signed from different giveaways, and then I figured I might as well buy a signed copy of the last book. I even started reading this book, but I never finished it for some reason.

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent - I've heard really great things about this series. Some bloggers were saying it was their favorite book series ever. So I added it to my TBR and when I saw the series was being released in volumes, I bought the first 3 (which is the first 6 books) and I still haven't opened them up.

Legend by Marie Lu - I swear, I contemplate reading this book every day of my life. I read part of it a couple years back and loved it, but I think I'm secretly waiting until I acquire the entire trilogy so I can binge-read, but I don't feel like buying the other books. It doesn't really make sense but my brain is a complicated place.

Take Me On by Katie McGarry - I LOVE KATIE MCGARRY SO MUCH THERE ARE NO EXCUSES FOR THIS.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - I have no idea what this book is about but I know tons of people are obsessed with it, and even now people talk about it on BookTube all. the. time.

Flashback Friday #1: Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Left-Handed Book Lover's first Flashback Friday. I'm not sure if this feature has been done on other blogs. I haven't seen it, but if it has been, let me know so I can give some credit! 

FF is a feature here where I talk about books I read a while ago but still want to give major love to. This feature is designed to give some exposure to books that may have been forgotten about or that some people haven't heard of, even though they're really great! 

This week's FF goes to...

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

(Hex Hall #1)

Published: March 2, 2010 by Hyperion 

Summary from Goodreads:
Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father—an elusive European warlock—only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tag-along ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

When did I read this?  

I'm pretty sure I read the first book in this series in ninth grade, which was probably about 2010. It's crazy that I read this five years ago, but I still remember sitting on the couch reading it, still remember specific phrases that stuck out to me while I was reading. There are three books, and I am not sure when I finished the series, but I'd guess around 2013. 

Why did I pick this book? 

This book is so much fun! It's got a magical boarding school, demons, romance, and sarcasm everywhere! And honestly, the books get better as the trilogy progresses. The characters in this series are fantastic. A feisty protagonist, a lesbian vampire best friend. a talking mirror, and cute boys that will both steal your heart. It's an awesome combination. Add to that some pretty good worldbuilding and you've got yourself a zinger of a series. 

This used to be pretty popular, but as the third book came out in 2012, it has kind of fallen off the radar and that is a damn shame. Reading this series was truly an adventure, and I can remember that adventure, and think fondly on it, even years later. 

There is also a spin-off book that I am absolutely crazy about! 

I'm telling you, this series is so worth a shot. I know it's just another one of those paranormal books that was released during the paranormal craze, but it really is tons of fun and addicting. Honestly, writing this post has made me want to go re-read the entire series because it's so fracking goooood!

Also, look how cool the covers are!

READ ITTTTT!

Other info--

Books in the series:

Hex Hall (#1)

Demonglass (#2)

Spell Bound (#3)

School Spirits (spin-off)

Author info:

Rachel Hawkins was born in Virginia and raised in Alabama. This means she uses words like "y'all" and "fixin'" a lot, and considers anything under 60 degrees to be borderline Arctic. Before deciding to write books about kissing and fire (and sometimes kissing while on fire), Rachel taught high school English for 3 years, and is still capable of teaching you The Canterbury Tales if you're into that kind of thing.

She is married to a geologist, which means that they have incredibly strange dinner conversations ("So today at work, I wrote a chapter where killer fog, like, ATE PEOPLE." "Huh. Well, I was chased by an angry reindeer while trying to map parts of Norway." "Um...okay.")

Rachel also has a little boy whose main hobbies are playing video games, running around in circles, and plotting his Future Intergalactic Take-Over.

When not writing books, Rachel enjoys reading, travelling, and knitting (very terribly.)

~ follow her on the twitter ~