In 2012, I watched, and loved The Hunger Games. I loved it so much, I bought the book the following day, and loved that as much! Since then, I have read a cavalcade of amazing books over the past decade. So I thought I would share some of these books with you; in the first of a new list series. Basically, this list isn’t a rating list, it’s more a selection of Awesome things I read/saw/heard/did over the last decade, and instead of putting them in a unique selective order, I thought I would just give you an awesome collection in the form of a top 10 list. As far as you really need to know, all of these are Awesome things; in this case: Books!
It also means I could do more of these kinds of lists in the future, and not have to worry about the chosen item’s positions in an ongoing list. So, lets great straight to it; here are some Awesome Books I read in the last decade (2010 – 2019).
10. Micro (Michael Crichton) – The first of two Michael Crichton books on this list. I first read a Michael Crichton book in 2014, when I read Jurassic Park for research purposes for my University degree in Creative Writing. Jurassic Park was really good, but Micro was really the first time I read one of his books from the perspective of not seeing the movie beforehand: currently Micro doesn’t have one. Crichton wrote the first third of the book before he sadly passed away in 2008, with Richard Preston being hired to complete it. It takes the reader on a great adventure through a different kind of world, but it still features great and researched knowledge on the subject, whilst still providing Crichton’s trademark of in-depth science fiction; which is both interesting to read, but doesn’t hinder the plot!
9. Fir (Sharon Gosling) – In 2018, I was struggling to really enjoy what I was reading, as my mind was more focussed on reaching my reading goal on Goodreads. But then, I threw that out of the window; and read two terrific books in a row. I just settled down and enjoyed what I was reading, rather than trying to read it quickly. Fir is the second of those two books. An interesting take on teen horror; creating a story about a boy moving to a house in northern Sweden, and caught up in a snowy whirlwind of a tale as something haunting has begun in the forests surrounding his new family home.
8. The Enemy (Charlie Higson) – Set after the events of a sickness which has turned all Adults into Zombies; a group of young people find that their life living in an abandoned Waitrose is no longer safe, and must make a trek across the streets of London. This was a really enjoyable read, focussing on the lives of several children as they work to survive against the living dead, taking in the sights and sounds of a quiet but not entirely deserted capital.
7. The Spook’s Apprentice (Joseph Delaney) – Set in the ancient land of Lancashire, this is the first book in The Wardstone Chronicles series by Joseph Delaney. It was thanks to this book that I properly got into a proper reading cycle, as I decided to read to and from university on the train. Since then, I kept reading on the train. The book is a pretty small adventure, but the history of the region is nicely blended with a working class element of Fantasy, and in the end creates a thrilling enough conclusion, to make you want to run to your nearest bookshop, and buy the next book in the series.
6. A Monster Calls (Patrick Ness) – Another author I got into in the mid 2010s was Patrick Ness. This book I consider as one of my top 3 favourite books that I have read to date. It’s an interesting book which tells a deep and very sad story of a boy whose mother is going through cancer treatment, and is constantly visited by a monster who wants to tell him weird stories. Backed up with some great artwork by Jim Kay, this was the first book that ever made me cry, and still is (I think) the only book to achieve that.
5. Raven’s Gate (Anthony Horowitz) – This one had been on my too read list for a few years, but then in 2016 I finally gave it a go, and then went on to read the rest of The Power of Five series. Raven’s Gate is a story about the battle between good and evil, and those who have no option but to be the chosen heroes in the conflict. Featuring a great evolution and story arc of the stories main protagonist as he goes from delinquent to hero, whilst backed up with some unsavoury characters, and some mind haunting dark fantasy for good measure.
4. Prey (Michael Crichton) – Another book from my Top 3. Whilst Micro was more like an adventure in plot, Prey is more like a scientific thriller. It’s a story about an everyday scientist, whose asked to look into the behaviour of a runaway swarm of Nano-Bots. A real page turner, something that I could not put down; there was almost nothing more that I wanted to do than to read the next chapter, again and again.
3. The Knife of Never Letting Go (Patrick Ness) – The first in the Walking Chaos trilogy of books. The story follows young Todd Hewitt, in a world where everybody can hear whatever men think; until one day when Todd discovers a patch of silence in a noisy world. A beautifully crafted story, that creates both terror and intrigue, with each and every chapter ending with a perfect reason to keep reading!
2. Fear (Michael Grant) – The fifth entry in the magnificent Gone series by Michael Grant serves as the calm before the final storm. Life for the teenagers in the Fayz has already been one epic rollercoaster, but now the Darkness is coming, with no Light in sight! Each of the books in the series serves as a test of a society for the young people under the dome, and whilst this one is maybe not as paranoid as the earlier entries in the series, that doesn’t mean it’s in anyway tamer; and instead is one of the standout and most enjoyable reads in the whole series!
1. The Sacrifice Box (Martin Stewart) – This was the first of two great books I read in 2018. Following the lives of a group of friends who have become a little distant with each other, until an old promise they made comes back to haunt them; with violent results! This was an easy going read: to start with! Then Anarchy began to grow with increasing tension, as time passed by. Featuring some great sub plotting, which created great character development in the background; whilst weaving a horrifying main story with ever more violent conclusions, before it’s big final conclusion was even in sight!
Things I Like 
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