20 Before 20 - Reading Challenge

Hey friends! I hope you are having an incredible day! Today, I actually got to have a chill Saturday, which was really nice. I also got to finish my 28th book this year - I've made it a priority to become a bookworm again!

Growing up, I fell in love with reading; I always had a book in hand no matter where I was. Books transported me to places far away, helping me make friends in worlds I never could have imagined, and  learn lessons that I could never learn in real life. And because of that, I thought that before I turned 20 (which happened in May), I would read my 20 favorite books from my childhood. And while none of these are "adult reads," they are simply timeless books, and I find myself returning to wherever I don't know what to read! And since they're all so good, I thought I should share my 20 before 20 list with you! I broke down the challenge by my favorite series, all the books I own from my favorite author, a few of my favorite stand-alones, and then one of my favorite trilogies. 

So, here are my 20 favorite books from my childhood! (Or rather middle and high school :)

Series - books 1-6, "The Land of Stories" written by Chris Colfer. 

This series I fell in love with so quickly! The story of a set of twins falling into a land full of the real characters from the original fairytales, getting to hear about what their life was like before and after their stories were told, as well as get to see the personalities that they all have from Colfer's perspective is incredible. I've read and reread this series five or six times! 

1. The Wishing Spell

2. The Enchantress Returns

3. A Grimm Warning

4. Beyond the Kingdoms 

5. An Author's Odyssey

6. Worlds Collide

"It's better to be the hero of your own story than to be the villain in someone else's!" - The Land of Stories.

Books by Gail Carson Levine - books 7-12!

7. Ella Enchanted. "I wished she’d never stop squeezing me. I wished I could spend the rest of my life as a child, being slightly crushed by someone who loved me.” Guys, Ella Enchanted is my favorite book and movie of all time! I read the book at some point every year, it's part of the reason that I've fallen in love with writing letters and that I love learning languages so much. Now, don't ask me how the movie compares to the book because they're so incredibly different. But this is a good one if you're looking for a comfort book!

8. A Tale of Two Castles. 

9. The Two Princesses of Bamarre. "Step follows step. Hope follows courage. Set your face toward danger. Set your heart for victory."

10. The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre. "To apologize makes you good, to forgive makes you wise."

11. Ogre Enchanted

12. Stolen Magic

A few stand alones - books 13-17

13. The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe, by Ally Condie. This was a book that I read and reread!! The only downside is that it's a stand-alone, so there isn't something to look forward to after you finish it!

14. The Memory Theif, by Lauren Mansy

15. To Best The Boys, by Mary Webber

16. A Daring Sacrifice, by Jody Hedlund

17. The Princess Spy, by Melanie Dickerson

Trilogy - books 18-20 "The Island of Tamarind Trilogy," by Nadia Aguiar

18. The Lost Island of Tamarind

19. Secrets of Tamarind

20. The Great Wave of Tamarind

Well, I hope this has inspired you to either go back and read some of your comfort books or check out a few of these! Also, if you're ever looking for more book recommendations, here is the link to my Goodreads - you can check out all the books I'm currently reading!

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/150074973

I love you guys! Happy reading :)

- Sav