Oops... it looks as though I forgot to do a September blog in my favourite books series. Sorry about that, there has been lots going on what with the launch of the BestsellerBound Recommends blog, my KDP Select promotion of Coincidences, and editing my upcoming novel Haunted, so somehow this series slipped through the net. This month I will be choosing 2 favourite books to make up for forgetting last months post!!

If you click on the book covers below you can check out my choices for January through to August.











My choices for this month are:

Gone by Julie Elizabeth Powell

and

The Guardian's Apprentice by J. Michael Radcliffe

These two books have something in common. Not only that they are both fantasy books, but they introduced me to a new genre of book.

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When I met Julie Elizabeth Powell on Goodreads back in 2008, we swapped books; she read A Time to Tell, and I read Gone. I was new to self-promotion at the time, but was aware that reviews are necessary to help promote books. By swapping books with other indie authors I came across many different types of books that I would not necessarily choose to read. I am so glad I read Gone. I'd never read this type of fantasy novel before and it made me realise that I was missing out. After reading Gone I became a fan of Julie Elizabeth Powell and have gone on to read her other books. The only one I haven't read is the third in her Avalon trilogy, but I am looking forward to that. I would highly recommend all her books.






The reason I've chosen Gone as my favourite Julie Elizabeth Powell book is because I know it is the one that started her on her writing journey and also means the most to her. It is a fantasy novel but is inspired by a tragic event in her life. Julie's daughter's heart stopped when she was just 2 years old, and she suffered brain damaged because of it. She lived for a further 17 years, but Julie says she always wondered where her daughter had 'gone', as she didn't seem to still be inside her body. Julie used her imagination to create the world of Avalon. She later went on to create the Avalon trilogy of books, which is a great fantasy series.

Here's the review I wrote of Gone when I read it:

I enjoyed this book. It is a wonderful story which kept me interested from the beginning right through to the last page. It is based on a true event in the authors life which inspired the tale. 'Gone' is a fantasy story which takes the reader to a strange land called 'Avalon' where there are goblins, talking flowers, eerie ghouls, dangers, wonders and more. By the end you are left wondering whether Avalon is a real place, and kind of hoping that it is! The author has done a great job telling her tale. Charley, the main character, has a brain-damaged daughter, and she has lived with the guilt of giving her daughter away to be looked after by someone else. She no longer recognises her daughter whenever she visits, and has in fact stopped visiting her very often. One day Charley has a heart attack and ends up in a place called Avalon, there she meets her daughter and the story begins. 'Gone' uses a fantasy tale to tell a very important story about how our actions and choices in life affect other people. I would highly recommend 'Gone' to anyone who loves a good book.

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My next pick, The Guardian's Apprentice is one that introduced me to a different type of fantasy tale, one full of dragons and wizards. Again, not something I would usually choose to read, but having met the author online, I wanted to try one of his books.






Here's the review I wrote when I read it:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I don't usually read this type of fantasy novel, but it really kept me interested and entertained.
Keegan is about 30 years old in a mundane job, feeling bored with his life. Then one day he meets a black cat and his life changes for ever. He is whisked into a world of magic and danger, where wizards rule and magic prevails. Keegan learns something about his ancestry that he didn't know and finds out that he may soon be responsible for saving the entire world. The Guardian's Apprentice is a satisfying fantasy adventure. There are many weird and wonderful characters. I would recommend this to readers of fantasy novels, young adult and adult. I like the way the author has created another world with its own history and rules. There are lots of twists and turns in this story with some gripping action scenes. It's well written with a cast of characters who come alive on the page. This is the first book in the series and I will definitely be reading book two!

And, yes, I did go on to read book 2 Bloodstone - The Guardian's Curse and am now eagerly awaiting book 3!

I hope you'll try the books, and if you're not already a fantasy fan, that you will converted as I was!