Hey everyone! 

 I can’t believe it’s September already! (Seriously, where has the year gone??) I’m definitely excited for fall to come, especially since Japan only had about two weeks of fall last year. 

Today I was feeling nostalgic so I’m gonna talk about my favourite childhood books/series! If I listed all the ones I liked this list would probably be too long, so I’m just gonna list my top 5 favourites (in no particular order). 

 The Mysterious Benedict Society series 

 I’m pretty sure this is the series I read first out of the ones on the list. The first book was actually a book I had to read as part of my homeschooling, and I loved it so much that we got the next two books. (I’m also pretty sure this is when I started reading books in the span of a day.) This series is near and dear to my heart and I’ve reread it countless times (and listened to the audiobooks on repeat. If you’ve read the series but haven’t listened to the audiobook or just like audiobooks, I definitely recommend it!) 

 When I heard that a fourth book was being published a decade after the third one, I didn’t really know what to think. I loved the trilogy as it was and I didn’t want it to be ruined by another book when it was already amazing the way it was. I decided to read it and honestly it wasn’t bad at all. I still think that the trilogy was good enough on its own, but the fourth book was a fun addition and it was cool to see Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance dealing with the struggles of growing up. It isn’t my favourite book in the series but the theme is incredibly relatable and it doesn’t really feel out of the place in the series. 

 I was also excited when I heard they were making a show, though I didn’t know what to expect. But I watched the first season and I actually enjoyed it! It was definitely different from the book, but I didn’t mind it too much and honestly I really liked what they did with Martina Crowe’s character. (My biggest complaint is that the guy that played Milligan looked a bit too old, but otherwise I enjoyed it!) I haven’t watched the second season yet, so that’s something I should probably get around to doing (right after I get through my incredibly long list of things I should watch lol). 

 Lord of the Rings (& The Hobbit) 

 This was probably the first book series I was well and truly obsessed with. There were other books I’d loved before, but nothing topped my Lord of the Rings obsession. I was obsessed with the books, the movies, and even got halfway through the Silmarillion before 11 year old me’s head was filled with too many names and historical events of Middle Earth that I eventually gave up. I also read a good deal of the book’s appendices for some reason. I may have also tried to learn Elvish at one point, but I gave up almost instantly. I still love this series to death, obviously, including the Hobbit. (Also please don’t attack me, but I actually like the Hobbit movies. I know it’s not accurate to the book at all, but I still really like it as its own movie trilogy.) I’m gonna keep this one shorter because if I kept talking about it this section would take up too much space lol. (But if y’all want me to rant about Lord of the Rings some other time I will gladly do so!) 

 Little Women

 This one I first read when I was a bit older, but it quickly became one of my favourite books. The main reason I loved it (and still love it) so much is because of how much I related to Jo March. As a kid who was on the tomboy-ish side, loved writing, and had some anger issues, I instantly latched onto Jo as one of my favourite characters in fiction. And honestly, as I’ve grown older and gone through some of the same struggles Jo did, I might even relate to her more than I used to. This book definitely holds a special place in my heart and remains one of my favourite books probably until the day I die. 

 I also love the movies based on the book. My favourite by far is the 2019 version, which quickly became one of my comfort movies. 

 Inkheart series

 This was another series I read a little bit later in my childhood, but I really loved this one to the point where I kept borrowing it until I finally got it for myself. I was always really fascinated by it and how it made writing and storytelling a huge part of its story. It’s not the best trilogy out there by any means, but this is one of the first stories I chose to read for fun instead of getting it from my parents or it being part of my school. It’s a fun trilogy that I loved to reread and I’d say it’s worth reading if you haven’t already! All the books are pretty good, but the third one, Inkdeath, is my personal favourite. (There is a movie based off of the first book. It wasn’t a groundbreaking film, but it’s pretty accurate to the story and I enjoyed watching it!) 

 The Chronicles of Narnia 

  Ah, yes. The book series every Christian (homeschooler) kid read at some point in their childhood. This series has a special place in my heart for a number of reasons, but it’s also just really good. The books I reread the most were probably The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; and Prince Caspian. I used to read this series all the time, but honestly I haven’t reread it recently (which is definitely something I have to do). I also love the movies, especially Prince Caspian, which is probably my favourite out of the three. 

 There are so many good characters in this series. I love all the Pevensie kids dearly, Caspian is awesome, and Shasta and Aravis have an amazing dynamic. But my favourite character is easily Reepicheep. (Like, come on. It’s Reepicheep!) 

 So that’s my top 5 favourite childhood books! If there were any books on this list that you loved as a kid, come talk to me! What were some of your childhood favourites? 

 Thanks for reading! – Em