Inspirational Skai: Day 4 | Five Fall Favorites 2025: Unusual

Arriving at Day 4 of Five Fall Favorites, today we are over the halfway through the week. I'm very tired, because I never get enough sleep when working on big writing projects. Apologies to everyone who has to deal with me IRL, I know my patience is short and my ability to mask my emotions is waning. That off my chest, Welcome! We have come to one of the blogs I am most excited about. Three of these books are ones that I've read this year, so I'm very excited to talk about them.

Landing on Thursday the prompt was to share books that are unusual. Books from genres I don't usually read. At first, I thought that finding five good books would be tricky, because I tend to love one book in a genre and then hunt out every other book like it. After that the book that launched the obsession doesn't feel so unusual. That's why this list doesn't have any contemporary romances, YA mysteries or thrillers. In fact, none of these books are even the same genre as each other, however three are children's books. I don't know what that says about my reading habits. Anyway, here are five of my favorite books from genres I don't usually read.

1. Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

With this first book, I discovered it before it released through a virtual book fair my boss told me about. Through the virtual book fair portal, I discovered many upcoming titles, I even got to read a few excerpts. This book is one I sampled. I read the prologue and first chapter, and I was hooked. Seldom do I read fantasy, but this one was inspired by King Author legend, and King Arthur is one of my favorite books that I read for school.

In Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken, Tamsin was born without magic, but she and her brother who is magical were raised by a magic artifact hunter, a Hollower, until he abandoned them ten years ago. Since then, Tamsin has taken care of her brother, Cabell, trying to find a cure for the monster that lives inside him. Only the monster has gotten stronger. Desperate to keep her little family together, she starts out on her own artifact hunt for a magical item that is fabled to remove any curse. When Tamsin and Cabell are transported to a magical land, they are pulled in Avalon, but the magic is dying, and evil forces are growing stronger.

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2. Going Wild by Lisa McMann

This year, my sister challenged me to read, 12 books she's recommended, more about that on this blog. Even though I've been slacking on updating the blog, I am mostly caught up on the reading the books. For each month she gave a choice of two books, this summer listened to this one as an audiobook. Unless it's a title someone recommends, I don't read much middle grade fiction. I read quite a bit of YA (young adult), because that the type of stories I write, and YA as a genre tends to appeal to adults too while middle grade fiction is still very much intended for kids to enjoy. Here is a book that I wish had existed when I was a kid, it would have been my absolute favorite book.

Going Wild by Lisa McMann is about an ordinary twelve-year-old, Charlie Wilde. When her family moves from Chicago, Illinois to Navaro Junction, Arizona, she doesn't like having to go to a new school or making new friends. Then she receives a mysterious package containing a sports watch just in time for soccer season. Only it isn't a normal sports watch and through a series of accidents, she learns that the watch gives the wearer animal inspired superpowers. Danger follows as a mysterious group pursues Charlie and her new friends to acquire the watch and animal powers.

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3. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Aside from this book, I've only ever read memoirs for school. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry is one I picked up because of Bookstagram. I did a couple of read-alongs earlier this year. This one was planned by the fabulous @GreenEyedGirl0704, but an emergency the day before the read-along kept her from hosting. Since I'd already gotten the book, I went ahead and kept reading (listening to it as an audiobook). Perry's memoir is both humorous and heartbreaking as he takes readers through the ups and downs of his childhood, his acting career, and his addiction. Because I work at a library that frequently serves people struggling with addiction it was very eye opening. When I was trying to come up with good books that were outside of my normal reading habit this one stood out.

Published less than a year before his death, this 2022 memoir presents comical moments alongside the honest struggles of addiction. Matthew Perry is most well-known for playing Chandler Bing in the sitcom Friends, but here he shares all from his young life in Canada to years of fame. In detail he shares stories from throughout his life. This memoir gives behind the scenes insight into his time on Friends and his times in rehab. It's filled with funny anecdotes and tragic tales, as Perry shares his time on Friends, his quest for love and his struggles with alcoholism and drug abuse, or as he calls it, the Big Terrible Thing. Obviously, this book talks about substance abuse, I would also warn that there is strong language throughout and some descriptions of his encounters with women.

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4. The Hayley Mysteries: The Haunted Studio by Hayley LeBlanc

This is a more upbeat beat book written by a young actor. Hayley LeBlanc is a child actor most known for the Brat shows Chicken Girls and Hotel De Loone, but I had no idea who she was when I picked up this book. I was browsing my library's eBook collection when I found this juvenile chapter book mystery trilogy. Likening itself to Nancy Drew and the main character being a young actor, caught my attention. When I read that the author was also a child actor and writer, I decided to give it a try. I've read many other books about characters who are actors, and moments that show the author knows nothing about the film or television always industry keep me from enjoying the story. I knew a young actor would tell it like it is, and she well explains the main character's life on set in a way that is descriptive and easy to understand.

The Hayley Mysteries: The Haunted Studio by Hayley LeBlanc, follows Hayley, named after the author, as she plays the main character in the hit family show, Sadie Solves It. Hayley's excited to be back on set for season 2, but strange accidents start happening on set. Any delay to shooting may cause the show to be cancelled and if that happens one of her castmates and best friends will have to move back to Texas. Some blame the accidents on a ghost, but Hayley doesn't believe in ghosts. If she wants to keep Sadie Solves It on air, she and her friends will have to get to the bottom of their haunted studio. It promises a Nancy Drew like mystery and as an avid Nancy Drew fan, I can say it actually delivers. This children's book is so masterfully plotted and penned it could be used to teach writing thrillers to aspiring young writers. One caution, Hayley and her friends play with a Ouija board in one scene, but they don't have a paranormal experience.

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5. Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Finally, we have Smile by Raina Telgemeier. To be honest I don't remember how I came to read this one, but I have now read this book twice. It is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel. The bright pictures and cartoon style drawing make this a sweet book, especially for tween girls. I read this as an adult, but I related to this story full of awkward moments, heartfelt friend drama, and teeth problems. I'm not going to lie; it brought back some traumatic memories of undergoing dental surgery and having braces as a tween. Needless to say, the relatability made me wish that I had this book when I was a kid.

Running back to the house after girl scouts, Raina tripped and nearly knocked out her two-front adult teeth. Readers watch her grow up as she shares the years when she had braces, underwent dental surgeries, and even wore a retainer with false teeth. It's a story of a young girl's quest to navigate friend drama, crushes and the dreams of being an artist, as she struggles with her teeth. Although the story revolves around teeth, it's really one about growing up, fitting in, and finding friends who love you for who you are, not how you look.

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Conclusion

These book descriptions get progressively longer, and then the final one is short. I wonder why that is.

Thanks for reading my slightly distracted ramblings today as I talked about the books that I enjoyed in genres I rarely, if ever, read. To fully breakdown the different genres represented, they are YA fantasy (Silver in the Bone), middle grade science fiction (Going Wild), memoir (Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing), juvenile chapter book (The Hayley Mysteries: The Haunted Studio), and juvenile graphic novel (Smile). I would recommend these books for people who don't know much about these genres, but I don't know how they compare to other books in the genres since I don't typically read them.

Tomorrow's theme is Re-Read, I'm not huge into re-reading books, so tomorrow's books are probably some of my all-time favorites.

Have you read any of these? What gets you to read outside of your comfort zone and what great books have you discovered that way? Remember to check out all the other blogs and enter the giveaway below.