Tiffany LeBlanc

01

Kushiel's Legacy - Jacqueline Carey

Okay, so it's not A book, it's a series. But it is, hands-down, my favourite series of books. Jacqueline Carey has a stunning way of writing that simply draws you in from the first line, something I truly hope to be capable of one day. Kushiel's Legacy is a series of 6 books, 3 of which follow Phedre and the other 3 follow her foster-son Imriel. Two full character stories, every moment of which is absolutely thrilling.

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02

Double Pregnant - Natalie Meisner

Another book from a syllabus, although this one was from my Women's Writing class, and again I'm so glad I had to read this. It's about a lesbian couple and their journey to parenthood. So much of this was relatable to me, just in the descriptions of their pregnancies, but it was also incredibly eye-opening to the world of sperm donation in Canada. Absolutely worth the read! And, fun fact, Natalie is actually my scriptwriting instructor this semester! Talk about cool!

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03

Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis

What kind of writer would I be without this on my must-reads? Again, it's more a series than an individual book (although mine is in one complete volume). Each installation follows a different cast of characters, although several of the books have character overlap, and I think that's one of the things that makes it entertaining to read almost 800 pages. 

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04

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Can you tell what generation I'm from? Of course I have Harry Potter on here. I've read this series again and again, and I'm stunned every time I read it with all the subtle intricacies and hints hidden throughout the books. This series will always have a special place in my heart because it's the first series that we read to our son.

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05

The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkein

It took me having a son and needing something relatively child-friendly to read to him to actually finish reading this, but oh my am I glad I did! A beautiful story about a meek hobbit finding his courage -- is there anything more important to teach our kids than that even the small can make huge changes in the world?

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06

Wild Geese - Martha Ostenso

This one I actually didn't read willingly, it was a course requirement for my Canadian Literature class, but I'm definitely glad that I had to read it. It's small, only a couple hundred pages, and starts a little slow, but it is a deeply enjoyable Canadian realist novel with a romantic flare. I've never been more frustrated with a character than with Caleb Gare, nor rooted for a character as much as Judith.

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07

The Demonata - Darren Shan

Another series, although I haven't read all of them yet. I've only read up to Bec but I did enjoy all of them until then. That's roughly when I met my partner, Trent, and what can I say? 16 years old with my first boyfriend, reading fell on a back burner. Darren Shan's books will always be a little special to me, because without them I may not have had the guts to start talking to Trent in the first place.

 

08

Malice - Keigo Hagashino

This is one of the very few (and by few, I mean 2) mystery novels I have ever read. In fact, it was the first, and I'd been very skeptic of branching out of my typical fantasy books, but I'm glad I did. This book had me guessing and questioning myself the entire time -- and I powered through it in 2 days. Such a satisfying ending too. Definitely worth a re-read.

 

09

The Fifth Child - Doris Lessing 

So many good books that came off my required readings for school. This one I read the semester after I had my son, while I was still battling postpartum depression, so it really resonated with me. Okay, so my pregnancy was pretty routine and my son isn't neanderthal-like. But the sentiments expressed about parenthood really weighed on me in a time where I didn't like being a mom all the time. Overall a very good read.

 

10

On Writing - Stephen King 

Bet you didn't know that Stephen King wrote a textbook on writing, did you? It's one I'd definitely recommend to any aspiring writers as it definitely opened my eyes to a few nasty habits (some of which I'm still working on beating out of my writing).