I am so tardy to the Stranger Things party, but I am so glad I finally took the plunge. My partner and I started watching Stranger Things on a whim, and boy, were we hooked! The D&D references definitely sealed the deal for us. 
I discovered the Stranger Things book tag through Nut Free Nerd, and I just knew I had to give it a go. I haven’t been tagged by anyone, but hey, since when has that stopped me from doing a tag?
Here we go!
THE FIRST BOOK IN A SERIES THAT LEFT YOU INTRIGUED AND SLIGHTLY CONFUSED
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.
What an intriguing premise! In the community of Prentisstown, residents’ thoughts are publicly broadcast through a kind of inadvertent telepathy, and the townspeople live with a constant, maddening barrage of noise and a complete nonexistence of privacy or solitude. Todd, one of the community’s youngest members, stumbles upon a secret so terrible that it threatens to shatter his entire world, and puts his very life in danger. This is a thrilling, strange and confusing beginning to a fascinating series.
A BOOK WITH A SETTING YOU WOULD NEVER WANT TO LIVE IN
World War Z by Max Brooks
I have spoken about this terrifying zombie setting before on my blog. Written as a fictionalized account of the “zombie war”, what makes World War Z’s so effective is that it feels so very real, despite its imaginary premise.
A BOOK YOU OWN THAT IS SOMEWHAT DAMAGED, BUT LOVED TO PIECES
The Lord of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
I have an extremely battered copy of LOTR that my mum must’ve bought years and years ago and has obviously read TO DEATH. I’m not actually sure why it’s in my bookshelf – want it back, mum? 
A TRILOGY YOU ALWAYS GO TO WHENEVER YOU NEED A PICK-ME-UP
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
This is not a trilogy so much as a series, but the adventures of plucky red-headed Anne have always been there for me when I need an escape from the everyday. Anne is such a loveable character – frustrating, stubborn, imaginative, loyal, independent, talkative, intelligent and accident-prone – and watching her grow and develop through the course of the series has always been such a comforting pleasure.
A BOOK WITH A TERRIFYING BEAST YOU WOULDN’T WANT TO FACE IN A DARK ALLEY
IT by Stephen King.
A killer clown….*shudder*….need I say more?
A BOOK WITH A VILLAIN WHO IS BOTH MANIPULATIVE AND DEDICATED
The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett
The city of Ankh-Morpork, which plays a starring role in many of the entries in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld fantasy series, is ruled over the The Patrician, Lord Ventinari. Ventinari is a cold, ruthless dictator, who rules over his domain with an iron fist in a highly undemocratic system – “the political system of Ankh-Morpork is described as “One Man, One Vote,” in which Vetinari alone is the Man, and he has the Vote”. Still, Ventinari is a brilliant leader who has brought relative peace and prosperity to his people, and is undoubtedly the most dedicated and successful ruler the city has ever know. Manipulative, dedicated, and at times hilarious, Ventinari is certainly a ruler to remember.
A BOOK YOU DIDN’T EXPECT TO LOVE
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
R is a zombie. Julie is a human. Will their love be able to bridge the divide between them?
I really did not have high hopes for this one. A zombie take on Romeo and Juliet? Really? Not my usual cup of tea. In fact, if I hadn’t had to read this one for a Young Adult/New Adult class in library school, I probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought.
And that would have been a shame, because this is actually a very enjoyable book. Sure the end is a little cheesy, but there’s a refreshing lack of angst in this story of star-crossed lovers, combined with a refreshing dose of positivity, hope and optimism that seems to be so often be lacking in this era of dystopia-madness. Warm Bodies is what we sometimes call a crossover book – it was written for adults (the main character actually wears a suit in the novel, though he is given a hoodie and jeans in the film adaptation in an attempt to draw in the teen demographic), but the storyline and characters also have strong YA appeal, particularly for older teens. It’s fresh, it’s fun, it’s frightening, and it’s really a surprisingly enjoyable read that I don’t hesitate to recommend.
A BOOK WITH A SETTING THAT’S JUST A LITTLE BIT STRANGE
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Bored and lonely, young Coraline explores her family’s new home, and discovers a mysterious locked door. Behind the door lies a strange and fantastic new world, similar in so many ways to her own, yet hauntingly different. Like the Upside Down, this alternate world is both familiar and terrifying, and its residents are very keen on keeping Coraline with them, whatever the cost.
And there you have it! Feel free to tackle this tag yourself if you’re a Stranger Things fan like I am, and let me know if you do, so I can see all your great ideas!
Season 2 can’t come soon enough….