I love sharing books, and this year I’m giving away one book a month to a winner from my Allies (newsletter subscribers; if you haven’t joined yet, you can join—and unsubscribe—at any time.)

Here is the list of 12 books that have inspired, informed, or somehow aided my process of writing Book 1 of my four-book YA non-magical fantasy series. These titles will give you a good feel for the style, content, and themes of this first book, and I hope make you excited to read it!

January — The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien*

February — To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

March — The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer

April — The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan*

May — A Time to Kill by John Grisham

June — The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner*

July — Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin

August — The Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale*

September — The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander*

October — The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson

November — Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor

December — The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis*

*the first book in the series or the book of the winner’s choice