NaNoWriMo has begun, and while we’re all struggling to reach our daily word goal, I wanted to mention a few of my favorite books that were written during NaNo!

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Marissa Meyer actually wrote the first 3 novels in her Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, during NaNoWriMo!!! This series is one of my favorites. It’s an epic sci-fi retelling of the classic fairytales, with plenty of action, romance, and humor.

“A forbidden romance.

A deadly plague.

Earth’s fate hinges on one girl . . .

CINDER, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She’s reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen – and a dangerous temptation.

Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth’s future.

This is not the fairytale you remember. But it’s one you won’t forget.”

(Goodreads)

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This book is breathtakingly beautiful, and was written during a few consecutive NaNos. If you haven’t picked up this amazing novel, I highly recommend it!

“The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. “

(Goodreads)

3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell is a YA icon, and her novel Fangirl is a fan favorite. This book is extremely relatable for any book-obsessed introvert, or anyone who has been afraid of starting something new.

“Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life-and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?”

(Goodreads)

4. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

If you’re having a bad day, and need a book that is just happiness in book form, grab Anna and the French Kiss. Stephanie Perkins has mastered YA contemporary romance, and I was so surprised to find out this was originally a NaNo novel!

“Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris–until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all…including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?”

(Goodreads)

4. Alienated by Melissa Landers

This book is just so fun! Another novel that started with NaNoWriMo, but Melissa Landers put this book through five edits before it became the book it is today. All I know is, I’m so glad she persisted and stuck with this book because it is one of my favorite,] cute sci-fi/alien reads.

“Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. 

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara’s classmates get swept up by anti-L’eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn’t safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara’s locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. 

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she’s fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.”

(Goodreads)

Those are my top 5 Published NaNoWriMo novels, but there are plenty more out there. Have you read any published NaNo books? Anything I should pick up??? (As if my TBR needs more books)(who am I kidding I always need more books)

Also, how is everyone surviving NaNo? I just reached 50k of my novel, but I started it in October so I’m really only around 14k into NaNo. I plan to post more about what I’m actually doing for NaNo and why I started early tomorrow. In the mean time, add me as a writing buddy!!!