It’s the second day of the week! It’s also time for a Top 5 Tuesday update. Top 5 Tuesdays was initially created by Shanah @ the Bionic Bookworm but is now currently being hosted by Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads.

This week’s topic: Top 5 books with fire

We’re more into channeling Iroh than Ozai… but where are all our fire-benders at? 🔥☄️(Variant: lightning)

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

One of the first titles that came to mind was Katniss Everdeen, the hero in Suzanne Collins’ popular dystopian trilogy, The Hunger Games. Fire was Katniss’ and her district’s symbol. Of the three books, the second book, Catching Fire, directly correlates to this week’s prompt. Interestingly, I preferred the second book over the first book because of the Quarter Quell. The first book in the trilogy was good but I was more riveted by the escalation of action and tension in the second book.

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

Like in the previous two week’s Top Five Tuesday updates, I will take the liberty to deviate a bit from the subject. Technically, there is no fire element in Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities but it is one of the few books I read that has the word fire on it. (LOL). Interestingly, when I bought the book over a decade ago, I didn’t have much of an idea about what the book was about or who Wolfe was. However, the title captured my interest. Rightfully so, I enjoyed the book thoroughly, and even though a decade has passed, I can still recall how much I enjoyed reading the book.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Although there is fire involved in the story – the titular goblet of fire – there is not that much fire or burning that happened in the fourth book in J.K. Rowling’s popular fantasy series; I just realized that the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix does have references to fire as well. Apart from the title, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire does involve dragons. Some of the many obstacles that the contestants in the Triwizard Tournament involve fighting or getting past dragons.

Hell of a Book by Jason Mott

When one thinks of fire, one of the things that first come to mind is hell, as in the underworld. This is, however, not the case in Jason Mott’s National Book Award-winning novel, Hell of a Book. The book grappled with contemporary issues involving race and discrimination through the experiences of an anonymous writer who was on a book tour across the United States. It was an insightful book riddled with scathing commentaries and astute observations about the plights of African Americans.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Concluding this Top Five Tuesday update with another fantasy book. I was still in university when I first heard about Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. It immediately caught my attention because, if my memory serves me right, he was inspired by his son who was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. I watched the movie first before I read the book a couple of years later. I am no fan of fantasy fiction but I make exceptions such as Harry Potter because of its theme of friendship and Percy Jackson because of its integration of elements of Greek mythology.

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