Dragon Appreciation Day!

Hello, everyone! Tomorrow is Dragon Appreciation Day! This celebration of dragons was started in 2004 by Donita K. Paul, an awesome Christian fantasy author, in honor of the release of DragonSpell. It's a day to celebrate dragons in literature, whether by reading about them, making art featuring them, or by doing something else dragon related. In honor of the day- and to help you figure out how to celebrate- I thought I'd tell you about some of my favorite dragon-related books.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. 

The best place to start is always with the classics- and anyway, who doesn't love Smaug? (Inasmuch as you can love an evil, fire-breathing dragon, anyway.) Or, if you like, you could also try "Farmer Giles of Ham", a short story Tolkien wrote concerning a farmer who's pushed into being a hero when a dragon turns up near his village.

Heartless or Golden Daughter by Anne Elisabeth Stengl.  

Heartless especially. The Dragon is the most terrifying dragon I've ever encountered, and for that reason, he's also my favorite dragon (just barely beating out Smaug). Of course, both these books feature dragons other than the Dragon, though they're less terrifying because- well, fans of Goldstone Wood know why, and anyone else will just have to read the books to find out.

The DragonKeeper Chronicles or Chiril Chronicles by Donita K. Paul

Of course, we can't leave out the books that actually started Dragon Appreciation Day! My favorite part of both of these series is probably the minor dragons. They're so CUTE, especially Gymn. And I know that "cute" and "dragon" are not words one would generally put together, but . . . cute! dragons! It's like cute kittens, only better, because dragons. (Coincidentally, minor dragons also inspired certain dragons in my own writing. I squee over them- well, one of them- too.)

Dragons in Our Mist and sequel series by Bryan Davis

This is the series I'll probably be celebrating with, since it's been on my to-be-reread list for a long while. I love DioM and its sequel series; Mr. Davis is an amazing author, and I love the way he combines Biblical truths, ancient legend, and modern-day fantasy adventure into one great story. (Well, series of stories.) Also, the DioM and sequel series have the most dragons-as-major-characters of any book or series on this list.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

I mentioned this book in my Top Ten Books/Series of 2014 post, and what I said there still stands: Seraphina is awesome, and the dragons aren't quite like any others I've read. There are similarities, true, but they're still very much unique. The worldbuilding is also very good- not Sanderson or Tolkien level, but impressive all the same.

Are you going to do to celebrate Dragon Appreciation Day? How? What are your favorite dragon-related books? Please tell me in the comments!
Nai haryuvalyë melwa rë!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)