Tag Archives: books

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I’d Recommend To People New To YA

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish. Every week, bloggers from all over are invited to share their own Top Ten List based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

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Top Ten Books I’d Recommend To People New To YA

I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a while, so this is the perfect time to actually do it.  One day, I might even get around to putting together an expanded list, but for now, this is definitely a good start.  It’s no secret I love YA, and so it seemed like a good chance to talk about some of the great YA books out there.  I’ve decided to leave off some of the more obvious choices in favor of some books that are equally as awesome as the Harry Potter and The Fault In Our Stars of the world.

Contemporary:

  1. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.  I love Laurie Halse Anderson so much, and if I have to recommend just one book by her, Speak is it.  She has a way of making you relate to the characters, even when what they were experiencing is so completely different than anything you’ve been through.
  2. Hate List by Jennifer Brown.  I can’t recommend this book enough, and it’s a haunting look at a school shooting and its aftermath.

Paranormal:

  1. The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa: I love her take on fairies, and how some fairies have come out of technology.
  2. Wings by Aprilynne Pike.  This is another book that has a great take on fairies.  These fairies are more plant-like, and are grouped according to seasons.  And they even bloom once a year!
  3. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.  I love that Paranormalcy has a lot of different elements of a lot of paranormal books out there.  And Evie is just hilarious.

Dystopic & Science Fiction:

  1. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.  I LOVE this trilogy and I really wish it got the attention some of the other dystopic trilogies got. I liked how Tally managed to overcome every surgery performed on her.
  2. The Adoration Of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson.  I liked that it’s about the ethics of science and medicine and when things go a bit too far.  There are two very different sides, and I like that Pearson doesn’t take a side.

Fantasy:

  1. Graceling by Kristin Cashore.  I really liked this world, and how people with really special abilities were shunned and exploited and feared.
  2. Crewel by Gennifer Albin.  I love that there is a group of women who can weave time, and I love that it’s a fantasy novel with some elements that seem science-fictiony.

Historical Fiction:

  1. Witch Child by Celia Rees.  Witch Child is pretty awesome, and I like how it’s told in diary format.  I also liked her escape to America to escape accusations of being a witch.  Plus, it’s hard (for me) to find historical fiction at the upper end of YA, so this is a great choice.
  2. Gilt by Katherine Longshore.  I love that this book focuses on Katherine Howard (better known as Henry VIII’s 5th wife) and her circle of friends.  This is a great addition to YA historical fiction.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Was Forced To Read

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Top Ten Tuesday a weekly meme hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Bloggers from all over are invited to share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Tuesday Graphic

Top Ten Books I Was Forced To Read

The really cool thing about this particular list is that it could be required reading or books that friends recommended or a book for a book club (if I actually went to a book club).  Really, I should just re-name this list to books I read so I’d know what people are talking about, since that’s a good chunk of my list this week.

Books I’ve Read For Random Reasons:

  1. Ender’s Game stands out as one of the very few books I had to read for school that I actually read/understood/liked.  So there’s no question that it was going to end up on this list.
  2. Pretty much anything my friend Heather recommends.  She has a knack for recommending books I end up liking…Mouse Guard, Daughter Of Smoke And Bone and A Moment Comes are a few that come to mind.
  3. The Life Of Pi: Another I had to read for school.  It’s been ages since I’ve read it, and someday, I’ll probably read it again, but I remember really liking it.

The Books I Read So I Would Know What Every One Was Talking About: It’s amazing how books have moved up my TBR pile just because I want to know what people are talking about, and why there are so many rave reviews of quite a few books.

  1. Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
  2. Across The Universe by Beth Revis
  3. The Sea Of Tranquility by Katja Millay
  4. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
  5. Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
  6. The Fault In Out Stars and Looking For Alaska by John Green
  7. Shadow And Bone by Leah Bardugo

Top Ten Bookish Goals For 2013

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Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top 10 lists based on the topic of the week.  You can find all top 10 Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Bookish Goals For 2013

I’ve read a lot of books over the last year, and there are definitely a lot of things I really want to do as far as reading is concerned.  It’s amazing what sort of goals you can come up with after reading a lot more than I ever expected in the last couple years.

  1. Re-read books.  I have 2 bookshelves full of a lot of books…most of which I haven’t read since high school or college.  So re-reading would be good.
  2. Vary my reading choices more.  I love YA, I really do.  But there was a point a few months ago, when I felt a little bit burnt out on YA.  Hopefully, varying my reading material will help out with that.  Plus, it’s just weird that I’m sticking to YA, when I know I’ll like at least some of the books aimed at adults.
  3. Plan out what I’m reading…at least a little.  I just randomly pick stuff, and it works pretty well, but I’d like to have an idea of what I’m reading.  I’m thinking a monthly list of potential books, and going off of that whenever possible.
  4. Work on getting series read.  I read start so many series, so I really need to work on finishing series that I’m reading.  Maybe I need to prioritize them by assigning them a rank, based on how much I like them.  You know, read the ones I love right away, and go down that list.
  5. I’m good at buying books, but I’m terrible at reading them, especially right away.  I have a few classics in paperback that I’ve had for a good 4-ish years, and have never read.  So, read the stuff I buy would be a good goal.
  6. Buy less books, and use the library more.  I go through these weird cycles where I buy a ton of books, but don’t use the library.  Or I use the library a ton but don’t really buy anything.  I definitely need to balance buying books, borrowing them, and re-reading them.
  7. Comment more on the blogs I read.  Seriously, I’m great at reading blog posts, but horrible at commenting.  There are so many times I’ve wanted to comment, and didn’t, so this year, I will most certainly be commenting on stuff!
  8. Listen to more audiobooks.  I really like them, and I have an audible account, so I really should take advantage of that.
  9. Use more cookbooks!  I have a few, and I don’t use them nearly enough.  They are sitting there, collecting dust, and that needs to be rectified immediately.  Plus, I’ve been eating like crap for months now, so if I actually use my cookbooks, I’ll be eating better.
  10. Read more classics.  There are a bunch of books I was never required to read in high school.  I kind of  feel like I’m missing out on something by having not read these books.  Plus, I definitely appreciate them more, even if I don’t like them.  And…there’s just something different about reading them because I WANT to read them, instead of reading them because I HAVE to read them.

What are everyone’s bookish goals for the year?