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 10 Books And Authors I’m Thankful For

This is such an appropriate topic, considering Thanksgiving is this week.  There are a lot of books and authors I love, and there are even a few I’m thankful for.  Here are the 10 books and authors I’m thankful for this year.

1. Harry Potter.  Of all the books I’m grateful for, Harry Potter would be at the top of my list.  The world of Harry Potter is so magical, and I love revisiting Hogwarts time and time again.  There are no words to fully express how much I love Harry Potter, but I am so glad Harry’s story is a part of my life.
2. Jane Austen.  Her books are the first classics I read on my own and actually liked.  Reading her books sparked an interest in reading classics on my own (which I’ve been horrible at doing) but I’m definitely glad I’ve read her books.
3. The Postsecret books.  I’ve only read a couple of them, but I like to flip through every once in a while, because they’re a good reminder that we all have our own secrets, no matter what they are.
4. Laurie Halse Anderson.  I just love her books, and Speak and Wintergirls are two of my favorite books.  She has great characters, and deals with some tough issues in a great way.
5. Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals and A Mighty Long Way by Carlotta Walls LaNier.  I’m putting these 2 together because they both deal with the same subject.  Both books are written by 2 of the Little Rock 9.  I loved both because you get a really interesting look at what it was like for them.  It really wasn’t that long ago that schools were still segregated, and their stories are a great look at history.
6. Hate List by Jennifer Brown.  I read this book well over a year ago, and I still can’t get it out of my mind.  It’s a haunting look at a school shooting and I couldn’t help but think about how much they can affect everyone involved.
7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  This is one circus I would love to go to, and it’s a book I can get lost in.
8. Alison Weir.  I am a HUGE fan, and I am determined to read everything she’s written.  I’m really fascinated with Tudor England, and she’s my go-to author for anything about this time period.
9. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.  I love a good paranormal book (especially a paranormal romance) and I think it’s popularity is largely because of the success of Twilight.
10. My grandpa.  Okay, my grandpa is not a book, and he’s never written one.  But my love of reading and my love of learning (especially history) are because I grew up in a household where he took me to the library every week since I really little, and because I saw how much he loved history.  I’m the reader I am today because of him, so it seems right to have him on this list!

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 list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top 10 Tuesdays here.

Freebie: 10 Reasons Why I Love YA

This week, we get to pick any topic we want, and this week, it’s why I love young adult.  I love YA, which should be really obvious by now.  But there are so many reasons why I love it, and I’m sharing some of those reasons today.

1. It’s so creative!  Adult fiction can be creative too, but there are so many great ideas in YA, and they are most certainly things you wouldn’t see over in the adult section.  There are so many great YA books out there, and I’m amazed at how fun, thoughtful, and interesting YA is.  Even when I don’t like a book, a lot of times, I do like the premise of the novel, and love that you see authors going for something different.
2. Length.  I’m not going to lie, the length is part of why I love YA.  The more I read YA, the less I pay attention to the length, but I do like that they’re (generally speaking) shorter than “adult” books.
3. There are a lot more options in the YA section than there were when I was in high school.  I graduated from high school 8 years ago, and even then, it didn’t seem like there was much to choose from.  Now?  I don’t even know where to start half the time!  I love that it’s growing so much, and that there’s almost always something to fit my mood!
4. I find the characters and what they’re going through a lot easier to relate to.  Reading about characters who are trying to find their place in the world and figuring out who they are is so much more fun to read.
5. I love that it’s so hopeful!  No matter what happens, there’s always hope that things will get better, that the characters can make a difference or get through whatever’s going on.  YA is good at reminding me that there is both good and bad in the world.
6. YA authors seem so supportive of each other.  From a few interviews I’ve heard, and based on some acknowledgements I’ve read, it seems like quite a few YA authors really like each author, and are super-supportive of other YA authors.  This is seriously cool, and it’s nice to know that they support each other.
7. YA authors also seem a lot more accessible than other authors.  Then again, I pay more attention to YA authors because it’s most of what I read, but I feel like I can tweet them, or comment on their blog or whatever, and that they might actually answer back.
8. YA brings out a lot of emotions.  I’ve laughed until I’ve cried, I’ve sobbed, and I’ve done happy dances.  I’ve yelled at books, and fought the urge to throw some books at the wall.
9. I’ve read so much YA that I am now inspired to write my own!  Thank you YA!
10. There’s something comforting about YA, and I think it’s reading about characters who have so much potential and opportunities.  It’s a good reminder of who we can be.  Reading YA usually makes me feel better.

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 list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top 10 Tuesdays here.

Top 10 Favorite Kick-Ass Heroines

I have a confession to make- I had a lot of trouble with this one at first.  I kept thinking of so many characters that have no problem saving the world, and want to take out the bad guy.  A tough, ready to fight, weapon-wielding bad-ass can be fun to read, but I also love the strong, quiet characters who struggle with things and are in the background helping out.  Being kick-ass can come in so many different forms, so I’m hoping my list reflects that.  Here are my picks!

1. Evie from Paranormalcy.  She tracks vampires, werewolves, and other creatures, has a pink taser named Tasey, and loves pink, shopping, and clothes.  She’s a girly bad-ass, which is an awesome (yet seemingly rare) combination.
2. Luna from Harry Potter.  She’s quirky, sometimes wears strange hats or jewelry, and is open to any possibility, no matter how insane and crazy it seems.  She really is at peace with herself, which is something I love about her.  She knows who she is, and she’s okay with that.
3. Mrs. Weasley from Harry Potter.  Molly does kick-ass because of dueling with Bellatrix.  I love that Mrs. Weasley raised such a good group of wizards, and that her family (whether her own family or the people she kind of adopts) is so important to her.  Never mess with Mama Weasley…ever!
4. Tally from Uglies.  I love how Tally keeps fighting every surgery she has, and I liked seeing Tally come to terms with her memories of David and Zane as she goes from Ugly to Pretty to Special, and much the surgery can change her perspective on things…if she lets it.  She really struggled with loyalty and making the right decision, and that the right decision can change depending on the circumstances.
5. Lily from The Secret Life Of Bees.  I love Lily because she just wants a place to call home, and I loved that she found that home with the Boatwright sisters.  She has to deal with a lot of things, but she finds her place in the world.  She really just kicks ass because she takes this amazing journey and learns a lot about herself.
6. Melinda from Speak.  She’s one of the first characters I thought of.   I loved seeing Melinda grow throughout the book, and how she used art to express herself.  Speaking up can take a lot of strength, and that we have a voice, no matter how much we try to ignore it.
7. Hermione.  I know Hermione is an obvious choice, but I just have to include her.  Hermione’s really smart, and Ron and Harry are so lucky to have her around!  Plus, she cares about what happens to the house-elves, and fought for their rights, even when everyone thought she was crazy for doing that.
8. Zara from Need.  Zara kicks ass in a lot of ways.  Like going to Valhalla to save Nick, or teaching her classmates how to fight the evil pixies.  She just wants to help people, and make sure they’re okay.  Plus, she leads a student chapter of Amnesty International at her school.  Fighting for the rights of people everywhere?  Totally cool.
9. Tohru from Fruits Basket.  She might come across as a complete ditz, but she’s just so optimistic for someone who has lost her parents.  Plus, she wants to break the Zodiac curse, because she’s become good friends with Kyo and Yuki.  She’s such a good person, and never loses hope, no matter what’s going on in her life.
10. Katniss from The Hunger Games.  I know Katniss is another obvious choice, and while hunting is a strength of hers, the biggest reason she kicks ass is that she volunteered as a tribute so Prim wouldn’t have to be a tribute.  She’d do anything to make sure her family is taken care of.

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 bookish lists based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top 10 Tuesdays here.

Top 10 Books To Get Into The Halloween Spirit

I can’t believe it’s almost time for Halloween!  This was a really fun list to work on, especially because I love books that are scary, creepy or just plain weird.  The cool thing about this list is that I feel really inspired to start reading horror again.  Here are my choices for books that seem to get me into the Halloween spirit!

1. Dracula by Bram Stoker.  An obvious choice?  Yes, but nothing says Halloween like the original vampire.
2. Stephen King.  I know he’s an author, but I just can’t pick one book.  If there’s anyone who can write something that’s creepy and weird, yet perfect for Halloween, it’s Stephen King.
3. Morganville Vampires.  Again, vampires and Halloween go really well together.  But the town is creepy and there’s something sinister lurking in the background.
4. Harry Potter.  For some reason, Harry Potter is the perfect Halloween read.  You know something interesting is going to happen on Halloween.  Or maybe it’s the magic and witches and broomsticks and ghosts that do it.
5. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.  This is a really creepy re-telling of Dracula, and it’s a good Halloween read.  There’s a lot of suspense, and I love the mystery of it.
6. Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice.  Vampires and New Orleans!  Such a good combination, and she writes some interesting vampires.
7. Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent.  I’m only halfway through the series, but the creepiness of the Netherworld is sure to get you into the Halloween spirit.  Plus, the series focuses on banshees, so you can’t go wrong with Soul Screamers.
8. My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews.  I considered mentioning V.C. Andrews in general, but I think this one is the one that gets me into the Halloween spirit the most.  And that’s because of the setting, which is this really creepy, old gothic-style house.  Generally speaking, though, it’s just a creepy book.  And since it was written by V.C. Andrews herself (and not the ghost writer using her name), you know it’s going to be good, weird, and creepy.
9. Silence Of The Lambs by Thomas Harris.  Hannibal Lecter is creepy.  Besides, Halloween just doesn’t seem complete unless serial killers are involved somehow.  What is it about reading about serial killers that gets me in the Halloween spirit?
10. The Dreaming by Queenie Chan.  I love this manga trilogy!  It’s at this creepy boarding school in the middle of nowhere in Australia, and the school has this dark past.  It’s weird, it’s creepy, and there’s this certain darkness to it.  It’s definitely spooky.

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

Top 10 Favorite Authors In A Multitude Of Genres

I really couldn’t settle on one genre, so I’m going with several different ones.  Mostly paranormal, but I just couldn’t make up my mind about which genre I wanted to go with.  This was a really fun list and I realized that I’d buy books by a lot of the authors without even thinking about it.  Which could be a fun list all by itself…anyway, here’s my list!

Paranormal:

1. Rachel Caine.  I just love Rachel Caine, and she’s one of my favorites.
2. Rachel Vincent.  Another Rachel, but she’s becoming one of my favorites.
3. Julie Kagawa.  I just love The Iron Fey series, and I’m super-excited about The Lost Prince.
4. Kiersten White.  Paranormalcy was great, and I can’t wait to read Mind Games.
5. Cynthia Hand.  I love her Unearthly series.  I really do.  I really need to see if she has any other books out.
6. Aprilynne Pike.  I loved Wings and I can’t wait to see what else she comes up with.

Historical Fiction:

1. Alison Weir.  Actually, she’s one of my favorite non-fiction writers too.
2. Philippa Gregory.  I really liked the books she wrote about the Tudors.

Contemporary YA:

1. Laurie Halse Anderson.  I just love her.
2. Meg Cabot: Princess Diaries and All-American Girl are just amazing.

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

Top 10 Trends I Want To See More Or Less Of

Today is a Top 10 Tuesday rewind, which means we get to a pick any past topic we want.  I’ve decided revisit the bookish trends I want to see more and less of, plus a few I’m not sure about.  It’s amazing I managed to come up with 10 more trends, but as long as there are new bookish trends, I’ll keep talking about them.

Less:

• Covers with pretty girls in pretty dresses.  Or a girl’s face.  Especially if it’s half of her face.  Don’t get me wrong, I like these covers, but can we see something else on a cover every once in a while?
• Abrupt endings.  I don’t think this is an actual trend, and I really hope it doesn’t become one.  I’ve come across a few books where the book just kind of…ends.  I don’t mind cliffhangers, but I don’t want to feel like the author forgot to finish the book.
• Adding zombies or vampires to books.  Look, I don’t mind the whole Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, or Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter trend.  I hate to judge an entire genre based on one book that I have read (Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter is the only book in this genre I’ve read and I did like it), but just seeing it is getting a little tiresome.  I don’t want it to become overdone.
• Accents.  I’m not a fan of reading someone’s accent.  For me, it’s a huge distraction.  So far, Hagrid is the only character who can get away with it, but in general, I don’t particularly want to read someone’s accent.

More:

• We really need a college-aged equivalent of middle grade.  More college-aged students, whether it’s in YA or adult fiction, is good.  Why is this not a thing?
• Parents who aren’t absent, completely horrible or over-protective.  I don’t mind it every once in a while, but do we really need to see it in almost every single novel?
• Cool author bios and acknowledgements.  I like how a lot of YA author bios and acknowledgements make them seem like real people, and not just people to be admired from a distance for writing totally awesome books.

On The Fence:

• Extra content: It seems like there is an explosion of novellas in YA.  I don’t want it to be so important that I need to read it before the next book in order to know what’s going on.  And I don’t want it to feel like the author was asked to write something extra.  But if it’s a short story or “lost” chapter that the author wants to share with the fans, that’s kinda cool.  I think it just depends on how interested you are in the series.
• Spin-off series.  Vampire Academy/Bloodlines, Percy Jackson/the Roman God spin-off, Weather Wardens/Outcast Season and The Iron Fey/The Lost Prince all come to mind.  I don’t have strong opinions either way because I haven’t read enough of the original and it’s spin-off to know for sure if I like it or not.
• Companion books.  I’ve only read, like, one companion book, so I’m not sure if I like it as a trend or not.  Honestly, it seems like it’s a way to write a series without actually writing a series.  Maybe I just need to read more of them before I start judging it.

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

Top 10 “Older” Books I Don’t Want People To Forget About

This week, I’m going back in time to talk about “older” books I don’t want people to forget about.  Or as I like to call it, books from my childhood I don’t want to forget about.  Here’s my list!

1. The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin.  I loved this series, and it’s nice to see a bunch of 13-year-olds who are still fairly innocent.  It’s such a contrast to a lot of the books out today.
2. The Sweet Valley Universe by Francine Pascal.  This is another I immediately thought of, and honestly, I don’t know why I’m putting it on this list.  But they were a big part of my childhood.
3. Goosebumps by R.L. Stine.  I’m not sure what R.L. Stine is up to these days, but I loved how you didn’t need to read everything in order.  In fact, you could skip books, because it wasn’t one continuous story.
4. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.  I haven’t read this one in forever, but it’s on my mind because of the movie.
5. Angus, Thongs, And Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison.  I remember reading this book, but I don’t remember a lot of it.  Still, I love that it’s just the life of a girl.  I feel like we don’t see enough of that.
6. The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants by Ann Brasheres.  It’s a book about friendship, which is something that seems pretty rare in YA these days.  Having books about friendship is good.
7. Bridge To Terabithia.  I loved this book in elementary school.  I just love the story, and the friendship between Jess and Lesley and the imaginary world they created.
8. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.  I’ve finally started re-reading this series, and I still love it.  It’s nice to see Mia work through everything in her diary.  Plus, it’s just a fun read.
9. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith.  I loved this book, and I love how it’s a great coming-of-age story.  I just loved seeing her grow up.  It’s the only one on this list I didn’t read as a kid, and it’s a shame it took me so long to read it.
10. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.  I haven’t read this book in forever but I just loved it!  It’s such a good story.

Are there any books you don’t want people to forget about?

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

Top 10 Series I Haven’t Finished

This topic is right up my alley!  I didn’t realize how many series I’ve read, and how many I want to finish (or not finish in some cases) until I started working on this list.  Some I decided not to finish but there are some I really want to finish.

1. Game Of Thrones by G.R.R. Martin.  I know it’s not actually that Game Of Thrones series.  I just can’t be bothered to google the actual series name.  I was bored out of my mind reading it, so I won’t be finishing it.
2. Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya.  I have no clue why I haven’t finished it.  I might know how it ends, but that’s no excuse for not finishing it.
3. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.  I have been putting off finishing it for some unknown reason.
4. The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray.  See my reason for Paranormalcy.
5. Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine.  I fell in love with this series after the first book, and yet I’ve only read the first couple.  At the rate I’m going, the entire series is going to be out by the time I get around to reading a few more.
6. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.  This is another series I won’t be finishing.  Interesting idea, but I just didn’t like the characters.
7. Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent.  I’ve only read the first book in the series, so I have a few more to go.  See Morganville Vampires.
8. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston.  I like the series so far, but I really, really need to finish some of the other series I’m reading.  This one is pretty low on list of series to finish.  I like it, just not enough to finish reading it RIGHT NOW.
9. Firelight by Sophie Jordan.  Same thing as Wondrous Strange.
10. Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.  I’m pretty sure I haven’t finished this series, and I’d really like to.  Plus, I haven’t read since high school, so it’ll be nice to revisit a YA series I read when I actually was one.

Are there any series you haven’t finished?

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted every week by the lovely folks over at The Broke And Bookish.  Bloggers from all over are invited to share their lists based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top 10 Tuesdays here.

Top 10 Bookish People I Want To Meet

This was a fun list to put together!  It ranges from inspirations to authors that seem cool to the book blogging community as a whole.  Here’s my list!

1. J.K. Rowling- The Harry Potter books are my favorite books of all time, and I’d just love to meet her and thank her for sharing Harry’s story with the world.
2. John Green.  He seems like such a cool guy, and meeting him would be so fun.
3. Stephen King.  The last time I read his stuff on a regular basis was high school.  But he comes up with some of the most interesting, strange ideas, and I’d love to know his inspiration for some of those ideas.
4. Lani Diane Rich.  I haven’t read any of her books, but I just started listening to her podcast, yesterday, and it seems like she would be fun to have a cup of coffee with.
5. Laurie Halse Anderson.  I’m a huge fan of Laurie Halse Anderson, and I just love her books.  She’s just someone I really admire, and if I ever write a YA contemporary, it’s because of her!
6. Alison Weir.  I just love the books I’ve read by her, and being able to talk to her about Tudor history would be amazing.  Her knowledge of Tudor history astounds me.
7. Tahereh Mafi.  She just seems so adorable and cool and she seems like someone I’d want to hang out with for a day.
8. Joy Wilson.  She’s the baker behind the Joy the Baker blog.  She has a cookbook, out so that totally makes her bookish in my world  I’d love to meet her, and I wouldn’t mind talking about totally unimportant important things.  Or baking.  Maybe unimportant but totally important things while baking!
9. Erin Morgenstern.  She just seems cool based on a couple of blog entries I’ve read over at her website.  And The Night Circus originally started out as a novel written during National Novel Writing Month, so we could totally talk about that.
10. And of course, I can’t leave out my fellow book bloggers!  I honestly can’t pick who I want to meet the most, so I’m going with everyone!

Is there any particular author or other bookish person you’d like to meet?