Tag Archives: top ten list

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Spring To Read List

Posted in Books, Top 10 Tuesday by

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

Top Ten Books On My Spring To Read List

I can’t believe it’s time to think about what I want to read this spring!  Here’s what I feel like reading over the next few months!

  1. Splintered by A.G. Howard.  I’ve been meaning to read this one for a while, and I’m kind of into Alice In Wonderland re-tellings after reading Queen Of Hearts recently, so maybe it’s time to read it!
  2. Counting Backwards by Laura Lascarso.  I’ve been in a YA contemporary mood lately, and Counting Backwards seems to fit my mood.
  3. Sweet  Reckoning by Wendy Higgins.  I’ve really liked this series, and I can’t wait to read the last book in the series when it comes out next month.
  4. Destroy Me & Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi.  I feel like I need to read these 2 novellas so I understand the Warner/Adam stuff better.
  5. Seeing Light by Michelle Warren.  So I can see how this interesting paranormal trilogy ends.
  6. A Million Suns by Beth Revis.  No reason, I just want to read it soon.
  7. Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi.  Another one I just feel like reading soon.
  8. The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel.  After seeing the movie, I feel inspired to read the book.
  9. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson.  Because it’s her only YA book I haven’t read yet.
  10. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.  I’m definitely in the mood to read this one soon!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite YA Contemporary Books

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by

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

Top Ten Favorite YA Contemporary Books

I had so much trouble deciding between contemporary and paranormal, but with me being in such a contemporary mood lately, I decided to go for that!  There’s something about YA contemporary that’s comforting and nostalgic, and it somehow makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.  I could do several lists of my favorite YA contemporaries, but should I decide to revisit this list in the future…I’m pretty sure I could come up with even more favorites!

  1. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.  Speak is the book that got me into YA contemporary, and I can’t help but re-read because I love Melinda.  Actually, I really could go with any of her books, because she is that amazing, but Speak is the one I’d recommend the most.
  2. Hate List by Jennifer Brown.  This is such an emotional book that I was crying by the end of the book and was still crying on the couch five or ten minutes later.  It’s such a heartbreaking look at the aftermath of a school shooting.
  3. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.  I just love The Fault In Our Stars!  It’s John Green, do I really need to explain why this one is a favorite?
  4. In Honor by Jessi Kirby.  I just loved the road trip Honor and Rusty took and I could relate to Honor so much!
  5. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.  I could relate to Lennie so much, and I totally understood what she was going through.
  6. Reason To Breathe by Rebecca Donovan.  There is a reason this series keeps popping up on my list…because Emma’s story is so heartbreaking and I can’t help but want things to be okay for her.
  7. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick.  I just loved the Garrett family, and how they were so welcoming to Samantha.
  8. Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.  I just can’t help but swoon over the setting and St. Clair.
  9. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.  There’s something about this series that makes me want to curl up on the couch and read it over and over.  I think it’s because it’s set during the summer at the beach beach.
  10. A World Away by Nancy Grossman.  The narration of the audio book is what really made this book for me, but I just love Eliza’s story and her life living as a nanny for a non-Amish family.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Popular Authors I’ve Never Read

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by

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

Top Ten Authors And Books I’ve Never Read

This was a really challenging list for me, because I feel like I’m pretty good at reading the popular stuff.  Still, I’ve managed to find some authors I’ve never read.  Although I admit to adding quite a few books because…that somehow seems to make my list work better.

  1. Sarah Dessen is at the top of my list of people I’ve never read.  I’ve tried to read her, but I’ve had to DNF the handful of books I’ve tried…I know people love her, but I just can’t seem to get through her books.
  2. The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight by Jennifer Smith.  Still haven’t read it, but I’m kind of looking forward to reading it someday soon.
  3. Nalini Singh.  I know people love her books but I haven’t had a chance to read her yet.
  4. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare.  I still haven’t read this series, but for now, I’m going to wait until I finish Mortal Instruments…whenever that is.
  5. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.  I keep telling myself I’m going to read it but I still haven’t done it…
  6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  I’ve only read the first few pages, but I’m still including it because I’m only a few pages in.
  7. Rainbow Rowell.  I have Fangirl and Eleanor & Park, I just need to actually read them.
  8. Gillian Flynn.  I’ve tried to read Gone Girl but I just couldn’t get past the first few pages.
  9. Patrick Ness.  I tried reading Chaos Walking but couldn’t get through the first chapter because the accent was written out and that drives me insane to the point of not reading books because if it.  Perhaps, one day, I will be not annoyed enough to the point that I may pick up the audio book.
  10. Neil Gaiman popped into my head right now.  I have one of his books on my Nook, because it was only, like, 1.99 so I bought it- only to not read it, of course.

Top Ten Tuesday Rewind: Ten More Books I’d Love To See As A T.V. Show!

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by

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

Top Ten Books I’d Love To See As A T.V. Show Or Movie (Or Both!)

Book adaptations have been on my mind lately, and after seeing Monuments Men and Vampire Academy recently, I knew it was time to revisit the topic!  Here are ten more books I’d love to see on-screen.

T.V.

  1. Me Since You by Laura Weiss.  I read this recently, and there’s something about the book that would be a great t.v. show.  I think it would work as a movie too, but I think the ripple effect you see in the book would work much better on t.v.
  2. Nil by Lynne Matson.  Nil would make another great t.v. show!  Something about mysteriously appearing on an island and then having a year to get off would be something I’d watch.  Although…now that I think about it…something about Nil makes me think of Lost, and there would be a lot of comparisons.  Still, I think there’s enough to work with for Nil to actually work.
  3. Stung by Bethany Wiggins.  A world where there are things like the bee flu and horrible consequences because of a flu vaccine…it would be creepy but also so very watchable.
  4. Weather Wardens by Rachel Caine.  There’s something about her books that would make great t.v. shows.  I think part of it is how long her series to tend to be, but it would be one fun show to watch.  And Outcast Season would have to be worked in somehow, since it’s a spin-off of WW.

Movie:

  1. Manor Of Secrets by Katherine Longshore.  Actually, I’d love to see Manor Of Secrets as a t.v. show, but with Downton Abbey on air, I don’t see this happening anytime soon.  Still, I think I’d rather see it as a movie, because of Downton Abbey being so popular.
  2. Between Shades Of Grey by Ruta Sepetys.  World War 2 is pretty popular, so WW2 burnout is possible, but at the same time, this was such a great book and interesting look at World War 2.
  3. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.  I’d love to see this series as on-screen.  There are so many things that would be hard to translate to the screen, but I’d still go watch it.

I’ll Take Either One:

  1. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins.  This is a series that could go either way.  I like the idea of spending more time in Sophie’s world, but something about each book would work equally as well as a movie.
  2. The Summer I Turned Pretty bu Jenny Han.  Okay, I have yet to read the last book, but there’s something about this series that would work as movie or a t.v. show!  T.V. reason: I think the flashbacks would work much better on a t.v. show, and you could see more of everyone’s life when it’s not summer.  Movie reason: I have no idea why, but I think it would work.
  3. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.  It’s fun enough to go see as a movie but there’s also enough action and details that would lend itself well to being a great t.v. show.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Reasons I Love Being A Book Blogger

Posted in Blogging, Top 10 Tuesday by

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

Top Ten Reasons I Love Being A Blogger And A Reader

There are so many completely amazing things about being a reader and a book blogger.  I could go on and on about why I love both, and I’m such a different reader now than I was when I first started posting book reviews a few years ago. It’s such a big part of my life and I can’t imagine life without it!

  1. I love being a book blogger because I feel like I’m better able to explain why I feel the way I do about the books I read. Before the blog, it was “I read this book and I felt this way,” and now it’s “I read this book and I feel this way because…” which is such a good thing, because I’m more aware of things I like and/or don’t like when it comes to reading.
  2. I also love being a book blogger because  I feel like I’m better able to pick out books I like!  Because I’m more aware of things I like (and don’t like), I feel like I’m better able to find interesting books.
  3. Being a book blogger has also given me a space to talk about what I’m reading.  I probably could have combined this one with the first two, but I love that I have a part of the internet to talk about what I’m reading.  My blog is also such a good record of how my tastes and habits have evolved!  Who I am as a reader now is different than the reader I was when I first started a few years ago.
  4. Books make me think of my grandpa, who loved reading a lot.  I totally get it from him.  
  5. I love being a reader because there are so many different ways to access books.  There are e-books and audio books and print and so many different places to get them.  I think it’s pretty awesome that a book that doesn’t work for me in one format could totally be something I love if I switch to a different format.
  6. I love being a book blogger because of the community!  I’ve found out about some awesome books because of other blogs, and I love that everyone does their own thing.  Because it’s really cool to see how one book can have such different opinions. And that whatever your reading style is, you can find your people.
  7. I love being a reader because I can travel and learn things without having to go anywhere or go to school.  Sure, actually going to London beats reading a book set in London, but I love that I can read away until that’s a possibility.  And I love that I can read about Mary, Queen Of Scots (or whoever I’m currently interested in) and not have to go to school!
  8. I love being a reader because I want to forget real life for a little bit and because I want to be entertained.  These are two HUGE reasons why I love to read.  Sometimes, it’s nice to get lost in a completely different world and experience life through the eyes of someone completely different than me.  And sometimes, I just need to be entertained by something.
  9. I love being a reader because it makes my work day go by a little faster.  Listening to a book keeps me sane when I’m working…until I start laughing or crying hysterically and hope everyone else is too busy to pay attention to me.
  10. I love being a reader because I’ve found some awesome music!  I love it when authors talk about what they listen to while they’re writing, and somehow, it makes reading that particular book so much better!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by

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 share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon

This is perfect for this week, considering Valentine’s day is just a few days away!  The number of books that make me swoon…it’s one of my favorite things about reading!

  1. Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.  This can be explained in three words: Etienne St. Clair.
  2. The Princess Diaries.  How can you not love Michael Moscovitz?
  3. The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa.  Because of the lengths Ash went to so he could be with Meghan.
  4. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.  It feels weird to have this book on my list because of Lennie’s grief over the death of her sister, but part of me couldn’t help but fall in love with Joe.
  5. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows.  I don’t know what it is about this series, but I can’t help but swoon over it.
  6. The Summer I Turned Pretty/It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han.  I love both Jeremiah and Conrad, and they are two of my favorite characters in this series.  I like both of them with Belly but for very different reasons.
  7. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand.  Tucker.  I love Tucker.  I wish he were real!  Also: Christian!  But mostly Tucker.
  8. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.  It’s another one that feels like an odd choice, but I love Augustus and found myself swooning while crying my heart out.  He and Hazel really are amazing together!
  9. The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger.  I love Lord Maccon.  I really do. especially when he’s with Alexia, because that is something that is always entertaining.  That is all.
  10. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen.  I know it’s all cliche to love P & P, but I can’t help it!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by

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.

Top Ten Tuesday Header

Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry

This is the perfect topic for me.  Seriously, it is, because there quite a few books that have made me cry!  I cry pretty easily, so I don’t know if I’m the best judge of what will make you cry, but I’m still going to share my list on books that you need to have a box of kleenex for.  Limiting myself to 10 is going to be so hard…because I could easily do another list.  Not even kidding.

  1. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.  If you don’t cry when reading this book, you are probably void of emotion.  Because every single time I read this book, I cry even harder than I did the last time I read it.
  2. Hate List by Jennifer Brown.  I was still crying 10 minutes after I finished this emotional roller-coaster of a book.
  3. Still Alice by Lisa Genova.  Because seeing Alice go from college professor to being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s and how much she truly forgot over the course the book…very, very heart-breaking.
  4. The Breathing Series by Rebecca Donovan.  I could do all three books individually, but since they all made me cry, it seemed fair to put all them together.  Let me tell you, by the time I was finished with the last book, I had a pile of kleenex next to me.
  5. In Honor by Jessi Kirby.  I was crying by the end, of course, but it’s rare for me to cry at the BEGINNING of the book…and Honor grieving over her brother and trying to honor his last, dying wish…it’s no wonder I couldn’t help but cry!
  6. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.  It’s definitely one of my favorite books when it comes to a character grieving over the loss of someone important, and I laughed and cried and laughed while I cried.  I totally related to Bailey and her grandma, and I was so sad they lost Lennie.
  7. If I Stay/Where She Went by Gayle Forman.  I dare you to not cry when reading these books.  Because you really can’t help it.  They’re both so emotional I don’t even know where to start…so just have the kleenex ready.
  8. Allegiant by Veronica Roth.  While it’s also possible to want to break things with Allegiant, I also couldn’t stop crying once I started.
  9. With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent.  Because Kaylee experiencing what she did in order to save her friends and family was so sad.  Her sacrifice really was heart-breaking.
  10. Boundless by Cynthia Hand.  Because a certain moment caused tears of sadness, and then a few pages later, another moment turned the sad tears into happy tears…I really should have a box of kleenex nearby when I finish a series…
  11. Me Since You by Laura Weiss.  I just finished the ARC of this one the other day, and I couldn’t help but cry for Rowan and her family.  One moment changed their lives forever, and my heart broke for them.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Worlds I Wouldn’t Want To Live In

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by

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.

Top Ten Tuesday Header

Top Ten Worlds I Wouldn’t Want To Live In

This is such a good topic!  Actually, this week, we had a choice of worlds we wouldn’t want to live in or characters we wouldn’t want to trade places with (if we don’t read books set in other worlds), but there are so many worlds I wouldn’t want to live that I decided to go with that option.

  1. Panem from The Hunger Games.  This is most definitely an obvious choice, but I still wouldn’t want to live there.
  2. Wherever A Song Of Fire And Ice is set.  There’s way too much going on in that world, and it doesn’t seem like a pleasant place to live.  Of course, this is based off the first book, because I could barely get through that one, much less the rest of the series.
  3. the U.S. in Delirium.  Because I don’t want surgery to make sure I don’t fall in love.  A world where love is considered a disease is one scary world.
  4. The world of Matched.  I have no desire to see how things turn out in the series after I read the second one ages ago, but I do not want to live in a world where things like music and art are limited to 100 books, and I most certainly do not want to live in a world where my life is completely mapped out.
  5. The world of The Silenced.  The parallels to the Holocaust were kind of scary, and being forced to be the same as everyone else?  Not a world I’d want to live in.
  6. The world of Unwind.  Not just because of the fictional 2nd civil war over reproductive rights, but because you see how both sides of an issue can go totally insane.  And the idea of being unwind?  I wouldn’t want to grow up in a world with that hanging over my head.
  7. Maxwell Academy from Variant.  So, Variant is a world where people are replaced with androids, and you have no idea why, since it’s seems like there are no plans for a third book any time soon.  I would not want to live in fear of becoming a robot or constantly be wondering if people I know are secretly robots.
  8. Pretty much any world Rachel Caine creates.  Because things go to hell in a hand basket pretty fast.  They’re fun to read, but to live in?  Not so much.
  9. The world of the Immortal Rules.  Human are seen as cattle, because vampires have taken over, and they pretty much rule the world, and if you’re not registered…well, you are out of luck.  And I definitely would not want to live in that world.
  10. The world of Divergent.  I really wouldn’t want to live in a world where I had to pick a faction, and then find out everything I’ve ever known is a lie.

Honorable Mentions- More worlds I would not want to live in: the worlds of When She Woke,  the Dire Earth Cycle, Pawn, Inside Out and Sky Jumpers

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Things On My Reading Wishlist

Posted in Books, Top 10 Tuesday by

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.

Top Ten Tuesday Header

Top Nine Things On My Reading Wishlist

Here’s what I like about this topic: there are SO MANY THINGS I’d love to see in books, and it was a lot of fun thinking about what I want to see more of in books!

  1. Labelling series!  It’s just annoying when I’m actually looking in Barnes & Noble and I have no clue if it’s part of a series and what number it is.  The downside to not having a smart phone means I have to remember the titles that sound interesting and check when I get home.
  2. More variety in mythology re-tellings.  I can count on one hand the number of re-tellings that are aren’t based in Greek mythology that I’m aware of.  As interesting as it is, authors really could go with any mythology…and yet most re-tellings are Greek mythology.
  3. Both parents in the picture and happily married.  Because I’m started to get tired of the single parent/divorced parents thing in YA.  Some teens do have happily married parents and I have no idea why it’s not more of a thing.  Also, parents who are involved but not too involved.  I don’t know if it’s just the books I’m reading or if it’s considered boring or what, but I’d really like to this one every once in a while.
  4. Speaking of family, can we have more of family actually getting along?  Because I’m pretty sure that there are people out there who actually got along with their siblings and parents, and I feel like that’s not highlighted enough.  A totally perfect relationship isn’t necessary, but getting along is good.
  5. Historical fiction that’s not set in Victorian-era England, the 1920’s or during World War II.  There’s so much to pick from in terms of historical fiction, but I feel like Victorian England, the 2o’s and WWII are really popular.  And there’s nothing wrong with those time periods, but with so much to history to pick from, I’d like to see more variety, instead of the same time periods over and over.
  6. So, those stories where someone dies- usually suicide, but sometimes not- and their former best friend tries to figure out why?  I’d really LOVE for the mystery part to be dropped, because it feels so fake that the former BFF cares now that their former friend is dead.  I feel like there are better ways to show someone coping with the death of a childhood friend.
  7. Less New Adult romance.  There’s nothing wrong with it and I don’t mind reading it once in a blue moon, but I feel like New Adult is so much more than YA with sex.
  8. More self-doubt.  One of the things that really stood out when I was listening to Spell Bound was how Sophie had a moment where she thought she couldn’t save the world because she was just an ordinary teenage girl.  I found that super-interesting and refreshing, and I’d love to see more of it!
  9. More interesting love triangles.  I’m finding that a lot of them are just boring because it’s obvious who the girl is going to pick.  I don’t care if it’s less obvious, or a different shape altogether or even if it’s a guy who’s trying to decide between 2 girls- I just want to see a different variation on the love triangle.