Top Ten Tuesday #22: Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait For!

1.  The Retribution of Mara Dyer By Michelle Hodkin:  This was released a couple weeks ago, but I'm still waiting for my library hold to come in.  TWO YEARS of waiting for this one!!!  It was supposed to come out last year and I'm dying to see what happens.

2.  Mr. Kiss and Tell (Veronica Mars #2) By Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham:  Kind of a cheat, since I already read it (I was NetGalley approved).  But I LOVED it so much and want my own copy!  Also, my e-galley was missing the last few pages.  It will torture me until January!!!

3.  Untitled (The Chronos Files #3)  By Rysa Walker:  There is no title or cover yet, but I can't help being excited for this one!  The way the second book left off (huge cliffhanger!), I desperately want to know what happens next.  One of the best time travel series I've ever read!

4.  The Wicked Will Rise  By Danielle Paige:  Eagerly awaited sequel to one of the more entertaining and well built novels I read this past year.  I will be interested to see what happens to Amy Gumm and the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked!  *I am somewhat torn on even reading this, due to the whole Kathleen Hale business and Paige's support of her on Twitter.  Not okay.

5.  The Winner's Crime  By Marie Rutkowski:  Arin and Kestrel's further adventures are of immediate interest to me!  The first book was so different and odd, but really well written.  I'm curious to see how Rutkowski expands on her original world/culture and what she does to her characters.  Especially Kestrel, whose life is a MESS.

6.  Untitled (Starbound #3)  By Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner:  Even though I didn't like This Shattered World as much as the first book in the series, I'm curious to see if Kaufman & Spooner choose yet another two new characters to write about, or revisit their past ones.  Either way, it'll be an intriguing read.

7.  Every Last Breath  By Jennifer L. Armentrout:  OMG!  Zayne or Roth???!!!  I don't know anymore and I will be satisfied AND crushed by the end of this trilogy, no doubt.  The power of JLA, I'm tellin' ya!

8.  Oblivion (Nevermore #3)  By Kelly Creagh:  This book was originally slated for 2013 - its current release date is July 28th, 2015!  TWO YEARS!!!  'Nuff said.

9.  Dearest  By Alethea Kontis:  I kind of loved Friday in the last two books and I'm super glad she's getting her own story.  The fact that it's a semi-retelling of the Wild Swans fairy tale is just a bonus!

10.  Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke  By Anne Blankman:  I haven't even read the first one yet.  But I have it on my Kindle and I have an overwhelming feeling I'm going to love it, the way I didn't exactly love "Code Name Verity."  I will be chomping at the bit for the second one!!! :D

Top Ten Tuesday #21: Top Ten Authors We Own the Most Books Of

     Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, which allows bloggers to share lists of some of our favorite (and not-so favorite) things.  This week we'll be highlighting the top ten authors whose books we own the most of!

     I just purged my bookshelves recently, so this list will be a little different then it would have been a mere week or two ago.  Also, I don't necessarily have an author I love enough to want to collect every single book they've ever written.  If I know I won't be re-reading something often, I'm in a place now where I don't have room to buy and keep a book simply to have it.  They have to be important to me!  So here is my attempt at finding ten decently high counts on my bookshelves.

*Quick Note:*  Disregard everything I said above!  I own 42 V.C. Andrews

Top Ten Authors Whose Books I Own the Most Of

1. V.C. Andrews - 42 Books (I own all her books from Flowers In The Attic, up through the first two in the Willow series which in my opinion is when they started to really suck.  I used to be so obsessed with her books!)
2. L.J. Smith - 16 Books (This is mainly because I own LOTS of her trilogies/series from the 90s!  I.E. Forbidden Game, Night World, the original Vampire Diaries books, etc.)
3. Meg Cabot - 16 Books (So, all the Princess Diaries books and her All-American Girl series, plus her teen historical romance...so, yeah.)
4. Charlaine Harris - 15 Books (Only explanation needed: Southern Vampire Mysteries aka Sookie Stackhouse.  I rest my case.)
5. L.M. Montgomery - 13 Books (All of her Anne of Green Gables books and her Emily of New Moon series as well.  Actually, doubles of the first two books in the Anne series.  So the basics, really!)
6. Christopher Pike - 9 Books (All of his Last Vampire series [6 books] and his Remember Me series, which is one of the best about re-incarnation I've ever read!)
7. Rick Riordan - 8 Books (I'm one short of owning all the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series' books.  All I need is Mark of Athena!)
8. J.K. Rowling - 7 Books (Do I even have to explain this one? :p)
9. Jane Austen - 6 Books (Everything written by the master.  Ever.)
10. William Shakespeare - 5 Books (Hamlet, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Taming of the Shrew & Romeo + Juliet - all my favorites by him!  I'm especially a fan of TotS.)

Top Ten Tuesday #20 - My Top 10 Reads So Far This Year

     Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, which allows bloggers to share lists of some of our favorite (and not-so-favorite) things.  This week we'll be highlighting the top ten books we've read so far this year!

     I had read about twice as many books this time last year as I have now.  I have a much smaller pool of reads to choose from, so I will try to make it to ten but I don't know for sure if I will.  I'm going to link the pictures back to my own reviews of the books, so that you can read in my own words what I enjoyed/loved about these books! :)

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year (2014)

Top Ten Tuesday #19 - Beach Bag Reads!

     Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, which allows bloggers to share lists of some of our favorite (and not-so-favorite) things.  This week we'll be highlighting the top ten books that will be in our beach bags this summer!

     

     I am ashamed to admit that this is my first TTT since February!  But I will say that my personal life has been kind of crazy.  My Mom was in the hosptial for the entire month of February, and I was basically running the household with my Dad during that time.  Then she spent most of March recovering, and in April and May I was working 70-80 hour work weeks at two different jobs, one of them very physically demanding.  I am still kind of exhausted and mentally drained, but I am making a comeback! :D  So, here are the ten books that I want in my beach bag this summer!

Top Ten Books In Anna's Beach (and Park) Bag this Summer

One Good Knight (The 500 Kingdoms #2) by Mercedes Lackey:  This is the last book in the series that I haven't read yet!  Desperately want to finish it, and it's light (and humorous) enough for a beach read.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart:  I keep hearing everyone talk about how great this book is!  Is it good enough to be my intro to E. Lockhart?  It's definitely small enough to take to the beach.

My Faire Lady by Laura Wettersten:  This sounds so cute, and like the perfect summer book!  The main character works at a Ren Faire!  What's more summery than that? :)

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry:   It sounds like a historical kid's book version of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead - it's bound to be hilarious and kick-ass in other words!

Nantucket Red (Nantucket #2) by Leila Howland:  Nantucket Blue, the first in the series, was one of my favorite reads last summer.  I'm excited to read what happens next with Cricket!

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt:  I read this book every summer, because it's a classic that I love.  It's about life, death and the consequences of both.

Making Money (Discworld #36) by Terry Pratchett:  I need to get on this already!  I loved Going Postal, so I don't know why I haven't read this one yet.  And I think there's a third one coming out with Moist, Adora, et all coming out soon.  I'm behind!

*Edit: It's called Raising Steam and has been out since November 2013!  I am officially pathetic!

Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman:  Because I need more Neil Gaiman in my life, and I seem to gravitate more to his kid's books (they are wonderful).  This sounds like fun!

Landline by Rainbow Rowell:  If you have not read anything by this lady, do yourself a favor and pick up her stuff!  If you have, you get why I'm dying for July to get here already!

Llanview in the Afternoon: An Oral History of One Life To Live by Jeff Giles:  What's more perfect to read about at the beach than the history of a soap opera?  I watched this on and off from 1998-ish till it went off network TV in 2012.  I would love to get my hands on a copy of this book!

That's my list for the week, I hope you find something interesting on it!  I can't wait to see everyone else's beach read hopefuls, and I would love to have a conversation in the comments.  I'll see you all again next week! :D

Top Ten Tuesday #18 - Books That Make Me Cry

     Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, which allows bloggers to share lists of some of our favorite (and not-so favorite) things.  This week we’ll be highlighting the top ten books that made us cry!  I am not usually a crier, and it takes something really emotional to jerk my heartstrings into phoning it in to my tear ducts!  I think this list was difficult for me, because I have so few books that really affect me that way.  But the ones that have are beautiful and definitely need to be shared with more people.  Some of them are pretty famous though (which is for good reason).  I hope you guys check them out and love them just as much as I do!

     

     As always, happy Tuesday and have fun everyone!  Also, MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A LINK TO YOUR POSTS SO I CAN VISIT YOU GUYS TOO!!!  Without further adieu, the books (it's always all about the books)!  :)  All of the books are linked to their Goodreads pages. 

Top Ten Books That Made Me Cry

1. A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks:  Back when he'd only written a couple of books and this was such a thing among all the girls in my middle school!  Oh God, did I ever bawl like a baby at the ending! 
2. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick:  This was a very personal read for me and I can't exactly divulge why (as it's a really big spoiler), but I was bawling my eyes out by the time the book ended.  It seriously wrecked me for days.
3. Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery:  Seriously, when Gilbert is ill and Anne is regretting their estrangement I was choking back sobs (all the times I've read it; which is many!).  Poor Anne and Gil, almost losing their chance at true happiness!
4. Christy by Catherine Marshall:  Ohmigod!  Fairlight! And anything Miss Alice ever says, along with all those poor and proud kids.  I absolutely adore this book, but it always mists me over.
5. The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder:  This book is to me what The Fault In Our Stars seems to be to everyone else in the book world, on the internet and in the YA circles in general.  It's a cancer story, but it's so much more than that.

     6.  Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell:  This made me cry as much for Eleanor and Park's ill-fated, 

          beautiful first love as it did for Eleanor's life in general.  By the ending I was in love with both of them.

     7.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:  The others got to me, sure, but even when the big WTF 

          happened at the end of HBP, I didn't cry.  This one though, was nonstop!  Hedwig, George's ear, 

          Remus, Tonks, Fred, and also the Ron reunuion, etc.  SO MANY FEELS (which the epilogue 

          promptly RUINED)!

     8.  Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares:  Maybe because it was the last one in the series.  Or 

          maybe because there was a character death that was strategically planned to make the tears gush.  

          Also, Bee goes through the most it seems like, and she's my absolute favorite of them all.  Insta-tears.

     9.  Ordinary People by Judith Guest:  It's about the distinegration of a family after the death of their               oldest son.  It's a sad and depressing book to begin with, but when Conrad finally lets loose in his                 shrink's office my floodgates open.

   10.  Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt:  Considering the whole theme is choosing between living 

           forever or just one lifetime, tears aren't surprising.  But at the end, when we find out Winnie's choice, 

           I always feel weepy.

Honorable Mentions

1. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
2. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
3. The Cider House Rules by John Irving

Top Ten Tuesday #17 - Or My Top Ten Books (Overall) of 2013

     Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, which allows bloggers to share lists of some of our favorite (and not-so favorite) things.  This week we’ll be highlighting the top ten books that we read this year!  I have already done a similar post for Feature & Follow with AlisonCanRead and Parajunkee.  But it was the Top Ten New to You Authors of 2013.  Coincidentally, some of the books do overlap!  Such hard choices to make this list, and leave off other favorites from it.  Can't wait to see everyone else's lists and I'm sure my TBR will be creaking from the weight by the time I'm done visiting! LOL
      As always, happy Tuesday and have fun everyone!  Also, MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A LINK TO YOUR POSTS SO I CAN VISIT YOU GUYS TOO!!!  Without further adieu, the books (it's always all about the books)!  :)  All of the books are linked to their Goodreads pages. 

Top Ten Books I Read In 2013 (No Specific Order, Except For #1)

Oh my GOD!  This book you guys!  I think by combing through I have found this year's definitive favorite.  I just absolutely fell in love with Cherry and this book.  I want everyone to read it!  But I also think that it's a little special and some people probably won't "get" it.  I did and I am so glad!

One of the best, most innovative time-travel books I have ever read.  Absolutely hanging on the edge of my seat the whole time and I fell for all the characters too!  Cannot recommend it highly enough.

A completely fitting ending for one of the best high fantasy series I've ever read!  The series stayed consistently awesome, never falling into the tropes so many others do.  Plus it has non-stop action, a kick-ass heroine and a swoony bodyguard! (Hector FTW!)

The alien civil rights movement, an evil master plan, romance, an awesome sense of humor and some masterful prose!  What's not to love about this fantasy novel involving alien exchange students coming to Earth?  Nothing, that's what!

I was unsure of this book when I first got it for review.  But I absolutely adored the main character Ezra, and his snarky, witty self!  Also, one of the best depictions of a teen in a shitty situation but trying to make the best of it.  Never phony and not always pretty, but definitely a great read!

What if Kate Middleton was ugly and lived in a trailer park?  That's basically the quick and dirty of this one, though it digs much deeper into the right reasons for love and learning to accept yourself for who you are.  Oh yeah, it also has a wickedly hilarious sense of humor! (If it seems like I'm saying that a lot, it's because it matters.)

A novel in which the heroine and every other woman in society is treated like property and less than human.  Very important things to say about our world and the independence of human beings in relation to others.  Plus, it has a really wonderfully and realistically developed romance.

All I can say is though this one is late to the party (I just finished it two days ago), it is extremely impressive in its own right.  It's the second novel in a trilogy but completely avoided the sophmore syndrome most fall into.  Not to mention that it is a chilling retelling of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but it has a pretty hot romance in it too (the love triangle was done so well I could deal with it - rare)!

Astrid is a complete and total asshole.  She's basically a truth-telling, saracastic, arrogant and power hungry bomb of a human being.  It's both shades of hilarious and heartbreaking.  This book digs deep into what it means to co-exist with other human beings - and does it with a pie in one hand (to shove in your face) and a tissue in the other hand.

This one terrified me, made me relate to it and had me bawling like a baby.  Such a personal book to read and definitely the best I've read by Matthew Quick.  He proves he can pack punches like any of the big guns in YA.

Top Ten Tuesday #16 - Or the Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me

      Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, which allows bloggers to share lists of some of our favorite (and not-so favorite) things.  This week we’ll be highlighting the top ten books we wouldn't mind Santa bringing in his sleigh!!!  So, I might be cheating just a little bit on this one!  A couple of the books on here are ones actually on my "Santa" (i.e. parents') list!  I can't wait to see what books I can take from your to-buy or get lists and add to my own!  And as always, happy Tuesday and have fun everyone!  Also, MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A LINK TO YOUR POSTS SO I CAN VISIT YOU GUYS TOO!!!  Without further adieu, the books (it's always all about the books)!  :)  All of the books are linked to their Goodreads pages.  P.S.  The only one of these I've actually read yet is The Mark of Athena.  Yes, I know I'm pathetic!!! :p

Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Getting From Santa

Top Ten Tuesday #15 - Or Top Ten New To Me Authors of 2013

     Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, which allows bloggers to share lists of some of our favorite (and not-so favorite) things.  This week we’ll be highlighting the top ten authors that are new (to us) that we've read in 2013.  I have read so many new authors this year, and it has been such fun going back through them to decide who my favorites have been.  This is just a list thus far, as I'm sure I might still change my mind in the two and a half-ish weeks we have left in December!  I can't wait to see what authors we might be discovering together - and which ones you can introduce me to!  And as always, happy Tuesday and have fun everyone!  Also, MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A LINK TO YOUR POSTS SO I CAN VISIT YOU GUYS TOO!!! Without further adieu, the books (it's always all about the books)! :)  And the only books pictured by the authors are the ones that I read this year (all of them linked to their Goodreads pages).

Top Ten Best Authors New To Me I Read In 2013 (No Particular Order)

1.  Denise Deegan - I'm still not exactly sure how I discovered her, but let me just tell you how freaking glad I am that it happened!  Her books are so well-written and full of feels.  Great discovery!

2.  Jane George - I went searching for circus oriented books and was lucky enough to stumble across Jane's entirely magical Mumbo Jumbo Circus series.  I am truly excited to see where she goes next! :)

3.  Rachel Alpine - She wrote an extremely important book about speaking up for yourself and the price of popularity with the cost being your individuality - sometimes even more than that.  It was gut-wrenching and beautiful, a truly special debut.  Can't wait to see where she goes!

4.  Robyn Schneider - She has written some other books (I personally have not read them yet though).  This year I was introduced to her through a book called Severed Heads, Broken Hearts.  One of the funniest, most moving books I read this year.  Definitely will be adding her past books onto my to-read list.

5.  Leila Howland - I did not think it was possible for me to surprised and taken in by a book that is the quintessential "summer romance" book, but Leila's debut was so much more than that!  I think that as long as she stays true to the emotions and realities of her first book, I'll definitely stay a fan.

6.  John M. Cusick - Once again, an author that has a couple of other books floating around in the YA world already.  I just had never found myself with one of them in my hands before this year.  And I'll tell you what, Cherry Money Baby was the best introduction possible to Cusick's unique style!

7.  Melissa Landers - Her teen debut is actually not released until February of next year!  But I had the chance to read it and I am truly grateful that I did.  Intergalactic exchange students, romance, political intrigues and civil rights struggles.  And she has a great sense of humor!  I only wish I was able to put this in the hands of my friends immediately after I finished it!

8.  Cristin Terrill - Time travel is always a difficult concept to carry off!  Terrill managed it in her debut novel with grace, and some entirely awesome plot twists.  Plus, she wrote better characters (even with some of them being the "same" person) than most YA novels have nowadays.  Originality, in a word.

9.  Wendy Knight -  Battle Unicorns!  Those are really the only words I need to describe this tour de force of fantasy fiction for young adults.  I will definitely enjoy reading more by her in the future!

10.  Ripley Patton - I just finished one of Ripley's books in her PSS Chronicles series in the last couple of days and it was one of the freshest, interesting concepts for a book that I've read in a great while.  She has an interesting way with words and the entire story flowed so realistically that I had trouble putting it down.  Now I'm jonesing for the next one something fierce!