Top Ten Tuesday (67)

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic is

Okay, this week’s topic is actually a freebie, but I had half of this list done last Tuesday before Blogger deleted it (and I got so mad I almost threw my laptop across the room, thanks Blogger) and I didn’t have the mental energy to finish it then.  Friendships in books are so important to me.  There is nothing better than two people who just totally get each other.  On the flip side, sometimes there’s nothing better to read about than toxic friendships because people get crazy.  Here are my top ten books about friendship or friendships in books.

Mia & Lily - The Princess Diaries – Meg Cabot

Best friends that aren't always the best of friends, but they always come back to each other when it counts.  The top ten lists they make during G&T always make me laugh and want to add to them.  I like to think I’d fit right in with them.

Afterparty – Ann Redisch Stampler

This is a great book about the gnarly side of friendship gone wrong.  I don't think anyone would argue that Emma and Siobhan were good for each other.   I think it's important to explore all aspects of friendship in fiction, because (just like in romantic relationships) it’s not always sunshine and roses.  And this goes bad in an extreme kind of way that’s a lot of fun to read.

Maggie & Roux - Also Known As - Robin Benway

Roux is one of the best BFFs I've ever encountered.  She's a little bit out there, never afraid to speak her mind, and so, so interesting on so many levels.  I love that she steals every scene that she’s in.

Since You’ve Been Gone – Morgan Matson

So, yeah.  This book is set up like it’s about Sloane and Emily’s friendship, which it is, but the friendships that she made the summer Sloane was gone – Dawn, Matthew, and Frank are so important to who she becomes by the end of the summer.  It was really unexpected for me and I totally loved it.

Delany & Decker – Fracture – Megan Miranda

I’ve tried not to include a lot of best friends who turn into something more in this list (which was really difficult – that’s my favorite kind of love story), but I just couldn’t leave these two off.  I love their friendship so much.

Only five this week, because I'm still mad at Blogger deleting my post.  What did you all choose as your freebie this week?  Let me know in the comments and I’ll check it out!

Top Ten Tuesday (66)

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Today has been really hard, so I'm getting this in just under the wire.

This week's topic is

1. Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony & Rodrigo Corral

One of the coolest books that I've ever read.  Told in pictures, words, and even an app, Chopsticks told me two totally different stories the both times I read it and I loved the ride both times.

2. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line - Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham

The first in a hopefully long line of Veronica Mars mysteries.  What makes this one so unique is how it came to be.  There would be no book series without the Veronica Mars movie and there would be no movie without the 91,585 Kickstarter Backers (And yes I am one of them.  I would give them all my money if they kept promising me movies and yes I know that's a problem).  Fan funding allowed one of my favorite heroines to live on in a multitude of ways and I couldn't be more thrilled.

3. I Hunt Killers - Barry Lyga

The story of a twisted serial killer told from his teenaged son's point of view.  So messed up.  So different.  So awesome.

4. Team Human - Justine Larbalestier & Sarah Rees Brennan

The tagline says it all.  A vampire story where the main character sees vampires as the horrific creatures they are instead of as a love interest.  In the sea of vampire stories that exist in this post-Twilight world, Team Human was a breath of fresh air.

5. September Girls - Bennett Madison

September Girls utilizes some of the most unique mythology I've ever encountered in all my years of reading.  The Girls come to this world formless and make themselves based on what is deemed desirable in society, even if they can't stand it.  It was such an interesting read (one of my favorites of last year), I definitely recommend checking it out if you haven't already.

Don't Even Think About It - Sarah Mlynowski

Title: Don't Even Think About It
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Pages: 336
Publisher: Delacorte Press
From goodreads.com:  We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.
So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.

I was kind of disappointed by Don't Even Think About It.  The premise is cool, but overall didn't work for me.  I don't think the Espies (that's what they called themselves) as Greek Chorus type narration worked.  It pulled me out of the story while I was reading.  Also, there were way too many main characters and stories to be able to get too deeply involved in and that is a huge pet peeve of mine.  I wasn't really rooting for any of the relationships and I didn't care about any of the characters.

The other main issue I had was the actual thoughts that were being read.  They were super straightforward and obnoxious.  I don't think most people really think like that and it took away from my enjoyment of the story.  This book reads very young to me.  I would recommend it for actual teenagers, it just wasn't a favorite for my old self.

Top Ten Tuesday (65)

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic is

My bookish bucket list, hm?  This is tough.

1. Meet Meg Cabot
I've been super fortunate in that I've gotten to meet a lot of authors that I really admire, but in all these years I can't believe I haven't met Meg Cabot.  I have loved The Princess Diaries for as long as I can remember and would love to be able to tell her that I think Mia is one of the best YA heroines ever written.

2. Have a wall of bookshelves
I keep most of my books boxed up in my basement because I just don't have the room.  I can't wait until the day I have a wall that is just floor to ceiling bookshelves and I just get to look at them ALL THE TIME.

3. Go see Platform 9 3/4
Because, hello?  So cool.

4. I would like to feel like my TBR list isn't trying to swallow me whole
I mean, this will be an ongoing battle for the rest of my life, but one day I hope to feel less stressed out by all the books I want to read.

5. Go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
I can't believe I still haven't been.  It hurts me.

Just five today.  I worked an overnight last night and am too tired and too emotionally damaged from the season finale of Teen Wolf to come up with any more.  What do you have on your bookish bucket list?

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Title: The DUFF
Author: Kody Keplinger
Pages: 280
Publisher: Little Brown/Poppy
From goodreads.com: Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face. 
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

The DUFF is the second Kody Keplinger book that I've read (Shut Out was the first) and it reaffirmed for me that she is one of the authors on my 'I will read anything by ____" list.  I really enjoy how she writes about real issues without preaching, but by presenting a different way to think about things.

Bianca is told that she is the DUFF (dumb ugly fat friend) by this guy from her school named Wesley.  Wesley really pisses Bianca off and this pissed off-ness is expressed through lots of kissing.  And sex.  Now, it's not only the fact that he pisses her off that draws Bianca to him, it's also that her world is kind of falling to shit.  Her parents are divorcing, her dad (who is a recovering alcoholic) is drinking again, and Wesley is the only distraction that she wants.

I really liked that one of the points driven home in this book is that it's really easy to make judgements based on what's on the surface, but you don't really know those people.  You can label someone a slut or a whore, etc., but you're only seeing a small piece of who they are.  They could be struggling just as much as you are in life to find their way.  I think Keplinger brings a fresh perspective to everything she does.  It looks like she has a middle grade coming out next and I'm so looking forward to checking it out!

Top Ten Tuesday (64)

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic is

I'm going to start off this list by making a confession.  I am SO tired of winter.  It's been a tough one here in Jersey and I'm tired of the cold, I'm tired of the snow, and I am super looking forward to some warmer weather.  For that reason, I really can't wait to start reading some of the new books that come out in the spring, but take place in the summer. Usually I like to wait on those because I like to season-theme my reading whenever I can (I know, I'm weird, you don't have to tell me), but I'm really excited to start some early summer reading.

1. What I Thought Was True - Huntley Fitzpatrick
2. Better Off Friends - Elizabeth Eulberg
3. The Art of Lainey - Paula Stokes
4. Side Effects May Vary - Julie Murphy
5. Dorothy Must Die - Danielle Paige
6. The Vanishing Season - Jodi Lynn Anderson
7. Between the Spark and the Burn - April Genevieve Tucholke
8. Half Bad - Sally Green
9. Nearly Gone - Elle Cosimano
10. We Were Liars - E. Lockhart

Okay, not as many summer books as I originally thought, but just know that I'll be thinking warm thoughts while I'm reading all of these.  What are you guys looking forward to this spring?

Top Ten Tuesday (63)

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic is

This week's topic was a little tough for me.  Lately I've been hitting some of the bigger authors I've never read before, so ones that I would have put on the list a few weeks ago (Jennifer Echols, Elizabeth Scott, Laurie Halse Anderson) I can't anymore.  Don't worry, there are still PLENTY of big authors that I haven't hit yet that I've been meaning to, including:

Kristin Cashore
E. Lockhart
Scott Westerfeld
Francesca Lia Block
Lauren Kate
Libba Bray
Gabrielle Zevin
Tahereh Mafi
Veronica Rossi
Becca Fitzpatrick

So, yeah, I clearly still have a lot of work to do.  Have anymore suggestions for me?  Leave 'em in the comments please!

Reality Boy - A.S. King

Title: Reality Boy

Author: AS King
Pages: 368
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
From goodreads.com: Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into his five-year-old life. Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school.
Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that.


My first A.S. King and I LOVED IT.  I was a little nervous at first because I knew it was magical realism (and I've never read magical realism before,) but it worked so perfectly here that it didn't even seem weird.

You really carve a place out in your heart for Gerald.  He's been done so wrong by everything: his parents, his sister, his experiences.  You can't help but want things to get better for him.  I loved that Hannah wasn't a magical cure for everything in Gerald's life.  It gets messy and he wants things to go slow because he's been burned by pretty much everyone he's ever encountered.  Also that her family is far from perfect and she has issues of her own.  This book is really a portrait of imperfect people and families who are doing what they think is best to survive.  It turns out that their best isn't working.  All the slow reveals have perfect timing.  I can't wait to read more from A.S. King!

The Fault In Our Stars Trailer is finally here!

Overall, I think it looks awesome, but some of the dialogue feels a bit clunky to me.  I hope it's just because it's a trailer, and once I'm sufficiently immersed in the movie I won't care anymore.  I love that they used the book fonts and colors.  And when she says, "Okay," I seriously got the shivers, so that's a good sign. Now all we have is the long wait until June.  (But there's going to be plenty of YA adaptations to keep us busy until then!)  What do you guys think of the trailer?

Waiting on Wednesday (55)

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: Vengeance

Author: Megan Miranda

Pub Date: 2.4.14

From goodreads.com: Nobody really believes in a curse. Until you know the people who disappear. Too much coincidence, you look for reason. Too much death, you grasp for something to blame. Carson pulled Delaney out and he died on the side of the road with her mouth pressed to his. Her air in his body. Troy. She told the cops it was suicide. Didn't matter. The lake released her and grabbed another. But when Decker's father dies in a pool of spilled water on their kitchen floor, all Decker can feel is a slow burning rage. Because he knows that Delaney knew that his dad was going to die. She knew and backed out of his house and never said a word. Falcon Lake still has a hold on them both, and Decker can't forgive Delaney until he knows why.