Top Ten Tuesday (#127) (03/22/16) Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough

I'm pretty vocal about my love of certain books/authors, such as my love of Sarah Dessen and Jason Reynolds. I will also go on and on about my love of some of the best books I've read in any given year.  However, there are some books that I have featured on some lists, but I just don't end up on these lists over and over.  Here are some of those books:

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

I rate books as soon as I finish them. I always like to put down my first impression, before I let time or other outside influences affect how I feel about a book. I rarely go back and change my star rating on Goodreads.  The downside of that is that sometimes I over rate books and within a few months of reading a book that I've rated pretty high, I can't remember a darned thing about it.  Then there are those that I rate well and just stick with me where I can't get them out of my head and I probably should have rated them higher.  This was definitely one that should have been rated higher.  It was a story that hasn't left me since the moment I read it years ago.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

I know I've mentioned my love of E. Lockhart books in the past, but I've generally focused on the Ruby Oliver books. This one is pretty amazing though. I read it and never really mentioned it again, but I love it. 

Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

This book is hardly going to win any awards, but it's so adorable, sweet, cute, and innocent that it's stuck with me for years.  This is not great literature by any means, but it's readable and it made me happy. 

 Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

I know I've mentioned my love for Jennifer Echols a lot, but I don't know if I've focused much on this book, which is one of my favorites by her. This is another book where I read it and just couldn't get it out of my mind, so I read it several more times.  I haven't read it in a while, but I still remember the story very well and it remains one of my favorites. 

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

I know I've mentioned this book a few times, but it's not one I go on about very much.  It's also not very highly rated on Goodreads, which kind of makes me sad. I read it years ago, and it just kind of touched me. It will always remain on my list of books where I would love to peek in on the characters ten years later.
 

 Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

This is most likely the book I have talked about the most on this blog. Probably because it doesn't seem to get a lot of love or likes on Goodreads.  It actually has a pretty low rating which makes me sad. I'm thinking there was a lot of DNFs because the main character is pretty awful. It still remains one of my all time favorite books because of the really though provoking discussion on female sexuality.

Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

Another book that I've mentioned a few times, but it's often hard to find lists where I can fit this book. I check ebooks out from the library a lot, and this book was one of the few that as soon as I finished reading it, I went out and bought it.  Something about this book worked for me, and it remained one of my favorites.

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

I used to mention this book more, but it's been a while.  I'll Give You the Sun gets much more love, and deservedly so, but this book is equally as beautiful and memorable.  I  read it years ago and the beauty in the writing and the story have stuck with me.

The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne

This is a relatively new book so I think that may be why I haven't included it on many lists or mentioned it much on this blog, but it easily made my Top 10 from last year list. As I mentioned in that post, there are so many books that get politics wrong, and this one just got it SO right. 

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

This book really just touched me. It was so well written and while it also made my Top 10 from last year, I don't know that I've mentioned it in any of my other posts.  If you like contemporary fiction, I highly recommend this book.

Top Ten Tuesday (#104) (08/18/15) Top Ten Of Your Auto-buy Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

Top Ten Of Your Auto-buy Authors

Hi I'm Lisa and I'm a book buying addict.  Seriously, I have had to limit myself to only buying e-books because I can't fit any more books in my house.  I do have some favorite authors though, but while I wouldn't say their books are auto-buys, they are auto reads (always through legal channels, either purchased, reviewed (ARCS), or checked out from the library.)  DON'T download "free" books on the internet.  You are stealing if you do.  Ultimately, they all end up being bought though.  So here are my auto-read authors.

Ally Carter

I've read pretty much whatever she's written, and I will continue to do so.  Her books are just plain good fun.  I may end up eating my words with her new series, but I just love what she's done so far.  My favorites are her Heist Society books.

Maggie Stiefvater

I admit I am one book behind on the Raven Cycle books, but I plan to remedy that very soon. My favorites are her Wolves of Mercy Falls books.

Sarah Dessen

 This one goes without saying.  I have read everything she's written and will continue to do so. She is my favorite author right now and she has been for a while.  My favorite books of hers are The Truth About Forever and This Lullaby.

Richelle Mead

 I haven't read any of her adult books, and I am in no hurry to.  Her YA books, I consume them as soon as they come out.  My favorites are the Vampire Academy Series.

Rachel Hawkins

I've read all of her books too.  I just love them.  They are just really good fun, and if you are not following her on twitter, I highly recommend checking it out.  She's funny.  She has a middle grade book coming out soon that I'll probably skip, but anything YA I'll definitely read.  My favorite is her Hex Hall series.

 Jennifer Echols

There are a few of her past books I still need to read, but I read each of her new books when they come out, or sometimes I review them and get to read them early.  She is definitely one of my favorite authors.  My favorite books are Going too Far and Perfect Couple.

E. Lockhart

I think there is one book of hers that I haven't read yet, but I will get to it eventually.  She is an amazing writer, and each time I pick up one of her books I get surprised again by how awesome they are. I just can't pick a favorite of hers, I love them all.

Jandy Nelson

She's only written two books, and they were both amazing.  I feel like I waited forever for I'll Give You the Sun, but it was worth the wait.  I will read everything and anything she writes next.  Not going to pick a favorite of hers either.

Gayle Forman

I've read most of what she's written, everything but her first book.  I will continue to read everything she's written because I love all her books.  My favorite book of hers is If I Stay.  Loved it.

Jason Reynolds

He's only written two books too, but they were both awesome.  He has another book coming out at the end of September that I will grab as soon as I can.  He also is writing a middle grade that I don't know if I'll pick up, but I'm sure will be awesome.

Top Ten Tuesday (#103) (08/11/15) Top Ten Authors I've Read The Most Books From

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

Top Ten Eleven Authors I've Read The Most Books From

I have a tie, so I have to make it a top 11.  I am having to limit this list to full books by authors.  If you add in all the novellas and shorts by authors, the list changes.  Of course this list ends up favoring those authors that have long series that I read all of the books.  I am also limiting this list to YA, and YA I've read in the last 10 years.  The number of books I've read is below their name.  Here's what I came up with.

Kieran Scott/Kate Brian

 23

She would have made the list twice with the number of books I've read by her under each of her names.  However, I'm combining it into one.  The Private/Privilege series added a number of books to the 23 I've read, however I actually only read 6 of those books, so it's not what elevated these numbers.  It's all the other stuff she's written.

Meg Cabot

23

A large number of these are between the Mediator series and the Princess Diaries.  However, I've read plenty more that she's written.  I've been reading her books for years, so the number has kind of crept up on me.

Melissa de la Cruz

14

The Blue Blood series was the main reason why this count is so high even though I haven't read the last book.  I've also read a bunch of her other stuff.  I haven't loved the new stuff as much, but she's still an author I can count on.

Zoey Dean

14

I don't know if Zoey Dean is even a real person.  I think she is, since she gets writing credits on IMDB.  However, I've never seen a picture.  Most of books I've read are from the A-List series, which was a total guilty pleasure of mine.

Sarah Dessen

12

Needless to say, she would be number one on my list if she'd written more books.  She is a book every other year author, so she hasn't written as many as some other authors.  Each of her books is well worth the wait.  She's written 12 books, and I've read 12 books.  It's the only author on this list that I can say that I've read every thing they've written.

Richelle Mead

 12

I managed to completely read both the Vampire Academy and the Bloodlines series in it's entirety.  I do plan on reading her new book in the fall, which I am really excited about. I haven't read any of her adult stuff yet.

P.C. & Kristin Cast

10

I read the first 10 House of Night books, and several of the novellas and then I broke up with the series.  I actually have the final two books, I just can't bring myself to read them.

Ally Carter

10

I've read almost everything she's written.  I adored the Gallager Girls series, and the Heist Society books are just as good.  I am pretty willing to read whatever she writes.

Jennifer Echols

8

She would be higher on the list if I read everything I own by her.  She's one of my favorites, and it's just a matter of time until I read all her books. 

Kimberly Derting

 7

I loved the Body Finder series, and I think about it ALL the time when I hear about murders, and there being a question of guilt.  I also enjoyed The Pledge series.  I haven't read her most recent books, but I am still a big fan.

J.K. Rowling

7

She makes it on the list on the seven Harry Potter books she's written.  I haven't read any of her adult books, and I really don't plan on it.  The Harry Potter books were good enough for me.

Top Ten Tuesday (#100) (07/21/15) Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters

When making this list, I realize I read a lot of the same type of book.  However, more often than not, when I branch off, I am rewarded.  Here are some of my favorite books that feature a main character or their love interest that are diverse in some way.  There are a ton of other books that have secondary characters that are a minority in some way, so I decided to just limit it to the main characters.  Here are my ten.

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

This book was so bizarre; but really well written.  It's so odd that it's hard to even focus on the fact that the main character is black.  But she is, even though I don't remember it being a huge focus on the book.

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Yes Cinder is an android, but I think she's also Asian.  I think only because they don't really go into what she looks like from what I remember.  The story takes place in New Beijing, so I'm pretty sure they are all Asian.  If nothing else, they are all Asian in my mind.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor comes from a very poor background, however it's Park's Korean mother who steals the show in this book. Park's ethnicity comes up quite a bit during the book, but I think it's really well done.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

For some reason this is the only book that features a gay character that made my list, although there were others that could have easily been on it.  I just loved how this book was written, and the one of Noah's scene with Brian gave me the most happy chills.  I just adore this book.

Monster (Monster #1) by Walter Dean Myers

If found this book to be pretty amazing.  It was just such a different world than I have ever experienced, but it was enlightening.  I highly recommend this book.

Biggest Flirts (Superlatives #1) by Jennifer Echols

This series actually has several different races.  In this book the main female character is Hispanic.  One of my favorite things is that the Echols doesn't really make a big deal about it, it's just a fact about Tia much like so many others.  In the third book, the main female character is black, and it's brought up a little more, but once again, it's not a big deal.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han

I love that Jenny Han wrote this series.  Laura Jean is such a fantastic character, and she seems like such a typical teenager.  I have loved reading about her Korean customs, and her and her sister's do to keep that part of who they are.

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh

One of the few books I read with a Middle Eastern main character, and it is awesome.  I can't imagine this story being told any other way.

When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

I have never been shy about my love of Jason Reynolds books.  One of the things that I loved about this book is that the characters seem so real.  I can't wait to read his next book.

Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry #1) by Simone Elkeles

This is a perfect romance with characters that are not only from different socioeconomic backgrounds, but also from different races. I don't read enough books that have primary characters that are Hispanic.

Top Ten Tuesday (#92) (05/19/15) Top Ten Books I'd Want on a Deserted Island

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

Top Ten Books I'd Want on a Deserted Island

This week is a freebie, so I looked back at the list of topics and picked one I hadn't read before.  I am putting books on this list that I loved enough to read over and over again.  I don't reread many books, just because I don't have the time, but those that I do re-read are really special to me.  So I am excluding the obvious survivor type books (though from a practical viewpoint, I really should have a bunch of those) and limit this to books I want to read again, and again.

 Looking for Alaska by John Green

I've been wanting to reread this book for a while now.  It's been so long, that being stuck on a deserted island would be the perfect time to read this again.

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1) by Stephanie Perkins

 I don't know how many times I've actually read this book.  If I had to guess I would say maybe 10?  That doesn't mean I would mind reading another 10x or more if I was stuck on an island.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

I loved this book, it was such a nostalgia trip for me that I could read it again and again.
 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling

Ideally I would have access to the entire series.  Barring that, I would probably take the first one along.

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

It was so hard to pick just one Jennifer Echols book.  I picked this one, but it really could have been any of them. I've actually read all of her books multiple times, and I will probably read them all again at some point.

If I Stay (If I Stay #1) by Gayle Forman

I've read this book multiple times, and I could read it many more.  It makes me cry each and every time.

Real Live Boyfriends: Yes. Boyfriends, Plural. If My Life Weren't Complicated, I Wouldn't Be Ruby Oliver (Ruby Oliver #4) by E. Lockhart

 I picked the last book in the series, but picking one was really hard.  Actually picking any E. Lockhart book is hard, and I would gladly be stuck with any of them on an island.

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Yeah, picking just one Sarah Dessen book was hard.  This list could have easy been the Top 10 Sarah Dessen books I would want to have with me on a deserted island.

Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

This one kind of surprised me.  I think about this book all the time, and I have read it so many times I have lost count.  It has an insanely unlikable MC, but at the same time is totally compelling.  Every time I think about it, I want to read it again.  I'm actually fighting the urge to go grab it.

The Year of Secret Assignments (Ashbury/Brookfield #2) by Jaclyn Moriarty

This is the only one of the series that I would want on a deserted island with me.  Not the the others are bad, it's just that this one is my favorite by far.  I think it has a lot to do with the relationship between Seb and Lydia.  They remain one of my favorite book couples.