Top Ten Tuesday (#87) () Top Ten Inspiring Quotes from Books

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

 

Top Ten Inspiring Quotes from Books

Is it wrong that I don't really pay much attention to book quotes, and a single quote really doesn't inspire me?  Quotes that really stick with me tend to make me laugh, but really they need the context of the book to be funny, if you take them outside the book, they no longer seem funny.  I think that goes for inspirational quotes too.  So for what it's worth, here are my 10 favorite book quotes that I find inspiring in some way.

“What you have to decide... is how you want your life to be. If your forever was ending tomorrow, would this be how you'd want to have spent it? Listen, the truth is, nothing is guaranteed. You know that more than anybody. So don't be afraid. Be alive.”
― Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever 

“Forcing girls to be ashamed for doing the things that come natural to them — it's a ridiculous double standard, and we should all, frankly, tell anyone who judges us to screw off.”

― Siobhan Vivian, Not That Kind of Girl

“You have to know what you stand for, not just what you stand against.”

― Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak

“I think everything is happening all the time, but if you don't put yourself in the path of it, you miss it.”

― Gayle Forman, Just One Day

“I am coming to terms with the fact that loving someone requires a leap of faith, and that a soft landing is never guaranteed.”
― Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby  

“Sometimes you lose a battle. But mischief always wins the war”

― John Green, Looking for Alaska

 “Do not accept an evil you can change.”
― E. Lockhart, We Were Liars 

“Well, first you have to be very, very funny. I have realized that it is essential for a boy to be funny. Otherwise, what is the point in a boy?”
― Jaclyn Moriarty, The Year of Secret Assignments 

“It takes forty muscles to frown, and only twelve to jam a cupcake in your mouth and get over it.”
― Sarah Ockler, Bittersweet

“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire      

Top Ten Tuesday (#79) (02/03/15) Top Ten Books Contemporary Books I Can't Believe I Haven't Read

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

 

Top Ten Books Contemporary Books I Can't Believe I Haven't Read

Contemporary books are by far my favorite.  I read that genre more than any other, but there are books I've missed over the years that I still can't believe I haven't read yet.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I've been wanting to read this forever, I just never found the time.  It's supposed to be a classic, and it's shameful that I haven't read it.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

I am making it a goal to read this book this year.  I've heard nothing but amazing things about it.

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

This is one of those books that slipped my attention when it came out, but the reviews are great.  I have become more curious in the last year.

13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelope #1) by Maureen Johnson

I like everything Maureen Johnson has written. I haven't gotten to her most popular and well known books yes.  Hopefully soon.

Burn for Burn (Burn for Burn #1) by Jenny Han &  Siobhan Vivian

I've read everything that both Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian have written, and I will continue to do so. For some reason I haven't read their collaboration series yet. 

 The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith

Jennifer E. Smith is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and yet I haven't found the time to read this early work by her.

Crank (Crank #1) by Ellen Hopkins

I put this one here, but really I've only read 3 of Ellen Hopkins books.  With is terrible considering that I really like every one I have read.

 Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Another one of my favorite authors, and yet I somehow missed reading this one.  I bought it as soon as it came out, and yet I never got around to it.

 Winger (Winger #1) by Andrew Smith

I put Winger on this list, but the shameful truth is that I haven't read a single book by Andrew Smith.  I have heard nothing but good things about this book, as well as many of his other works, I just haven't found the time.
 

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Another one of my favorite authors, and yet another book I didn't get around to reading.  I need to prioritize this one.

Top Ten Tuesday (#78) (01/27/15) Ten Books I'd Love to Read If I Had A Book Club

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

 

Ten Books I'd Love to Read If I Had A Book Club

I don't belong to a book club. I tried a YA club for adults, but almost everyone was much younger than me, so I felt awkward. One of these days I will try going again, but I'm not sure. If I were to start one myself, this is what I would love to read, and I might one day.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

A few years ago this book was the buzz of the ALA annual awards.  I think there would be a ton to talk about with this book.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Apparently this is a multi-tissue read.  I'm sure that there is a lot to discuss with this one.

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

The only book to ever win both the Printz and Morris award.  It has been on my TBR pile from the moment the awards were announced.

 Sex & Violence by Carrie Mesrobian

I've bee wanting to read this one for a while.  It seems like it would be incredibly thought provoking, and could lead to an interesting conversation.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

You can sub out pretty much any other John Green book for this one, and I'm sure it would make an excellent book for a book club.  

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King

I have a confession, I've never read anything by A.S. King before.  I have heard nothing but amazing things about her books.  I picked this one, but I'm sure that others can sub out and lead to an awesome discussion.

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

I've loved everything that I've read by David Levithan, and books that are listed as Alex Award winners have always been fascinating to me.  A discussion about the format alone might lead to an excellent book club meeting.

Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker #1) by Paolo Bacigalupi

This is supposed to be a pretty great dystopian novel.  I have heard nothing but good things about it from people I trust.

The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence

Another Alex award winner.  I have heard nothing but good things about this one, and I think there would be a lot to discuss about this one.

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Another author that you can pretty much sub out any of their books and have an awesome discussion.  I picked this one because it's one of the few of hers I haven't read (yet).

Top Ten Tuesday (#76) (01/13/15) Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

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

 

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

Putting together this list makes me so sad that I didn't get to some of the books that are on this list.  Books by some of my favorite authors were just never read.  I really hope I can get to them this year. 

Noggin by John Corey Whaley

I never got around to reading his first book, so I swore I would read this one. Needless to say I never got around to it.  I have actually read the first few chapters, and it's awesome, so I hope I can pick it up and read the rest of it soon.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

I waited for what seems like forever for Jandy Nelson to write another book, and once she did, I somehow didn't get a chance to read it.  The fact that it ended up on so many people's 10 best list from 2014 makes the fact that I didn't get to this one even worse.

Only Everything (True Love #1) by Kieran Scott

I've read everything that Kieran Scott has read under this name and almost everything that she has written under the Kate Brian name.  Somehow I didn't get to this one. 

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson is one of my favorite authors, and yet somehow I never got to this book.  I waited for a long time for her to write another YA, and I got the pre-ARC for this a couple of years ago, and yet I didn't read it.  Shame.

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

The only debut to make my list.  I loved the concept and it got amazing reviews. I got to many of the debuts that I wanted to read, but for some reason this one was not one of them.  

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

I really enjoyed Morgan Matson's other books and yet it was another one that I didn't get to.  This one got great reviews, and I have no good reason why it didn't get prioritized.

Sinner (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #4) by Maggie Stiefvater

Another one of my favorite authors, and one of my favorite series.  Cole St. Clair is one of my book boyfriends, and yet I didn't read a book devoted to his story.  Shameful.  Plus I expect all those lose ends about what happened with him to be semi tied up, and yet I didn't get to it.  
 

This Is How It Ends by Jen Nadol

 I think Jen Nadol is one of those underrated authors.  This one didn't get terrific reviews, but I loved her other books, so I have high hopes for this one.  I was just never able to squeeze it in.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Yet another one of my favorite authors that I somehow didn't get to.  When I think of all the bad or mediocre books I read last year, and then see books like this one end up on a list of books I didn't get to, actually kind of depresses me. 

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series, and to be fair I did get part way through this book, before getting into books that I either had to return to the library, or for some other reason.  I never got back to this one, which is just a shame.

Top Ten Tuesday (#54) (04/08/14)

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

 

Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read

This is more of a list of the Top Ten most Unique or Bizarre books I've read.  Sadly for me, the books that I would consider bizarre were not my favorites.  However, they were all unique.

17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma

 So creepy and so well written.  This one stuck with me for a long time, and I've still not read anything like it.

 

Ashes on the Waves by Mary Lindsey

 This one falls into the bizarre and unique category.  I had a debate within myself about how a book that is based on another work of fiction can be unique, but I think this book pulls it off.

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

There have been a ton of clones since this series first came out, but really when it came out there was nothing else like it.  Plus all the books that try to follow HP, ultimately fall short.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1) by Ransom Riggs

 The blending of the creepy photographs with the story make this book one of a kind.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

I am adding this book, not for the story itself, which is awesome, but not necessarily unique, but for the writing.  The way external dialogs are represented is just so unique. 

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

This definitely falls into the bizarre/unique category.   I can honestly say that I have never read anything like this, and the companion book, Slice of Cherry, before. If you don't mind extreme violence, and like something very different, I really recommend this book.

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

It's hard to make a contemporary unique.  I had never read a book on this topic, and honestly I never want to read anything like this again.  It was beautifully written, it was just rough to read. Of course it's completely unique. 

Leviathan (Leviathan #1) by Scott Westerfeld

I loved the re-imagining of WWI.  Plus the illustrations were so amazing. It was probably the best steampunk book I've ever read.  I have never read anything like this before.

Sleepless by Cyn Balog

This is another book that stayed with me because of how unique it was.  It really made me imagine if there were such a being that was in charge of helping me sleep.  If this could be real, I would have to say that my Sandman is totally failing at their job.

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

This book also falls into the bizzare/unique.  After I finished my immediate reaction was "WTF".  I will say it stuck with me because it was so different from anything else I've ever read.  If there is anything out there even remotely like this book, I would be interested to know about it.