Top Ten Tuesday (#50) (03/11/14)

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

 

Top Ten Favorite Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic Books

My absolute favorite genre is contemporary. Particularly romantic contemporary.  I have mentioned over and over on this blog my favorite contemporary books.  That being said, I do enjoy a good dystopian book.  Here are my favorites:

 Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

I thought the first two books were great.  The first definitely being the winner.  I am only half way through the final book and so far the first is the winner.

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

I really enjoyed this series, and it's probably my favorite off of this list.  I know people hated how it ended, but I kind of loved it.

 

Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi

I love this series.  I haven't read the last book yet, but I'm including it anyway because the first two were so fantastic.

Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano

I have only read the first book in this series, but it was so unique and different.  It's been a couple of years, but it's stuck with me.

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken

I've only read the first book in this series, but I loved it.  So compelling and so interesting.  I really need to read the second and the last one comes out later this year.

Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver

I absolutely hated how this series ended, but the first book was fantastic.

 

The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass

I have a love hate relationship with this series.  There is so much that drives me nuts, but more than anything it's memorable.

Matched (Matched #1) by Ally Condie

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and although I thought the middle and last book were a little slow, I am including this book because it was so unique.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #1) by Carrie Ryan

I actually thought this series got better as it went along.  Years after reading it, it's stuck with me because it was so creepy.

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

It's more sci-fi than dystopian, but it really covers both genres, so I'm including it.  I love this series. If you haven't read it, please do.

Top Ten Tuesday (#39) (12/17/13)

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

 

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2013

Confession:  I am totally behind in reading debut authors.  I had planned to read all debut authors all the time in Dec. but I just don't see it happening.  I will try to get to my 12 author minimum though.  So here are the top 5 debut authors I read, and the top 5 authors that were new to me this year.  Not their debut year, but just new to me.

Top Debut Authors:

April Genevieve Tucholke

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.  I enjoyed this book.  I look forward to the next book in the series.

 

Jessica Verdi

My Life After Now.  This book was a bit predictable, however, I thought it was a very important book.

Kasie West

Pivot Point is technically her debut book this year, but I read The Distance Between Us.  I thought it was a promising debut for contemporary.  I need to read Pivot Point though.

Lindsay Ribar

The Art of Wishing.  I thought this was a really clever book.  I look forward to the next one in the series.

Rainbow Rowell

I've made absolutely no secret about the fact that Eleanor & Park was my favorite book in 2013.  I still have some books to read, but it will be hard to top it.  Then I read Fangirl.  Wow.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next in YA.




Top Authors New to Me:

Alexandra Bracken

I read The Darkest Minds a little late in the game.  I thought it was awesome, and I really need to read the next one in the series.  It's sitting on my shelf just waiting for me.

 

Cassandra Clare

I can't believe I'm admitting to never having read a Cassandra Clare book.  I am so late to the game on this one.  But I read two of them!  I need to catch up on the series as a whole.

 

Gena Showalter

Another very prolific author that I never got around to reading until this year.  I need to go back and read her past series, but I am kind of loving the White Rabbit Chronicles series.

Jessi Kirby

I never got around to reading In Honor or Moonglass, but I really enjoyed  Golden, which I did get around to this year.  I will read In Honor at some point in time.

Lili Peloquin

I read the first two book in her The Innocents series.  It's good soapy fun.  A true guilty pleasure. 

Teaser and Top Ten Tuesday (#26) (09/17/13)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

From pg. 38 of my ARC*

As Ronan spoke, Gansey's eyes were half-closed, turned toward the night.  His thoughtless expression was one of wonder or of pain; with Gansey, they were so often the same thing.

*This is and ARC copy.  Page number and quotes may not be the same in the finished copy.

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

 

Top Ten Books On My Fall 2013 TBR List

Once again I am defining this to books that come out during the fall equinox September 22nd-December 20th. My track record is pretty good.  I just hope it can continue as I deal with a major life change come the beginning of December.  Here are the books I'm most looking forward to:

Across a Star-Swept Sea (For Darkness Shows the Stars #2) by Diana Peterfreund

I enjoyed the first book in this series.  I look forward to seeing what happens next.  I have the ARC just sitting on my shelf calling my name.

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Not only one of my most anticipating books of the Fall, one of my most anticipated books of 2013.  I feel like I have been waiting for this book to come out FOREVER.

The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) by Richelle Mead

I have been waiting for this since the beginning of the year when I finished The Indigo Spell.  I am so excited we get two Bloodlines books in one year.  Ms. Mead is so nice to us readers!

Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2) by Alexandra Bracken

The first book in this series was actually a bit of a surprise to me.  I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did.  I can't wait to see what happens in the second book in this series.  Another ARC I really need to get to before it comes out.

Teardrop (Teardrop #1) by Lauren Kate
I enjoyed the last series she wrote. I had some issues with it, but overall I found it to be pretty enjoyable.  I'm looking forward to seeing if this one can be better. I've had the ARC waiting for me for what seems like forever.

These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman

I've just noticed that this list is very sci-fi heavy, which is not my normal favorite.  But I'm including this one because it looks so interesting and is getting so much buzz.  I have the ARC, now I just have to read it!

Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2) by Gena Showalter

I had anticipated the first book in this series so much last year, and it totally lived up to my expectations.  I can't wait to see what happens next.  Plus Cole is back, and I love some Cole. 

Just One Year (Just One Day #2) by Gayle Forman

It took me forever to finally read Just One Day, but the moment I finished it, I needed this book in my hands.  I can't wait to see what happened to Willem, and where the story goes from there.

Perfect Ruin (The Internment Chronicles #1) by Lauren DeStefano

I totally fell behind on her Chemical Garden series, but maybe I can stay current if I read this one?  I was bummed I missed on the ARCs at ALA, but I still plan to read it.

Unbreakable (Legion #1) by Kami Garcia

I can't wait to see what she does on her own.  I enjoyed the Beautiful Creatures series, and I want to see if I like this series more.  I have the ARC now I have to find the time.