To Read, or Not Read? That is the Question {A Top Ten Tuesday Post}

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they provide a Top Ten topic for you to create your list, then you share it on their post so others can find you. :)

  ♥ Top Ten Books I'm Not Sure I Want To Read... For Whatever Reason ♥

Obviously my TBR list is lengthy, just as yours. I add a book and forget about it - why it's there, why it appealed to me in the first place. Unless, of course, it's by an author I really like(d) or has had LOTS of buzz. I came up with a few for this list on my own, but then I ventured over to Goodreads to see my list of books to-read. I tried to choose books that I remember putting on there, rather than the miscellaneous ones I thought "I don't even remember your cover, your title."  :) That being said... 

Anything New by Lauren Oliver

I want to read this one, but I'm scared I'll not like it. :(

Hate that statement. I *loved* the Delirium series... even the last one. But I've also read Before I Fall & Panic, and I didn't love either of those. In fact, I barely liked Panic at all. I only finished it because it was Lauren Oliver and I was expecting it to be/get better.

Anything New-ish by Jodi Picoult

This is one of my favorites of hers.

Guilt. That's what I feel over this one. I fell in love with Jodi's books many moons ago, and devoured them. I couldn't WAIT to get my hands on them. And I still want to own them all. Maybe one day I will read them again. I think the problem may be that they started getting so incredibly heavy and full of such controversial subjects that I just bogged down in them. I still think she's an awesome author, I just stopped wanting to be in her stories. I've read them all up to House Rules, I think. I think that's where I stopped, anyway. ;)

Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

I, like hordes of others, LOVED Harry Potter. There's a few authors I would read anything they write - even it were a take on the alphabet or a phone book - but this one? It's on my shelf. I might read it. I don't know. I've heard so many things about it. I don't expect it to be anything like HP... I don't know what to even expect. 

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

I think 13 Reasons Why is one of the best books ever. But I've heard some negative reviews about this one, so, while it sits on my shelf collecting dust, I have yet to make a decision about whether or not to read it.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

I read The Mortal Instrument Series before it became more than three books. And that felt like a solid ending, really. So do I want to go on? I own this one, so it's definitely a possibility. And I really like Cassandra Clare's writing/storytelling. But I think I would have to re-read or refresh my memory on what happened in the first three.

Flutter by Gina Linko

I won this book in a giveaway a while back. I just haven't "felt" it any time I've picked it up as an option. 

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

This has been on my Kindle for ages. I love the concept, I just can't get into it (and I've tried a few times). Do I need to get past a certain point? That could be the issue. I don't know.

Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

This sounds promising and has great reviews, so why am I wary? I have no clue.

 

 The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Malissa loved this one so I should be all over it. It sits on my shelf, waiting to be read, but I just don't know.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

I have an ARC of this one that I got off the YA Book Exchange. While I think I like the premise, I don't know if I want to read it, despite good reviews.

So... convince me. Do I read these? Or do I let them go? 

Smiles,
B

 

It's A Birthday, Time to Party

Just like you, I get excited about upcoming releases. Authors I love, series I can't wait to see what happens, and debut authors as well. I rarely pre-order books, but I will buy them the day they are released. I was lucky enough for NetGalley to grant me a copy of one of these, so I'm already one ahead of the ten I'm going to list today. :) But that's only one of a few. And MANY more to be added as the year goes on and I learn about all those other books that've stayed under my radar.

Unhinged by AG Howard (Splintered #2) - January 7

   

This is the one I was lucky enough to get an eArc from NetGalley... and I can't wait to have a physical copy to sit alongside Splintered! :)

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson - January 7

  

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me #3) - February 4

  

Panic by Lauren Oliver - March 4

  

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3) - April 8

    

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - May 13

  

Landline by Rainbow Rowell - July 8

Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff - August 14

 

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (Anna #3) - 2014

   

Untitled by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle #3) - 2014 

Coverless at the moment... :(  So here is the cover to The Raven Boys... :)

     

What are some books you're looking forward to in 2014?

Smiles,

B  

♥ Showing Some Author Love ♥

In case you missed it last week, I'm going to show some author love on this blog. To find out more, see my original post. :)

I've decided to do a series of posts about these amazing authors (in no particular order), one a week until I'm done, starting, well, today. :) To give each their due. I want highlight them for how much I love them. So share with me, love with me... feel free to post with me! :)

 This week's featured author is:

Lauren Oliver. I have yet to read anything by her that I don't love. I know not everyone loved the ending to Requiem; some even hated it. But I didn't. I thought it was great. Her writing, her stories, the way she has qualms about breaking my heart into a gazillion pieces and doing a Mexican Hat Dance on them. I love that about her. I'd let her take me to the moon and back if she wanted to.

Smiles,
B

Find Lauren
Goodreads ~ Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Next Week's Author:
The final one!  Hint: She is best known for one book, in which she tears readers hearts out and explodes their minds. It's a great book club book. And while she has quite a few other books, I imagine it will be this one book that stands out for most people.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _    _ _ _ _
Any guesses?

2014 Releases I'm Anticipating {A Top Ten Tuesday Post}

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they provide a Top Ten topic for you to create your list, then you share it on their post so others can find you. :)

  ♥ Top Ten 2014 Books I'm Super Excited For ♥

I always get excited when I know there's a sequel coming or an author I love is coming out with a new book. This coming year's full of goodies I'm looking forward to. (That being said I did not include Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle #3 book officially, since it doesn't have a title, cover, or an exact release date yet...)

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

 

Unhinged by AG Howard

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Panic by Lauren Oliver

 

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

 

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

 

 

What are you looking forward to?

Smiles,

B

May Be Second, but Not Second Best

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they provide a Top Ten topic for you to create your list, then you share it on their post so others can find you. :)

  ♥ Top Ten Best Sequels Ever ♥

There are SO many series that I haven't gotten a chance to get to or continue, but based on what I *have* read, here's what I've come up with (and there's only seven). :)

• Unravel Me - Loved, loved, loved the continuance of Shatter Me. I can't wait for Ignite Me.
• The Dream Thieves - Ah! Ronan, Gansey, Adam, Blue, Noah... all together again! This was a great follow up to The Raven Boys and I loved learning more about Ronan.
• Days of Blood & Starlight - More blood than starlight, this was an amazing follow up to Daughter of Smoke & Bone.
• Insurgent - I know not everyone liked this as much as Divergent, but I loved it and am impatiently awaiting October 22 for Allegiant.
• Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver knows how to break my heart, that's for sure. Her follow up to Delirium was no exception.
• Catching Fire - The Hunger Games is probably one of my favorite trilogies of all time (thank you, Malissa, for forcing me to read it!!!!). Even though Catching Fire may not be my favorite of the three, I had to include it... because, well... I wanted to! It still has one of the best endings ever.
• Harry Potter - ALL OF THEM. The series only got better as it went on. I chose Order of the Phoenix simply because it has special meaning to me (my aunt bought it for me the day it released simply because I told her I didn't have the money for it... :) ).

What sequels have you read and loved? Oooh, or any that left you disappointed?

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books So Far This Year

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they provide a Top Ten topic for you to create your list, then you share it on their post so others can find you. :)

  ♥ Top Ten Books I've Read So Far in 2013 ♥

Below are some books I've loved this year. :)

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Daughter of Smoke & Bone/Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Divergent/Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Splintered by AG Howard 

What books have you loved this year?

Top Ten ~ Freebie Week!

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they provide a Top Ten topic for you to create your list, then you share it on their post so others can find you. :)

  ♥ Top Ten YA Books That Would Make Great Book Club Picks ♥

This week's Top Ten is a freebie. I looked back at the old ones to see if something struck my fancy, since it's like a Monday morning in my brain, despite it being a Tuesday. And I found one! :)  I even came up with MORE than ten, since this one was quite easy for me. I shall try to narrow it down.  In no particular order... 

 Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Honorable Mentions 

Because I didn't want to really leave any out that I thought of... 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

By the Time You Read This I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

Splintered by AG Howard

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Huh. One more and I would've had two entire lists. lol  Such is life. There's just too many good books out there, I guess. Okay. Not true. There can never be enough good books. 

What books have you read that you think would make great book discussion books? :)

 

Cover Love: Top Ten Tuesday Favorite Covers

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they provide a Top Ten topic for you to create your list, then you share it on their post so others can find you. :)

  ♥ Top Ten Favorite Covers of Books I've Read ♥

I had fun going back and looking on Goodreads to browse covers of books I've read. I also tried to think about books I read prior to using Goodreads. That being said, since not all books seem to hit me, this probably isn't a comprehensive list. ;)  Nonetheless... in no particular order...

Splintered by AG Howard

I love the colors and how it all just 'pops' out at me. It's simply breathtaking, really. 

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Creeptastic! This was the first book I ever bought based solely on the cover - I had *no* clue what the book was about, I just knew I had to own it.

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

This was a gift from Malissa, but I probably would have done the same as with the previous Yovanoff book - had to own it. :)

 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I love the simplicity. The mockingjay is a character all on its own and it's just perfect. No other cover could do this series justice in my eyes.  

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

I love the masquerade look and once you read it you see a glimpse into part of the story. I love it.

 

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

I love this. I mean, really, who doesn't want to be laying with a ghost over you in the mist?

 

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Simply gorgeous. All four of these are wonderful and I'm sad to see them redone. As they usually are when movies are made. :(

 

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

*This* cover. This is the one I have on my shelf and I still love it. I really wish they had kept with this theme when making the rest of them.

 

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Another simple one, yet so meaningful again. I liked it before I read it but loved it after I read it.

 

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

This cover is so haunting to me. Her eyes are so sad, and she has no mouth exposed. Perfect cover for a perfect book. 

What books have you read whose covers you just adore?

Smiles,

B

Requiem ♥ Review

Title: Requiem
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium #3
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Publication Date: March 2013
Source: Bought
Rating: 5 stars

 ~ The Scoop from Goodreads ~

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

  

I've sat on this a few days. I really wanted to process my feelings before delving into a review. And I haven't picked up another book in the meantime. I mean, dang it! Lauren Oliver has left me with such a hangover that I don't even know what I want to read now.

Before I go on, I want to say that I will make this spoiler free for the third book only. There will be spoilers from Delirium and Pandemonium, seeing as how I couldn't talk about much at all without them. :)

So let's recap: Lena lives in a society where love is seen as a disease. It corrupts and destroys. It hinders and hurts. Therefore, every citizen at the ripe age of 18ish has to undergo a procedure, The Cure, where they will no longer have such feelings. Before she is cured, though, Lena meets Alex. And falls in love. So in love that she risks everything to escape to the Wilds (the lands outside the border walls inhabited by "Invalids", those who have not been cured) with him. Unfortunately, only she makes it over the wall and the last she sees of Alex is a swarm of Regulators engulfing him as she escapes and he distracts them so she can go free. Moving onto Pandemonium, Lena is in the Wilds, learning to live a completely different life and learning what the resistance is all about. She is forced into a situation where she is kidnapped with Julian, the poster boy for the Deliria-Free America, and held captive in the Underground. I don't want to give it all away, but needless to say he ends up on the side of the resistance, for the freedom to choose whether or not to love. After he and Lena save one another, in more ways than one, Alex shows up. OF COURSE!

Okay. So that's the bare bones of the first two. Let me start with the love interests, here. As you can imagine, the re-emergence of Alex doesn't bode well for Lena and Julian's new-found relationship. There's a lot of tension. Not just between Alex and Lena, but between all three of them. Alex is angry, hurt, and hateful toward Lena. Here he shows up after escaping The Crypts and she is promising to be with Julian? Understandable. I was a bit annoyed with how easily Lena seemed to give up and turn one from one boy to another. But it worked well, I think, because with the freedom of choice also comes the pain of choice. The pain of words spoken or not spoken. The pain of people changing. So it worked well for the story, I think, I just didn't like it. 

Oh my goodness, the writing. I will love Lauren Oliver forever for it. She doesn't just say things. She makes you feel them, and want to feel them again. Everything that happened I felt I was there, breathing it, touching it, experiencing it. Oliver says things in such beautiful way, too, that it just flows.

"Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it. But we have chosen a different road. And in the end that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose. We are even free to choose the wrong thing."

"How can someone have the power to shatter you to dust - and also to make you feel so whole?"

I loved that she did the Lena vs Hana perspective. It gave us a chance to see the Cured vs Uncured. How did the Cure really change someone? What was life like after? And my goodness, seeing Hana struggle with convention was refreshing, and she finally ended with a redeeming act that allowed me to forgive her her transgressions. I really think I held more of a grudge than Lena herself did. It was amazing to me how easy Lauren Oliver made it to see the upside of the Cure. How easy and less messy life could be with it. But at the same time she made such an argument to stop the Cure. Life shouldn't be that pristine. (I bet she'd be great at debates...)

The ending. Or, to some, the ending that wasn't an ending. Or, to others, the ending that left them wanting. Personally, the more I think about it, the more I like it. The entire time I was reading it was like a balloon was being blown up and I kept waiting for it to explode. It never really did that. But that's okay. It's still hanging there, with all the other balloons from all the other cities where the resistance is attacking, and they'll all pop eventually. It's not about the war or the revolt, but about the journey to get there, to taking down the walls that separate people and breaking the barriers. Nothing is tied up neatly with a red bow nor is everything resolved, but it's ready to be. We may not get to see it, but we know it. 

Have your read it? Want to? What'd you think?

Smiles,
B

Top Ten Rewind!

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they provide a Top Ten topic for you to create your list, then you share it on their post so others can find you. :)

  ♥ Top Ten Books I Want to Reread ♥

Okay, so when I went through the list of previous Top Ten's, I narrowed it down to two. This one, Books I Want to Reread, and another one, Books I Wish I Read as a Kid. As hard as I thought on it, I could not come up with ten books I wish I had read as a kid. Unless I broke it down and named all the titles of an author, which I felt was cheating (such as Roald Dahl... man I wish I had let my kid-self experience that magic). But, alas, coming up with ten titles, well, authors, at least, didn't work for me. I got to six before my head wanted to explode with annoyance. So, I went with the rereads. I do feel as if this one is too easy of one, though, as I easily came up with fifteen. Fifteen. My apologies for taking an easy way out, but I did narrow it down to ten. That part was hard. ;)

 

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

I love all three of Brenna's books, but this was my favorite. I would love to revisit this world and her writing.

Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult

This was the first book I ever read by Jodi. I want to reread it to remember why I fell in love with her in the first place. (I still like her, just want to revisit that first one.)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

It's The Fault in Our Stars, do I really need a reason? ♥

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I know there has been a lot of mixed reviews on Requiem, but I personally really liked it. I would love to go back to the beginning and remember and relearn all those things I had forgotten.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I've already read this series three times. But I will definitely revisit it before Catching Fire is released (well, before I actually watch it, at least). And, if it's like the last time, I'll reread it again after I've seen the movie. (I was immersed in Hunger Games for nearly a month when the first movie came out... books, movie, books again.)

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

This was my first introduction to Maggie Stiefvater and her brilliance. I love her writing and this world fascinated and surprised me. I want to go back and see my friends. 

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

See above, minus it being my first introduction. :)

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

I read this one what seems like forever ago. I want to remember the world, the lives, and why I loved it. 

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Although I know I will cry, once again, and be emotionally wrecked by the end, I still want to revisit this one. The shock factor will be elusive, but I can't imagine it being any less painful.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

This book was so much fun and I fell in love with the characters and their adventure. I definitely want to reread this one; maybe next winter? Hmm...

What about you? What books would you want to revisit?

Smiles,
B

WWW Wednesdays

WWW Wednesdays was started by MizB over at Should Be Reading,

To play along, simply answer the following three (3) Questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you'll read next?

Currently Reading

 

I am really enjoying this one so far! :)

Recently Finished Reading

Absolutely LOVED this one. Definitely on my faves list.

What I Might Read Next

 

I want to read Requiem, but before I do, I want to read this one. I haven't read it yet, and I figure it may get me back in the mindset. :)  I really want to know what happens next, but I'm scared. Not only will the series end, Lauren Oliver has a habit of breaking my heart into a thousand pieces.

What about you? What have you been reading?

Smiles,
B