♪ Santa Baby, Hurry Down the Chimney Tonight ♪ {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 Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me ♥

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE! Or not, if you don't celebrate. Happy Hanukkah? Anyway. I love receiving books for Christmas. Who among us doesn't? I've already received some pretty awesome ones... I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert (signed!), Just One Day by Gayle Forman, and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. All of which I'm excited to read. That being said, here's some others at the top of my wishlist. :)  

Also Known As (Also Known As #1) by Robin Benway

 

Antigoddess (Goddess War #1) by Kendare Blake

 

The Diviners (Diviners #1) by Libba Bray

 

Girl of Fire and Thorns (Girl of Fire and Thorns #1) by Rae Carson

 

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare

 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

 

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

 

Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

 

 

The Archived (Archived #1) by Victoria Schwab 

All Our Yesterdays (All Our Yesterdays #1) by Cristin Terrill

 

What about you? What's on your bookish Santa list?

Smiles,
B

 

Recommended Reads {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 Would Recommend To... ♥

I have no problem recommending books... sort of. I mean, I will recommend stuff all the time, to Malissa, Mindy, Danielle... but there's always the nagging thought...

What if... what if I feel:

 

  And then they feel:

 

Yes, I realize that it's better if we all have varied opinions, that what works for one may not work with another. But, and I know you feel me here, when it's something we absolutely loved, that touched us on some deeper level, we want that person we're recommending it to to grasp the awesomeness that is that book as well. Right? But, alas, that doesn't always happen. Such is life. Plus, it'd be pretty damn boring if we all liked the same stuff, right?

All that being said, to my sister-in-law (one of the slowest readers I've ever met, so the book has to be quick/easy to get into...) I would recommend the following:

        
     
        

I've loved each of these at one time or another. And definitely could see (or maybe just hope) that Michelle would love them just as much. :)

What books would you recommend? To anyone specific?

Smiles,
B   

 

 

Beach Reads Top Ten

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 for the Beach♥

I don't do beaches often, but these are all books I could imagine reading at one. I thought about this as not just lighter reads, but reads that really engrossed me. Since I can be easily distracted, and there's lots to be distracted by at a beach, I felt that was key. :)

What would your beach reads be?

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

Review ♫ Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist ♪

Title:  Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Author:  Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date:  May 2006
Source:  Purchased, Own
Format:  Hardcover
Rating:  4 stars

~ Goodreads Synopsis ~

It all starts when Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. He only needs five minutes to avoid his ex-girlfriend, who’s just walked in to his band’s show. With a new guy. And then, with one kiss, Nick and Norah are off on an adventure set against the backdrop of New York City—and smack in the middle of all the joy, anxiety, confusion, and excitement of a first date.

This he said/she said romance told by YA stars Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is a sexy, funny roller coaster of a story about one date over one very long night, with two teenagers, both recovering from broken hearts, who are just trying to figure out who they want to be—and where the next great band is playing.

Told in alternating chapters, teeming with music references, humor, angst, and endearing side characters, this is a love story you’ll wish were your very own. Working together for the first time, Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have combined forces to create a book that is sure to grab readers of all ages and never let them go.

 

It's a damn darn good thing this is a great story. If it weren't for that, the language would have driven me away. I'm not against cursing by any means. In fact, I tend to use it more often than I should. So my theory with a book is this: If the profanity is enough to distract me, then it's probably a bit gratuitous. I would expect some, given the setting and all the punk rock references, but I did feel some of it was more for shock value than adding to the story.

Although it was a good story. At first it floundered a bit for me, as I tried to grasp onto the characters and get to know them a bit. They sort of just jumped into it. But I think the first person perspective works really well in this case. I was able to dive into their minds a bit, which helped develop them as people for me. I loved the fear of relationships; hell, even as adults we get that. But especially as teenagers, who isn't afraid of letting yourself go and let someone get to know you. The real you. Not the one you present everywhere.

It's funny. Really funny at times. It's insightful and thought provoking. The characters felt real to me, and I loved that. It's not about what is going on so much as it is about their growth. And sure, it may not take place over a year, or even a month; it's a one-night story. But it's a night of change, epiphanies, finding yourself, letting go, and having fun. 

Quotes I Loved

"I've given him more mixed signals than a dyslexic Morse code operator."

♪ Norah ♪

"If I'm a horrid bitch from the planet Schizophrenia, it's because boys make me that way."

♪ Norah ♪

"Are you serious?"
♪ Norah ♪
"Not as a rule, but in this case yes."
♪ Nick ♪

"'I Wanna Hold Your Hand.' First single. Fucking brilliant. Perhaps the most fucking brilliant song ever written. Because they nailed it. That's what everyone wants. Not 24-7 hot wet sex. Not a marriage that lasts a hundred years. Not a Porsche or a blow job or a million-dollar crib. No. They want to hold your hand. They have such a feeling that they can't hide."

♪ Dev ♪

"It was about the feeling, you know? She caused it in me, but it wasn't about her. It was about my reaction, what I wanted to feel and then convinced myself that I felt, because I wanted it that bad. That illusion. It was love because I created it as love."
♪ Nick ♪

"[Tikkun Olam] Basically, it says that the world has been broken into pieces. All this chaos, all this discord. And our job - everyone's job - is to try to put thie pieces back to gether. To make things whole again."
♪ Norah ♪

"With what you were talking about before. The world being broken. Maybe it isn't that we're supposed to find the pieces and put them back together. Maybe we're the pieces. ... Maybe, what we're supposed to do is come together. That's how we stop breaking."
♪ Nick ♪

"If I don't shut down my brain soon, my imagination will take off so far about what could be with this guy, that nothing will ever be able to just be."

♪ Norah ♪

  In the end, I did give it a higher rating than I might have due to the fact that I really enjoyed the story itself. Could some of the language been removed/replaced? Sure. Did I get past it? Yeah. Would I recommend this to a younger teen? Probably not, unless I knew them or their parents quite well. 

I haven't seen the movie, which is strange since I remember wanting to watch it but then I found out it was a book. Now that I've read the book I'll watch the movie. And given that I know Kat Dennings plays Norah, I really think Rachel Cohn wrote that part with her mind. ;) 

Have you read it? What did you think? If not, do you think you'll read it?

Smiles,
B

WWW Wednesday

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

 

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

I'm liking this one, but not *loving* it. 

Recently Finished

  

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

I really enjoyed this one. Review to be posted tomorrow. :) 

Might Read Next

 

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

I *have* to know what happens. I'm going to throw my anxiety over it out the window... anxiety defenestration. :)  Alex... Julian... Lena... What happens to them all? Where do they stand in the end? Does love win out?

What about you? What have you been reading?

Smiles,
B

Memorable Monday ♪ Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist ♫

Memorable Monday is a meme hosted by Escape in a Good Book.  I'm excited to join in on this one because I love quotes, which was the driving force behind the creation of Memorable Mondays.  I thank the ladies at Escape in a Good Book.

So... how do you participate?  It's simple ~

1) Share a quote that has captured your interest lately in a Memorable Monday post on your blog.

2) Come back here and leave the link to your post in the comment box below.  If you don't have a blog, I'd still love to hear read your quote.  Leave it in the comment box instead of a link to a non-existent blog.  :)

3) Visit other participants if you have time.  It's always nice to have visitors.  There's no overstaying your welcome this way, and they don't have to offer the obligatory drinks.  Or clean.

4) If you tweet your posts, feel free to use the hashtag #MemorableMonday.


This week's choice:
"No - when the rain falls you just let it fall and you grin like a madman and you dance with it, because if you can make yourself happy in the rain then you're doing pretty alright in life.”  

~Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

 

I love this one. And not just for the literal meaning, but the fact that life always thrown the metaphorical rain, storm, whatever, at you and if you can dance thru it, then you are definitely doing alright. :)

What about you? Have you read anything that struck you lately? 

Smiles,
B

Memorable Monday ♪ Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist ♫

Memorable Monday is a meme hosted by Escape in a Good Book.  I'm excited to join in on this one because I love quotes, which was the driving force behind the creation of Memorable Mondays.  I thank the ladies at Escape in a Good Book.

So... how do you participate?  It's simple ~

1) Share a quote that has captured your interest lately in a Memorable Monday post on your blog.

2) Come back here and leave the link to your post in the comment box below.  If you don't have a blog, I'd still love to hear read your quote.  Leave it in the comment box instead of a link to a non-existent blog.  :)

3) Visit other participants if you have time.  It's always nice to have visitors.  There's no overstaying your welcome this way, and they don't have to offer the obligatory drinks.  Or clean.

4) If you tweet your posts, feel free to use the hashtag #MemorableMonday.


This week's choice:
"She leans into this guy and rocks her head like I’m making this music for her, when if I could, I would take it all away and give her as much silence as she’s given me pain.”  
 
~Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

 

I love this one because it shows just how visceral his pain is, how much he is hurting because of her.
 
What about you? Have you read anything that struck you lately? 

Smiles,
B

To Buy or Not to Buy?

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 Authors I'd Auto-Buy ♥
As I'm sure I'm in the same boat as most of you, I love buying books. I love the new book smell, I love the idea of having a book that I loved on my shelf to visit again and again if I want. I also love the excitement that comes with a book I haven't read. Sometimes I'm okay not buying them, other times, when it comes to a particular author, I have no qualms buying them, mostly without even knowing what they are even about. Some authors I trust that much. Who are they?

In no particular order...

Maggie Stiefvater

The wonderful Maggie Stiefvater. I love her writing, her stories. Despite the fact that it makes me a little scared to read the ones I haven't read (what if by chance I don't love them as much as previous ones???  How could I survive it!?!?), I will buy them and have no regrets. Why? I realize that I'm a drop in the bucket when it comes to sales. That she'll most likely never know just how much I love her books and recommend them left and right. But I want to continue to support her and encourage her writing by doing what I can do. Plus, I want to live in her books. That's enough for me.

Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult is, I am pretty sure, the first author whose books I ever fell in love with. I have yet to read a disappointing one. I started with Vanishing Acts and made my way through all of them, the last one being when I was pregnant with my first child. That would have been... Handle with Care. After so many heart wrenching and emotional roller coasters, I did need a break from the stories for a bit, but I have still bought all but the last one (Lone Wolf). I will definitely be reading them sometime.

John Green

Oh, John Green, my fellow Hoosier. Such an amazing writer... he could write about golf and I would probably still read it. Because you probably don't know, my husband *loves* golf and I find it quite boring... to watch on tv or live. I don't think he can do any wrong.

David Levithan & Rachel Cohn

 Anyone who wrote Dash & Lily's Book of Dares deserves a spot on my auto-buy list. I do have Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist on my shelf, which I will read eventually, and I definitely will not turn down any chances to buy more. 

Sarah Dessen

Ah, the amazing Sarah Dessen. I love her take on life, love, relationships. When I first started reading her books years ago, I told my mom that she reminded me Jodi Picoult, just without the heavier issues that Jodi deals with. However, this is not true. She deserves a category all her own. So she gets it from me. And she also gets a spot on my auto-buy list. ;)

Elizabeth Wein

 

She wrote Code Name Verity... need I say more? I mean, as much as I loved it, as much as I breathed it, I want more of her. I think I could buy them with no regrets.

Lauren Oliver

Such wonderful writing... I get so lost in her books that I can't imagine my home without them on my shelf. 

Brenna Yovanoff

I'll admit, I may just buy these for the covers. Seriously, have you seen them? I own all three of them... well, one is in eBook format, so I still need to the hardcover edition... and I will continue to buy them until I tire of it. I don't see that happening though. I love the Gothic sense I get from the covers that matches perfectly with the feel in the books. I am so curious what she'll come up with next. (And I love that they have all been standalone novels so far). 

Stephanie Kuehnert

Ballads of Suburbia is one of my favorite books. It's not a nice book, it's not a fluffy book. It's not even a happy at all book, really. But it's life. It's real. And I loved it. She has one other book, I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, that I look forward to reading. And as soon as I can get it I will definitely be adding it to my shelf. I'm not even sure what it's about. But since she wrote it and all...

Jennifer Donnelly  

 

The author of Revolution, another of my all-time favorite books. I figure if an author can sway me in my aversion to historical fiction then she must be good and worthy of owning her books. I will definitely be adding more of her to my shelf at home.  

Whew! That took some work. ;) Not really, but I did have to think hard... and I almost didn't do ten of them this week. But here they are. 

What about you? What authors would you or do you auto buy?

Smiles,

B