Showing posts with label Stephanie Kuehnert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stephanie Kuehnert. Show all posts

Friday, December 20, 2013

Follow Friday ♥ Reluctant Reader Recommendations

8474595901 873f4993f4 Feature & Follow #138
Hosted by Parajunkee's View & Alison Can Read, the goal is to gain new followers and to follow new people yourself! :)

RULES
To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
(Taken straight from the hosts)
    • (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
    • (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
    • Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
    • Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.
    • If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
    • Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”
    • If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers.
    • If you’re new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!
Happy Follow Friday!

This week's question/activity:

Pick a book in your favorite genre that you would recommend to a reluctant reader.

I'm supposed to have a favorite genre? Eek. ;)

There are so many great books out there that I would love to recommend. In my job as a librarian, I often have to think about books to recommend to a wide range of reading capabilities and a wide range of willingness to read. For those who struggle with either reading itself or a want to read, I try to find books that are known to be attention grabbers, books that are more action driven than character driven (since for a "non-reader" those can sometimes seem slow and they lose interest more easily), or books that feature a subject that particular person really enjoys (for example, if they love horses I would probably recommend Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races).

All that being said, in general, not knowing a specific person to recommend to, I'll do it this way:

Dystopian:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or Divergent by Veronica Roth (not only great books, but if they love it or even like it enough, they will continue reading the series... it's a win-win) 

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)  Divergent (Divergent, #1)

Contemporary:
Anna & The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins or Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert (either a sweet, light-hearted, and fun story, or a dark and gritty one... pick your poison... both are so well told and captivating).

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss, #1)  Ballads of Suburbia

Fantasy/Sci-Fi:
Splintered by AG Howard (Such an amazing world Howard has created... I, personally, can't wait to dive back in... and again, if they enjoy it, they'll continue on with the series... yay!) or Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor (An awesome story in a vivid world... joins the mystical with the real-world in such a convincing way).

Splintered (Splintered, #1)  Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #1)

Just Creepy:
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (Have you seen that cover? If that doesn't get a reluctant reader (who's interested in creepiness) to take a gander, I don't know what will...) or Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (I loved this one. I didn't love Girl of Nightmares as much (the sequel), but this one I still think would be a great recommendation for a reluctant reader.)

The Replacement  Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1) 

So I didn't do a straight recommendation from my favorite genre (I still don't know what that is... lol), but these are ones I would definitely think about for a reluctant reader.

What about you? What would you suggest?

Smiles,
B

Friday, July 12, 2013

Follow Friday ♥

8474595901 873f4993f4 Feature & Follow #138
Hosted by Parajunkee's View & Alison Can Read, the goal is to gain new followers and to follow new people yourself! :)

RULES
To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
(Taken straight from the hosts)
    • (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
    • (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
    • Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
    • Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.
    • If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
    • Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”
    • If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers.
    • If you’re new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!
Happy Follow Friday!

This week's question/activity:

PHOTOBOMB!!!! Photobomb a picture with your favorite book. Share it of course.

Okay... so I'm supposed to pick a favorite book?  *sigh*  :)  And dangit, I forgot to do this last nite when I was home... so I will be limited to my favorites the library has to choose from. Such is life. So... here you go...


I, in general, love Maggie Stiefvater. :)  Others I might have chosen to photobomb had I done this at home (and probably would have just for fun had I not been dealing with a four year old who tore up his aunt's bathroom floor yesterday):
  • Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
  • Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
  • Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
  • The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff
  • Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert
  • Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
  • Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

And possibly others... I don't even know what all is there... lol

Anywho. Got a photobomb to share? Or just a title of one (or more) of your favorites? Share with me! :)

Smiles,
B

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

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... 



Honorable Mentions 

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


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? :)
 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

It's Not You, It's Me... Top Ten Tuesday

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 Thought I'd Like More/Less

It's not you, it's me...

These I really anticipated enjoying more than I did. This was based on either having read the author before (such as John Green), it being a sequel to one I did rather enjoy, or the description just sounding really good. Alas, I did not enjoy them as much as I thought I would, so here they are on this list.




 In which preconceived notions were wrong...

These are ones I was impressed with after thinking that I wouldn't enjoy them that much. Some, such was the case with Code Name Verity, I figured the setting would throw me off. Others the description just didn't sound up my alley. But I went for it anyway and I'm glad I did. 



What about you? What books surprised you, one way or another?

Smiles,
B

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

♥ Spreading the Book Love ♥

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 Recommend the Most

All of these books are on my favorites shelf for one reason or another. The writing, the story, the characters, the gut-wrenching plot twists, the boxes of Kleenex used... it doesn't matter why, it's there. Therefore, they are books that I will recommend non-stop, probably for the rest of my life. :)
 

What book(s) do you recommend the most?

Smiles,
B

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

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,