Let Me Look Into My Crystal Ball {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'd Recommend to Someone Who Has Never Read... ♥

 This week's topic is always a toughy for me. While I love recommending books and I often do so at work, I struggle with doing the whole genre-specific thing. I don't know why. I really can't even tell you *my* favorite genre to read. Weird, I know.So anywho. I made a list first, and then I decided what they fell into. Definitely not contemporary, these all have a mystical side to them. Ghosts, other worlds, a supernatural side...

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

 

The book that started my literary affair with Maggie Stiefvater. The waterhorses, the thrill of the race, the love story... it was all woven together masterfully. 

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

 

I read this recently and, like all her other books, LOVED it. It has a mysticism at play, and the story telling is AMAZING. For real. Read it. Love it. Cherish it. ;)

Splintered by AG Howard

 

Oh, the wonders of AG Howard's Wonderland. The detailed writing, the amazing characters... it all has me begging for me.

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

 

Dark and lovely all at the same time. 

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

 

I read this one a while back and really enjoyed the other worldly characters and the mythology involved. And the world Laini Taylor created was so vivid and, despite the darkness of it, I didn't want to leave it.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

 

I love ghost stories. And this one was NO exception. Gritty, dark, and a wonderful story to go along with it.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

 

Ah, Maggie. How I love her stories. They're not dark, like some of the others on this list. I love her writing. The worlds, while they feel safe in some ways, are not safe in others.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

 

Such a beautiful story.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

 

Another great story. Love transcends all. Beautiful.

Hope you found at least one book to add to your ever expanding TBR list. :)

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  

Follow Friday ♥ Reluctant Reader Recommendations

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) 

 

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).

 

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).

 

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.)

   

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

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

♥ 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:

Brenna Yovanoff. I bought The Replacement, simply because of the cover. It was Brenna's first book... I hadn't heard of her, obviously, but I didn't care. That cover, it was amazing. Dark, creepy. I read the book and didn't regret one word of it. I absolutely *loved* the story... *loved* the writing... I can't even begin to describe how much. It was just as dark and creepy as the cover, which, by the way, looks like this... 

 

(And, in comparison, the paperback cover... well, it just sucks.)

All that being said, I've loved every book since (there's been two).  She has another coming out in June 2014. I'll admit, I haven't liked the covers as much as the books go on, but the cover doesn't make the book. Obviously, just like any relationship, there has to be some instant attraction, but still. It's what's inside that really counts. ;)

Smiles,

B

Find Brenna

Goodreads ~ Website ~ Twitter 

Next week's author:
Hint: He's a local author to me, and according to Goodreads has only one series, featuring two books. :)

_ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _

Any guesses?

Waiting On Wednesday ♥ Fiendish

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that highlights upcoming releases we're excited about.

There are, as you know, books coming out left and right that we all want to read. One I am looking most forward to is...



I absolutely love Brenna Yovanoff's books. I'll confess that this isn't my favorite cover of them all, but I would say it's my third favorite (out of her four books). I can't wait to see what she has come up with this time and delve into whatever world she has created. :)

What are you waiting on?

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