Tag Archives: top 10 tuesday

My Top 10 Hidden Gems

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. The theme for today is top ten hidden gem books, and I’m always excited to share the word about books that I think deserve more love! This list is in no particular order.

1. Rook by Sharon Cameron 

This book almost reads like alternate history, and then you realize it’s actually set in a future in which history repeats itself. It’s a interesting retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel that I think deserves more love!

2. For Darkness Shows the Stars/Across a Star-Swept by Diane Peterfreund

I really wish there were more of these sci-fi retellings by Diana Peterfreund because I absolutely love these two! The characters, the writing, the world, all so dynamic and underrated!

3. The Fixer/The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

My only complaint about these books is that it’s a duology that seriously needs to be trilogy, because the last book leaves us hanging a little! But JLB is the Queen of plot twists and I love her for it.

4. The Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Just like the previous books by the same author, this series delivers a lot of twists and turns! I enjoyed them all, but my favorite is the third installment, All In.

5. A Dash of Dragon/A Hint of Hydra by Heidi Lang and Kat Bartkowski

Since I don’t really follow the middle grade world, these might be really popular books there and I just don’t know it, but I think more YA fans should check out these middle grade gems because they’re fantastic!

6. Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

This one was published way back in 2014 and may have been more popular then, but I think it deserves more staying power as it’s one of my favorite YA contemporaries.

7. Don’t Touch by Rachel M. Wilson 

This was a contemporary I thoroughly enjoyed but seemed to fly way under the radar. It explores mental illness and features a nice guy (AKA my favorite kind of guy).

8. What Light by Jay Asher

I know we’re not all happy with Jay Asher at the moment for various reasons, but this is a very sweet and underrated book in my opinion. I liked Thirteen Reasons Why just fine, but this book is very different, so I wouldn’t let that book alone influence your decision to read What Light. It’s perfect for the Christmas season.

9. Nora and Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

It’s hard to explain this story… it has parallels with Peter Pan without really being a retelling, and explores the subjects of abuse and of the Japanese internment camps from WWII. I understand this book isn’t widespread since it’s from a small publisher, but I feel it’s beautifully written and packs a punch. I saw the sequel came out recently so I need to check it out!

10. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

While this book isn’t quite as dynamic as his Mistborn books, I loved The Rithmatist so much more than Sanderson’s other YA series, Steelheart. I love the characters, and this world in which chalk drawings come to life is so interesting! Sadly, we only have book one right now and I DEMAND A SEQUEL, BRANDON.

Have you read any of my top picks for hidden gems? What other books do you feel like are hidden gems?

My Top 10 Books For the First Half of 2018

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

It’s been a decent year of reading for me so far with a lot of four star reads, but several three stars as well (thankfully nothing lower yet… errr, unless you count my two DNF’s…). As of the end of June I’ve consumed 37 books, including rereads, but I’m not accounting for rereads when compiling this list because it’s just honestly not fair to the new-to-me-books to be compared to my favorites.

Without further ado, my top 10 books of 2018 through June!

10. Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Bought e-book

Month Read: January

9. Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

Genre: Classic

Source: Gifted hardcover

Month Read: January

8. The Siren by Kiera Cass

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Library audiobook

Month Read: June

7. Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Bought hardcover

Month Read: June

6. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalo

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Library audiobook

Month Read: June

5. Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead

Genre: Middle Grade

Source: Library audiobook

Month Read: January

4. All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Library e-book

Month Read: February

3. The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove

 

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Bought paperback

Month Read: April-May

2. Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Library e-book

Month Read: February

1. Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Bought paperback

Month Read: March

What are your favorite reads of the year so far? Have you read any on my list?

The Top 10 Books That Surprised Me

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is Books That Surprised Me.

Any time I read a book, I want to love it. But sometimes, for whatever reason, I expect to like but maybe not love a book, but read it for one reason or another. Here are some books I hoped to like, but ended up really loving/liking more than expected!

This week’s list is in no particular order.

1. All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

2. A Dash of Dragon by Heidi Lang and Kati Bartkowski

3. Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

4. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

5. Nora & Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

6. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

7. The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

8. The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

9. Let’s All Be Brave by Annie F. Downs

10. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

What books have you read that exceeded your expectations?

The Top Ten Books I Could Re-read Forever

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I Could Re-read Forever. I haven’t done a TTT topic since last JUNE! Time to get back into the game! This week’s list is in no particular order.

1. The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

2. Let’s All Be Brave by Annie F. Downs

3. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Septys

4. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

6. Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery

6. Finding Alice by Melody Carlson

7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

8. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

9. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

10. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

What books could you re-read forever? 

The Top 10 Series I’ve Been Meaning to Start or Continue But Haven’t

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Series I’ve Been Meaning To Start But Haven’t. Starting a series can definitely be a struggle, but sometimes it’s continuing the series that is the problem! So I created a list of series that I need to start or finish.

Series I’ve Been Meaning to Start

The Lord of the Rings 

YES, I KNOW.

Insignia

I bought the ebook of this a good while ago and really need to read it.

Percy Jackson

YES, I KNOW. And I’ve had this ebook for a while as well.

Space Trilogy

I want to read all of C.S. Lewis’s works, though admittedly I have not made a great effort towards this. I hardly ever see this trilogy anywhere, but I definitely want to read it.

These Vicious Masks

I’m sensing a pattern with these ebook acquisitions…

Series I’ve Been Meaning to Continue

For this, I made the criteria be that the next book in the series that I haven’t read yet needs to have been our for more than a year.

Jackaby

I enjoyed the first book, even though I wasn’t expecting the paranormal aspect, and really have wanted to read on.

Gallagher Girls

I’ve read the first two Gallagher Girls books but haven’t made it to #3 yet.

The Selection

I am less and less certain if I really want to continue & finish this series, but part of me kind of does.

Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

When I read the first book, I thought it would feel like a standalone, but it does leave off in a sort of strange spot, clearly setting up for the second book. Since I think of the movie version more though, I haven’t been real motivated to pick up The Restaurant at the End of the Universe though I want to.

The Young Elites

I enjoyed the first book a lot, and then I pretty promptly moved on with my life. So will I read on? We’ll see.

Bonus: Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

I read the first book of this series, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, in college, and didn’t realize it was the beginning of a series. But then my then-boyfriend now husband continued to collect and read the books, and I have yet to continue despite enjoying the first book and knowing how he’s enjoyed the others.

Which series have you been meaning to start or finish?