top ten tuesday: unique reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's theme is: "April 11: Top Ten Of The Most Unique Books I've Read (topic originally done 4/14) Some variations: top ten unique sounding books on my TBR, top ten most unique books I've read in X genre, etc"

Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read

1. I Am Princess X – Cherie Priest 

Best friends, big fans, a mysterious webcomic, and a long-lost girl collide in this riveting novel, perfect for fans of both Cory Doctorow and Sarah Dessen; illustrated throughout with comics.

Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine, Princess X, slayed all the dragons and scaled all the mountains their imaginations could conjure.

Once upon a few years later, Libby was in the car with her mom, driving across the Ballard Bridge on a rainy night. When the car went over the side, Libby passed away, and Princess X died with her.

Once upon a now: May is sixteen and lonely, wandering the streets of Seattle, when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window.

Princess X?

When May looks around, she sees the Princess everywhere: Stickers. Patches. Graffiti. There's an entire underground culture, focused around a webcomic at IAmPrincessX.com. The more May explores the webcomic, the more she sees disturbing similarities between Libby's story and Princess X online. And that means that only one person could have started this phenomenon---her best friend, Libby, who lives.

 

2. Done Dirt Cheap – Sarah Nicole Lemon 

Tourmaline Harris’s life hit pause at fifteen, when her mom went to prison because of Tourmaline’s unintentionally damning testimony. But at eighteen, her home life is stable, and she has a strong relationship with her father, the president of a local biker club known as the Wardens.

Virginia Campbell’s life hit fast-forward at fifteen, when her mom “sold” her into the services of a local lawyer: a man for whom the law is merely a suggestion. When Hazard sets his sights on dismantling the Wardens, he sends in Virginia, who has every intention of selling out the club—and Tourmaline. But the two girls are stronger than the circumstances that brought them together, and their resilience defines the friendship at the heart of this powerful debut novel.

 

3. Vicious – V.E. Schwab

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

4. Rejected Princesses – Jason Porath 

Well-behaved women seldom make history. Good thing these women are far from well behaved . . .

Illustrated in a contemporary animation style, Rejected Princesses turns the ubiquitous "pretty pink princess" stereotype portrayed in movies, and on endless toys, books, and tutus on its head, paying homage instead to an awesome collection of strong, fierce, and yes, sometimes weird, women: warrior queens, soldiers, villains, spies, revolutionaries, and more who refused to behave and meekly accept their place.

An entertaining mix of biography, imagery, and humor written in a fresh, young, and riotous voice, this thoroughly researched exploration salutes these awesome women drawn from both historical and fantastical realms, including real life, literature, mythology, and folklore. Each profile features an eye-catching image of both heroic and villainous women in command from across history and around the world, from a princess-cum-pirate in fifth century Denmark, to a rebel preacher in 1630s Boston, to a bloodthirsty Hungarian countess, and a former prostitute who commanded a fleet of more than 70,000 men on China’s seas.

 

5. The Female of the Species – Mindy McGinnis 

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

 

6. Illuminae – Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman 

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

BRIEFING NOTE: Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

 

7. When the Moon Was Ours – Anna Marie McLemore 

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town. But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

 

8. And I Darken – Kiersten White 

No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

 

9. The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller 

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their difference, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess.

But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.  

10. A Little Something Different – Sandy Hall 

The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common—they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together. Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out.  But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes in their relationship.

Surely Gabe and Lea will figure out that they are meant to be together....

what's on your lists this week? 

xx

Caroline 

top ten tuesday: halloween freebie!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish! This week's theme is: "October 25: Halloween related freebie: ten scary books, favorite horror novels, non-scary books to get you in the Halloween/fall mood, bookish halloween costumes, scariest covers), scary books on my TBR, etc."

I don't read a lot of horror, but I do love books that get me in a slightly creepy, dark fall mood, so that's what this list is!

1. When the Moon Was Ours – Anna Marie McLemore

When the Moon Was Ours follows two characters through a story that has multicultural elements and magical realism, but also has central LGBT themes—a transgender boy, the best friend he’s falling in love with, and both of them deciding how they want to define themselves.

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town.

But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

2. The Graces – Laure Eve

Everyone loves the Graces.

Fenrin Grace is larger than life, almost mythical. He’s the school Pan, seducing girls without really meaning to. He’s biding his time until someone special comes along. Someone different, who will make him wonder how he got along all this time without her. Someone like me.

Fenrin’s twin, Thalia, is a willowy beauty with rippling, honey-colored hair. Wherever she goes, Thalia leaves behind a band of followers who want to emulate her. She casts spells over everyone she encounters, just like Fenrin—even if they both deny it.

Then there’s Summer. She’s the youngest Grace, and the only one who admits she’s really a witch. Summer is dark on the outside—with jet-black hair and kohl-rimmed eyes—and on the inside. It was inevitable that she’d find me, the new girl—a loner with secrets lurking under the surface.

I am River. I am not a Grace. But I’ll do anything to become one.

3. Nevernight – Jay Kristoff

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

4. Vicious – V.E. Schwab

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

5. Uprooted – Naomi Novik

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

6. Devil and the Bluebird – Jennifer Mason-Black

Blue Riley has wrestled with her own demons ever since the loss of her mother to cancer. But when she encounters a beautiful devil at her town crossroads, it’s her runaway sister’s soul she fights to save. The devil steals Blue’s voice—inherited from her musically gifted mother—in exchange for a single shot at finding Cass.

Armed with her mother’s guitar, a knapsack of cherished mementos, and a pair of magical boots, Blue journeys west in search of her sister. When the devil changes the terms of their deal, Blue must reevaluate her understanding of good and evil and open herself to finding family in unexpected places.

In Devil and the Bluebird, Jennifer Mason-Black delivers a heart-wrenching depiction of loss and hope.
  

7. Reign of Shadows – Sophie Jordan

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

With lush writing and a star–crossed romance, Reign of Shadows is Sophie Jordan at her best.

8. The Girl Who Drank the Moon – Kelly Barnhill

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned children and deliver them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep young Luna safe from her own unwieldy power, Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule--but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her--even if it means the end of the loving, safe world she’s always known.

The acclaimed author of The Witch’s Boy has created another epic coming-of-age fairy tale destined to become a modern classic.

9. Stardust – Neil Gaiman

Young Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria—even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that old stone wall, Tristran learns, lies Faerie—where nothing, not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman comes a remarkable quest into the dark and miraculous—in pursuit of love and the utterly impossible. (

10. Attachments – Rainbow Rowell

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . "

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.
What would he say . . . ?


What's on your lists this week?

xx
Caroline

top ten tuesday: fall tv edition

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature over at the Broke and the Bookish, and this week's theme is: "September 6:  In honor of Fall Tv, do a tv-themed topic! Top ten favorite tv shows of all time, ten new shows coming out this Fall that are on my radar, tv shows I wish never got cancelled, tv shows I would recommend to book characters, books I wish would be tv shows, ten favorite shows from the late 90's or early 2000's, ten tv shows for every fantasy lover, etc." I AM SO PUMPED for fall shows to return, so I felt like I could do a hybrid book/tv theme this week. So here are five tv shows that I can't wait to get back on TV and five books that I wish I could make into a TV show. :)

Top Five Shows I Can't Wait to See Again

1. New Girl - aka my favorite show ever on all of television... ever. I cannot contain my excitement for season six!

 

 2. The Flash– The Best Science Dorks on TV!! Diverse cast and really nice family and found family relationships. Grant Gustin is the cutest person alive.

 

3. Shadowhunters – You guys KNOW I had to use the Malec kiss for this one. I suppose it is a bit of a cheat because I don't know exactly when this one is coming back, but I'm trash for it and not ashamed to admit it... <3 nbsp="" p="">

4. Supergirl– More amazing superheroes!! Superman is going to be on this season! Melissa Benoist is the other cutest person alive! GIRL POWER!

5. Brooklyn 99  – literal funniest shit on TV.

Top Five Books/Series that I wish were TV Shows

1. Percy Jackson and The Olympians by Rick Riordan – Don't hold it against me guys!!! If The Mortal Instruments can have a terrible movie and then come back as a *much better* TV show, then I have hope for PJO too.... I JUST WANT HIGH QUALITY PERCY OKAY??

2. Vicious by V.E. Schwab – Imagine with me a gritty antihero drama with a daredevil-esque aesthetic and some truly kickass characters. That is what I envision Vicious the TV show to be. Obviously, this is only one book, but I feel like they could easily make it into a show, especially in drawing out the backstories of the characters. 

3. Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – I'm thinking like, a little bit of Gossip Girl mixed with Atlanta as the backdrop, stirred in with some One Tree Hill/Dawson's Creek vibes but with more eclectic and diverse characters... an updated high school drama, if you will. I would watch the shit out of it

 

4. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo– I'm sorry, but if you don't think this team of heisting teens, some of whom have superpowers, set against a beautiful high fantasy world would make an amazing show, I don't think I have anything to say to you.

 5. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer– I've talked to a bunch of people about how awesome of a series I think the Lunar Chronicles would be. If it had the right budget and the right vision from the people making it, I think that it would be a total smash

Whats on your list this week?

xx
Caroline

throne of glass booktag!

Yes, you guessed it. I am here and I am doing ANOTHER BOOKTAG!!! As many of you will know, I am completely in love with Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass series, and when I saw this tag on Polished Page Turners, I knew I had to participate. This was originally created by Alexa and Hannah, and I am so excited to complete it. If you love this series too, I tag you to do this tag, and leave links to your posts so I can see what your answers are!

Lysandra | A book with a cover change you loved | 

I absolutely love the UK cover of Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson. I like the US cover fine, but I think this one captures the whimsical quality that the book has. I just love the way that it looks like scenes from an animated movie :) 

Abraxos | A book that's better on the inside than it looks on the outside |

 

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord. I was skeptical of this book at first, because the cover just makes it look really cheesy and romance novel-y, which I'm not a huge fan of. But I had heard such amazing things about this book, so I went ahead and read it anyways, and I'm so happy that I did. The cover does not do the story justice at all! It is about so much more than just romance, and I can think of a million other options for a cover. 

 

Erilea | A series with great world-building |

I'm going to go with The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski. Not only does she do a great job of building our setting in the first novel, she goes ahead and makes the next two installments take place in different locations, which allows her to fully characterize more of the world and make it feel super real. I like how the political machinations serve to show the reader what this world is like. Super highly rated setting in these, for me. 

 

Rifthold | A book that combines genres | 

Vicious by V.E. Schwab has a little bit of everything in it. It's a superhero book with a more villains than heroes, a bit of a thriller, a bit paranormal. It also is action-packed but also introspective. I can't quite pin down what I actually think this is. Mystery, action, urban fantasy: it is all of these things and more, and its complexity is what makes it so fascinating. 

 

Damaris | A book based on/inspired by a myth/legend |'

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh is inspired by the story of 1001 Nights, and I absolutely love what this novel does with that well known tale. It takes the bare bones of 1001 Nights and makes it richer, with more backstories, twists, and magic. 

 

Kaltain Rompier | A book with an unexpected twist | 

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke was one of the twistiest books that I've read all year. It makes you think one thing through the entire novel, then completely turns that on its head in the end. (or does it?) This book definitely made me think, and the twist was something that I would have never saw coming! 

Assassin’s Keep | A book with an unreliable narrator | 

The narrator of the Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin is Mara Dyer herself, a girl who is, debatedly, insane. There will be whole scenes in these books where you aren't sure if what is happening is real or not, and that is part of the psychological thrill of reading these books. I definitely am not a fan of unreliable narrators all the time, but when they're done right, I think they're useful, and Mara is excellent as an unreliable source of information. 

 

Asterin Blackbeak | A book that’s got SQUAD GOALS |

What can the answer to this question be but Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo? I think the reason that these characters are so popular is because they get their own POVs, which could be confusing, but instead just makes them all so real. I absolutely adored this book, and every single one of our six main characters. I cannot wait for Crooked Kingdom to come out, so I can see what will become of my children in Ketterdam.

 

Terrasen | A book that feels like home |

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale is one of my favorite books that I have ever read in my life, and I have been rereading it every year since I was about ten. Whenever I read this book, a sense of total calm washes over me, like nothing too bad can happen as long as something like this book exists. It is like an instant pick-me-up, and it always makes me happy.

 

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | A book with the power to destroy you |

The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone. This might be a little unfair, since this book isn't out yet, but this is the most recent book that absolutely destroyed me, emotionally. I was bawling my eyes out, trying not to cry too loud so I wouldn't wake up my roommates, for the last 70ish pages of this one. This book is about loving and losing the people that are important to you, about finding yourself, about first love, and about grief, and it is PERFECT and will make you cry a lot. 

Manon Blackbeak | A book that intimidated you |

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is enormous, something like six hundred pages, and I knew going in that it was a heavy sci-fi book, which I am usually not a huge fan of. However, I had heard so many amazing things about this book, so I decided to read it despite become completely afraid of it, and I am so glad that I did, because the pages absolutely flew by and I finished this in about two days. 

 

Rowan Whitethorn | A book that makes you swoon |

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz is a book that is so melancholy and sweet, and the ending of it just makes me positively giddy. The first time I read it, I shed tears of happiness, because I didn't think that the ending was going to be as amazing as it is. Definitely some swooning going on at the end of this one. 

 

Chaol Westfall | A book that challenged you to see things differently |   

Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan definitely made me think about the difference between a good person and a person who does bad things. If two people are brought up in similar situations, what is it that separates a would-be mass shooter from the person who saves people? I liked the ambiguity of those roles in this book. 

 
Fleetfoot | A book that you received as a gift |

I got the Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman as a Christmas present from my family last year, and I was so happy because this book is absolutely gorgeous, both the writing and the illustrations. 

 

Eye of Elena | A book you found right when you needed it |

I read City of Bones when it first came out, and I was in middle school. I was bored of most of the middle grade books that I'd been reading for years, but didn't know what to do next. Without this book, I might never have gotten into YA like I have, and who knows if I'd even still love reading the same way. This series and this book in particular put me on the path that I'm on today, and I will love it forever for this reason.

Hope you liked this tag! I would love to see what some of you would choose for these questions. 

Until next time!

xx

Caroline 

top ten tuesday: out of my comfort zone

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's theme is: " February 23:  Ten Book I Enjoyed Recently (last yearish) That Weren't My Typical Genre/Type of Book (or that was out of your comfort zone)"

1. Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat – this is a sort of historical fiction m/m story, the first in a trilogy. There is a ton of mature content in this one, which isn't necessarily usually my cup of tea, but the way it is handled and the amazing story made me love this one.

2. November 9 by Colleen Hoover – This was my first Colleen Hoover novel, and it was a great experience! I haven't really ever read any NA before this, but reading this book made it something that I want to look into for sure.

3. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman – I love poetry, but in reading an entire book of it, I rarely have ever stayed engaged. Though I had read poems from Leaves of Grass before, I sat down and really read them all last year and absolutely loved them.

4. Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson – I am always really daunted by graphic novels, because I don't know where to even begin! I know there are so many great ones, so I just dip my toe in a little at a time. I really loved Lumberjanes, though, it was a great introduction.

 5. Vicious by V.E. Schwab – this is a book that defies a single descriptor, for me. It is adult fantasy/sci-fi/action/thriller about superheroes who are really antiheroes. It's noir, it's chilling, it's incredible and it's unlike anything else.


6. Humans of New York – Even after following HONY on social media for a long time, reading through the whole book was something that I truly enjoyed.

7. A Nervous Splendor by Frederic Morton– When I'm reading, I don't normally go for historical nonfiction because I want to escape. However, this book, about Vienna in the late 1880's, captured my attention. It is a gripping tale.

8. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – I don't read a lot of sci-fi and I'm not really into video games, which probably makes you go "whyyy did you pick this book up?" Well, it was so highly recommended that I couldn't pass it up, and I ended up adoring it!

What's on your lists today?

xx
Sunny