top ten books people have been telling me i MUST read

Look at me, actually doing Top Ten Tuesday on the right day. Do I get a prize for this? 

Anyway. 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted as always by The Broke and the Bookish, is all about books people have been telling me I have to read. Now, seeing as I don't have a ton of book-loving friends, a lot of these are going to be indirect recommendations - from bloggers, BookTubers, all those kinds of things. Books that seem really popular and awesome, but for some reason I haven't picked up yet. A lot of these are series, too, so we're just gonna go ahead with that. 

1. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton - I feel like everyone read this in high school or middle school except for me. And I know there's a movie, too, and I haven't seen that. It's just one of those books that everyone needs to read, I guess? 

2. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - When my best friend found out I hadn't read this, I swear she wanted to punch me in the face out of pure shock and disgust. I'm only exaggerating a little bit.  

3. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - I'm slowly trying to get more into fantasy and everyone on booktube is obsessed with this series. Might as well jump on the bandwagon. 

4. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak - I know. I know. Let's just leave it at that and agree that I suck. Okay? 

5. All of Cassandra Clare's books - Because duh, they're EVERYWHERE. I read City of Bones a few years ago and really liked it but just never started the rest of the series, or the Infernal Devices. Gotta get on that. 

6. The Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout - I read Obsidian, loved it, then got distracted by other books. This is how it goes for most of the things I read. Also, the copy I have of Obsidian is the old cover so I've been trying to decide how to go about getting the rest of them. I think I'm just gonna splurge on day and buy the whole series in the pretty bind ups. 

7. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken - I feel like this series has been getting enough hype lately that I don't even need to go into detail about it. 

8. Cinder by Marissa Meyer - This is a story about me being cheap as hell. Basically, I found the hardcover on sale for $6 a couple years ago and picked it up because obviously. Then I didn't read it for some reason. And a couple weeks ago, I found Scarlet also on sale. And now I'm waiting for Cress to be cheap, too, before I read them because I kind of want to marathon the whole series. But I definitely intend to read it!

9. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - Again, super hyped up and also ASSASSINS. Need I say more? 

10. The rest of the Hunger Games and Divergent trilogies, because I AM SO INCREDIBLY OUT OF THE LOOP I DISGUST MYSELF. I've read the first books of each but just didn't continue. And also I really want to see the movies but refuse to until I've read the books. 

So, there we have it. Now we all know how behind I am on every single series. I've basically been stuck in contemporary since Twilight stopped being cool so I've been missing out on all these cool books, it's really depressing. 

What should I read first? Make my decision for me please.:) 

top ten books i'm not sure i want to read

Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday on Thursday! Because I suck at doing things on time! This weekly feature is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and this week is all about books I'm not entirely sure I want to read. A vast majority of the books on my list were bargain books - mostly hardcovers for $5. I have a problem with taking advantage of sales, and end up buying a bunch of books I know nothing about. OR, books that have received a lot of hype, both positive and negative, that I'm not completely sure are my style.

1. Elixir by Hilary Duff - I grew up completely worshipping Hilary Duff. Like, 100% loved her. If I read this book and hate it (which, according to reviews, I might), the whole perfect illusion of her is shattered. 

2. You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis - This sounds so intriguing - a girl trying to figure out the mystery behind her mother's death. Unfortunately, I've heard a ton of complaints about the MC in this book, and I'm not sure how much obnoxious teenager I can handle right now. 

3. Hold Still by Nina Lacour - I actually really want to read this but it sounds depressing as all hell, so we're gonna put it on the backburner right now. 

4. Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan - Picked it up because I really like the books I've read by David Levithan, from what I've heard this is an instalove story, which I'm really not a huge fan of. 

5. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - Ugh. This is probably the book I'm most torn about. On one hand, it's J.K. Rowling and she is queen. But on the other hand, what if? What if it's not on the same level as Harry Potter? What if I hate it? We're back to the Hilary Duff thing again - this could potentially ruin my love for an author.  

6. Between The Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer - At first I thought this sounded good, and I really like what I've read from Jodi Picoult. But in all honesty, I don't remember what this story is about. It just doesn't stick out to me as something that I need to pick up. 

7. The Here and Now by Ann Brashares - Such a pretty cover! But such terrible reviews! 

8. Gone by Michael Grant - I feel like there was a ton of hype about this series a while back, but I don't know. I picked it up and it's been sitting on my shelf forever. I don't have a reason other than the MCs are too young for my taste. 

9. Catching Fire/Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - I KNOW, I know. I read The Hunger Games and loved it, and got about 20 pages into Catching Fire before putting it down. I want to finish the series because I'd like to see the movies and be part of the big following, but I'm just not sure. 

10. Insurgent/Allegiant by Veronica Roth - Basically the exact same reason as above. Also, I've heard a TON of complaints about these books, the last one in particular, and I'm just not sure I want to subject myself to those kinds of feels. 

What do you guys think? Any books on this list I need to pick up? Let me know!

top ten characters i'd want on a deserted island with me

Let's just get this out of the way before we start: I suck. I know it, okay? I really did plan on posting daily, or at least every-other-daily BookTubeAThon updates, but the whole work/school/social life thing got in my way. I'll be posting a recap for the week tomorrow (hopefully) and until then, here's a little something to make me look like less of a failure. 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish is all about being stranded on a deserted island and dragging some poor, unfortunate fictional characters along with you. I feel like a lot of these could solve everything realllly quickly so I'm gonna be creative with this. 

For Survival: 

Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) - Girl can hunt, okay? And if I'm stuck on an island for God knows how long, I'm gonna need some food. 

Molly Weasley (Harry Potter) - What's the law about how creating food out of nothing is magically impossible? I feel like Molly's the kind of person who can pretty much make a delicious meal out of anything, and the magic helps, too. Plus: she can put up all kinds of protection spells and clean up with just a wave of her wand! Yes, please. 

Hermione Granger (Harry Potter) - With Hermione's brains, I'm sure we'd be home safe in about 3 seconds. Even if we're not, she'd figure out a way to make life on the island awesome, not to mention her never-ending pouch that WE COULD FILL WITH ALL THE BOOKS!

Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) - She's just a total badass and if any supernatural beings tried to mess with us, she'd be on that. 

For Getting Off the Damn Island: 

Neville Longbottom (Harry Potter) - Because ACCIO GILLYWEED. See ya never, island. 

Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) - I'm pretty sure the whole breathing underwater thing would come in handy when you're stuck on an island. He could just swim over to the nearest boat or wherever civilization is and get someone to come save us. Or better yet, get his dad to split the water so we can walk home. 

Galen (The Syrena Legacy) - I mean, he's a hot mermaid. He's got this.

Elsa (Frozen) - She could just turn the ocean into ice and problem solved, just like that. 

Just Because: 

Audrey and Victoria (Audrey, Wait!) - I'm 1000% sure that these girls are my fictional soul sisters. And if we were on an island together I'd definitely join their best friend group. 

Etienne St. Clair (Anna and the French Kiss) - He's my book boyfriend forever, okay? He needs to be there. 

Who would you want to be on a deserted island with you? Let me know in the comments!

bookshelf scavenger hunt

My creativity is lacking today and I'm still working on a review so here, have a tag! I'm not sure who started this but it was fun and I know it's kind of an older tag but you should do it too.

top ten books on my summer tbr list

Hi, guys! Sorry about how late this post is, I've been super busy with work and everything this week. Obviously this blog isn't completely up and running yet, so I gave myself a little bit of leeway in getting  myself organized. But anyway, here we are.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is all about books I want to read in the summer! Some of these have already been released and some are summer releases, so I kind of have a mix of everything in here. 

1. The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith - I absolutely adored the other two books I've read by her, and I'll definitely be picking this one up next time I hit the bookstore. 

2. The Museum of Intangible Things by Wendy Wunder - a) THIS COVER OMG I LOVE IT, and b) friendship-summer-roadtrip stories always have my heart. And again, the cover is just perfect and beautiful. 

3. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick - I have this book sitting on my shelf just waiting for me to pick it up. It'll probably be the next one I read, and I have a feeling I'm going to love it. 

4. Open Road Summer by Emery Lord - What can I say, I just love friendship stories in the summer. I've heard from a lot of people that the relationship between these two friends is amazing, and I can't wait to experience it for myself. 

5. #scandal by Sarah Ockler - I just love Sarah Ockler, okay? 

6. Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes - It's described as a mix between The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Mean Girls, which sounds awesome. 

7. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - If you saw my Waiting on Wednesday from last week, this is an obvious one. Stephanie Perkins' books are just perfect summer reads, and we'll leave it at that. I'm so excited. 

8. The Merciless by Danielle Vega - This is not my usual type of book at all, and to be completely honest, there's a very good chance I'll have nightmares for a month after reading this. But the whole concept of a group of girls performing an exorcism is really intriguing to me. Maybe I'll get too scared and leave this one, but who knows?

9. Falling into Place by Amy Zhang - Again, not exactly a lighthearted summer story, but the Goodreads description says it would appeal to fans of Jay Asher, Lauren Oliver, and Gayle Foreman. Since I love all of them, I think I'm in pretty good hands! Also, the author is apparently in high school and I'm going to go re-evaluate my life now. 

10. Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid - Another road trip story, but not quite the best friend type of story this time. Four strangers, only sharing one thing in common: this girl named Leila. I really want to see how this plays out, and how all these strangers are connected. 

What books are you looking forward to reading this summer? 

waiting on wednesday - isla and the happily ever after

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

This week's Waiting on Wednesday pick is...

Isla and the Happily Ever After  by Stephanie Perkins

352 pages

Publisher: Dutton

Publication date: August 14, 2014

from Goodreads:

From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.
Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

Why I'm Waiting:

I devoured Anna and the French Kiss in about a day, and as of right now I'm halfway through Lola and the Boy Next Door and absolutely loving it. I'm sure that as soon as I finish I'll be waiting impatiently until August when I can get my hands on this last instalment! 

What new books are you anticipating? 

top ten books i've read so far this year

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week is all about my favourite books I've read so far in 2014. To be honest, I just got back into reading a lot after I finished school in May, so most of these books are ones that I've flown through in the last couple of weeks, and others are from late 2013. Cheating, I know. 

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - I could relate so much to Cath, it was insane. Not that I write fanfic or anything, but I totally get the devotion she felt toward the Simon Snow universe. The fact that it was basically an alternate version of Harry Potter didn't hurt, obviously. Just all around smiles for this one. 

2. This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith - This book was just so cute. That's all I can say. It's one of those books that leaves you with a smile on your face and a nice feeling and happy thoughts all around. I loved the whole emailing-a-stranger-and-falling-in-love thing, too. Screw stranger danger. 

3. The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith - I want this lady to write my life, okay? It really is that simple. This books takes place over a 24-hour period, and makes you think about fate, family, and things to come. Loved it. 

4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - Maybe this one's cheating a little bit since I've already read it more times than I can count, but it was one of the required texts for my Children's Literature class this year. And let's be honest, Harry Potter is always a favourite for me. 

5. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - I honestly didn't expect to like this book as much as I did, but it kind of stole my heart. I obviously have a thing for sappy, contemporary YA, and this one completely fits the bill. I also love stories that take place in cities I want to visit, it's like taking a trip for free! 

6. The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan - I loved how unique this book was. The story is told completely through dictionary entries, and it doesn't go in chronological order so you get to see different parts of the relationship, including the outcome, in a different order than you normally would. It was a really interesting concept! 

7. The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler - If we're being completely honest, I picked up this book without even reading the back of it just because I love Sarah Ockler so much. This one definitely did not disappoint. It had just the right amount of everything, and really sheds light on the reality of a certain disease, without being overly serious. And Jude's attitude is just the best. And motorcycles. 

8. The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour - Best friends, music, summer road trips, and unrequited love.  I mean, seriously, what more could you ask for?

9. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Again, I'm kind of cheating because: a) I read this when it first came out, and b) Everyone and their dog has read it by now. But I wanted to read it again before seeing the movie, and already having read it did not change the fact that there were tear stains all over my copy when I was finished with it. Okay? Okay. 

10. The Distance Between Us by Kasie West - The protagonist, Caymen, is totally the kind of girl I'd want to hang out with if I knew her in real life. Total friend crush. 

What's the best book you've read this year?