Top Ten Tuesday ~ Top Ten Beach Reads

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly bookish feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This weeks Top 10 list is:  Ten Books I Plan To Have In My Beach Bag This Summer or Ten Books I Think Make Great Beach Reads

I could not decide whether to do ten books I plan to to have in my beach bag this summer or ten books I think make great beach reads. So I decided to do both! Now I am no where near a beach. I live in New Mexico, where water is scarce. It makes me really sad when the weather warms up, especially when I read books with great beach settings and never get to experience the beach for myself. I guess I will have to settle with reading outside in my backyard while the kids are playing in the sprinklers. I usually gravitate towards contemporary books during the summer time. I love reading light, beautiful and inspiring books during the warmer months. Let's get started!

Five Books I Plan To Have In my Summer Bag

1. To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han:  This has been on my TBR list for a long time and I am going to read it this summer. I love Jenny Han's writing style and I am really looking forward to this book. 

2.  Amy and Roger's Epic Detour:  I absolutely love Morgan Matson! She is just such a great summer author. I am going to definitely read this one soon!!

3. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson: I just finished reading I'll Give You The Sun and I fell in love with it! I did a full review of this book on my blog. It is one of my top books that I have read this year. I am definitely still on a book hangover from it and I am so excited to read another book by her. 

4.  Just One Day by Gayle Forman: I really want to read this book! It seems like a great, original book! 

5.  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz:  This book has received such amazing reviews and awards. I know I am going to love this book and I cannot wait to give it a try this summer.   

Five Books I Think Make Great Beach Reads 

1. Since You've Been Gone By Morgan Matson:  This book is soon good! Definitely one of my favorite contemporaries of all time. I really, really recommend it for summer! It has such a great setting and takes place during the summer time. The characters, the story, it's all amazing! It also has lots of adventures that have to do with the summer time. 

2.  All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven: This book is so amazing! Even though it is extremely sad and heart felt it has a sense of adventure to it. It has you wanting to discover new places and go exploring. I have also have a full review of this book on my blog. 

3.  The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks  This is one of my favorite Nicholas Sparks books and it has the perfect setting for a beach read! Definitely give it a try. Even if you are not a huge fan of Sparks! He is not one of my favorites but I highly recommend this one. 

4.  We Were Liars by E. Lockhart This is one of my favorite books of all time! I know it is not everyone's cup of tea. But it is definitely mine! I highly recommend it and you are either going to love it or hate it!

5.  The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han As I mentioned earlier, I love Jenny Han! She has the perfect writing for summer time and I love this trilogy. It has the perfect beach house setting! Love the character development in this book. I hope you give it a try!

I hope you give some of these a try this summer! What are some of the books you are planning to read this summer? What would you recommend I put in my summer bag?

Happy Reading! 

I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson ~ Book Review

Publication: September 16, 2014

371 pages, Hardcover 

Goodreads Summary:

A brilliant, luminous story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell 

Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

Thoughts:  There has been so much hype surrounding this book. I have had it on my TBR list even before its release date. The synopsis did not instantly grab my attention and it is not something that I would have picked up on my own. This book had so many reviewers buzzing and I knew I had to read it. I am not going to lie- the cover drew me in too! I am sucker for a gorgeous book. 

I do not want to go into too much details about this book. I think it is one of those books that it is better not to know too much going into the story. 

When I first started reading this book, I was not loving it. Jandy Nelson's writing is so unique and bold that it takes time to get use to the style. It has a very poetic flow and she uses a lot metaphors in her descriptions, a lot. In the beginning, I felt that the writing style was over-powering the story. I persevered through 40 or 50 pages and something magical happened. I. Fell. In. Love. This book so lives up to the hype. This story is so special and so worth reading. I feel so privilege that I had the opportunity to read this book. The characters are so complex and unique. They capture your heart. Not only are the characters amazing, but the story is so captivating and impressive. This book has so many deep connections that are revealed as you read the story and are so meaningful and beautiful. I cannot explain how much I love this book. I cannot do it justice with any words. It simply just needs to be read. Everyone needs to read it. I highly recommend buying the book. You are going to want it and reread it! I made the mistake and borrowed it from my library. Now I wished I had my own copy. I hope to buy me a copy in the near future. 

My Favorite Things About This Book:

• The uniqueness and complexity of all the characters in the book, especially Noah and Jude. 

• I loved how this story is told. It is a dual-perpective story, told between Jude and Noah. Jude's story is told in the present and Noah's story is told two years before the present. In the end, their stories merge into the present day. This story would have not been the same without this structure. 

• I loved how the events connected and how characters stories intertwined. I cannot give details without spoilers. If you have read it- you understand!  

• This book is just so real! I felt like I was reading into Jude and Noah's true soul. 

• The writing style matches this story so well. In the beginning, I had such a hard time with it. But, in the end it gave power and purpose to the story. 

My Favorite Quotes: 

There are so many beautiful passages and quotes in this book. It is really hard to just pick a few to shine. I picked some that did not spoil anything from the story. 

"I wish the world would stick like a clock so I could look at him for as long as I want. There's something going on in his face right now, something very bright trying to get out- a dam keeping back a wall of light. His soul might be a sun. I've never met anyone who had the sun for a soul."  

"It occurs to me that Jude does this too, changes who she is depending on who she's with. They're like toads changing their skin color. How come I'm always just me?"

"I don't know how this can be but it can: A painting is both exactly the same and entirely different every single time you look at it. That's the way it is between Jude and me now."

"Maybe some people are just meant to be in the same story."

" You have to see the miracles for there to be miracles."

"...because we are, each one of us for the other, a key to a door that otherwise would've remained locked forever."

Booktube Shout Out:

On Perpetual Pages YouTube channel she recommended this music fan-mix to go along with the book. It is really awesome!  

   

Fan Mix on 8Tracks

Goodreads Rating: 

Please let me know your thoughts on this book! Have you read it?? Do you plan to?

Happy Reading!!

Paper Towns by John Green ~ Book Review

Publication: September 22, 2009

305 pages 

Goodreads Summary:

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...

Thoughts: 

This book has been on my TBR list for a long time, probably over a year. I really wanted to read it and since the movie is coming out this summer and I thought it would be the perfect time to jump into this book. This book is extremely hyped, so I had very, very high expectations going into this one. Many people say that this is their favorite John Green book, so I thought I was going to feel the same.
Sadly, it did not quite live up to the hype, in my opinion. It was still very good, just not amazing. I had a very hard time connecting with the characters. I liked Quentin, but did not find him very intriguing. I also found myself very, very disconnected to Margo and I think you are supposed to feel disconnected to her. But, it was hard to sympathize for her and worry about her. She was very mysterious and usually mysterious characters really intrigue me, but she fell a little flat for me. I just wanted more character development and less mystery. The characters had such a little history and backstory that it was hard to build that connection. There are some great moments in this book! I loved the road trip with Quentin and all his friends. It was very adventurous and funny. I really liked Ben's character (Quentin's friend). He was very enjoyable to read about and lightened the story a lot. I wish there was a little more to this story. I felt like it could have used a novella or a sequel. I feel very sad that I did not have this "great moment" with this book. I am still very glad that I have read it. I also look forward to reading more John Green books. This is my second John Green book. I have also read The Fault in our Stars. Let me know which one I should pick up next. I am also looking forward to the movie coming out in July!

My Favorite Quotes:

"That always seemed so ridiculous to me, that people want to be around someone because they are pretty. It's like picking your breakfast cereals based on color instead of taste."


"I'm starting to realize that people lack good mirrors. It's so hard for anyone to show us how we look and so hard for us to show anyone how we feel."

"At some point, you gotta stop looking up at the sky, or one of these days you'll look back down and see that you floated away."


"The last time I was this scared, I peed myself." "The last time I was this scared," Radar says "I actually had to face a Dark Lord in order to make the world safe for wizards."


My Goodreads Rating: (3.5 stars)

Movie: The movie is supposed to be released on July 24, 2015. Here is the movie trailer! 

Have you read this book? Do you plan to read it? Please let me know your thoughts! 

Happy Reading!!

Top Ten Books That Made Me Cry

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly bookish feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week it was our turn to choose a topic for the top ten. I chose...

Top Ten Books That Made Me Cry 

I love a book that tugs at my heart and makes me feel connected to the story and characters. I love being invested in a book and feeling like I am forever changed by the words. Here are some books that definitely made me shed some tears, some more than others. So let's get started!! 

#10 The Fault in Our Stars By John Green 

This book only had me shed a few tears. I think I expected it to be tear me apart, so I was kind of prepared for it. It did not end completely like I expected it to and that is what made me cry. 

#9 Landline By Rainbow Rowell 

This story is so beautiful and if you are married I think this story can tug at your heart stronger than if you are single. I love this one so much! The end definitely had me shedding tears. 

#8 City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare 

This is a story that I am very attached to and I have invested a lot of time into reading. I love the characters in this story. The ending is very beautiful and the journey that these characters take in this series is simply amazing. 

#7 The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks is known for his emotional books and this one definitely takes the cake for me. I did not see the ending coming and when it came, I was a wreck. A Walk to Remember is a close second.

#6 Allegiant by Verionca Roth

I do not want to spoil anyone with this one but this one had me lifting the book to cover my face because I was crying so hard, at the same time I felt like I could have thrown the book across the room. 

#5 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 

This book is so special and dear to me. I love this story and characters so much. Just read it. I do consider this one of the best pieces of literature that I have ever read. It is amazing. 

#4 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling

This book- made me cry! I was so surprised at the ending of this book. I felt like I might have read the words wrong and had misunderstood the events that had just taken place. It was so shocking and epically amazing. 

#3 Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling 

Okay- I could not just pick one Harry Potter book for this topic. I had to mention at least two. This one had me sobbing. It was so moving and unforgettable. I will never forget sitting on my couch and reading the conclusion to the amazing series. 

#2 Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

This is by far my favorite Cassandra Clare book. This story is so epically amazing. This book has the best conclusion of any book that I have ever read. Words cannot describe how much I love the characters in this book. It is truly a gem. I have never been so blown away by a conclusion to a book. It was absolutely amazing and it made me cry so much. 

#1 All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven 

I have never cried so hard over a book. Ever. This book was such an emotional book. I had to stop reading it at times so I could gather myself. It has such a beautiful set of characters and the story is so simple and amazing. I highly recommend this book. This book forever changed my perspective on life. 

Thanks for visiting and we will talk to everyone soon! Please tell me what were some books that made you cry in the comments below. 

Happy Reading!!

Top Ten Tuesday~ Ten Books I Will Probably Never Read

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly bookish feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This weeks Top 10 list is: Ten Books I Will Probably Never Read

It is really hard to say I will NEVER read a book because my interests and style changes and evolves all the time. I am always inspired by what other people are reading. My TBR usually reflects what others are enjoying and discussing.

So let's see get started with books that I will probably never read. 

#10 Anything by Stephen King: I am not a fan of horror and scary, twisted stories. I do like psychological thrillers like Gone Girl, but I cannot do scary. It has nothing to do with his writing style. I know he is an amazing author. It is just not my style. Books stick with me too much and I do not like feeling scared and paranoid. 

#9 Anything by Sarah Dessen: I have read several Sarah Dessen books in the past. She is an extremely popular YA Contemporary writer and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I just did not think her books were anything special. Her writing was just okay and the stories did not really grab me as unique or interesting. For me, she was just okay. I know so many people rave about her books but I just do not see it. There are so many more YA Contemporary author that I want to read (Morgan Matson, John Green, Gayle Forman, Rainbow Rowell) that I do not see myself picking up another one of her books. 

#8 Extras by Scott Westerfield: I enjoy Scott Westerfield books. He has a great distinctive writing style. I really liked Uglies (which is the first book in the series). I read book #2 and it was just okay and book #3 was just awful. I was very disappointed in the direction of the story. I thought it was getting really boring and I just lost interest. I do want to read some other books by Scott Westerfield but definitely not anything from the Uglies series.

#7 The Fallen Series by Lauren Kate: I read the first two books in the Fallen Series. I just think there are better books to be read out there. There is nothing wrong with this series. It is just not amazing. There are too many books I would rather read. I never felt intrigued by the characters or the story. Definitely will not be continuing with this one. 

#6 Marked, House of Night Series:  I have not given these books a chance. The reviews seem good for the first couple of books. Does this series ever end?? I think there are 12 books in the series AND it is not done! If a series is really long it needs to be fantastic and epic. I have to be very invested in the story and characters. This just does not seem like it is one of those series.  

#5 Deadly Class Volume 2: I read volume 1 of this popular comic book series when it was first released. It has amazing art and the story sounds really intriguing.This story was just not for me. I think I expected something more "Harry Potter" assassin school. I think the story it really good, it just was not for me. I thought the character development was a little lacking and there was just too much violence and drugs that distracted from the story. 

#4 Beautiful Creatures, Caster Chronicles Series: This series has so many mixed reviews. But most people say that it is okay or awful. Again, just do not have time for "okay" books. I like extraordinary! 

#3 Matched by Ally Condie:  Again, another series that does not have the best reviews. The first book, Matched, seems to have okay reviews. I have heard the series just goes down hill from there. This book does have a really good synopsis and sounds like something that I would enjoy.  I do trust a lot of people that say it is just not that great.

#2 Fifty Shades of Gray by EJ James: This book seems to be an over-hyped book. If I want to read a good romance book I have plenty I want to read instead of this one. The characters seems interesting but I think the story is going to distract from any development that the author has created. If I ever feel a need to find out what is going on, I think I will watch the movie instead. 

#1 Blood of Olympus, The Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan: This may be one that may change over time. I read the first book in the Percy Jackson series. It was pretty good. Nothing amazing. I felt like I started too late on this series. I wish I would have read this series a long time ago. It is middle-grade and I just do not stay as interested in middle-grade fiction. Since I would have to read all of the Percy Jackson series to read this series, I just do not think it is going to happen. I know this is a well loved and interesting series. I am a huge Harry Potter fan and I know it seems strange that I have not read this series too. 

Have you read any of these books on my list?? Do you agree with my list? What are some books you will probably never read?

Happy Reading!! 

Theresa