A Room With Books: Top Ten Tuesday

Showing posts with label Top Ten Tuesday. Show all posts

December 4, 2012

Top Ten Books I'm wishing for under my tree

1. Complete Fairy Tales and works of Grimm B&N classics
1) tThey're gorgeous 2) I haven't read the Hans Christan Andersen fairy tales OR the works of Grimm, so I'm hoping having these gorgeous ladies would solve that problem.

2. Complete Harry Potter hardcover set
How sad is it that I don't own any of them at all? I borrowed them from my husband's parents (we were still living at home) when I read them so sadly I have none.

3. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green
So I can finally have all the John Green books and read TFiOS (I wanted to read his books in chronological order.)

4. All the Fullmetal Alchemists I don't own
I found a whole bunch on clearance at Half Price one time, but now I just desperately want them all but I'm not quite willing to pay $5 or $10 each when I'm still missing about 20...

5. The rest of the Gone series by Michael Grant
I only own one of the books and it's not even the first. So every time I'm all "Jeremy (younger brother) you should read these books!" he asks if I have them and I have to go pout in a corner.

6. The Lost Hero and The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
I love these books and I sadly don't own the first in the series or the most recent. It makes The Son of Neptune look pretty lonely on my shelf.

7. (and while we're at it) The entire Percy Jackson series
Considering my love for this series it's really sad that I don't even own one of the books.

8. Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

I've been waiting for this one basically all year and now it's been out for two months and I still haven't read it! It's a tragedy.

9. The Island of Silence by Lis McMann
When I read The Unwanteds earlier this year I immediately fell in love and have been looking forward to the sequel ever since. Sadly, though, I still don't own it nor have I read it...

10. Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth
We won't even discuss how sad it is that I don't own either.

November 27, 2012

Top Ten most anticipated 2013s

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week there's a category and everyone participating lists their "Top Ten" in that category.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books For 2013 (singles/debuts/beginnings)

I only included singles/debuts/beginnings in my list because it'd be unfair if I included all the awesome sequels and finales coming out. And yet...I still couldn't stop at 10 :P

1. Plus One by Elizabeth Fama

The Day and Night populations sound like such a cool concept. I don't even really know that much about it, but the concept sounds neat.

2. In the After by Demitria Lunetta

1) It sounds like aliens. 2) I like the idea of a baby being involved without someone being pregnant It's something I've never seen before.

3. Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown

I don't really get uber excited about contemps, but I feel like sexting is something that's rarely touched on despite the fact that it's become a pretty big thing these days.

4. Prophesy of Oz by Megan Shan

The Wizard of Oz was never my favorite story or anything, but I'm really intrigued by the idea of a sort of sequel.

5. Rush by Eve Silver

Aliens? A game that determines life or death for the whole planet? Outer. Space? Um, yes, I think so.

6. The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

What are these mysterious waves? And are they zombies or aliens? Or alien-zombies?! It's safe to say I'm intrigued.

7. The Program by Suzanne Young

To be quite honest, it's basically a combination of Suzanne Young, the cover, and the title. I love anything that has something to do with a "Program" of any kind.

8. Taken by Erin Bowman

We've got a mysteriously wall that nobody can cross and disappearing boys. How could I not want to read it? I NEED to know what's on the other side of the wall!

9. Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

It's a Rumpelstiltskin retelling! Like, for reals, guys.

10. After Eden by Helen Douglas

I'm really intrigued by this one because it's a little similar to a dream I had not that long ago and wanted to write about. Plus, I just love other planets.

11. Monsters by Tom Leveen

I don't need to know anymore than this: "A YA horror/thriller about a group of teens stranded inside

their high school during a mysterious, deadly epidemic."

12. Splintered by A.G. Howard

Alice. In. Wonderland.

13. The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Guys, guys, guys! It's like a ghost library thing! Liiibrary, I say. Library.

September 4, 2012

Top Ten books on my Fall TBR

I simply couldn't keep it at ten this week!

1. Bad Hair Day (Kate Grable #2) by Carrie Harris
Bad Taste in Boys was so freaking awesome! I can't wait to see what Harris has in store for Kate next :]

2. Beautiful Redemption (Caster Chronicles #4) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
I love this series and I can't believe this will be the LAST book. I'm excited to see how it's all going to end, but also sad that's ending :[

3. The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin
So I finished The Unbecoming in a theater before Husband's and my movie started and I was literally sitting there going "Whaaa...Huh? Buu? What?!" out loud. In public. That's how crazy the ending was and that gives you an idea of how badly I NEED the sequel.

4. The Fire Chronicle (The Books of Beginning #2) by John Stephens
I'm all for middle grade and The Emerald Atlas was a great one. I mean, we're talking everything from time traveling to monster fighting! I'm definitely looking forward to book two.

5. Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messanger
This is one of the few debuts on my list because it sounds like one seriously awesome middle grade. I can't wait to get my hands on it!

6. The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There (Fairyland #2) by Catherynne M. Valente
What can I say? I'm middle grade obsessed. And this one? Seriously the tip tip top of my wishlist. I adored The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland and look forward to more adventuring with September :]

7. Feedback (Variant #2) by Robison Wells
Yeah, so Variant was a serious mind-boggler and the ending was absolutely killer. You can bet I'll be all over this one when it comes out!

8. Alice in Zombieland by Gena Sholwater

To be quite honest, I know nothing about this book besides the fact that it has something to do with Alice in Wonderland and zombies. I really don't need to know more than that to know I'm excited!

9. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

I think this one has something to do with ghosts, but that's about all I know. Since it's Stiefvater, though, I don't need to know anything in order to know I need to read it.

10. The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver

Not only is this one middle grade, but it's also Lauren freaking Oliver! I mean, does it need anything more for me to be over the moon excited about it?

11. Envy (The Fury Trilogy #2) by Elizabeth Miles

Fury totally took me by surprise. It could have been a standalone, sure, but I'm seriously looking forward to the next installment in the series :]

12. The Island of Silence (Unwanteds #2) by Lisa McMann

The Unwanteds was seriously one of my favorite reads this year (I know, I should have read it sooner) and I've been anxiously awaiting the sequel since I turned the last page.

August 21, 2012

Top Ten Books I've read since starting my blog

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week there's a category and everyone participating lists their "Top Ten" in that category.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Favorite Books You've Read During The Lifespan Of Your Blog

1. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
This was the first contemporary I picked up because it was all over the blogosphere and I absolutely adored it! It had me laughing out loud a few times.

2. Anna and the French Kiss + Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
I love them both for different reasons, but since I can only have ten I combined them :P Perkins is a master at creating realistic and swoon-worthy romances so her books will most likely always end up on my favorites lists.

3. Delirium + Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
This woman knows how to rip my heart out, stomp on it, and put it back together over and over, but I love it.

4. The Maze Runner (Scorch Trials) (Death Cure) series by James Dashner
This is such a strangely different dystopian series and I just love everything about it

5. Divergent by Veronica Roth
If you've read this one then you know why it will always be among my favorites. If you haven't, then know that it's a freaking amazing dystopian with a kick-a** main and you need to read it.

6. The Search for WondLa + A Hero for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi
This is one epic and awesome middle grade. It's kind of science fiction since Eva wakes up on what she believes to be planet Earth and discovers that it's actually a planet covered with multiple alien races and things like man-eating plants. Plus, you guys, there's illustrations!

7. Hex Hall series (Demonglass) (Spell Bound) by Rachel Hawkins
I actually didn't know about this series until I started blogging and then I put it off and put it off thinking it wasn't for me. Finally, enough prodding from different people got me to pick the first one up and I fell in love.

8. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
This book is freaking amazing. The blurb on the cover calls it "a mix between The Hunger Games and Harry Potter" and while it has elements of both, don't go comparing them. McMann created a crazy awesome world with magic that's used through creative abilities like drawing and music. If you're at all interested in MG, give this one a try.

9. Looking for Alaska by John Green
Believe it or not, I didn't know about John Green before blogging. I remember picking up LfA off a discount book table at WalMart ages ago and putting it back down because it didn't sound that interesting to me. Boy was I wrong! I'm kind of glad I read it when I did, though, because it helped me through a tough time. Seriously, though. If you haven't read any JG, do so, and start with this one.

10. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
This book. It's both strange and wonderful. It's certainly not your typical middle grade and the writing itself is astounding! This one definitely deserves a look.

11. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
I know this is too many, but I simply couldn't leave any of these books off the list. Sloppy Firsts is another book I'd heard nothing about until blogging, but then I heard SO many things. And yeah, it's definitely worth all the praise.

August 10, 2012

July 17, 2012

Top Ten Books for people who like...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week there's a category and everyone participating lists their "Top Ten" in that category.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Books For People Who Like X Book
So I decided to switch it up just a tad. I based it off of Variant by Robison Wells and went more along the lines of Books For People Who Like Screwy-Mess-With-Your-Mind books.

1. Variant by Robison Well
Boarding schools and secrets are a good mix, no?

2. Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis
Amnesia and a town full of creepy happy-zombies makes for quite the interesting read. Especially for the first 100 pages or so.

3. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michele Hodkin
At times it seems so normal and others...not so much :P

4. Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri
This is definitely one strange book. It's not so much the "what is going on right now?!" kind as the kind that just kind of has the slow, strange creep going on.

5. Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne
This may not have necessarily been my favorite, but it still definitely belongs in this category. And if you're thinking "this just seems like run-of-the-mill paranormal stuff" halfway through -- just wait. I can assure you it gets downright weird.

6. Dark Eden by Patrick Carman
This is definitely one that'll have you scratching your head wondering what in the world is going on.

7. Frost by Marianna Baer
So, the weirdness here is quite plainly ghosts. What isn't plain, however, is whether or not the ghosts are real...

8. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
This book will have you dying for answers, but you'll never be bored. It's intense and so incredibly awesome.

9. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
It's possible that the only reason I found this book a little mind-screwy is because something fantasy is over my head :P Still, it's definitely out there and there are lots of twists and turns that'll keep you guessing. (Pssssst..it's going to be a movie)

10. Z by Michael Thomas Ford
So, it's about zombies. That much is straightforward. The rest? Not so much.

July 10, 2012

Top Ten Books that came recommended

1. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
I doubt I ever would have even heard about this series if it weren't for blogging. A few months after I started A Room with Books the Jessica Darling series seemed to be making it's way around. I saw quite a few fantastic reviews and even more chat on Twitter. It all finally got to me last month and I picked up Sloppy Firsts and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

2. Looking for Alaska/John Green
This is another one that seemed to be making the rounds shortly after I started my blog. I remember seeing it on the table at Walmart once and just kind of putting it aside without thinking. I am sooo glad bloggers are always praising the works of John Green or else I probably never would have gotten to experience the awesomeness that is Looking for Alaska and John Green himself :]

3. Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins
So, I think I have an irrational fear of paranormal. I've just read so many that are similar that I wrote off the whole genre. That means I need someone basically threatening to take away my entire library to get me to read one. But boy howdy am I glad I ended up giving this series a chance! The books are both hilarious, thrilling, and not typically predictable. I mean, yeah, there's a love triangle but it's a little more complicated than that. (Hah! A complicated love triangle. Cliche? Yeah, but it's still good ;P)

4. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
Witches kind of tie into the paranormal idea PLUS, it's historical fiction which I really don't do, but reading that Sarah of The Book Life enjoyed it though hist fic. isn't usually her thing either made me want to give it a try. Turns out, alternate hist fic. isn't so bad ;]

5. The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
For some reason, even though I usually find myself enjoying the contemporaries that I read, it's still pretty hard to convince me to read one. Especially if it's one about an MC with a fatal illness. I always used to think "well I already know it's going to be sad, so what else could it offer me?" And let me tell you, that's so completely not true. This book is funny and sweet and basically amazing. Don't write it off as just a sad story with nothing to offer.

6. Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
Zombies are totally my thing, but I'm a little unsure about steampunk (which is what I thought this book was) so it took Katie of Katie's Book Blog and Erika of Rescue Reads to convince me to read this one, but I'm SO glad I finally gave it a chance!

7. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
When I started my blog it seemed like everyone was talking about this book. I thought "well, maybe I should give it a try, but I'm not expecting much" and then it kind of blew me away :P

8. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
The lovely Lisa of Lisa is Busy Nerding was talking about this one for about a month and when she finally posted her review, I was like "that's it, I must read this book!" And I'm glad I gave it a try since it's not my normal read, but I totally loved it.

9. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
I hadn't heard of this book at all before I started blogging but when it started popping up all over the blogosphere I knew this was a book I needed to read. I'm glad so many people were raving about it since this book was actually able to pull me out of a funk!

10. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
Another Katie and Erika push for me to read and I'm so thankful they did. This is definitely not your run of the mill paranormal romance and Varen makes me all swoony ;]

11. Shikabane Hime
Okay, it's not a book, it's a manga and an anime, but it's still fantastic! My cousin recommended it to me when I told her I was getting into anime and I love it. It's basically about zombies who kill other zombies. Seriously, if you have Netflix go watch the anime or the manga can be read online for free (legally, as far as I know).

July 3, 2012

Top Ten authors for those who like...

1. Sarah Mlynowski

Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have) is the only book I've read by her so far, but it totally fits in with the real-relationship-real-teens vibe that Perkins has. Plus, it's downright hilarious.

2. Jennifer E. Smith

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is the only one of Smith's books I've read so far, but I definitely plan on changing that soon. The relationship between Oliver and Hadley was just so fun and awesome. Plus, it wasn't just a love story. Like Perkins, Smith works in plenty of extra relationships and learning opportunities that give a story depth.

3. Rachel Hawkins

Maybe it's not contemporary, but they can't all be, right? The Hex Hall series (Hawkin's most recent works) is pretty much paranormal to the max, but Hawkins knows how to write relationships that suck you in with a hilarious main character to boot.

4. Melissa Walker

Again with the realistic problems and relationships. I've read both Small Town Sinners and Unbreak My Heart by Miss Walker and both MCs were incredibly real dealing with some pretty heavy issues. I often found myself thinking "I remember feeling exactly like that!"

5. Suzanne Young

Not really contemporary again, but Young still writes the story in a believable way. Plus, the love story end of it is pretty heartbreaking, but in a good way ;]

6. Megan McCafferty

I just recently read Sloppy Firsts and I can already tell the entire Jessica Darling series will be fantastic. Jessica is fun, funny, and her relationships are so real. Whether they be a romantic relationship or just a parental one. McCafferty's style flows over into her YA book Bumped (still need to read Thumped) too. So whether it's contemporary or dystopian, I have a feeling Perkins lovers will enjoy McCafferty's books.

7. Kiersten White

Nope, not contemporary, but she's pretty darn hilarious -- and so are her books. I'm not going to say her stories are realistic or anything since they're pretty paranormal, but still. Even if you for some reason refuse to read her books at least follow the lady on Twitter.

8. David Levithan & Rachel Cohn

I've only read one of Levithan's singular works and I haven't read any of Cohn's but I've read a lot of their together stuff (maybe all?) including Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List, and Dash & Lily's Book of Dares. Every single one is fun, real, and fantastic. I suggest Dash & Lily's as a first read for Perkins lovers.

9. John Green

So, no throwing virtual fruit, but I've only read Looking for Alaska so far. I can already tell that I'll enjoy all of his books and that any Perkins lover can definitely appreciate him, though. There always seems to be something deeper than the surface story going on. Plus, at least in the case of LfA, there are funny bits, but also some more serious aspects too.

June 19, 2012

Top Ten on my Summer TBR

1. Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown
What's better for a summery read than mermaids? Killer mermaids!

2. Reunited by Hilary Graham
Road trips make for perfect summer books and this one not only has the promise of a fun road trip, but also an interesting ex-best-friends dynamic :]

3. Endlessly by Kiersten White
Paranormalcy and Supernaturally were both super-freaking-fantastically-awesome and I can't wait to see how Kiersten ends the series!

4. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
I've already heard fantastic things, but even before that I was excited since it sounds like a cute contemp. Quite honestly, I think the cover is what draws me in and makes it feel summery :P

5. 52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody
Daughter of a rich-daddy forced to take on a new "crappy" job every week for a year to learn some humility? Yeah, I'm betting there'll be a fair amount of laughs ;]

6. Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous by Kathryn Williams
I've said it once and I'll say it again: it's like this book was written for me. Before I no longer had cable, Food Network was on basically 24/7. I love food and tv shows about food. And then Williams here decided to write a book with two of my favorite things AND teens and romance. I seriously cannot wait for this book!

7. The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando
Am I the only one who feels like scavenger hunts just scream summer? ....Yes? Well, fine then :P

8. Monument 14 to Emmy Laybourne
Okay, so maybe it's not some light, summery read, but I need my dose of dystopian/apocalyptic fiction. It fuels my reading fire :P

9. This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Once again, I know this isn't exactly a feel-good summer book, but ever since I learned the publish date was sometime in June I've been thinking of it as a summer book. Yes, I know I'm strange.

10. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Look, more mermaids! Is there really anything better than mermaids to get into the summer mood?

Bonus! An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Since reading Looking for Alaska last month I've decided to slowly work my way chronologically through JG's book and Katherines is next up :]

May 22, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday {17}

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week there's a category and everyone participating lists their "Top Ten" in that category.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Blogs/Sites You Read That AREN'T about Books

So, I kind of had to dig around for these 9. I don't really do a lot on the net these days that doesn't have to do with books. I'm okay with that, though :]

1. Not So Humble Pie
Mrs. Humble rarely posts anymore as she had a baby recently, but I still love her site. Not only do all her recipes look good, her posts are humorous and awesome. Many of her recipes live in my "To be make someday" bookmarks on my computer. I love that though most of recipes are for sweets there are plenty of savory recipes in there as well :]

From Cat versus Human

2. Cat versus Human
I think someone recently tweeted one of the graphics from this site and that's how I came across it. I'm really glad to have found it no matter what led me to it, though. I don't actually own a cat at the moment (it's $300 to get a cat in my apartment not to mention all the extra fees) but I do so desperately want one. Plus, just because I don't own one doesn't mean I can't love them and appreciate cat humor ;]
All that to say if you like cats and you like funnies them you'll love this site.

3-5. Foodgawker/Dwellinggawker/Weddinggawker
I believe I found Foodgawker because of Stumbleupon and immediately fell in love. I'm a sucker for pretty looking food and boy is there plenty of it here. Basically you can scroll through pages and pages of pictures of food and if you're interested in one of them you click it and it takes you to the blog. Boom. Easy peasy. This where I go any time I'm looking for a recipe. I like that I can see a picture before I click instead of just links if I were to google the recipe.
Dwellinggawker and Weddinggawker are the same except they're about homes and wedding-related things respectively.

Source

6. Wishlist.com
I've always had the problem of going completely blank when someone asks me what I want for my birthday or Christmas. Sure, I had a million things I wanted the previous week, but now that somebody wanted me to list some I couldn't think of a single one. This website allows me to add whatever from wherever on the internet to a wishlist so it's always there and can be easily sent out to whoever wants it.

7. Random Word Generator
This is especially useful for writing classes. I mean, this site gives you anything from a random noun to a verb to a preposition. It even lets you choose whether you want or normal or obscure word.

8. FutureMe.org

Source

This website allows you to send future self an email. Maybe you know the day you'll graduate and you want to send yourself a congratulations. Maybe you just want to send a message to your 10-years-older self and say what your current thoughts on the future are to compare them to how things really turned out. I used it a couple years ago to send myself an email on my wedding day. It helped calm my nerves a little :]

9. Stumbleupon
This site is basically the best time waster on the planet. You can stumble through anything and everything or you can just do one thing like recipes or photography. I don't use it as much anymore since I try not to waste too much time on the internet, but it has introduced to some awesome websites over the past couple years. Heck, I found most of the above sites on here!

April 17, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday {16} Tips for new bloggers

Source

1. Be Yourself
Everyone's going to tell you this, and it's probably going to be hard at first, but it's really important. If you want people to notice you and follow you then you need to stand out to them and the best way to do that isn't to try to be all crazy or anything, but just be yourself. People like to read about genuine people :]

2. Good Design
I seriously cannot stress this one enough. I'm all about the looks, I'm not going to lie. So if your blog looks really jumbly or has a very poor design, I'm probably not going to follow. It's important to draw the reader in with your content, yes, but the first thing they'll really pay attention to is your design.

I'm not a robot, but I still have
trouble reading this.

3. CAPTCHA
If you're on Blogger (I'm not sure if Wordpress has the option) please please please turn off your captcha. It's terribly annoying and it really makes people not want to comment on your blog.

4. Comment
While we're on the subject of comments I'm going to go ahead and point out the importance of commenting. It may not seem like all the blog exploring and commenting is really getting you anywhere at first, but I promise it will. I've foun quite a few blogs I really enjoy from them commenting on mine. Just please, please don't say "I like you blog -- check out mine and follow me back!" or anything like that ANYWHERE in the comment. It's just kind of rude.

5. Twitter
You really really need a Twitter for your blog. I'm not sure I can stress this enough. It's such an easy and useful way to reach out to other bloggers and even authors.

6. Memes

Memes are good for finding new blogs and participating in something bigger than yourself. On the other hand, make sure there's more to your blog than memes. You need original content. Some of my favorite memes are In My Mailbox, Tune in Tuesday, Top Ten Tuesday, and TGIF.

7. Personalize.

I personally like learning a little bit more about the person behind the blog. I really like to at the very least see a picture of the person behind the blog so I can connect it to something.

8. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE ARCS

Don't get caught up in all the ARC hype and whatnot. Yeah, you'll probably get a little jealous every now and then -- I still do -- but older books deserve attention too. Don't be afraid to read whatever you want. It's not all about the new and shiny stuff.

9. Pace Yourself

A lot of people post every day and you can aspire to do that as well, but it'll probably be a little while before you get to that point. It'll probably take a little while before you get ahead in your reviewing unless you're a super fast reader. And schedule your posts or else you'll be all frantic the night before trying to figure something out :P

10. Keep it fun.

Don't let blogging start to feel like a job. It's supposed to be fun!