Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books Released in the Last 10 Years

The Top Ten Tuesday has a new home. It's hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Okay, I'm going to try and keep it to one or two for each year because you all know I can't just choose one for each year! There are quite a few repeat authors and some repeat series, but I will not apologize for that because I like what I like. Also, I'm using years 2009-2018 since we're not even half way through 2019 yet.

2009
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2010
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Mockingjay by Susanne Collins

2011
Legend by Marie Lu
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

2012
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Neilsen
Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2013
Champion by Marie Lu
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

2014
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

2015
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Winter by Marissa Meyer
Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly

2016
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

2017
Warcross by Marie Lu
Geekerella by Ashley Poston

2018
Sadie by Courtney Summers
The Case for Jamie by Brittany Cavallaro
Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston

Top Ten Tuesday: Things that Make Me Pick Up a Book

The Top Ten Tuesday has a new home. It's hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

In no particular order:

1. Cover Color - They say never judge a book by its cover, and I believe that but not for books. I love a beautiful cover and to be honest I'm more like to pick up a cover that's attractive to me. I love greens and blues and yellows.

2. One or Two Word Titles - One and Two word titles tend to pack a punch, makes me want to find out more about the book. I'm more likely to read the synopsis of these

3. Author - If it's an author I really enjoy, It's not out of the ordinary for me to pick up their other books without even knowing what they're about.

3. Typography - There is nothing more eye-catching to me than typography or hand lettering. I love this kind of artwork. If a book has it on the cover, I will almost always pick it up to find out more.

4. Booktube Hype - I have a select few booktubers that I watch regularly. I feel like our book likes are very similar, so when they really enjoy a book, it makes me want to pick up that book.

5. Friend Recommendation - While I do enjoy booktube recommendations, a friend's recommendation carries much more weight for me. When they're excited about a book, it makes me want to try it even if it's something I wouldn't necessarily pick for myself.

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Recent Additions to my TBR

The Top Ten Tuesday has a new home. It's hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

1. Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller - I've just finished a book about vikings and I'm itching to read another viking book, this one seems on a similar thread. I really liked Levenseller's previous books and so I'm hopeful that this book will satisfy my viking desires.

2. We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal - This book sounds amazing. I've been looking at it for a while now, but I haven't officially added it to my TBR until recently. It's inspired by ancient Arabia and follows a hunter and an assassin who are each legends, but don't want to be.

3. Rayne and Delilah's Midnight Matinee by Jeff Zentner - Two best friends host a TV show on their local cable channel and in their senior they have to make decisions about their future of their show, their lives, and their friendship. It sounds like the perfect contemporary read and I'm excited to read it when it comes out.

4. Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley - I'm missing Ireland a lot recently, and this book just spoke to me. It takes place in 1993, a Chicago teen is uprooted to a small town in Ireland. Tragedy strikes and a pilgrimage to Dublin might be the trick to processing the grief. Running around Ireland sounds like a book I'm ready to read.

5. Now a Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy - Set in Ireland again, this time on the movie set of a widely famous fantasy trilogy written by the main character's grandmother. I'm particularly excited to read this book.

6. Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan - It's about a girl who has a job as the hot dog girl in her local princess park. She's got plans to win a boy's heart and save the park all while dancing around as a hot dog. I mean that sounds so cute and I'm here for it.

7. #Prettyboy Must Die by Kimberly Reid - I'm getting some serious Digby vibes from this book and I LOVED Trouble Is A Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly, so I'm pretty interested in checking this book out.

8. The Tyrant's Tomb by Rick Riordan - The latest book in the Apollo series and I'll be really excited to read more about Apollo's mortal teenage self when it comes out later this year.

9. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin - I've read several of her books and really enjoyed them. This one seemed to have slipped under the radar, but I've found it now and I'm keen on reading it. I mean there's a bookshop involved!

10. The Darkest Legacy by Alexandra Bracken - I binge-read the The Darkest Minds Trilogy last year just in time to learn about this book. I can't say that I'm sorry there's another one. I mean, Alexandra Bracken has a way with storytelling, I'm completely obsessed. I'm so excited that there's more for me to read.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Meant to Read in 2018 but Didn't

The Top Ten Tuesday has a new home. It's hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.


1. Renegades by Marissa Meyer - This book was on all of my TBRs last year, and for some reason I just didn't pick it up. I'm nearly certain that I will love this story, I just need actually take the moment to read it.  2019 is the year!

2. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas (and the rest of the series) - This was one of the series I wanted to finish in 2018, but I didn't make it that far. I'm hoping that 2019 will be the year that I put this series forward in my priorities, especially since the entire series is now out. I won't have to do any waiting for the final book.

3. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - I was saving this book for October because it felt like a great time to read it, but then I fell into a reading slump and I didn't do much reading in the last bit of 2018. I'd really like to get to it in 2019, so we shall see if I save it for this October.

4. To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - I actually started reading this book, but I accidentally had it returned to the library before I could finish listening to it. The wait list is so long that I didn't get a chance to finish it.

5. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - I really wanted to read this book, but somehow time got away from me this year. I've borrowed it from a friend and she'll want it back soon, so it's one I've got to get to very soon.

Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2018

The Top Ten Tuesday has a new home. It's hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
Seven seems to be my new ten for the time being.

1. Ryan Graudin (Wolf by Wolf) - I've had Ryan Graudin on my radar for a while now and I'm so glad I took the time to read one of her books. I'm excited to read more books by her this year.

2. Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns) -  I read the first two books of Kendare Blake's series in 2018 and it was so good.  I can't wait to dive into the third one and I'm sure I'll be impatiently awaiting the last later this year.

3. Amanda Foody (Ace of Shades) - I've been looking for another good fantasy story to dive into and I came across Amanda Foody's novel when a friend suggested Ace of Shades to me. I was really in need of a good book and it was a great book!

4. Alexandra Bracken (The Darkest Minds) - I don't normally choose favorites but man, Alexandra Bracken came in from left field. I was spellbound by The Darkest Minds and binged read the rest of the series, aside from the new book that came out this year. Now I just want to read everything else she's written.

5. Rachel Hollis (Girl, Wash Your Face) - I found Rachel Hollis and her book by pure coincidence.  I had no idea she had this massive platform and company dedicated to helping women realize their amazing potential. Since reading this

6. Alan Bradley (The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie) - Bradley has a series set in the 50s in England, centering around a 12-year-old girl, who has some mad observational skills and a sassy attitude. She's one of those characters you can't help but love. I'd been meaning to pick up this series for a while now and this year I read two of them!

7. Julie Murphy (Dumplin') - Julie Murphy is an author I wish was around when I was in high school. Dumplin' was the book I needed back then, and one that I needed now. To be honest, it was one that I received in a Owlcrate box and then put off for a long time because I just wasn't sure about it. I almost got rid of it, but I ended up picking it up and I was blown away.