Top Ten Books At The Top Of My Summer TBR List

SUMMER TBR – REVIEW BOOKS
1.   STARRY NIGHTS by Daisy Whitney
2.   THE BITTER KINGDOM by Rae Carson
3.   THE BONE SEASON by Samantha Shannon
4.   WHERE THE STARS STILL SHINE by Trish Doller
5.   THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales

SUMMER TBR – PLEASURE READS
6.   IN HONOR by Jessi Kirby
7.   SLICE OF CHERRY by Dia Reeves
8.   FROI OF THE EXILES by Melina Marchetta
9.   THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS by Sarah Ockler
10.   DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT by Laini Taylor

Now, I just have to decide what to read first. That will be challenging....if you want to participate in this meme, visit The Broke and The Bookish for more information!

What's at the top of your summer TBR list?

In My Mailbox 43

IMM is hosted by The Story Siren, inspired by Pop Culture Junkie

Last few weeks of books

For Review: 

The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laired (netgalley)

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

Bought (Printed books):

The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard (my review)

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (my review)

Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Bought and Freebies (Kindle eBooks - not pictured): 

Rosebush by Michele Jaffe

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Retro Demonology by Jana Oliver (freebie)

Wish by Alexandra Bullen (freebie)

Remedial Magic by Jenna Black (freebie)

Beasts and BFFs by Shannon Delany (freebie)

The Wild's Call by Jeri Smith-Ready (freebie)

From Pretty Little Liar's "A" 

Flowers and puzzle pieces

Thanks to Amy Holder, Lisa/Laura Roecker & Paul , Arianna, Leah & HarperCollins, Netgalley, and the wonderful publicity people at ABC Family. 

What's in your mailbox?

Best of 2010

My 10 Best Books of 2010 (in no particular order):

1. Matched by Ally Condie
2. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver 
3. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
4. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
5. Siren by Tricia Rayburn
6. Split by Swati Avasthi
7. When I Was Joe by Keren David
8. Stork by Wendy Delsol
9. Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen*
10. Molly Fyde and the Blood of Billions by Hugh Howey*

Realistic Main Character

Brie from Losing Faith* (by Denise Jaden)

Funniest Main Character

Katla from Stork (by Wendy Delsol)

Best Male Main Character

Jace from Split (by Swati Avasthi)

Ty from When I Was Joe (by Keren David)

Best Overall Main Character

Sam from Before I Fall (by Lauren Oliver)

Best BFF

St. Clair from Anna and the French Kiss* (By Stephanie Perkins)

Best Villain 

(I'm going to keep the villain names unknown, or else I'll ruin the books for people who haven't read them!)

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Best Mean Girl

Lindsay and Sam from Before I Fall (by Lauren Oliver)

Best Mystery

All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

Best Suspense

The Evil Within by Nancy Holder

Best Fantasy

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Best Sci-fi

Molly Fyde and the Blood of Billions by Hugh Howey*

Best Dystopian

Matched by Ally Condie

Best Contemporary

Exit Strategy by Ryan Potter

Split by Swati Avasthi

Best Romance

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins*

Best Historical

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Best Sequel

The Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum*

Best Writing

Matched by Ally Condie

Best Memoir

Rae by Chelsea Rae Swiggett

Best Modern Retelling

Jane by April Lindner*

Best Overall Series and Best Ending to a Series

The Vampire Academy novels by Richelle Mead

Last Sacrifice (#6)

Most Unique

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Best Cover

Matched by Ally Condie

Most Amusing

Stork by Wendy Delsol

The Must-Read Book of 2010

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney*

What was one of the best books you read in 2010?

*Reviews have vanished from my Drafts, so I'll be re-reviewing them. 

In My Mailbox 42

IMM is hosted by The Story Siren, inspired by Pop Culture Junkie

(Books from last few weeks)

For Review:

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain (!!!)

Drought by Pam Bachorz (!!!)

The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal (!!!)

Bought with Buzz Bucks:

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

From "A" (aka, the fabulous people at ABC Family):

Digital Picture Frame

Bookish Christmas Presents:

Kindle 3G + Wifi

Black Lighted Leather Cover

Kindle ebooks:

Zombies vs. Unicorns

Jane by April Lindner

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves (my review)

The Book of Spells by Kate Brian

Vanished by Kate Brian

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Need by Carrie Jones

Pretty Little Liars #6: Killer by Sara Shepard

Pretty Little Liars #7: Heartless by Sara Shepard

Pretty Little Liars #8: Wanted by Sara Shepard

Molly Fyde and the Fight for Peace (book 4) by Hugh Howey

Printed Book:

City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

I was a bit nervous about the whole Kindle thing, because I'm a hard-core real printed book kind of person, but I do have to admit that it's nice and lightweight (plus, it holds a lot of books).

Thanks to The Teen Book Scene, Harper Collins, Random Buzzers/Random House, ABC Family,  Jennifer from Goodman Media, and everyone in my family. 

What did you get this week?


Happy Holidays!!! =)

Interview + Giveaway: Dia Reeves

Quick! Describe Slice of Cherry in 7 words or less!

 Dexter-ish sisters in the Twilight Zone (It's hard to describe my books without comparing them to The Twilight Zone. :D)

What makes your characters unique from other YA characters?

I don't write about "typical teens". I don't even know what that means. My teens are always weird, but proud to be weird. There's none of that, "Oh why can't I be like everyone else?" kind of crap. But no matter how strange my kids are, they want what everyone wants: to be loved and accepted for who they are.

What inspired you to write Slice of Cherry? 

I wanted to write about a family, about the love/hate relationship between sisters in particular, and about the pain of growing up and letting go of childish things in general. But to keep the book from reading like an Afterschool Special, I made the sisters serial killers. Forcing people to root for the bad guys is how I get my kicks.

Do you have any small teasers you can share from Slice of Cherry?

There are two sisters--Kit and Fancy. Fancy is the youngest and keeps a dream diary. This is an excerpt from it:

I died. I don’t know what of. I was in a crate in the Pikachu costume I wore for Halloween when I was seven. Kit was dragging me from house to house trying to get somebody to take me in and bury me, but nobody would.

Being a serial killer, Fancy tends to have very dark dreams.

What do you absolutely need in order to write a novel (example: caffeine, music, et cetera)?

I'm very analog still, so I need notebooks and pens--I always write my ideas on paper first. I also need music, but it needs to be unobtrusive, like classical or trip-hop. Philip Glass, Schumann, Massive Attack, and Tricky are my go-to artists when I'm trying to create.

What kind of story are you working on right now (or planning to)? 

I'm working on book three now, which I'm going to finish during NaNoWriMo this year. Like my other books, it takes place in Portero and is about a girl born without a heart who has to steal them from living people in order to survive. There are hot, creepy twins, mechanical creations, a big spooky house--I'm very excited to get cracking on this one. :)

Ooh, that one sounds intriguing! Thanks so much for dropping by to answer some questions, Dia! 

Want to learn more about Dia and her books? Visit her website! Her debut novel Bleeding Violet is now in paperback, and her newest novel Slice of Cherry is available for pre-order (releases January 4th! I can't wait!)

***

Onto the giveaway! Since I loved Bleeding Violet (I adored this book - so wild and unique), and I know Slice of Cherry is probably going to rock, I've decided to have a giveaway! 

Giveaway Details:

• US ONLY (sorry, but shipping is out of the country is something I can't afford right now).
• TWO winners: One for a paperback copy of Bleeding Violet. One for a hardcover copy of Slice of Cherry
• ENDS January 2nd, 2011 at Midnight

To enter, fill out the form HERE 

(will open in a new window).