My Top Ten Beach Reads

Hosted by (and above image from) The Broke and the Bookish

1.   SUMMER trilogy by Jenny Han (A, B, F, G, H, I)
2.   THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER by Sarah Dessen (A, B, E, F**, G, H, I)
3.   TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler (A, B, E, F, G, H, I)
4.   THE LAST SONG by Nicholas Sparks (A, B, E, F, G, H, I)
5.   MEDIATOR series by Meg Cabot (A, D, E*, F*, G, H, I)
6.   PRIVATE series by Kate Brian (A, B, F, G, H, I*)
7.   FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK by Melina Marchetta (C, D, E, F, H, I*)
8.   SIEGE AND STORM by Leigh Bardugo (B, C, D, E, F*, G, H, I*)
9.   BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore (B, D, E, F, G, H, I*)
10.   HARRY POTTER series by JK Rowling (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I* = PERFECTION)

Lea's Beach Read Requirements
(A) Takes place during summer (in at least one book, if series)
(B) Has light or serious drama
(C) Super epic journey
(D) Magic or supernatural element
(E) Awesome main characters, * if they're sassy
(F) Swoonworthy romance, * if I adore them
(G) Involves water (even if it's only vaguely)
(H) Family / friends are present
(I) Secrets! * if there are many secrets.

Yes, I've got a whole system (in my mind, so it's a bit weird to see it written down) when it comes to what qualifies as a beach read. And yes, I'm a strange, bookish person.

What's your favorite beach read?

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Bitterblue
Kristin Cashore
1st May 2012
576 pages (hardcover)
Publisher - Dial
Source - Purchased

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

I enjoyed Graceling, adored Fire, and absolutely loved Bitterblue. Unlike the protagonists of Cashore's previous novels, Bitterblue is not Graced or a monster. Instead, she's a queen who enjoys numbers, ciphers and stories. Throughout the novel, her deceased father's terrible Grace and actions still linger in Monsea. Betrayal, secrets, and lies run deeper than imaginable. Her kingdom is filled with oddities that no one wants to explain or fix. Each new twist brings another round of suspects, questions, and ultimately creates even more doubts about everything and everyone.

Curious revelations, first love, and Bitterblue's transformation into the queen Monsea needs, Bitterblue gradually builds into a phenomenal story. Bitterblue herself is a remarkable young woman with a subtle strength, sharp humor, and a need for truth. It was intriguing to watch her character grow with each chapter. Bitterblue delves deeper and into darker places in order to unravel the mysteries in Monsea. There are lovely, lighthearted moments, along with others that will have you near (or in) tears. All in all, Bitterblue is an outstanding novel well worth the time it takes to read each page.

Highlights: It was nice to see characters from Cashore's previous books be present in this one, and through Bitterblue's very observant view of them. Characters as a whole were very well written (especially Death¹, Teddy, Saf, Po, Giddon, Leck, and Thiel). The extras at the end (cast of characters, drawings, et cetera) were fascinating. The ending, while a little bittersweet, was nicely done. 

Lowlights: I wanted more pages. Seriously. 

Note: As this is a sequel, reading Graceling is a must. I would recommend reading Fire since it will help make many moments more meaningful in the story. 

Rating:  

1 Coolest librarian ever. I kind of wish I had his Grace.

Top Ten Books I'd Like To See Made Into A Movie

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I'd Like To See Made Into A Movie

 

1.  Across the Universe by Beth Revis - A murder mystery set in a spaceship! Totally movie material.

2.  The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - Thrilling, surprising, and intriguing....it would be great.

 

3.  Graceling by Kristin Cashore - Wouldn't this make a fascinating movie? Action, adventure, romance, mystery, tough heroine...it's perfect!

4.  Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta - Yet another story I'd love to see come to life. Such great characters in this one!

 

5.  Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard - A fantastic travel story. I'd love to see all the different foreign locations in this one on a movie screen!

6.  Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkisn - Awesome, fun, and Paris :)

7.  Rampant by Diana Peterfreund - Killer unicorns. Enough said.

8.  Divergent by Veronica Roth - Yes, I chose this partially because of Four. Plus, exciting book = exciting movie (well, usually).

9.  Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - Yet again with the foreign countries and magical places that I love to see come to life. Especially Brimstone's shop!

10.  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - The circus! This one could actually be pretty good as a film.

What book do you want to see as a movie? 

Images from GoodreadsTTT image from Broke and Bookish

Trailers: Bitterblue + Shadow and Bone

Bitterblue by Kristin CashoreMay 1st, 2012It's a cool trailer (I like how it ties all the books together), but it tells me nothing about the story. 
*sighs dramatically*
At least the release date is getting closer!
 Shadow and Bone by Leigh BardugoJune 5th, 2012 This trailer is very cool (great epic music, too). I love how it brings elements from the map / cover / story to life. 
Seen any other cool book trailers?

Top Ten Books On My Spring To-Be-Read list

TTT is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

1.  Insurgent by Veronica Roth - I'm pretty much counting the days until this one releases, and when it does, it's first on my TBR list.

2.  Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore - Same as above.

3.  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - Confession: I have never read a Neil Gaiman book. I feel like it's time that I fix that.

4.   Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson - I've left this one sitting on my shelf for a long time. This spring, it will be read.

5.  The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancy - This one seems like an interesting book. Plus, it has a Printz honor, so it must be great.

6.  Blackbringer (Dreamdark #1) by Laini Taylor - I loved Daughter of Smoke & Bone and enjoyed Lips Touch Three Times, so I'm sure I'll enjoy this one too!

7.  Partials by Dan Wells - This is definitely on my TBR list, on my Kindle, and waiting patiently for me to have the time to read.

8.  The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder - Amazing reviews for this one! Hopefully the story lives up to them.

9.  Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins - Anyone remember that cliffhanger from Demonglass? Yeah. That was intense. I'm so curious how this one will turn out.

10.  Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally - Can't go wrong with a contemporary novel :)

What's one book on your spring TBR list?


Images from Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday (7)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I'm Excited To Read in 2012

 

1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth - Is it May yet??? *glares at calendar*
2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore - I am so crazy excited for this book. I can't wait until a more detailed summary comes out. But, until then, I'll settle for the cool cover with those awesome keys. 

3. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver - No explanation necessary when it comes to a Lauren Oliver book. 
4. Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins - The ending to Demonglass still has me extremely curious to know what happens next for Sophie. Plus, this series is always fun to read. Awesome humor, great mystery. 

5. Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh - Edgar Allan Poe, mystery, intrigue...I'm hoping it's as good as the last book! 
6. The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour - The buzz has been insanely positive for this novel. Plus, it's supposed to be a great book for music fans :)

7. Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard - I've been stalking following Susan's blog for quite a long time, so I'm very excited for her debut! It sounds like it's going to be an exciting read. 

8. Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake - The first book rocked, so I'm curious to see if the sequel will be just as great. And how awesome is that cover?
9. Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler - Take Sarah Ockler's writing + hockey boys + romance + plenty of cupcakes. Sounds like a winning combination to me. 
10. The Selection by Kiera Cass - Yes, I picked this one mostly because the cover is so eye-catching. The plot is intriguing too... 

Waiting on Wednesday (60)

WOW is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine

BitterblueKristin CashoreMay 1st, 2012

Bitterblue is a companion book to both Graceling and Fire and takes place in the seven kingdoms eight years after Graceling. This third book will tie all three books together in some way. Bitterblue is the eighteen-year-old protagonist, and Katsa, Po, Giddon, Helda, and other characters from Graceling will be part of the fabric of the book.

So. Excited. For. This. Book. But I wish it had more of a summary....Has anyone seen a better one? 
What are you waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday (4)

For more information on how to participate in Top Ten Tuesday and this week's topic, visit The Broke and Bookish for details!
Top Ten Books On My TBR List For Winter
1. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood - I think I might have died when I got this one in the mail. The gorgeous cover! And it's about witches! It can't go wrong. 
2. Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne - Odd occurrences, red stained hands, mysteries...I'm totally in.  
3. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater - I really want to see what all the fuss is about, because it seems like everyone is raving about this book. Deadly water horses? Beautiful prose? It just sounds amazing. 
4. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey - Aylee's review convinced me to buy it, and the Printz Honor award on the cover was pretty convincing too, so it's sitting impatiently on my shelf until I get to it.
5. Article 5 by Kristen Simmons - I have very high hopes for this one, so I hope it manages to be unique in a sea of dystopians. 
6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I have read and reviewed this trilogy already, but with the upcoming movie, I feel like I need a refresher before spring. 
7. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling - Yet another reread I want to do, especially with a series I already adore. Magic, surprises, great world building and fantastic characters...you can't go wrong with a JK Rowling book. 
8. Forgotten by Cat Patrick - I love the sound of the plot, very Memento-like. I can't wait to see what happens.
9. Graceling by Kristin Cashore - I only vaguely remember this book, so I think it's time it got bumped up in my TBR pile (especially since Cashore's newest book will be out in the summer). 
10. Brightest Kind of Darkness by PT Michelle - After reading Melissa's review, this book got pushed up much higher on my TBR list. Any story with a great protagonist automatically gets me interested.

Top Ten Tuesday (1)

 Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would love to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of the bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Books You Loved But Never Wrote A Review For (either books you loved and couldn't bring yourself to write a review for or books that you read long before blogging...time to give them a shoutout!)
1. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead - I just couldn't bring myself to write anything more than a bunch of babbling after reading the final VA novel. But what can I say, it was the last book ever (of Rose), and it was full of surprises.
2. Fire by Kristin Cashore - This book was pretty wicked awesome. So much so, I was barely coherent in the rambling "review" I wrote about how wicked awesome it was. That review will never see daylight. 
3. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen - This is, without a doubt, one of my absolute favorite novels. Mostly because of Wes. *swoons*
4. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling - It's nearly impossible to write an eloquent and original review of these books. They are far too magical, amazing, and impressive. 
5. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - I think the main reason I have such a hard time with writing my thoughts on this novel is because it really is spectacular, but it's a subtle build up to spectacular. It's so hard to convey how truly touching this novel is from start to finish.
6. Delirium by Lauren Oliver - Simply breathtakingly gorgeous. Lauren Oliver definitely knows how to string together words and make them incredible. And love as a disease? Genius. 
7. The Host by Stephenie Meyer - While I'm not the biggest fan of the Twilight books, I really adored this book...I'm definitely going to have to reread this one to see if I still love it!
8. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien - This is definitely not YA, but still one of the best books I read back in high school. The narrative is so utterly brilliant and unique. I've never read another book quite like it. 
9. Jane by April Lindner - The best classic retelling ever. Seriously. Go read it. Rochester is a rock star. 
10. Devilish by Maureen Johnson - I. Love. This. Book. So much so, that if I ever wrote a review for it, it probably just consist of fangirly ramblings about how awesome a writer Maureen is, and how I think Maureen should be our world leader¹. *bows down to Maureen Johnson* 



1 Just kidding. Mostly because Maureen Johnson might actually be crazy². Or at least she seems crazy on Twitter. 2 And for the one person (you know who you are) who took my joke seriously and decided to rudely spam the comments (now deleted) - it's an obvious joke (Maureen even has a variation of it in her twitter info), so relax. I do not think Maureen Johnson is crazy. Crazy awesome? Yes.