Top Ten Tuesday {3} My Summer TBR List

Meme image from The Broke and The Bookish, host of Top Ten Tuesday

Today I'm sharing the top ten books on my reading list this summer!

One of my favourite things about summer is simply having more free time to read books. I end up with so many readings for school during the school year, that it's harder for me to read for fun. So I use the summer as an opportunity get caught up!

1. Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J Maas
   So this one doesn't come out until September 2nd BUT that's right before school stars for me so I have approximately one day to read it during my summer vacation and the last day of summer isn't until the end of September so this one TOTALLY COUNTS. I also feel like I don't need to explain this one, because duh, it's ToG.
2. Tomorrow's Kingdom (The Gypsy King #3) by Maureen Fergus
   I love this series (to the moon and back) and while I'm sad it's almost over, I'm thrilled to read the last book! I highly recommend The Gypsy King to those of you who like fantasy books with great (funny, brave) characters and bonus: Maureen is a Canadian author!
3. Midnight Thief (Midnight Thief #1) by Livia Blackburne
   I've been excited for this book ever since I read that Livia loves Tamora Pierce (who is, in my opinion, the great queen of YA fantasy). Then I read her prequel novella, Poison Dance, and fell in love with the world she had created. I have an ARC of this one that I'll be reading shortly. I know some people might say there are too many assassin fantasy books, but they're wrong. You can't have too many.
4. Breathe, Annie, Breathe (Hundred Oaks #5) by Miranda Kenneally
   Miranda has written some really great books in the Hundred Oaks series, and I always enjoy them. But Breathe, Annie, Breathe stands out to me with the focus on running - I started running a little while ago myself and I'm not a naturally-gifted runner AT ALL. So I think this one will be very interesting.
5. The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey
   I have an ARC of this one that I've been meaning to get to, and I've heard great things about this book so I'm just hoping it will be as creepy and amazing as I've heard!
6. Conversion by Katherine Howe
   Conversion has been highly recommended to me, and I've heard that it's a very thought-provoking book - perfect for me!
7. Of Metal and Wishes (Of Metal and Wishes #1) by Sarah Fine
   This one has been on my wishlist for a long time (how amazing does it sound?! A ghost in a SLAUGHTERHOUSE). I have an ARC of this one so it'll be read VERY soon.
8. Avalon (Avalon #1) by Mindee Arnett
   I've really been enjoying sci-fi lately, and I picked up Avalon a little while ago but haven't had a chance to read it yet. But I know I'll read it over the summer for sure. I love adventure, and even better if it's set in space!
9. Lailah (The Styclar Saga #1) by Nikki Kelly
   Lailah is very popular already, and although paranormal can be somewhat hit or miss for me this sounds like one I'm really going to love! I like the vampire/angel concept and I'm curious to see where it goes.
10. The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead
    I need to get caught up with this series because as much as I love it, I'm a couple books behind and I'd like to get caught up before the fifth book comes out!

Are there any other books I need to add to my summer TBR list? There are so many great books, it was hard to choose only 10!

Top Ten Tuesday {2} Books I ALMOST Put Down

Meme image from The Broke and The Bookish, host of Top Ten Tuesday

I've been meaning to do a TTT post for a few weeks now, and when I saw the topic for today I knew it was a perfect chance for me to participate!

Today I'm sharing the top ten books I almost put down... but didn't!

1. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein:
   
   I had the HARDEST time with the first half of this book! I was so bored with all the airplane talk, and my blogger friends INSISTED that I stick with it. And I'm so glad I did because this ended up being my favourite 2012 release!
2. Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally:
   
   Some of my experiences growing up were similar to Kate's (the main character) and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. It seemed like a book that might hit a little TOO close to home. But I ended up appreciating the story, and I think this is a particularly relevant contemporary.
3. Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood:
   
   As much as I love the idea of merpeople, I have a harder time with modern stories about them. But Lies Beneath was such a pleasant surprise for me!
4. Venom by Fiona Paul:
   
   I wasn't sure about Venom because of the cover, and even the description didn't sound that different from other books- but I ended up loving Venom and found it to be very well done!
5. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski:
   
   Similar to my hesitate with Venom, The Winner's Curse wasn't a book I had planned on reading until I received a surprise copy. I decided to give it a shot and ended up LOVING it! It was much edgier than I anticipated and I loved that.
6. Losing It by Cora Carmack:
   
   This was my first "real" New Adult read and another one that I had no plans to read at first. I'm not a big fan of romance books in general, so I didn't think I'd like Losing It but it was actually a lot of fun and really sucked me in.
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:
   
   Even though it's one of my favourite books now, I read the first book and almost didn't finish it because the first couple of chapters just seemed so silly to me - I honestly couldn't get past the name "Katniss"! 

And I can only think of 7 books - I rarely walk away from a book so there aren't too many like this for me! 

Top Ten Tuesday {1}: Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

I've been meaning to participate in Top Ten Tuesday for a while now, just because I LOVE reading the lists that other bloggers share! And I finally managed to put together my list for this week, on authors I believe deserve more recognition than they get. 

I tried to add a bit of variety here, but you can tell where my tastes really lie. :) 

And for the record, it was REALLY hard to narrow this down to only ten! I feel like there are a lot of authors that deserve more recognition (frankly, I think that's all authors in general. Movie stars and rock stars are overrated). But I did my best!

Meme image from The Broke and The Bookish, host of Top Ten Tuesday

1. Maureen Fergus ~
   
   I love Maureen Fergus' newest book, the YA fantasy The Gypsy King. It's the start of a new trilogy and I LOVE the sense of humour she has and how well it comes across in her writing. I had the pleasure of meeting her at a Penguin Canada event a couple months back, and I think Canadian authors need more recognition in general. So if you're a fantasy fan, or are curious about reading some fantasy on the lighter side, I'd highly recommend you give Maureen's book a try!
   
2. Alex Lidell ~
   
   Clearly, I really like fantasy since Alex is the second fantasy writer on my list. Alex's debut The Cadet of Tildor came out this year, and it was exactly the kind of YA fantasy I grew up on. I compared it to Tamora Pierce's Tortall books and I stand by that comparison. Her writing has a strong face and she captures Renee's struggles as a new cadet so well. As well, Alex created a fascinating world which is crucial for my interest in a fantasy novel.
   
3. Rachel Hartman ~
   
   Rachel's another Canadian writer whose debut fantasy came out last year, Seraphina. Rachel's writing really stood out to me, as did the story of Seraphina, because there was nothing predictable or common about it. She has a very creative spin on dragon mythology, blends it with a music theme, and adds in one of the most surprising mysteries I've ever read in YA.
   
4. Ari Marmell ~
   
   I stumbled upon Ari's first YA series and decided to give it a shot on a whim - and I'm SO thankful that I did, because Widdershins is one of my favourite book series EVER. The world-building is fascinating, because it's a much more modern fantasy world than I'm used to reading. And I really love reading Ari's books because he writes horror so well - this is one of the few books I've read where the way he describes some scenes and creatures really gets inside my head, and honestly creeps me out. And I have to emphasize that I don't really get scared by monsters that much. Or even scary scenes in books.
   
5. Brigid Kemmerer ~
   
   I read Brigid's debut Storm hoping that it wouldn't be yet another predictable paranormal book and I was pleasantly surprised by how much it stood out from other paranormal YA books I had read. Not only does Brigid's story feature male perspectives (which I think is cool), but she makes sure to include very important and relevant contemporary (REAL) problems as well. That way the reader is constantly grounded in her story, even if some of the paranormal events are less plausible. And she continues to amaze me with each book of hers that I read, as the stories switch narrators and she keeps the voices different from one another.
   
6. M.R. Merrick ~
   
   Matt is another wonderful Canadian author who managed to impress me with his first book, Exiled. What makes him stand out? Matt's one of my favourite self-published authors. In my opinion, he's right up there with the traditionally published authors I read. His books are exciting and action-packed, and he writes from the male perspective in the paranormal YA genre where we don't actually get to hear too much from the guy's point of view.
   
7. Victoria Schwab ~
   
   I read Victoria's debut The Near Witch when I first started blogging... and I told myself right then and there that I'd read anything she wrote after that. Her writing in that debut created this ethereal atmosphere, that completely swept me away in the story. Her style of writing is much more than merely creative - it's persuasive. And I don't think we realize how important that is for a fiction writer, because it makes an unbelievable story believable for me. Then I read The Archived and I was thrilled with the creativity oozing from its pages. I know Victoria's growing in popularity now, but I feel like every YA reader should be introduced to her books.
   
8. A.C. Gaughen ~
   
   A.C.'s Scarlet is a new favourite of mine, not only because she put a fresh spin on one of my favourite stories (Robin Hood), but because her style of writing was perfect for this story. I'm always surprised that more people haven't read Scarlet, when retellings seem to be so popular right now! This is one of my favourite retellings. Scarlet's voice is unique, but perfectly suited to the time and her circumstnaces. The romance is so swoon-worthy, and I thought the plot reveals and twists were very cool!
   
9. Lia Habel ~
   
   Anyone who can make a zombie attractive and win me over clearly has the mark of a good writer, in my book. Dearly, Departed was completely unlike anything I have ever read, with its steampunk, zombie apocalypse type world, all set in the future. It's heartbreaking and romantic in a way I never imagined I would read. (And clever. Did I mention that? I loved the witty writing.)
   
10. Heather Dixon ~
    
    I read Entwined before I actually started blogging, and loved it. I'm really surprised this book isn't talked about more, because it's one of the best fairy tale retellings out there, easily. Entwined is beautifully written, and plenty of depth for its readers to appreciate. It actually felt like a more modern kingdom, and the royal family had an interesting set of problems to work through. PLUS I found the Keeper to be extremely intriguing. Yet very creepy, in his own way. But the relationship between the sisters really moved the story forward and made me love it.