Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Had Very Strong Emotions About

Today I am participating in Top Ten Tuesday (TTT,) hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. Basically, it;s a meme occuring every Tuesday, in which you check out The Broke and the Bookish for the topic of your Top Ten Tuesday, and then compose a list of the top ten books (or top ten authors in some cases) that would make up your list. The Broke and the Bookish even have a list of older TTTs and topics for upcoming ones. Head over to there blog to learn more and sign up!

1. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins - Something to do with The Hunger Games will probably end up on every TTT list in some way. (Unless it's a list of books I didn't like.)  I cry buckets at the end of Mockingjay when a certain character dies and I still feel completely empty when I finish this trilogy. (I've read it at least 9 times.)

2. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling - Childhood favorite and still one of my favorites. I reread this series at least once a year. Enough said.

3. House of Night Series by P.C. & Kristin Cast - I only got up to book five, and while I was reading them, I thought they were okay, but to be honest, after some mulling over, I HATE this series. I felt like I was losing brain cells while I was reading it, and the characters have to be the worst characters I have ever seen in a book.

4. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - This book made me cry so many times. I cried at page 20, I cried at page 50, I sobbed at the end. You get the picture. This is a hard book to read, but it is a must.

5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett - This book is a book I am passionate about. I also cried reading this one. I recommend to every person I meet.

6. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King - I really thought I'd like this book. But sadly, I did not. I was so frustrated with it many times that I sincerely considered throwing it across the room. The entire plot lead up to something creepy and random in my opinion, not to mention that this book was a teensy bit disturbing at times. (For me, at least.)

7. Skake Hands With the Devil by Lieutenant Gen. Romeo Dallaire - Romeo has an accent on the e, but blogger won't let me do it, so I apologize. This was also a hard book to read. Okay, I am technically still reading it, but I have started crying so many times. This book is hard to read, but it is also a must.  

8. Other Words For Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal - I read this book I few months ago and was absolutely wonderstruck by it. I feel as if it was the perfect story about first love with the most amazing characters. I don't think I have ever been able to relate to a character on the level I did to Ari.

9. Blood Red Road by Moira Young - This was one of those books that you want to gush about for hours, jump up and down around your room, and hug the book to your chest tightly.

10. Divergent by Veronica Roth - Ditto from the one above. An excellent debut.

What books did you have strong emotions about? Leave me a link to your TTT in the comments!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! I know this isn't really book related, but I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween and whether you are going out trick-or-treating, going to a party, or staying in, I wish you all lots of fun! Stay safe, too! If you're staying in, maybe you can watch a horror flick or snuggle up with a great (possibly Halloween) read in between answering the door for trick-or-treaters. It's always fun to see what the teeny tiny ones have dressed up as! Ladybugs? Pumpkins? Lions? Fairies? Well, have a Happy Halloween! (I think I said that three different times in this paragraph, but whatever.) Happy Halloween! (Ha. Four.)

In My Mailbox (25)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted on Sunday by Kristi at The Story Siren. Basically, you sign up at The Story Siren and then do a post about the books you received that week. They can be from the library, borrowed from a friend, books you bought, or from any other source. Head over to The Story Siren to find out more and sign up!
This week, I got:

I Bought:

1. Glass by Ellen Hopkins

2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

From Library:

1. Choker by Elizabeth Woods

2. Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

What did you get in your mailbox? Give me a shout or leave me a link in the comments.

 

 

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions
An Anthology
Edited by: Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong
Stories by: Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Vincent, Sarah Rees Brennan, Jeri Smith-Ready, Mary E. Pearson, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jessica Verday, Claudia Gray, Jackson Pearce, Carrie Ryan, Rachel Caine, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Kimberly Derting, Ally Condie
Published by HarperTeen
Pages: 443
Release Date: September 20th 2011
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Summary: (From Goodreads)
  A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire.
Sixteen of today’s hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new land-scapes and characters. But whether they’re writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart.
Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in Enthralled will leave you moved.

My Review:
Enthralled was an excellent anthology of paranormal stories that had me riveted. Normally, I am not such a short story fan. I think it's because I never get to know the characters on the personal level I want to, or there isn't enough in the plot line for me, but there are probably other reasons as well. But Enthralled was definitely an exception. I'm going to go on to read many more short stories after this. For this review, I am simply going to say a few sentences about each short story and give it a rating out of five stars.

1. Giovanni's Farewell by Claudia Gray: 3/5 Stars - To be honest, I am not a big fan of Claudia Gray. I read Evernight about a year and a half ago and was not impressed and I haven't made an attempt to pursue any of her other books. However, I did enjoy her short story a bit. Giovanni's Farewell was definitely not in my favorites in this anthology, but the main characters, Ravenna and Cairo (and I guess Giovanni as well) were well developed and interesting. I liked the paranormal flare it had, but it wasn't the most original. In the way that I rolled my eyes once or twice.

2. Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan: 5/5 Stars - I loved Carrie Ryan's three books from The Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy, and I am now a big fan of her short stories as well. She has such a horror factor present in this, both in the thought of being a part of the zombie apocalypse as well as the actual gore, but paired with the beauty, the complications, and determination of the human spirit. Scenic Route was a pulse-pounding, thrilling, and scary story, and one of my favorites in Enthralled.

3. Red Run by Kami Garcia: 4/5 Stars - I love The Caster Chronicles books, so I was quite excited to see what this short story was going to turn out to be. Definitely an excellent addition, Red Run was mysterious and creepy, a perfect balance of paranormal and a spooky murder mystery.

4. Things About Love by Jackson Pearce: 4.5/5 Stars - I've read Jackson Pearce's Sisters Red and Sweetly is at the top of my to-read list. Though I loved Sisters Red, for some stupid reason I haven't made a move to read As You Wish, which is the world that Things About Love is set in. I am certainly going to read it now. This short story was a charming one that really touched me. Jackson combined just the right amounts of magic and a fictional world with a more contemporary plot line. I loved the ending, the last three sentences from Juliet. I thought it was cute but hilarious, how it ended the same way it started.

5. Niederwald by Rachel Vincent: 4/5 Stars - I have no previous experience with Rachel Vincent, though I am planning to read her Soul Screamers series sometime (hopefully) soon. Niederwald is a short story connected to the Soul Screamers books, and I loved it. I'm certainly reading the books now. It was full of action, mystery, and magic/folklore. A great additions to Enthralled, not to mention a paranormal masterpiece.

6. Merely Mortal by Melissa Marr: 4.5/5 Stars - I'm a huge fan of Marr's Wicked Lovely books, and out of the 4+ couples that are main characters at one point or another in the series, Keenan and Donia are my absolute favorites. So, a short story about them with their happily ever after? Yes! Merely Mortal takes place after the events of Darkest Mercy, though within the year between the last chapter of it and the epilogue. I loved this short story. It was romantic, fun, and creative. Mostly I was just happy because it involved Keenan and Donia, but it was also quite a captivating story.

7. Facing Facts by Kelley Armstrong: 4/5 Stars - I was glad to be able to return to the world of The Darkest Powers for a bit, and Facing Facts was an excellent short story. It takes place after the events of The Reckoning. Full of suspense and danger, it was supernatural at its best and a fantastic read.

8. Let's Get This Undead Show On the Road by Sarah Rees Brennan: 3/5 Stars - I liked this one, but it wasn't my favorite. I am typically not a huge vampire fan (though I loved Vampire Academy,) so that is one reason this one didn't appeal to me. I felt as if it was so stereotypical, but it did have an entertaining side as well.

9. Bridge by Jeri Smith-Ready: 5/5 Stars - An excellent addition and one of my favorites! I loved Jeri Smith-Ready's Shade and Shift, so I was really intrigued by this story. Very fascinating, quite heartbreaking, and beautifully written. This short story is set in the world of Shade and Shift, and is told in Logan's POV after he is dead. He is struggling to make amends and send last messages to his brother Mickey. I was almost hesitant to read this one, though I don't know why. Definitely one of the best stories! A total knockout. I am now a fan of Logan, even though I will always be on Team Zach.

10. Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting: 4/5 Stars - Skin Contact is a short story connected to Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder novels. I have read both of them and I am a huge fan. Skin Contact centers around Rafe, the assisstant of the forensic psychologist who takes an interest in Violet in Desires of the Dead, the second Body Finder novel. I have to admit, Kimberly Derting did an amazing job of crossing creepy and disturbing mystery with sweet romance. But this story was sad. Heartbreaking? Yes. Traumatizing? Yes. But quite enjoyable.

11. Leaving by Ally Condie: 5/5 Stars - Another one of my absolute favorites! Actually, I think this is in my Top 3. Ally Condie's Matched was amazing, and she creates another very creative and strong dystopian world in this short story. It had a very whimsical, magical, and dream-like atmosphere to it, which I loved. I adored the ending, and I was left breathless.

12. At the Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show by Jessica Verday: 3.5/5 Stars - Woah. This one can be described as weird and....different. But that's a good thing! When I started Jessica Verday's short story, all I could think was "cannibalistic girl scouts?" What!? One of the stangest things I have come across while reading. But this was a good story to read. Incredibly creative and a wicked fast plot. And a little creepy, too. But I guess I sort of find everything creepy.

13. IV League by Margaret Stohl: 4/5 Stars - I loved The Caster Chronicles, so I was also excited for this short story. First of all, I adore the titles. It's about the "Ivy League" universities, and there are five different sections of the short story, divided by roman numerals. So, "IV League" is absolutely genius. It was also a wonderful short story. I can't give it five stars because I was really confused about what was going on for the longest time, and it took until almost the end of the short story to figure out what they were talking about, and that is including rereading. Other than that, once I figured things out, IV League was perfectly enjoyable and charming. I loved the ending. It had me giggling and smiling.
14. Gargouille by Mary E. Pearson: 5/5 Stars - Besides "Leaving," Gargouille is probably my favorite short story in Enthralled. I loved Mary E. Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox, and though is probably the exact opposite of it, Gargouille was wonderful. It was fresh and creative and romantic and very bittersweet. I thought they ending was stunning in a way- incredibly sad and bittersweet, but really lovely and romantic in others. I was swept up into a magical historic (it seemed to be set in the past!) landscape of mythical creatures. It was quite an original story as well.

15. The Third Kind by Jennifer Lynn Barnes: 4.5/5 Stars - Woah. A fantastic whirlwind of action! I liked Raised By Wolves, but I think this is (so far) my favorite thing I have read by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I flipped through this story so fast, and I was really sad when it was over. I think it would be great to see an actual book surrounding this story line. For the most of it, I was very intrigued and was practically screaming: "I want to know what is going on!" But in a good way.

16. Automatic by Rachel Caine: 2.5/5 Stars - I hate to end on not such a positive note, but this was my least favorite in the series. I have previously not read anything by Rachel Caine, so maybe I would've appreciated more if I had read some her books? But, from what I read, I don't think I'll try Morganville Vampires anytime soon. I was quite interested in the story, but, like I said before, I am not such a vampire fan, and the whole "drinking blood from a vending machine?" Not really my thing.

Overall, Enthralled is an anthology that is not to be missed. If you are a paranormal fan, or a fan of any of these authors, I would advise picking this book up! Even if you don't like short stories, I would read this one. (Alas, my opinion on short stories has been miraculously changed!)

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday (or WoW) is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.  It's a meme occuring every Wednesday where you sign up at Breaking the Spine and then do a post about a book you are anticipating the release of. Head over to Breaking the Spine to find out more and sign up!

This week I am anticipating:

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Release Date: May 1st 2012

Published by Dial

I have been waiting for more than a year and a half for this book to come out! I am sooooo glad there's finally a cover and a release date! There isn't technically a summary, but this is a description from Kristin Cashore's blog:

"Book 3, tentatively titled Bitterblue and currently in progress, is a companion book to both Graceling and Fire and takes place in the seven kingdoms eight years after Graceling. Bitterblue will tie all three books together in some way. Bitterblue is the sixteen-year-old protagonist, and Katsa, Po, Giddon, Helda, and other characters from Graceling will be part of the fabric of the book. Plenty of fighting still to come!" What are you waiting for on this October wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books to Read During Halloween

Today I am participating in Top Ten Tuesday (TTT,) hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. Basically, it;s a meme occuring every Tuesday, in which you check out The Broke and the Bookish for the topic of your Top Ten Tuesday, and then compose a list of the top ten books (or top ten authors in some cases) that would make up your list. The Broke and the Bookish even have a list of older TTTs and topics for upcoming ones. Head over to there blog to learn more and sign up!

Today's topic is top 10 books to read during Halloween! I thought this list was going to be way harder to make (even though I read lots of paranormal,) than it was. It was actually lots of fun!

1. The Devouring by Simon Holt - I feel bad because I don't have a review of this book up, and I read it more than a year ago. But let me tell you- this book is freaky. I guess you could call me a whimp when it comes to souls and demons and possession, but this one is creepy. It is also masterfully told and really twisted. If you like being scared, you should read this one. For me, Halloween doesn't have to be scary, but this is the scare factor that sometimes accompanies it. If you read this one, be prepared to sleep with the light on.

2. The Hollow by Jessica Verday - I love love loved the atmosphere in this novel. It has such a mysterious, unexplained feel to it. In The Hollow, I feel as if you get the side of charming autumn Halloween for an atmosphere, and then creepy as in ghosts and graveyards. I know this doesn't really count, but the model on the cover really scares me. It's probably why I don't like the cover so much.

3. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White - This book is a paranormal party! I loved all the paranormal creatures that inhabited this book. And Paranormalcy had such a fun and original comcept; I gobbled this book up. But this is one definitely to curl up in an armchair for. A great paranormal read for Halloween!

4. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer - This is another book with such a great atmosphere! I feel as if it's not completely Halloweenish, (is that even a word?) but it's such a great supernatural read. I read Nightshade in one day, and loved it. This is a book that I would recommend reading around Halloween. 

 5. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston - Wondrous Strange is actually set around Halloween, the main events happening during Samhaim. This is a read about the fae, so it's not a real spo-o-oky type of read, but it does remind me of Halloween.

6. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong - This one has werewolves, necromancers, witches! I adored the creepy and eery atmosphere that is written into this book. It's a great book to read during Halloween - but maybe not in the dead of night.

7. Hex Hall & Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins - I love these books so much. They're fantastic supernatural reads with a great heroine and really hot guys! There were so many great twists in these books....I feel as if the first one has more of a Halloween appeal to it, with Sophie attending Hecate Hall, but the second one is also excellent.

8. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff - Undead dolls, underground cities, little children being taken in the dead of night. This book has the ultimate creep factor. It also has such an eery type of atmosphere to it - which was one of my favourite things. I recommend this book highly anytime of the year, perfect for Halloween.

9. The Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl - I actually wouldn't typically think of these books as Halloween reads, but they actually would be very good reads for the few weeks leading up to it. They have a very mysterious atmosphere, not to mention that impending doom is going to sweep down. They're quite creepy at times, and set deep in the South, which adds a little extra spice.

10. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh - Definitely a Halloween read. I was scared to sleep in the dark while I was reading this book - it was a bit of a mistake to read by the light of my flashlight at midnight.

What's on your TTT for Halloween books?? Give me a shout in the comments!

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Chaos
Authors: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
The Caster Chronicles #3
Other Titles In Series: Beautiful Creatures, Beautiful Darkness
Pages: 518
Published by Little, Brown
Release Date: October 18th 2011
My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Summary: (From Goodreads)
 Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?
For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.
Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

My Review:

It's taken me all day to come up with a good way to start this review, and it's still not good. But, here goes:

WOAH. Another fantabulous explosion of awesome! Beautiful Chaos was an amazing edition to The Caster Chronicles series. After waiting a year for it, by the time I had it in my hands I was shaking. I tore through the pages, and finished in two days. If you like this series, I would recommend heading to your bookstore right now. Right now.

I can't say which book is my favorite in the series....I have it narrowed down between Beautiful Darkness and Beautiful Chaos, but I think I'm leaning more towards this one. We pick up about a month where Beautiful Darkness left off. It's the first day of school for Ethan, Linkubus (Link the Incubus,) Lena, and Ridley. There is record breaking heat waves and bugs called lubbers that have taken over the foliage in Gatlin. There has been significant changes since Lena broke the Order.

I adored the characters just as much as I have in the past! Actually, probably more so.....Though I liked Lena in the past books, she never failed to really annoy me. But she was so much more bearable in the book, which was nice. My absolute favorite characters in this series are Liv and John Breed, and this book just proved why!There was more of them in this book, and nothing made me happier. John was that mysterious bad boy....who I am now in love with after this book. Link was even more awesome sauce.....I'm gonna leave it at that. (Okay, I know this seems stupid, but a certain catfight was one of my favorite scenes. Go Liv!)

The plot and atmosphere of Beautiful Chaos were two things that really knocked me out! The atmosphere was, again, very Southern, but also quite creepy and gothic. Returning to Gatlin was a welcoming idea. But I also loved the few scenes in New Orleans....freaky voodoo....but so cool! The plot was a big whirlwind that had me quite shaken. I kept flipping the pages, and there was no way to stop.

This book was over way too soon. All of a sudden, I was staring at the last page thinking, "excuse me? What exactly just happened!?" That ending.....WOW. But now I have to wait a year for the last book. That;s not so fun. Overall, Beautiful Chaos was another gothic, creative, and amazing book by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.