Top Ten Tuesday: Spring TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a really great meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. 

Today's Topic? 

Top Ten Books On My Spring TBR List

Spring (n.): One of the four season of the year; usually entails the cutest darn baby animals you've ever seen in your entire life, more flowers than there are stars, allergies, allergies, and more allergies, the weather you've been waiting all freaking year for, and, of course, brand new books! 



Here are the top ten books on my to-read list for this year's spring time:

1. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare: Spring is all about new things, right? Well...this BRAND NEW series in the Shadowhunter chronicles should be perfect for spring reading!

2. The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski: With no particular relation to the spring time, I just really need to get my hands on this book. I loved her other novels, and now, it's time for me to devour this one. It just happened to be released around spring. 

3. The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore: Birds are springy. They fly around and tweet their little (slightly annoying) bird songs. Why not read a book that references feathers in the title? 

4. The Heir by Kiera Cass: I have to, I have to read this book. Now. Right now. I might be subjecting myself to an onslaught of thorougly addicting books/romances, but I am so ready for it.  

5. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty: I smell realistic fiction with a side of juicy romance. What could be more perfect for the spring? 

6. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys: I love me some real good historical fiction. Salt to the Sea is not only historical, it's Ruta Sepetys historical, which, to me, is one of the best kinds.
7. Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith: So, no, there is never a time when romance is not appropriate. But, during the spring time, it's even MORE appropriate. And Jennifer E. Smith is just too cute. Plus, might I just say, her book titles are to die for.
8. Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider: I adored the Beginning of Everything, and even if this story isn't as happy-go-lucky as some of the other picture-perfect spring reads, a story about second chances and learning to love is just fine for this time of year.
9. The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick: Ah, the aforementioned picture-perfect spring read. What else can I say?
10. Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard: The first was so good, I just couldn't deny myself the pleasure of reading the sequel. Reading this as soon as possible is high on my list of spring to-dos.

Top Ten Tuesday: Fairytale Retellings

Top Ten Tuesday is a fantastic meme hosted by the Broke and Bookish.

This Week's Topic: Fairytale Retellings

A fairytale retelling is considered classic in the realm of young adult novels. The Queens of the fairy tales (and of this list) have to be Alex Finn, Marissa Meyer, and Gail Carson Levine, all of which seem to specialize in retelling the favorites. Most of the books that I've chosen for this list are from my childhood, give or take one or two, because, I'll be honest, I'm growing out of the retellings. However, that in no way denies the fact that these book are some of the best I've ever read. Here are my top ten choices:

1. Ink Heart by Cornelia Funke: As a kid, I loved both this book and its movie. Ink Heart is, in my mind, the quintessential retelling. It is literally about having the power to bring fairytale book characters to life by reading aloud. It perfectly captures the essence of imagination and storytelling and is a great read for middle grades and up.
2. Beastly by Alex Finn: As I said before, Alex Finn is a Queen of fairytale retellings. Along with Beastly, I also love A Kiss in Time. (Towering, however, I was not a fan of. At all.) Beastly was inspired by Beauty and the Beast, and A Kiss in Time was inspired by Sleeping Beauty. Alex Finn has also written stories derived from Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, and The Frog Prince. 
3. Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis: When it was released, Stitching Snow got a lot of YA hype surrounding it. In this novel, R.C. Lewis retold the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
4. Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer: Meyer was the first person I thought of when I saw that the prompt for this week. In the Lunar Chronicles, Meyer has retold Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel. Everyone who is anyone in the YA book world knows about Meyer and her wildly popular Lunar Chronicles series.
5. Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen: This is my favorite book out of the entire list. Lisa Jensen spins Peter Pan (which I consider a fairy tale) into a rich and exciting story told from Captain Hook's point of view.

6. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige: I haven't seen many retelling of The Wizard of Oz, and this is the only one I've actually read. Edgy and strangle and inexplicably good, it was hard to forget this book even after I'd finished.
7. The Selection by Kiera Cass: Even if this whole series is obviously a spin-off of the Bachelor, it does have some traces of Cinderella, which apparently has earned it a spot on this list. It makes me mad how addictive this series really is. Impossible to put down is an understatement.
8. East by Edith Pattou: I read this a long time ago, but I still remember. It has to be one of the best Beauty and the Beast retellings out there today.
9. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson: If I included one Peter Pan retelling, I had to include another. Peter Pan, the story, is amazing, but this take on the briefly mentioned minor character Tiger Lily was so perfect.
10. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine: When I was younger, Gail Carson Levine was my whole world. In my elementary school's library, there was an entire shelf dedicated to her books. Every time we went in there, I was drawn to that shelf like the impressionable magnet I was. She was my idol, and my childhood love of reading was pretty much built around her. Plus, it's pretty much impossible to dislike Ella Enchanted. 

Some fairytale retellings that I desperately want to get my hands on:

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
2. Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
3. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
4. Egg & Spoon by Gregory Maguire

Top Ten Tuesday: Celebrating Diversity

Top Ten Tuesday is a fantastic meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This is my first time participating, and I am really excited about it. 

Prompt: Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters

Books (and life) without diversity would be so boring. Diversity makes things fun and exciting and weird (in a good way), and when you're exposed to different things and characters and stories, you learn so much more about perspective and compassion. My favorite books to read are the ones told from the point of view of someone that's different than everyone else around them. Whether it be LGBTQ, mental illness, physical deformities, etc, etc, I love learning about it. It expands my view of the world around me, and I learn that my life is so small compared to thousands and thousands others out there with their own problems and their own lives. These books taught me things I never would've known about before and have helped me celebrate diversity.



1. Shabanu (Shabanu #1) by Suzanna Fisher Staples: I read this book about four years ago, but I still think about it. Told in the setting of Pakistan, Shabanu taught me about the Muslim culture, and what it would be like to grow up in world where I would have very little of the rights I have today.

Life is both sweet and cruel to strong-willed young Shabanu, whose home is the windswept Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. The second daughter in a family with no sons, she' s been allowed freedoms forbidden to most Muslim girls. But when a tragic encounter with a wealthy and powerful landowner ruins the marriage plans of her older sister, Shabanu is called upon to sacrifice everything she' s dreamed of. Should she do what is necessary to uphold her family' s honor-- or listen to the stirrings of her own heart?

2. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz: This was my first LGBT book, and I didn't even know it until about half-way through. I was surprised, but not in a bad way. It's sweet and hopeful, and the writing is beautiful. 

3. Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern: What book would be more perfect for Celebrating Diversity than a love story between a boy with crippling OCD and a girl with cerebral palsy? Unique in it's own right, this book will teach you the difficulties of living with both mental and physical disabilities.


4. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson: Three words: 2015 Printz Winner. This book is so great, so pure, and so meaningful. I would recommend it to anyone.

Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

This radiant novel from the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.My Review

5. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson: A memoir written in verse, this thoughtful novel tells the personal story of growing up in the middle of the Civil Rights movement. Culture and acceptance play a major role in Woodson's intimate history.

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie: A novel filled with growing pains and finding out who you are, The Absolute True Diary tells a story of both embracing and escaping your roots. It's told from the point of view of tender, innocent adolescence and can teach everyone a thing or two about growing up in one community and striving to succeed in another.

Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

With a forward by Markus Zusak, interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney, and four-color interior art throughout, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike.

7. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon: This book blew my mind. More than once. I've never read anything like it. The point of view is from a boy with autism, one of the most misunderstood mental disabilities. To be inside a mind as complex as this one was incredible.



8. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven: Many have noticed the growing popularity of books about suicide and depression in the YA book world, and All the Bright Places was one of the first. I loved it, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to read it. Influenced by the author's own memories, I consider this story as one of the most brave and unapologetic I have ever read.



9. Caminar by Skila Brown: Few books in the middle grade and young adult levels ever talk about the events of the Guatemalan civil war, and even fewer do it with verse. This one is one of the very few.



10. Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: One of the reason why I think so many people love this book is because everyone, on one level or another, is a wallflower. They relate to Charlie's unique voice, and therefore, relate to Chbosky's writing on a very deep level. This book deals with a myriad of characters with different backgrounds and personalities, which is why I feel is deserves a spot of a list meant to celebrate diversity.



Which books do you think celebrate diversity?

What's Next? Highly Anticipated Releases of 2016

Now that all the books with the 2015 release date have either been released or have been already published and devoured, we book lovers have already started looking toward the future. What will be available for all the bibliomaniacs to stock their libraries and cram their faces with in the coming years? As we all expected, the answer is too much yet too little. We can look forward to new releases from the most talked about authors and continuations of the book world's hottest series. John Green, anyone?

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare
First up, we have Cassandra Clare, the author that put the hot in Shadowhunter. Of course we all saw this coming. One thing's for sure, Clare ain't fading into the night (aka Washed-up-author-ville) without a hearty fight. With that suggestive (and might I say intriguing) end to her Mortal Instruments series, I would've been mad if this wasn't coming out. A devoted (not as much as some but still) follower of Jace and Clary, I wanted more than the ending Clare gave me. Excuse me if I get a bit book-righteous, but I feel I deserve this new beginning of the much-wanted new series, along with all other the Mortal Insturment-obsessed. Of course, Cassandra Clare will have to do the almost impossible: live up to all the hype. And nothing can kill a book or an author's career like hype. Release Date: March 8, 2016 by Margaret K. McElderry Book
+summary

Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

P.S. Cassandra Clare is also said to be working on another one of the five series she hopes to write about the Shadowhunters. Chain of Thorns is the first novel in The Last Hours trilogy, said to take place in 1903 following the next generation after The Infernal Devices (Tessa Gray and Will Herondale). Unfortunately, we have even less information about it than the Dark Artifices. More waiting, I suppose.


Untitled by Stephanie Perkins
Up next in the brigade of books is Stephanie Perkins. Known for her witty, light books of the romance variety, Perkins has made a name for herself among the young and old of the young adult crowd, with the help of Lola, Isla, and Anna. Her humor and sweet, feel-good stories are iconic, which is why it's so surprising that her new novel is anything but. The changeover between chick-lit to horror-suspense is sure to be a rough one. Am I so wrong to doubt the Perkins' revolution? Release Date: 2016 by Dutton
+Summary

A YA horror novel in the vein of the movie Scream in which a cadre of high school students are being stalked and attacked by a mysterious killer with no obvious motive.
From the author's blog:
Yes, it's a contemporary. The killer is not a supernatural creature. I'm talking about ye old traditional knife-wielding maniac.
Yes, it will be bloody.
Yes, it will be sexy.
Yes, it will be scary.

Untitled (Untitled #1) by Marissa Meyer
Little is known about this series. The few bits of knowledge available are that it doesn't have a title, it's part of a trilogy that also has no title, and has something to with "super heroes and super villains". Cyborg super humans perhaps? Princesses with a thing against being in distress? All, I think, are likely possibilities. Release Date: Fall 2016 by Feiwel and Friends
+Summary

To be published Fall 2016. This will be the first installment of a trilogy about "super heroes and super villains".

Heartless by Marissa Meyer 
Along with her new series, Marissa Meyer is said to also be publishing another new novel called Heartless. If anyone has the control of the reins of the writing train, it seems to be Marissa Meyer, pounding out novels as she is. This book is rumored to be a prequel to Alice in Wonderland and will tell the tale of the notorious Queen of Hearts. Meyer apparently has a thing for fairy tale spin-offs. Who knew? Release Date: November 8, 2016 by Feiwel and Friends
+Summary

A prequel to “Alice in Wonderland,” HEARTLESS will tell the tale of how a marquis’ teenage daughter became the infamous Queen of Hearts. It will be a story of whimsy and madness, passion and tragedy, ravens and writing desks.

Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan
I read the Lynburn Legacy. I fell in love with the first one, then fell into a spell of depression after reading the next books which I lovingly refer to as The Epic Fails. I'm not sure my love (or lack thereof) will keep me from reading this new one, however. I know Brennan can write well because the first book of the Lynburn Legacy is evidence. And besides, this is the first book, if not the only book, of a series, and if Brennan has a talent for anything, it's humor and first novels. Release Date: 2016 by HarperCollins
+Summary

Tell the Wind and Fire is about a young girl called Lucie who lives in a New York very different from the New York we know: the city is torn between two very different kinds of magic, and Lucie’s own family was torn apart years ago by that conflict. Lucie wears magic rings and carries a burden of guilt she can’t share with anyone.
The light in her life is her sweetheart boyfriend Ethan, but it turns out Ethan has a secret too: a soulless doppelganger created by dark magic, who has to conceal the face identical to Ethan’s with a hood fastened by a collar nobody but a Light magician with magical rings can take off… and who introduces himself to both of them by, for reasons nobody can understand, saving Ethan’s life…

Flamecaster (The Shattered Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima 
This book is one I am genuinely excited for. Chima is a goddess when it comes to really good fantasy novels. Don't even get me started on The Demon King series because I could go on for days about how much I love it. And finding out that Chima is writing about The Seven Realms a generation later? Did I die? Cause I'm pretty sure this is heaven. I've been waiting years for this to happen, and it's actually happening. I just...I'm just so happy. Release Date: April 19, 2016
+Summary

Adrian sul’Han, known as Ash, is a trained healer with a powerful gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. Ash is forced into hiding after a series of murders throws the queendom into chaos. Now Ash is closer than he’s ever been to killing the man responsible, the cruel king of Arden. As a healer, can Ash use his powers not to save a life but to take it?
Abandoned at birth, Jenna Bandelow was told that the mysterious magemark on the back of her neck would make her a target. But when the King’s Guard launches a relentless search for a girl with a mark like hers, Jenna assumes that it has more to do with her role as a saboteur than any birth-based curse. Though Jenna doesn’t know why she’s being hunted, she knows that she can’t get caught.
Eventually, Ash’s and Jenna’s paths will collide in Arden. Thrown together by chance and joined by their hatred of the king, they will come to rescue each other in ways they cannot yet imagine.
Set in the world of the acclaimed Seven Realms series a generation later, this is a thrilling story of dark magic, chilling threats, and two unforgettable characters walking a knife-sharp line between life and death.

Untitled by John Green
Basically, the only thing we know is John Green is writing a book. And that's enough to see fireworks in some people's eyes, including mine. Release Date: Unknown by Puffin
+Summary

There is none.

AND SINCE IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO LOOK INTO THE FUTURE, HERE'S A HEALTHY DOSE OF 2017...

Untitled by Veronica Roth
It's widely known that Veronica Roth is sore spot amongst the YA community, you know, after the whole Tris episode. Some words were said, some rash actions taken, but hopefully all of that is behind us. We can move on, forget, and forgive. Okay... maybe, we'll just forget. ...Or just ignore anything happened, like they do in all unhealthy relationships. It'll be fine. Anyway, Veronica Roth is publishing a duology, and I believe the words "Star Wars" were used. Hopefully, this series won't cause an uproar and a near miss with an all-out rebellion. Crossing my fingers! Release Date: 2017 by Katherine Tegen Books
+Summary

In the untitled first novel of a highly anticipated duology in the vein of Star Wars, Veronica Roth explores—with poise and poignancy—the story of a boy who forms an unlikely alliance with an enemy. Both desperate to escape their oppressive lives, they help each other attain what they most desire: for one, redemption, and the other, revenge.
The first of Veronica Roth's upcoming young adult novels will publish in 2017, with the next novel to follow in 2018.