Top Ten Tuesday Archives - Page 54 of 93

Why I Love Reading #LoveOzYA

May 26, 2020

This week I’m sharing the reasons why I adored #LoveOzYA. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

This was supposed to be last weeks post, sadly I ended up with a bad migraine and couldn’t get it done. However, I still wanted to share my love and write this post. If you don’t know what #LoveOzYA is – It’s a movement that happened to support and promote Australian Young Adult literature. You can check out more about it in the #LoveOzYA website.

Supporting, promoting and reading #LoveOzYA is something that I have always loved doing. So today I thought I would share some of the reasons by I love reading Aussie YA. Like always these are in no order.

Feels Like Home: Reading #LoveOzYA feels so natural. Sometimes I find when I’m reading books set in other countries, I still feel a distance and sometimes I don’t understand everything. But when I read Australian YA everything feels natural, I understand everything so much better. I know places, I understand the school system, the government and everything in between. I can naturally just fall into the novel.

Unique Voices: One thing that I think that #LoveOzYA does so well is having unique voices. No one else in the world sounds like us. We all have different experiences, but there is something unique about not only characters voices but authors as well. Most of the time I can tell if a book is written by an Australian author even before knowing.

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

The Community: The #LoveOzYA community is fantastic. I love that it’s this big community with so many different types of people. From readers and bloggers to publishers, librarians and booksellers. It’s this amazing community that just wants to support each other and show everyone else in the world how amazing Australian authors are.

Unique Stories: I know I’ve already spoken about unique voices but there are always unique stories that I don’t think you would find anywhere else. I think unique voices and stories go hand in hand. But I think there are so many stories that Australians can tell that no one else in the world can. And that just makes me so happy.

Knowing Places: One of the issues that I have with reading books not set in Australia is not knowing where things are. I have the good gist of where countries are in the world, but when it comes to states, towns and things along those lines. I have no idea. But in regards to Australia, especially books set in Victoria. I know where things are. I know the places that they are talking about. I’ve been to a lot of them. It makes it so much easier to visualise.

Slang: I love hearing Australia slang in books, and not just the typical things that you hear in shows. But just the natural way that we talk. I love seeing words that no one else uses but I know exactly what it means. It just makes for such a fun reading experience. Because it’s so natural when we talk, that it becomes so natural when reading.

Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash

Range of genres: This may sound stupid here, but I wanted to talk about it. Sometimes, I feel that people think that #LoveOzYA is just contemporary. And it’s not. And while contemporary Aussie YA is what you do find most of the time. There are so many amazing fantasy and dystopian novels from Aussie authors. And I just love that.

Amazing Quality: It’s not often that I love up a #LoveOzYA book and not like it. It happens of course. But it’s not often. I just find that I love everything that I read and that just makes me so happy.

And that is it for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday! Have you read any #LoveOzYA? What has been your favourite? Would you like to see a list of the Aussie YA that I think everyone should read? Let’s Chat!

The Books I Have Abandoned

May 12, 2020

This week I’m sharing the books and series that I have abandoned. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

It’s rare that I don’t finish a book or a series but today I thought I would share some of those. There are different reasons that I abandon books or series. Many different reasons really. Sometimes I fall out of love with the series. Sometimes I just can’t connect with characters or the plot. And Sometimes books are just bad.

So today I’m sharing some of those books and series that I abandoned. Some of these I only got through a few chapters, some I read a few books in the series. Like always these are in no particular order.

Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas: This won’t be the last Sarah J Maas book on my list. However, I actually really enjoyed the first book of this series. It was exactly what I was loving at the time and it felt like I could love the series as a whole. And then it went downhill from there. I don’t like what she does with her characters I really don’t. Everyone hyped this series so much and people still buy this series non-stop today but I just couldn’t.

The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey: Now I haven’t full abandoned this one. I just haven’t picked it up since I started reading in January. I started reading it but didn’t get to finish it before my holiday and didn’t want to carry something that I would finish in an hour. So I left it at home. And just haven’t picked it up since. I really hope to soon though.

King Series by T.M. Frazier: I read a good chunk of this series. Not sure why I did. Because I wasn’t enjoying it that much. I just wanted to find out things that happened. But I really didn’t like it at all. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style or the characters. Everything really. I normally don’t like not finishing a book. It happens but not a lot. So I kept on pushing. And then they all left on cliff hangers and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Luckily they were through KU. So I don’t feel as bad. But I will not be reading anything more in this series.

Storm MC Series by Nina Levine: This is another series that I’m not sure why I kept on reading. I wanted to pick up book 2 because it had a single parent. But I hated both books that I read. They were both 1 star reads for me. And I rarely give those out. But I really disliked so much about it. If you are looking for a good MC series, check my recommendations post out.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake: This is another series that I haven’t fully abandoned but I just have put it on hold. I’m finding it harder and harder to love young adult fantasy. There are some that I live for and adore. And then some like this one that I liked but just haven’t picked up yet. So right now I am abandoning it. But maybe one day I will read it again.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber: This is another series that I finished the first book in the series but haven’t read anything else. But I think that this is going to stay that way. I thought that Caraval was okay. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. There were problems with it though. I just don’t think it was for me.

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas: I said there was going to be another Sarah J. Mass. Much like her other series, I loved the first book. It was one of my favourite books I read the year it came out. But it went downhill from there. Most of the problems in this series were the same from her other books. I don’t like what she does with characters, how they are treated. How she flips everything that they do. I just think that Sarah J. Maas is not for me.

The Selection Series by Kiera Cass: This one is a strange one and I don’t think that I’m in alone as to why I stopped reading this series. I read the original trilogy and enjoyed. It’s my guilty pleasure read. I also started the ‘second’ duology as I like to call it. The first one was okayish. The last – yer not so much. I haven’t read any of the short stories and I might not read anything more by Kiera Cass again. Her books sound good, but they aren’t written well. Not for me at least.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris: I cannot believe that is this on my list. On paper, this sounds like my perfect book. It’s about World War II, come on. But I got maybe 30 pages in and had to stop reading. I don’t like the writing style – at all. It felt very jarring to me and I couldn’t connect with either the characters or the story. I really wanted to love this. We sell it nearly every day at work, but I just couldn’t.

Pawns in the Bishop’s Game by Emilia Finn: I got about 10% into this one before I gave up. It was really horrible. I don’t DNF books a lot. Most of the time I’ve got a clear idea of what I like to read and what I don’t. But this sounded like something that I would like. I was wrong. So wrong. I can’t even pinpoint really what was wrong with it. First, there are different titles for it, but also it’s like the end of one series and the start of another and it took me a while to figure out which book to read first. And second I just didn’t enjoy it.

And that is it for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday. What are the books or series that you have abandoned? Do we share anything that is the same? Let’s Chat!

Books That Make Perfect Birthday Presents

May 5, 2020

This week I’m sharing the books I would buy as birthday presents. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

This week I decided to spin this weeks topic and share the books that I think make the perfect birthday present. I decided to split this into categories or age groups that would fit the books that I’m talking about

For Those That Are in Middle Grade

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan: I know I’ve spoken about these so much in the last couple of weeks. But I do think this series is perfect for those 10-11-year-olds that want to be challenged a little bit more. These are perfect for kids looking for books with adventure, and fantastic characters. One of my favourite things about these series is that kids can read these characters for a while and can see them grow up.

The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend: This is another one that is perfect for those children looking for an adventure. It’s a mix of Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland and it’s wonderful. I’m so glad that so many people have read it, but I want more and more to do that as well. It’s the perfect present for that child that loves to read and magic.

For Those That Love YA

A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid Kemmerer: I adored A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. The world, the characters and the plot are captivating, Rhen and Harper are fantastic characters on their own, with brilliant character arcs. But together they are like fire and it’s one that I want to keep on spreading. This is a great retelling and fantasy novel that just works out so well. I’ve recommended it to so many customers and they all come back telling me that they love it.

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim: This book is powerful, heartfelt and just a fantastic read. It explores mental health and how it affects different people in different ways. It’s a fantastic young adult novel that truly captures the life of a teen with family problems, while also letting them be a teen and fall in love. You can check out my full review for more.

For Those That Love Romance

The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros: Reality I would recommend anything by her, but The Last Letter is beautiful. It’s an emotional read not going to lie. I cried so much in this book. But that is also what made it so good. Both Ella and Beckett have incredible character arcs that really captured me from the start. The reader is not only able to see them grow as individuals, but also together. The Last Letter explores childhood illness, war, family and everything that comes along with life. There are many surprised in-store when reading, but it’s also a beautiful story of love and family. If you are looking for a new romance or contemporary read, then please pick this one up.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: I love this book so much and recommend whenever I can to customers at work. It’s totally adorable, and perfect for someone that just wants to fall in love with characters. This is the book that you just fall into and never want to get out of.

For The Collector

The Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve: This MinaLima version is stunning. I’m currently collecting the whole set and they are so gorgeous. They are a mix of pop up and interactive and they make a perfect addition to someone’s book collection, especially if they classics and fairy tales. I also really love the Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid versions as well.

Harry Potter Illustrated Editions: If you know a Harry Potter lover, then this is perfect for them. I adore my illustrated editors of Harry Potter. They are stunning! I get them for my birthday the year that they come out and it’s perfect. They are also great for the younger ones who do need a little bit more imagery. Plus the illustrations are stunning. I just love them so much.

For Those Who Want A Popular Book

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton: I don’t think you could go wrong with this one here. I’ve not heard anything bad about this book ever – and I sell a lot of copies and I mean a lot. I’ve read a little of this already and I’m already loving it. This is a book that appeals to so many different people, and I think that is what has made it so popular. Plus it’s won many, many awards. I think this is the perfect present for someone that you don’t know what they like to read.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: This is another one that skyrocketed to popularity. I still get asked about it quite often at work and again I rarely hear anything bad about it. I also think it’s one that a whole range of people and readers could read. But also might push others and I think that is fantastic.

And that is it for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday. These are the books that I think will make the perfect birthday presents. Do you agree? What are some of your go to’s? Let’s Chat!