Top Ten Tuesday: Fantastic Swoons

February 11, 2014 | BookTasty

Happy Tuesday everyone!

We all know that Valentine’s Day is this Friday and while some of you may eschew this particular holiday, some of you may be in the mood for some majorly swoon worthy reads to cuddle up with. Well, you’re in luck because this week’s Top Tuesday theme is centered around romance!

I read tons of books and most of them involve some sort of romance, because I just like it. Now, I’ve actually done this theme before and it feels too soon to do it again the same way, so this year I’m going to focus on Fantastic Swoons…romances that take place in a fantasy setting of some sort.

1. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers. This book is kind of like a historical fantasy and there is some major romantic tension between two of the characters.

2. The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy by Rae Carson. Most of the swoon making happens in the second and third book, but you have to read book 1 to get the whole picture!

3. The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas. If you enjoyed The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern, you’ll like the romantic tension in this one too…it has a similar feel.

4.The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. Seriously, there is some mad romance going on in these steampunk books.

5. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. The heat in this one isn’t in your face, instead it simmers just below the surface.

6. The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray. Kartik and Gemma. Say no more!

7. Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Po….be still my heart!

8. A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce. Super creepy but super swoons too.

9. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. I love a good romantic fairy tale retold.

10. Fire by Kristin Cashore. A fabulous fantasy with an even better romance!

Like I said before, if you like a good fantasy and a lot of romance thrown in these books are sure to get you in the mood for Valentine’s Day!

Are there any romantic fantasies that aren’t on my list but I should know about? Go ahead and share them in the comments below!

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Characters in Fantasy

February 19, 2013 | BookTasty

Hi there and Happy Tuesday!

Don’t forget that Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and Bookish.

This week’s theme is Top Ten Favorite Characters in X Genre. So, the genre of my choice is fantasy! I really like fantasy and fairy tale retellings and some of my favorite books fall into this category. The characters I listed below are all females who rock the fantasy genre.

1. Miri from Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Miri is intelligent and brave even though she doesn’t know it yet.

2. Katsa from Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Katsa is the type of person I’m be totally intimidated by if I met her in real life. She’s like a warrior of awesomeness.

3. Fire from Fire by Kristin Cashore

Fire is probably another person I’d be intimidated of in real life, but she is strong amidst her vulnerability

4. Puck Connolly from The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Sure, Puck is strong and brave, but she is also just your average teenage girl and I think we’d get along.

5. Cinder from Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Okay, so it’s actually sci-fi, not fantasy, but I don’t care.

6. Tessa Gray from The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare

I want to be Tessa. She is an American in London in love with a cute Welsh Shadow Hunter. I think we’d get along just fine.

7. The sisters from Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

I love how all twelve sisters have their own personalities and their own role to play in story. They’re pretty cool.

8. Gemma Doyle from The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray

Gemma is a Victorian bad@$$. She has supernatural abilities and yet also wants to be a Gibson Girl!

9. Charlotte Miller from A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Charlotte works hard to save her family, plus she dominates the Rumpelstiltskin retelling.

10. Ani from The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Ani is sweet and humble and chock full of cool supernatural abilities!

So there you have it! All of these characters are fabulous fantasy heroines and if you haven’t read these books, they come highly recommended! Who are you favorite fantasy heroines?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’d Want on a Deserted Island

November 13, 2012 | BookTasty

Bonjour!

I’ll be in Paris in two weeks! Whoot! Whoot!

Also…today is my birthday! Wow! I’m 30…yup. So, let me say that my only birthday wish is….

a Colin Firth birthday cake!

Who can make this happen?! Go!

It’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful people over at The Broke and Bookish. Each week they post a theme to create a list of related books.

This week the theme is Top Ten Books I’d Want on a Deserted Island. I’m taking this theme to books I haven’t read yet but have been trying to forever! If I had these books on a deserted island with me I could actually read them without life getting in the way.

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart

This has been sitting on my nightstand for MONTHS. No kidding.

Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale

Kyle at Readers Pensieve loaned this one to me in like August and I started it, but haven’t been able to finish it! It’s going on the plane to London with me!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Star Crossed by Elizabeth Bunce

Gone by Michael Grant

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

My friend Stephanie loaned me this one sometime last year and it is still sitting on my shelf..unread!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

I won this one in someone’s blog contest…I can’t remember who’s it was, that’s how long I’ve been trying to read this book!

Seriously, if there is a deserted island out there (with a fully stocked cabana, fridge and lots of desserts….desserted island?!) sign me up so I can FINALLY finish these books!

Which of these books should I bump up to the top of my deserted island reading list?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved But Never Wrote A Review For

January 24, 2012 | BookTasty

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I’ve often wondered if other book bloggers review everything they read. For the most part I currently review everything I read. This could change as life changes (gets busier etc…) but for now I have the freedom and time to do that. However, there were tons of Young Adult and Middle Grades books I read before I started BookTasty and before I started writing reviews. So today’s Top Ten list is focused on the poor, neglected titles that I absolutely loved, but never wrote a review for. I can vouch for all of them as awesome reads and they deserve some love too! Here they are:

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (ANYTHING by Shannon Hale)

A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle series) by Libba Bray

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Sorcery and Cecilia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede

A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

The Sacrifice by Kathleen Benner Duble

The Princess Diaries (series) by Meg Cabot

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brin Selznick

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (series) by Ann Brashares

So, like I said before these books were all great and deserved some attention! Check them out!

Thanks to The Broke and Bookish for hosting Top Ten Tuesday every week!

Standard

Top Ten Tuesday: Holiday Shopping Guide

December 13, 2011 | BookTasty

Are you looking for the perfect book for your favorite reader? Well, today’s Top Ten Tuesday’s goal is to make that a little easier for you. Today I highlight ten different types of readers and provide titles that may be the perfect fit. The recommended titles are broken up into Young Adult (YA) and Middle Grades (MG) so you can get a better idea of the level of interest. Some I have read and reviewed, others I have posted as suggestions by my students; some are newer and some were published a few years ago. I really hope they help!

* I’ve Read ** I’ve Reviewed

The Teen Angster