WHAT I'VE BEEN READING...
I haven't been reading nearly as much as I'd like lately, but it's really one of my favorite things to do. Shocking, I know! But every now and then I like to put together a list of my favorite recent reads, and summer seems like as good a time as any to post another of these TOP TENS, so here goes (in no particular order!):
CARNIVAL OF SOULS by Melissa Marr (Okay, so this one is first because Melissa is beginning to top my list of all-time favorite authors. I love her WICKED LOVELY series, and ditto with GRAVEMINDER, so when I had the chance to read CARNIVAL, I jumped at it. Suffice it to say, I was so not disappointed! This one's out September 4th!)
BLACK HEART by Holly Black (Another fave of mine. Her Curse Workers series has turned her into one of my author crushes and has put her at risk of being kissed on the lips if/when I see her in person again!)
VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead (I am so late to the party in starting this series, but I totally get why it's so hugely popular. I immediately fell in love with Rose's bad-ass, no-nonsense sensibility...and then fell just as hard for Dimitri Belikov with his hot Russian accent. Did I mention he's hot? And Russian???)
VELVETEEN by Danny Marks (Like CARNIVAL OF SOULS, this debut YA is another book that isn't out quite yet--it comes out October 9th. It had everything I love in a book: a creepy serial killer, a ghost hell-bent on revenge, an underworld in the throes of revolution, and a fair amount of kissing!!!You should totally pre-order it now!)
SLIDE by Jill Hathaway (Okay, so I read this one a while back, but it made the list anyway because I really, really loved it. Vee is a narcoleptic who "slides" into other people's bodies and finds herself in the middle of a mystery when she wakes up in a murderer's body. How cool is that? Plus, this is one of those rare books I sorta want to re-read because I loved the character's voice so much. She's so spot-on today's teen. At least the kind of teens in my household: one part snotty brat and one part vulnerable child.)
FRACTURE by Megan Miranda (Another one that I'd read months ago, but still want to rave about for the same reason as SLIDE--loveloveloved the voice. Funny enough, turns out that these two authors are crit partners! You should totally read FRACTURE if you haven't already...I'm still thinking about this one.)
BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver (Since pretty much everyone's already read this, there's not much to say really, except...WOW! This book makes me want to be a better writer.)
SCORPIO RACES by Maggie Stiefvater (Seriously, I'm not sure how she did it, but somehow Stiefvater made killer horses lyrical. Lyrical. I listened to the audio version of this book, and I'm so glad I did. I fell under the spell of both the narrators' voices and the author's writing, and there were several times I missed a turn or spent way too long sitting in my driveway just to keep listening. Beautiful and intense!!!)
THE PROGRAM by Suzanne Young (It's no secret I'm a Suzanne Young fan--I loved A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL! So when an early copy of THE PROGRAM landed in my inbox, I dropped everything to read it. This one's not out till 2013, but I'm telling you it's frightening and sweet and so compelling, you won't be able to put it down!)
DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth (And this is why I said "in no particular order." Divergent was one of the best books I read this year, maybe even this decade! Another one that pretty much everyone's read, but I couldn't very well leave off the list. Seriously, if you haven't already picked this one up, why the frick not???)
And what TOP TEN list would be complete without an eleventh book? I couldn't help myself because I recently read this awesome adult novel (and, no, it wasn't FIFTY SHADES OF GREY!). INTO THE DARKEST CORNER by Elizabeth Haynes is a dark glimpse into a woman's escape from an abusive relationship, the toll it's taken on her, and what happens when that ex comes after her. If I wasn't already checking and double-checking my locks at night, I definitely would be after reading this book!!! (Warning: Not for the faint of heart. Also not for children!)
CARNIVAL OF SOULS by Melissa Marr (Okay, so this one is first because Melissa is beginning to top my list of all-time favorite authors. I love her WICKED LOVELY series, and ditto with GRAVEMINDER, so when I had the chance to read CARNIVAL, I jumped at it. Suffice it to say, I was so not disappointed! This one's out September 4th!)
BLACK HEART by Holly Black (Another fave of mine. Her Curse Workers series has turned her into one of my author crushes and has put her at risk of being kissed on the lips if/when I see her in person again!)
VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead (I am so late to the party in starting this series, but I totally get why it's so hugely popular. I immediately fell in love with Rose's bad-ass, no-nonsense sensibility...and then fell just as hard for Dimitri Belikov with his hot Russian accent. Did I mention he's hot? And Russian???)
VELVETEEN by Danny Marks (Like CARNIVAL OF SOULS, this debut YA is another book that isn't out quite yet--it comes out October 9th. It had everything I love in a book: a creepy serial killer, a ghost hell-bent on revenge, an underworld in the throes of revolution, and a fair amount of kissing!!!You should totally pre-order it now!)
SLIDE by Jill Hathaway (Okay, so I read this one a while back, but it made the list anyway because I really, really loved it. Vee is a narcoleptic who "slides" into other people's bodies and finds herself in the middle of a mystery when she wakes up in a murderer's body. How cool is that? Plus, this is one of those rare books I sorta want to re-read because I loved the character's voice so much. She's so spot-on today's teen. At least the kind of teens in my household: one part snotty brat and one part vulnerable child.)
FRACTURE by Megan Miranda (Another one that I'd read months ago, but still want to rave about for the same reason as SLIDE--loveloveloved the voice. Funny enough, turns out that these two authors are crit partners! You should totally read FRACTURE if you haven't already...I'm still thinking about this one.)BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver (Since pretty much everyone's already read this, there's not much to say really, except...WOW! This book makes me want to be a better writer.)
SCORPIO RACES by Maggie Stiefvater (Seriously, I'm not sure how she did it, but somehow Stiefvater made killer horses lyrical. Lyrical. I listened to the audio version of this book, and I'm so glad I did. I fell under the spell of both the narrators' voices and the author's writing, and there were several times I missed a turn or spent way too long sitting in my driveway just to keep listening. Beautiful and intense!!!)
THE PROGRAM by Suzanne Young (It's no secret I'm a Suzanne Young fan--I loved A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL! So when an early copy of THE PROGRAM landed in my inbox, I dropped everything to read it. This one's not out till 2013, but I'm telling you it's frightening and sweet and so compelling, you won't be able to put it down!)
DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth (And this is why I said "in no particular order." Divergent was one of the best books I read this year, maybe even this decade! Another one that pretty much everyone's read, but I couldn't very well leave off the list. Seriously, if you haven't already picked this one up, why the frick not???)
And what TOP TEN list would be complete without an eleventh book? I couldn't help myself because I recently read this awesome adult novel (and, no, it wasn't FIFTY SHADES OF GREY!). INTO THE DARKEST CORNER by Elizabeth Haynes is a dark glimpse into a woman's escape from an abusive relationship, the toll it's taken on her, and what happens when that ex comes after her. If I wasn't already checking and double-checking my locks at night, I definitely would be after reading this book!!! (Warning: Not for the faint of heart. Also not for children!)
Comments
Thanks Kimberly!
I've read most of the other books on your list except Carnival of Souls, but I have it and plan to read it soon. Oh, and Velveteen, have and plan to read soon! That last book I've never heard of but I'm not sure it's one I could handle. I was in an abusive relationship and ran (how I ended up in WA) and it's been enough years now I'm probably safe, but it's not a time in my life I could ever forget and I'm not sure I'd want to bring it to the front of my mind again. Still I'm a bit curious about the book though...