Top Ten Books We Read in 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.

Sheri's Choices: These are in no particular order.

1. Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
2. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
4. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
5. Obsidian (Lux Series) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pam's Choices:  I picked my favorite fantasy books that I've read this year.  All of these are five star reads for me.

1.  Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

2.  The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

3.  Falling Kingdoms and Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes

4.  Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

5.  Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Anyone have any other suggestions for YA fantasy?

Stacking the Shelves (25)

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  It is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Pam's Weekly Haul

From the Library:

Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

Angel Burn by Lee Weatherly

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

Bought:

Roomies by Tara Altebrando

Timebound by Rysa Walker

Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe

Echo in Time by C.J. Hill

From Edelweiss:

The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Sheri's Bounty
I am dedicated to reading the books on my shelves for the next few weeks. 
This week I am going to read,
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

 

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Book Review: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1)
Author:  Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher:  Random House Books for Young Readers, 370 pages
Publication Date:  September 11, 2012

From Goodreads:
Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

Review:
What a smart, dark, funny, and mysterious book with an incredible cast of characters and a absolutely fantastic heroine.  Although the teenagers are just a bit too articulate, I absolutely loved their conversations and their witty banter.  I don't include quotes too often, but I just had to include a few in this review.

"We're going to die." Something else dawned on her."And where is your shirt?"

"Let me explain," said Jared. "I had just gone to bed, like a reasonable person, when you decided to get tossed into a well like a crazy person. And then it was a matter of some urgency to reach you. You're lucky I tripped over my jeans on the way out the door."

"You leave your jeans on the floor?" Kami asked, horrified. "You're messy on top of everything else?  This day just keeps getting worse."

Kami has lived in a the small English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale her whole life and has always been a bit odd because she hears a boy in her head, her imaginary friend Jared.  They share everything and know each other as well as you would know yourself.  Every single thought, every single feeling.  So when Jared actually shows up in town, is an actual real boy, they are both actually horrified and their relationship as real people develops in such a great, awkward way.  It was not at all what I was expecting and I loved it.

“A leather jacket,” Kami said as he shrugged into it. “Aren’t you trying a little too hard to play into certain bad boy clichés?”

“Nah”, said Jared. “You’re thinking of black leather. Black leather’s for bad boys. It’s all in the color. You wouldn’t think I was a bad boy if I was wearing a pink leather jacket.”

“That’s true,” Kami said. “What I would think of you, I do not know. So what does brown leather mean, then?”

“I’m going for manly,” Jared said. “Maybe a little rugged.”

“It’s bits of dead cow; don’t ask it to perform miracles.” 

There are strange things happening in the town and as a want to be reporter, Kami is determined to find out what's going on.  She's so spunky and sassy, but not annoyingly so.  

“Don't feel bad, Angela," Kami said. "You know guys, they only want one thing. Repartee. I can't count how many times men have admired my well-turned phrases.” 

With her gang of friends (think the Buffy gang) they find themselves in all sorts of trouble.  There's Angela, Kami's best friend who hates people; Holly, a beautiful girl who they don't know very well; Ash, one of the Lynburn boys; Jared, of course (my heart was just breaking for him when I wasn't laughing); and then Rusty, Angie's twenty-year-old brother.  All of them have their one-liners, their quips, and they make the book so entertaining and fun.  Absolute chaos is going on all around them, and they still manage to crack a joke.  Loved this book.

And that ending...gah!  Killed me.  Definitely recommend this one.

Posted by:  Pam

Waiting on Wednesday: January Picks

Waiting on Wednesday features upcoming releases and is hosted by Breaking the Spine. This is our monthly post, where we pick books that are coming out in the next month that we just cannot wait for. That we're absolutely dying to read. 

Pam's Picks:
So many great books coming out in January!  

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan.  It's about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi.  The conclusion to the Under the Never Sky trilogy!

Infinite by Jodi Meadows.  The final book in the Incarnate trilogy!

Avalon by Mindee Arnett. A ragtag group of teenage mercenaries who crew the spaceship Avalon stumble upon a conspiracy that could threaten the entire galaxy.

Flame by Amy Kathleen Ryan. In the thrilling conclusion to the Sky Chasers series Waverly, Kieran, and Seth struggle to survive on-board the New Horizon—and take down their enemies before it's too late.

Independent Study by Joelle Charboneau. Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers.

Sheri's Pick:
A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller.  Historical romance for YA....love it.

What books are you waiting for?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books We Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Us

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.

Sheri's Choices:

Since Santa is bringing them I wouldn't mind the following.
1. The Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass.  Only the first two have been published but I would love those plus an "early" purchase of the third one.

2. The Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Gier.  I have been looking for a good time travel book and this is an entire series so it should be perfect.

3. Definitely, Maybe in Love by Ophelia London.  With this title and cover I was intrigued immediately and when I found out it is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice it moved to the top of my list.

4. The Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole. I have always been fascinated by Tarot cards so I simply love the premise of this series.

5. The White Rabbit Chronicles by Gena Showalter.  Who doesn't want zombie fiction for Christmas?

Pam's Picks:
Here are a few books I've read but I would like a hardback copy because I loved them so much:
1.  The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas.  Only have a kindle version.

2.  The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu.  Only have a kindle version of all three and would love a hardback copy.

3.  Shadows and Haze by Paula Weston.  Got Shadows from NetGalley and could only find a paperback copy of Haze from Australia.  I fell in love with this series and would love to have a hardback copy of both.

4.  Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes.  I have a hardback copy of Falling Kingdoms but an ARC of Rebel Spring.

5.  Frostbite and Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead.  Apparently they didn't publish a hardback version of these two books in the Vampire Academy series, but does anyone know what a library edition means?