Top Ten Books On My Fall 2013 TBR List

It's tuesday and it's time for Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This time we're supposed to write down our top ten books on our fall 2013 TBR list and that shouldn't be any problem at all.

1. Allegiant by Veronica Roth, give it to me! Now!

2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, a re-read before the movie comes out.

3. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. I'm so excited about this book and I've had it for too long!

4. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare because I have to know what happens.

5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It's time!

6. Hate List by Jennifer Brown. I'm so curious about this.

7. Burn for Burn by Jenny Han och Siobhan Vivian.

8. Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep. I have to continue the series!

9. Wake by Amanda Hocking.

10. Under the never sky by Veronica Rossi. I should have read it long ago but now it's time.

Top Ten Books I Would Love To See As A Movie/TV Show

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This week it's about books we love to see as movies or TV-shows. In a perfect world, of course, where they don't butcher our favorite books.

1. The Starcrossed trilogy by Josephine Angelini. I really like this trilogy and would definitely watch it as a movie or a TV-show.

2. The Shatter Me trilogy by Tahereh Mafi. I think this would be best as a TV-show actually.

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins as a movie. Even I would see it and I normally don't watch romantic movies.

4. Far from you by Lisa Schroeder had been an interesting movie, don't you think?

And these were all that I could come up with! The problem is that all of the series and books I'm reading already is in the process of becoming a movie or TV-show. The Mortal Instruments, Vampire Academy, Divergent...

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Carmen got the jeans at a thrift shop. They didn’t look all that great: they were worn, dirty, and speckled with bleach. On the night before she and her friends part for the summer, Carmen decides to toss them. But Tibby says they’re great. She'd love to have them. Lena and Bridget also think they’re fabulous. Lena decides that they should all try them on. Whoever they fit best will get them. Nobody knows why, but the pants fit everyone perfectly. Even Carmen (who never thinks she looks good in anything) thinks she looks good in the pants. Over a few bags of cheese puffs, they decide to form a sisterhood and take the vow of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.....the next morning, they say good-bye. And then the journey of the pants - and the most memorable summer of their lives - begins. 

This was a re-read and I'm very satisfied with it. I knew what to expect and it was very special to read it during our vacation in Santorini since a part of it actually takes place there. The reading experience wasn't very different from the last time I read it and I still liked it.

Each of the characters has something and that's one thing I like about this series. Even though Carmen acts a little bit like a baby I can understand her. Her dad, Al, doesn't really care about her and nobody seems to listen to her either. She is just gonna swallow the fact that her father has a whole new family and that he is getting married. Lena is the shy girl with not interest in boys, til she meets Kostas. The opposite of Lena has to be Bridget, or Bee, who is crazy about boys and specially one of them. But when she finally has it all, she just feels empty. And Tibby who stays at home and became friends with Bailey who has leukemia. Their summers is so different but the jeans keep them together!

If you haven't read the series yet, I highly recommend it. It's easy reads and perfect books to pick up during the summer. Now, the summer is mostly gone (at least in Sweden) but read it anyway or save it for the next summer. It will be here before you know it!

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Kindle Edition, 303 pages
Delacorte Press
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I'm home!

Hi guys! So I got home from Santorini yesterday and I spent the evening going through all of our pictures and movies from the trip. There isn't much book related but I read at least two young adult books that I will be reviewing shortly. I will also show you a book shop in Oia called Atlantis Books, which was the most beautiful book store I've ever been to.

Now you know what to expect so see ya!

We'll Always Have Summer

Belly has only ever been in love with two boys, both with the last name Fisher. And after being with Jeremiah for the last two years, she's almost positive he is her soul mate. Almost. Conrad has not gotten over the mistake he made when he let Belly go even as Jeremiah has always known that Belly is the girl for him. So when Belly and Jeremiah decide to make things forever, Conrad realizes that it's now or never--tell Belly he loves her, or lose her for good. Belly will have to confront her feelings for Jeremiah and Conrad and face a truth she has possibly always known: she will have to break one of their hearts.

It was a really good choice re-reading the series this summer. I loved them when I read in swedish too but it's something special reading in the original language. Anyway, this was as good as the others!

There's a few things I just wanna gaaah a little about. What happened to Jeremiah? The nice and careful boy who would always love and take care of Belly? And, yeah, now we get to understand Conrad but he can't seriously mean that Belly is just going to forget about he being an ass? Anyway, I think Belly choose the right guy in the end and I almost started crying there. That does not happen very often at all.

I'm a little bit sad there isn't more of Belly, Jere and Con but if I've got the time - I'll be re-reading this again next summer and the summer after that and yeah, you know.

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
Kindle Edition, 304 pages
Simon & Schuster
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Top Ten Books That You Wish Were Taught In Schools

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This week it was actually two different themes but I chose "Top Ten Books That You Wish Were Taught in Schools". I think it will be rather difficult but I'll try!

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - yeah, why not? It's about a possible future and it's really good so why not?

2. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien 'cause it's a classic. I think it is!

3. I am Legend by Richard Matheson for no special reason.

4. Speechless by Hannah Harrington or any other book with that theme. I think it's important!

And that's all I've got but better than nothing, right?

It's not summer without you

Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach? 

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come. But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach.

I loved this book just as much as the first time I read it - last summer. This really is a perfect series for the summer and especially when it rains. You just jump into the bed, listen to the rain, pick these books up and dream away.

The only thing that might get me on my nervs in this book is Bellys insecurity. She loves Conrad and all of a sudden Jeremiah is interesting and everything is just very confusing for her. I can understand her a little bit, it's not easy to be a teenager and the feelings are just flowing. Mostly, I really like Conrad but sometimes in this book he's so immature.

Anyway, a review of the third and last book will come up soon!

It's not summer without you by Jenny Han
Kindle Edition, 292 pages
Simon & Schuster
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Goddess

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count. To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores. 

SPOILER! (if you haven't read Starcrossed or Dreamless)

It was more than a year since I read Dreamless and I had forgotten a little bit. I wanted to re-read Starcrossed and Dreamless before picking this up but there wasn't time. So many books - so little time. You know how it is. Anyway, Angelini quickly got me into the story again and I had really missed the world of demigods.

Helen and her friends continues the adventure and is trying to stop a war between the gods and the demigods. It's interesting to follow Helen and her new abilities but also her friends reaction. Claire must be one of the worst friends ever. It seems like everyone of the characters gets their fair share in this book and I'm happy about that. Even in this book, a new character shows up - the siren Andy. Helen rescues her from the hospital and protects her from the god Apollon.

I didn't like that so many things in this book is about jealousy. The triangle between Helen, Lucas and Orion is a bit annoying and Lucas suspicions as well. Luckily there isn't so much focus on that.

This was a great final book in a trilogy but I haven't mind reading a lot more about them! If you haven't read the trilogy yet, I highly recommend it.

Goddess by Josephine Angelini
Hardcover, 421 pages
HarperTeen
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The Summer I Became A Nerd

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way. 

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

I read this like a month ago and now I hardly remember the plot. I'm stunned.

Anyway, I didn't really like this book. If I had read anything about it before I picked it up, I probably hadn't picked it up. That's the truth. It gives me a summer feeling, sure, but I didn't really feel anything for the characters or the story. Maddie were also a really superficial character and that drives me nuts.

I understand the mixed ratings for this book but if you ask me, it was OK. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Summer I Became A Nerd by Leah Rae Miller
Kindle Edition, 267 pages
Entangled Teen
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Dreamless

Dreamless continues the story of Helen Hamilton, a shy girl living on Nantucket Island whose desire for an ordinary life was thwarted when she discovered she is a Scion, a descendant of a Greek god and a mortal. Each Scion has a power, and Helen’s is the ability to travel to Hades. Helen is determined to use her talent to stop a war amongst the gods and change her destiny, which is to live a life patterned after that of the tragic Helen of Troy. But her quest may cost her Lucas Delios, the boy she loves.

Okay, I'm going to start this review by saying that if you haven't read the first book in this trilogy - don't read this. 

I didn't get the same feeling about this book as for Starcrossed. Even though it's about greek gods and demigods, it sometimes felt like it was too unrealistic. It's still really good and even though it's about 500 pages - it's a quickread.

I think this book gives us a better understandning for the characters, especially Helen's friends Claire and Matt. I got really annoyed at Jason in this book because of his overprotection of Claire but other than that - I like them all. Angelini introduced a new character as well, Orion. The hot, nice guy who makes Helen really confused. I hope to see more of him in the third and last book in the trilogy.

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
Hardcover, 487 pages
HarperTeen
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Speechless

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret. 

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed. Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse. But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

I felt a little speechless (hah) when I finished this book! It's about serious subjects and I think most of us know this from our school days. Although, it's difficult to understand the meaning of the words and the gossip if you're not the one being bullied.

At first I had a little problem with Chelsea but she got better and better. Right from the beginning it felt quite clear that she and Sam would fall for each other. Sam seemed to be an incredibly nice guy, almost a cliche, and it's hard not to like him. Asha also seemed to be very kind but it had been fun getting to know a little more about her. I could really imagine the atmosphere and environment at Rosie's, which was funny. I also thought a little about Chelseas mother and her reaction to Chelseas silence. Why was it so bad?

It is a very good and thought-provoking book that I highly recommend. I am now very curious about Harrington's other book, Saving June.

Speechless by Hannah Harrington
Paperback, 288 pages
Harlequin Teen
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Elemental: The First

Just who is Halíka Dacomé? To Rose Frost, moving house every six months is normal. Another new town here, another new school there, her ability to adapt is as easy as breathing. But everything changes when her parents go overseas and Rose moves in with her grandmother. She enjoys meeting new friends and catching up with old ones from her childhood holidays — except now she must hide a precious secret from everyone, a gift from birth that defies modern day science. Her dreams become riddled with a warrior woman called Halíka Dacomé, but are they visions or messages from the future? She starts her own investigation but encounters more questions than answers. Living right on the edge of Warminster in Wiltshire doesn’t help with its folklore and myths about strange lights in the sky and ghost stories of the Salisbury Plain Not only that, her troubles really take hold one night when the mysterious Aiden Deverill with his alluring smile, his gorgeous dark looks and hypnotising blue eyes, saves her from a freak fire. Or did he? For Rose, her new life is beginning but she soon realises that despite assurances people are not always what they seem. What she always believed to be a happy family and a friendly town soon turns on its head when she discovers that her family secret, Aiden Deverill and the truth behind Halíka Dacomé is at the heart of the whole conspiracy.

I had absolutely no expectations for this book but I got so surprised! It was exciting and I really like the main character Rose. She felt like a simple teenage girl with the usual problems, easy to identify with. Her relationship with Daisy I hope to read more about in the upcoming books.

There were of course some things I did not really like as well, such as the love triangle and the emotions that just seemed syringe from Rose and Morgan. The action was for the most interesting but it was also pretty much up and down.

That said, a surprisingly good book and I'm really looking forward to the continuation! If you like paranormal / sci-fi / YA you have to check this one out!

Elemental: The First by Alexandra May
Kindle Edition, 274 pages
Pauma Publishing
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Crossed

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake. Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

I actually had the same problem with this book as I had with Matched. It was way too slow. I put the book down several times and picked up something else. I didn't like the characters more either.

What prevents me from giving the book a really bad rating is the world Condie has built. It's interesting to read about and it's possible that is our future. Frightening! I'm not going to read the third and last installment in this trilogy, sorry.

Crossed by Ally Condie
Paperback, 367 pages
Speak
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If I Stay

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck... A sophisticated, layered, and heart-achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make, and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

I got very surprised by this book, in a good way of course. It's a very thin book but the author smashed it all together and got a very beautiful little story. I like the characters, especially Willow and Adam. It's also an easy read and very interesting. This kind of stories I usually watch on TV but I really liked it and I hope to read the next one in this duology very soon.

I highly recommend this book!

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Hardcover, 201 pages
Dutton Juvenile
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The Summer I Turned Pretty

Some summers are just destined to be pretty. 

When each summer begins, Belly leaves her school life behind and escapes to Cousins Beach, the place she has spent every summer of her life. Not only does the beach house mean home away from home, but her favorite people are there: Susannah, her mother's best friend, and her sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has been chasing Conrad for as long as she can remember, and more than anything, she hopes this summer will be different. Despite distractions from a new guy named Cam and lingering looks from Conrad's brother, Jeremiah, Belly's heart belongs to Conrad. Will he offer his to her? Will this be the summer that changes everything?

Okay, this is the second time I'm reading this book. I first read it last summer, but in swedish, and now I read it in english. I liked this book even more the second time and the things that annoyed me last year wasn't even there this time. I remember that I thought Belly was a bit immature for example.

This time I also really felt something for Susannah and her boys. Even though Conrad really is a jerk sometimes, he has his own way to deal with things and I can't really blame him for that. I think it's pretty interesting to see the differences between the two brothers, Jeremiah and Conrad. It's like looking at me and my sisters actually. Well, the only character I still doesn't like is Taylor. She is one of the most annoying characters I've ever read about it and I really don't understand why Belly is friends with her.

This book has it all! The characters are amazing and also the setting. When I'm reading this I can picture Cousins Beach in my head so it's a great summer read and if you haven't picked this trilogy up yet - just do!

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Kindle Edition, 292 pages
Simon & Schuster
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Found

Penny Black hasn’t had it easy. Just about everything you’d expect to happen to a harassed foster-kid turned junkie has happened to Penny. Add in the mysterious power to rewind time, conducting events around her, and it’s a wonder she held up on the streets for so many years. Now, at seventeen, the New Society has found her. Finally, Penny is where she belongs. But that doesn’t stop the visions, or the need to protect the victims shown to her.

Wyatt Adams is excited and intrigued when his sister Melody assigns him to be Penny’s Lookout. Being the youngest, and hopelessly ordinary in the family that created the New Society, has left Wyatt feeling like he has a lot to prove -- and Penny is a big deal. She’s got abilities that surpass any he’s seen before…and pretty much every quality he looks for in a girlfriend, but no one needs to know about that, especially Penny. 

I think I should've read the Zellie Wells-trilogy before picking Found up. It would have been much less confusing but I didn't even know there were a Zellie Wells-trilogy. Anyway, it's difficult to read this book with all the characters and the world and all their abilities. I had a hard time getting through it and it's sad because I really thought it would be good.

As you may have gathered, I won't read the second installment in this trilogy. Even though I'm very happy that I got the chance to read this book through Netgalley.

Found by Stacey Wallace Benefiel
Kindle Edition, 159 pages
Write Free
Amazon US

Matched

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

This book was incredibly slow and it took me forever to get through it. At least it felt like that! I started other books at the same time as well, more exciting ones.

The settings and the characters could have been better described. Oh, it's so hard to make a review of this book because everything I write is so negative but I didn't like it. That's it.

Matched by Ally Condie
Paperback, 366 pages
Razorbill
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I'll be there

Emily Bell believes in destiny. To her, being forced to sing a solo in the church choir--despite her average voice--is fate: because it's while she's singing that she first sees Sam. At first sight, they are connected.

Sam Border wishes he could escape, but there's nowhere for him to run. He and his little brother, Riddle, have spent their entire lives constantly uprooted by their unstable father. That is, until Sam sees Emily. That's when everything changes.

As Sam and Riddle are welcomed into the Bells' lives, they witness the warmth and protection of a family for the first time. But when tragedy strikes, they're left fighting for survival in the desolate wilderness, and wondering if they'll ever find a place where they can belong. 

This is the first book by the author Holly Goldberg Sloan and it was pretty great! It contains strong relationships, love, interesting characters and so on. I don't think I've ever read anything like this before and I'm very happy about that.

I love the relationship between the brothers Sam and Riddle. There's deep love and Sam is also very protective and acts like a father should do. Riddle also connects with Debbie later on in the book.

It's a very good book, as I said, and I highly recommend it!

I'll be there by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Hardcover, 392 pages
Little, Brown
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Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. 

As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here - one of whom was his own grandfather - were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason.

And somehow - impossible though it seems - they may still be alive.

This wasn't really my kind of book! I expected something else from this and it's strange because I read about the book before I got it. Well, I don't know. I know that it wasn't for me.

I didn't really feel anything about the book and I didn't fell for any of the characters. I know a lot of people love the book and it's characters but I'm just not one of them. The book wasn't as thrilling as I hoped it would be and therefore kind of boring.

Although - the design of the book and the pictures in it are fantastic!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Hardback, 352 pages
Quirk
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The White Cat

Cassel comes from a family of Curse Workers - people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn't got magic, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail - he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Cassel has carefully built up a facade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his facade starts to crumble when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

I hadn't read that much about this book before I picked it up so I got really surprised when I found out it was about magic. It's a great idea with the curse workers and it's very interesting to read about but I wish there were something more. Spoiler alert! When Lila is transformed back to a human, you couldn't even tell she had been a cat for the last three years. What happened to her behaviour for example? It would have been more realistic if she had some of the cat-stuff left.

I really like that the protagonist in this book was a guy, Cassel. I liked him from the very beginning! His family is a bit messy and I bet it's hard to know who to trust. I also really liked Maura and I hope to read more about here in the second book in this trilogy.

The ending was the best part and I wanted to read the second book right away!

The White Cat by Holly Black
Paperback, 311 pages
Gollancz
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