Top Ten Popular Authors I’ve Never Read

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, she posts an idea relating to books and encourages other book bloggers to respond with their own top ten lists.

This week’s topic is “top ten popular authors I’ve never read.” Considering just how many books I’ve been introduced to after starting this blog, this list was actually a lot harder to compile than I would have thought.

1. Veronica Rossi
I have Under the Never Sky bookmarked on my library’s ebook download center, but it has yet to come available when I actually have time to read it. I promise I’ll get around to reading this series eventually though, since I’ve heard only good things about it.

2. Rachel Caine
Every time I think about starting The Morganville Vampires series, the number of books in the series (and the fact that they are, in fact, about vampires) deters me a bit.

3. Richelle Mead
I know so many people who love the Vampire Academy series, which makes me really feel like I need to read it at some point in life. Even if I’m over the whole vampire craze.

4. Marie Rutkoski
I eventually want to read The Shadow Society and The Kronos Chronicles, even though I’ve heard quite a few mixed feelings on them. My first book by her, though, will likely be The Winner’s Curse, since it looks SO GOOD.

5. Ruta Sepetys
I love historical fiction, so I can’t believe that I haven’t read Out of the Easy or Between Shades of Gray yet. I fully intend to get around to reading these eventually though!

6. Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak and Wintergirls have been on my to-read list for quite a while, but I just haven’t gotten around to them yet. Mostly because I’ve heard so many good things about these books that I’m kind of afraid that I’ll be the black sheep who just doesn’t feel as strongly about them. I definitely intend to read The Impossible Knife of Memory soon though, so hopefully that will convince me to finally pick up her other works.

7. Lois Lowry
You’re probably looking quite shocked right now, and I really can’t blame you. Practically everyone read it in middle school or high school English, but my teachers never ended up assigning it to my classes. I had plenty of opportunities to pick it up from the library over the years, but dismissed it as a “school book” and left it on the shelf.

8. Melina Marchetta
Jellicoe Road and Finnikin of the Rock are on my to-read list, but every time I go to pick them up I hesitate and grab something else instead. I’ve heard so many good things about Marchetta’s writing, though, so hopefully I’ll convince myself to read at least one of them in the near future.

9. Maria V. Snider
I’ve heard so many mixed things about Poison Study and the rest of that series, so I’ve been really iffy on whether or not I want to read it. If I ever have time, though, I’ll likely give it a try.

10. Tamora Pierce
In middle school, all of my friends were in love with Tamora Pierce’s books and kept recommending that I give them a try. She has so many, though, that I’d have no idea where to start… which is probably why I’m in second year university and still haven’t read anything by her.

Are there any popular authors that you still have to read? Are there any books on my list that you’ve read / plan to read eventually? Let me know in the comments below.

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This Month In Books: March 2014

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I can’t believe it’s March already — it feels like New Years was just yesterday! Although March is an awful month for university because of midterms and assignments, it’s an excellent month for book releases. As always, if you’re interested in one of the books, click on its cover image to be taken to its Goodreads page.

March 1

March 4

March 6

March 11

March 18

March 25

What new releases are you most looking forward to reading this month?
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Wait, It’s Not A Standalone?

When a lot of my friends joke about how my to-read list is longer than a combined list of books they’ve read, I like to blame it on one simple fact: everything nowadays seems to be a series. There have been so many occasions when I would finish a book and be incredibly satisfied with the ending, only to discover that two (or three… or even five) more books would be following it. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy series – in fact, there are several sequels that I’m impatiently waiting for – however, with all of the series that I’ve started, it’s been rather difficult to catch up or even complete many of them.

Out of curiosity, I counted the number of series that I’ve actually completed (an astonishing 43), and now I’ve decided to compile a list of the series I’ve started and need to finish. Here are the results:

Unfinished Series I’m Caught Up On:

  • Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
  • A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
  • The Grisha by Leigh Bardugo
  • Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
  • Shades of London by Maureen Johnson
  • Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
  • All the Wrong Questions by Lemony Snicket
  • All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness
  • The Selection by Kiera Cass
  • Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts
  • The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
  • The Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan
  • The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Completed Series I’ve Started:

  • Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
  • The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker
  • Fallen World by Megan Crewe
  • Legend by Marie Lu
  • Everneath by Brodi Ashton
  • Revenants by Amy Plum
  • The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
  • Jenna Fox Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson
  • Across the Universe by Beth Revis
  • The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
  • Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
  • Evernight by Claudia Gray
  • Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen
  • Gone by Michael Grant
  • Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
  • Curse Workers by Holly Black
  • Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
  • Matched by Allie Condie
  • Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
  • Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
  • Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent
  • The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
  • Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
  • Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
  • Eragon by Christopher Paolini
  • The Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire

Series Where I’ve Only Read the First Book:

  • The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
  • Jasper Dent by Barry Lyga
  • Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
  • Confessions by James Patterson
  • Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
  • The Archived by Victoria Schwab
  • Fallen World by Megan Crewe
  • For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
  • Jenna Fox Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson
  • Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
  • The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
  • The Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielson
  • Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
  • Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
  • Defiance by C.J. Redwine
  • His Fair Assassin by Robin LaFevers
  • Gone by Michael Grant
  • Penryn & the End of Days by Susan Ee
  • The Hybrid Chronicles by Kat Zhang
  • Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
  • At Somerton by Leila Rasheed
  • Matched by Allie Condie
  • The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
  • Wildwood Chronicles by Colin Meloy
  • Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
  • The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer
  • The Sweet Trilogy by Wendy Higgins
  • The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd
  • The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch
  • Eragon by Christopher Paolini
  • The Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire

… And that’s not even including the new series I’ve started that only have one book out at the moment. Or the upcoming series that I plan to read. Or the series that I started but don’t intend to finish. Scary, huh? Hopefully this will inspire me to cross some of these series off of my list — and if there are any that I should start with, please let me know!
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Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

It’s Tuesday, which means that it’s time for Top Ten Tuesday, a book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic is top ten authors who deserve more recognition, which is probably the most difficult one so far. There are a lot of books that I wish more people would read, but when it comes to authors, I’m never sure which ones to choose. (It also doesn’t help that I spent all weekend in Niagara Falls and couldn’t plan my Top Ten Tuesday post in advance, so if it’s rambly and scattered, I’m so sorry!)

Here’s my list, in no particular order:

1. Carlos Ruiz Zafon (The Shadow of the Wind)
Even though I first heard about him a few months ago, I am in love with his Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. Zafon has such a beautiful writing style, and there are so many gorgeous quotes tucked into all of his books.

2. Colin Meloy (Wildwood)
Wildwood is one of my favourite children’s books. It’s beautifully illustrated, intelligently written, and is just a really fun read. Fun fact: Colin is also one of my favourite singers and his band, The Decemberists, is fantastic. Listening to their albums is like hearing a story, so it’s no wonder he’s pretty good at this whole writing thing.

3. Jillian Larkin (Vixen)
The release of the Flapper series was completely overshadowed by Anna Godbersen’s Bright Young Things (which is also good, but much better known because of her Luxe series). I’m slightly obsessed with any book that takes place in the 1920s, so this series was an automatic must-read for me. After all, between flappers, speakeasies and drama that rivals Gossip Girl, what’s not to like?

4. Lauren Morrill (Meant To Be)
Meant To Be is one of the cutest YA contemporary books I’ve ever read. I haven’t been able to find it at any of my local bookstores – which is a shame, since it’s quirky, fun, and set in London.

5. Kelly Creagh (Nevermore)
By now, you guys have all probably seen my many posts about how much I love this series. A combination of dark supernatural elements inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, interesting characters, and a pretty cute, believable romance makes for an excellent yet creepy read.

6. Heather Dixon (Entwined)
Entwined is one of my favourite fairytale retellings. Twelve strong female characters, dark secrets, sweet romance that isn’t the main focus, and some magic make for a thoroughly enjoyable read. Also, the cover is gorgeous enough that I need to buy a copy to display on my bookshelf as soon as possible!

7. Beth Revis (Across the Universe)
I loved Across the Universe. It’s a really neat sci-fi story with so many plot twists and turns. I haven’t read the last book yet since I really don’t wan this series to be over, but I’d be more than okay with it being made into a movie.

8. E. Lockhart (The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks)
Her books are so underappreciated, which is probably due to cover judging (which I almost did with her Ruby Oliver series). They’re filled with quirky, intelligent, strong female leads who are trying to find their place in life, which is something I can definitely relate to.

9. Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind)
His works are becoming better known, due to his inclusion on George R.R. Martin’s list of books that Game of Thrones fans should read. However, despite that, a lot of people still don’t know about The Kingkiller Chronicle, which is an excellent fantasy series. And, you know, it helps that his reviews and blog posts never fail to make me laugh.

10. Sarah Strohmeyer (How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True)
In discussions of contemporary YA writers, Sarah Strohmeyer sadly isn’t mentioned all that often. I loved Smart Girls Get What They Want, and How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True is one of my favourite contemporaries that I could gush over all day (two words: Disney theme-park). They’re such fun, fluffy reads filled with adorably sweet romance, an entertaining plot, and loveable characters.

Who are some of your favourites?
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Top Ten Most Intimidating Books

We all have them. Books that have been sitting on our to-read lists for ages or untouched on our shelves. We plan on getting around to them eventually, of course, but there’s just something about them that makes it easier to ignore these intimidating books until we’re completely out of reading material.

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These books are just so long that I feel like they’d take forever to read – and, given my unfortunate habit of having to finish a book even if I’m not enjoying it, I wouldn’t just be able to put it down and move on to something else. If the font is really tiny or the book is split into multiple parts, it intimidates me even more.

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I love classic literature, but I hardly ever bring myself to read it. Without the analytical assistance that my high school English classes gave, I’m afraid that I either won’t understand the point of the work, the content itself, or why it’s so important. I’m also afraid that I just won’t like it, which seems so wrong given that these books are classics for a reason.

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This might seem strange, but books that are described as “critically acclaimed” or “most anticipated” worry me a bit – especially if they’re books that all of my friends have read and loved and raved about or if they’re favourite childhood reads. I’m always afraid that my expectations won’t be met and that I’ll be the 1% that didn’t enjoy it.

What books or book qualities intimidate you?

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event held by The Broke and the Bookish.
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