Top 10 Books That Made Us Cry

This week's Top Ten Topic is REWIND! (Pick from previous topics that you want to do again or may have missed). Therefore, I picked Top Ten Books That Made Us Cry since I love tearjerker films and books and I am notorious for crying at sappy, sentimental stuff such as the Budweiser horse and puppy commercial that they played during the Superbowl. As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely The Broke & the Bookish.

Melissa's Picks:

1. Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak *

3. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda *

4. Allegiant by Veronica Roth 

5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green* 

Melissa doesn't like books that make her cry. Time and time again, she has repeatedly voiced this to me. I in turn, being the good friend that I am, blatantly disregard this fact. My last three book club picks as noted by the asterisk above have made her cry. I need to keep on this streak going so if you have any tearjerker book recommendations let me know. 

Impressive Fact about Melissa: These five books are the only ones she remembers crying for. 

Rachel's Picks:

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter #5) by J.K. Rowling - Harry finally gets a real relationship with his godfather and then it is snatch away from him. What a cruel, cruel world...

2. Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins - Prim...Do I really need to say anymore.

3. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - The ending was so beautiful, sad and endearing.

4. Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff - I was choked up this entire book and it does not help that it is based on a true story.

5. For One More Day by Mitch Albom - His books always get me but especially this novel when the narrator recounts the "Times my mother stood up for me" and the "Times I did not stand up for my mother." I would recommend this for any child who could appreciate their mother a tad more at times.

I could include another whole book shelf on this list -Sarah's Key, Stargirl, Room, Their Eyes were Watching God, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, etc but we would be here all day. Let us know if you enjoyed our list and if you have read any of these books.

Also, we would love to hear what great books you have read that made you cry.

Top 10 Things on My Reading Wish List

This week's Top Ten Things On My Reading Wish List (if you could make authors write about these things you would. Could be a specific type of character, an issue tackled, a time period, a certain plot, etc.)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.


Rachel would like to see more books with:

1.) Interracial relationships/issues.
2.) YA fiction about teen bullying (from a popular person's or the bully's perspective),
3.) Books from a woman's perspective set in Egypt, Rome or Greece during their height of civilization.
4.) Retelling of biblical stories in a different time period.
5.) Inspiring YA fiction that motives teenagers and adults to do more and be better people in general.

I took a little different approach to what I would like to see more books with:

1.) It doesn't matter, write what you love to write about.  If you are passionate about the story, it will come through to your readers.
2.) Be inspired.  Listen to the voices in your head or your dreams, heck maybe even your nightmares.  See the opportunity and the story that surrounds you.  Everyone has a muse we just need to notice.
3.) Make mistakes.  Mistakes are a part of life, you just need to learn from them.
4.) If you haven't started and you want to, just do it.  Everyone has to start somewhere!  Start blogging, poetry, children's books, articles, anything!
5.) Take your time.  I would rather wait for the story to come together perfectly, then have the story forced.

What made your list?

Top 10 Book Goals/Resolutions for 2014

Since we missed last week's Top 10 Tuesday, we are doing it in lieu of this week's. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish. Our topic, Top Ten Book Goals/Resolutions for 2014.

Wow, I can't believe that it's been about a month since I've blogged.  The Bartels's house is really frantic this time of year.  Drew and Tyler started wrestling and we are spending at least one day out of the weekend at youth tournaments.  Hailey is in full blown show choir mode and those competitions will start this weekend and will consume the other day of the weekend for me.  Drew, Tyler, and Ryan all decided to play club baseball and while Tyler hasn't stopped playing baseball from last year, Drew and Ryan will be starting practice here soon.  Not to mention it's performance evaluation time at work, which means getting to write 10 lovely evaluations for my team.  This is my explanation for not reading or blogging.

I finally got to finish my first book of 2014 this past weekend, staying up until 3:00 am then getting up at 5:30 am to get the boys ready for the wrestling tournament.  That was a rough day.  After a good nights sleep on Sunday, I rebounded and read a short story and another book on Monday.  Rachel wasn't kidding about The Selection Series by Kiera Cass.  Awesome series and looking for the release of the next book and short story.

Melissa's goals for 2014:

1.  More blogging.  I'm reading all of these books, so I need to take the time to blog about them.  I'm not committing to full blown reviews, but more ranting and raving about them.

2. Find more diamonds in the rough!  I love discovering new amazing authors and recommending their books.

3. This one will be hard, but I think I should probably FINISH one biography.

4. Beat my record, set in 2013, of 83 books and 23,301 pages.

5. Write a book.  I've been wanting to do this for a while now and honestly it scares me.  My boys are not the greatest readers and it's impossible to get them interested in reading.  I don't understand since I always have my nose in a book and love it.  I think they get this from their father.  Eventually, I want to write a children series that will grow and develop with them.  Baby steps though, I need to start small and write just ONE book.

Rachel's goals for 2014:

1. To read 50 books. She was a couple books short from completing this goal for 2013 so she wanted to try again for 2014.

2. Review 20 books on our blog and do some giveaways.

3. Try out an audiobook. Rachel hasn't ever listened to an audio book of her own freewill but she wanted to give it a try for 2014 since her daily commute is around an hour long.

4. Read at least 5 book by self published indie authors.

5. Read at least 5 books that she owns or that she borrowed from someone. Time to tackle all those books just gathering  up dust on her bookshelf.

Make sure to tell us what you have for your 2014 book goals/resolutions!

Top Ten Books/Series We Read in 2013

This week's Top 10 Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish. Yesterday's topic, Top Ten Books/Series We Read in 2013.

Happy New Year! 2013 has come to a close and 2014 has rolled in. These are the books/series that we LOVED in 2013. Hopefully, these books will join your TBR list for 2014 if you haven't already discovered these gems.

1. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

2. The Lux Series + the adult spinoff book, Obession by Jennifer Armentrout

3. The Selection Series by Kiera Cass

4. The Ancients of Light Series by Heather Fleener 

5.  The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

6. The Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver

7. The Covenant Series by Jennifer Armentrout

8. The Mindjack Trilogy by Susan Kaye Quinn

9.  The Insight Series by Jamie Magee

10.  The Room by Emma Donoghue

Share with us what made your top reads for 2013 so we can make sure to check them out in 2014. 

Top Ten New to Us Authors in 2013

This week's Top 10 Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish. Tonight's topic, Top Ten New to Us Authors in 2013.

2013 was a great year, full of new authors that Melissa and I will be watching for years to come.

1. Jennifer L. Armentrout / J. Lynn - Melissa discovered the Lux Series by Armentrout and then the Covenant series and let's just say she is now a J-ARM fan for life. I just started reading the Lux Series about a week ago and I will admit that Melissa knows how to recommend books. Props to Armentrout for creating one of the sexiest fictitious men I have ever stumbled across. I really hope she considers making the Lux series longer because I can't get my fill of Daemon Black.

2. Heather Fleener - Melissa introduced me to the Ancients of Light series by Fleener early this year and it has been quite a journey since. A journey full of sexy vampires who I just want to sink my teeth into. We also got a chance to meet Fleener and share some witches brew as we discussed the Realm she created along with it delicious residents.

3. Lauren Oliver - Before I Fall by Oliver just blew me away and then we read the Delirium series for book club. I am eagerly waiting for the releases of Panic and Rooms in 2014. I will read anything this woman writes.

4. Kiera Cass - What can I say other than I fell completely and utterly head over heads for Cass' Selection series. I can't wait for the final book, The One to be released in May.

5. Veronica Roth - We just discovered the Divergent series this year and it was like the Hunger Games all over again. We became obsessed with this series and....also Four. Yummy Yum Yum.

6. Susan Kaye Quinn - Melissa found the first book of Quinn's Mindjack trilogy on her Nook and since that day her life got hijacked by this series.

7. Jamie Magee - Melissa got reeled into Magee's Insight series by another freebie on B&N.

8. Tenaya Jayne - I found Forbidden Forest free on Amazon. Forest and Syrus romance had me swooning and sent tingles down my spine.

9. Samantha Hoffman - Between picking up Arena Wars and Zombie Island for free on Amazon, I have become absorb into Hoffman's worlds of werewolves, vampires and zombies. This woman knows how to make the men real while keeping them fantastically dreamy.

10. C.E. Wilson - Another pleasant surprise was the discovery of The Punishment Sequence series by Wilson. The story contained one of the most unusual relationship I have read but that is what made me adorn the first book in the series, Oath of Servitude sooo much. Now, I just need to get my hands on the second book. Don't miss my review and giveaway of Oath of Servitude coming soon.

Top 10 Tuesday- Top 10 Things we are Thankful for

This week's Top 10 Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.  Tonight's topic, Top 10 Things we are Thankful for.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, why not reflect in what we are thankful for.  I once heard a saying, "What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"  Makes you think.  We are so busy day after day, do we take the time to be thankful for everything that we have today?  I know I don't always.  Well, this list should cover us for tomorrow.

Rachel:
1. My friends and family, who recommend me new books. All our conversions end up getting around to "What are you currently reading?"

2. My boyfriend, he supports my crazy reading habits by purchasing me a tablet, pick up books that are on hold for me at the library and being understanding when my only verbal response is "uh-huh" to all his questions when my nose is in a book. 

3. Book Club, it provides an environment of wine, books, fantasy boyfriends and girl time. All things I love. 

4. Libraries, without libraries I would be broke many years ago and wouldn't have been induced to so many lovely books. 

5. Authors, without authors we wouldn't have all these great stories that help us to discover who we are and who we want to be.

6. Books, they transport us to a different world and body. They provide a escape from reality that everyone needs from time to time, no matter how old you are.

Melissa:
1. My husband, for everything; my kids, my sanity, and for understanding me so well.

2. My kids, without the idle time at little league games and practices I wouldn't have read as many books that I have.

3. My family, friends and co-workers, for letting me vent, keeping me on track, and being supportive. 

4. My job, for challenging me to be a better person, so I can provide for my family and be able to support my habits (see #5 and #6).

5. My camera and equipment, my creative outlet to capture all the important moments to freeze forever in time.

6. My nook, for providing me with hours and hours of entertainment.

7. Authors, for developing wonderful characters and worlds for me to visit any place, time or day.

What are you thankful for and couldn't live without?
 

Top Ten Books We'd Recommend to X Person

Top Ten Books We'd Recommend to X Person is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

Recommend to people who like distopias...
1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Recommend to people who want to read about a strong female protagonist...
1. Graceling by Kristin Cashore 

2. The Selection by Kiera Cass

Recommend to people who are looking for their next fantasy boyfriend in a steamy novel...
1. Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout
2. Chosen by Heather Fleener

Recommend to people who want to be transported into a magical world and completely forget about the real world...
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

2. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Recommend to people who like thought provoking books...
1. Before I Fall by Oliver Lauren

2. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

What are we missing? What would you recommend to us?

Top Ten Book Covers We Would Like to Redesign

This is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

 I don't know any of you knew this about me, but when I was 16 I decided I wanted to work in the movie studios in the special effects departments.  Any movie with some really kick a*# special effects goes straight to my heart.  This is another reason I prefer a good action movie to a romantic comedy any day.  I decided to go to my local community college and low and behold, not one single computer graphics class.  What can you expect, this was 15 years ago.  So I settled on the typical, not sure what I want to do major, Liberal Arts.  Then, life happens.  You get married, have kids, sometimes things don't happen like you planned.

About 3 1/2 years ago, I discovered photography.  I received a really great camera for my birthday, and it's now one of my hobbies.  I mostly take pictures of my kids, I really love the action shots from all of their sports.  Every once in a while I will do a friends son/daughter's senior picture, or a wedding.  Nothing major and nothing that I would do professionally.  I'm not a professional, just having some fun.  I recently received my green screen background and software.  Now I feel like I get to do something that I've always wanted to do, only with still pictures.  Anyways, I appreciate a really good book design since I admire those who went into the graphic design profession. If I was a professional, these would be the books covers that Rachel and I would like to redesign.

~Zombie Island (Zombie Apocalypse #1) Hoffman, Samantha

~All-American Girl (All-American Girl, #1) by Meg Cabot

~The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky

~The Hunt (The Hunt, #1) by Andrew Fukuda

~Jade Green by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
~All of the Incarnations of Immortality series by Pierce Anthony need a good update
~All of the MYTH Adventure series by Robert Asprin also need to be modernized.
~As much as I enjoy the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich the book covers could be spiced up a little

Which books would you like to see with a new cover?

Top Ten Sequels We Can't Wait To Get Our Hands On

This is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Sequels We Can't Wait To Get Our Hands On

1. The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass

2. Mistaken (Ancients of Light #4) by Heather Fleener

3. The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan

4. Opposition (Lux #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

5. Free Souls (Mindjack Trilogy #3) by Susan Kaye Quinn
6. Untitled (Lorien Legacies #5) by Pittacus Lore

7. Illusion (The Grimoire Saga #4) by S.M. Boyce
8. Skin Game  (The Dresden Files #15) by Jim Butcher

9. Untitled (The Mediator #7) by Meg Cabot

10. Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer

Top Ten Unusual Character Names

This is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Unusual Character Names

We picked ten books that contain unusual character names and they are not in any particular order. Sorry that this post is a day late. I have been crazy busy this month - I love Halloween and everything else this amazing month has brought with it (costumes, pumpkin carving and decorating) except this snow we have been getting. It isn't supposed to snow in October. Time to break out the hot chocolate.

1. Sayer, Lorcan, Kaitrianna, Turloch, Maeve and Dunkirk from the Ancients of Light series. Melissa contemplated renaming one of sons Sayer while reading Broken.

2. Pia and Eio from Origin.

3. Eilidh and Saor from the Caledonia Fae series.

4. Bitterblue, Greening Grandemalion (aka Po), Sapphire (aka Saf) and Leck from the Graceling series.

5. Jett and Settak from Firedancer. 

6. Leith, Syrus and Forest from Forbidden Forest.

7. Gemma, Harper and Penn from the Watersong series.

8. Albus, Fleur, Bellatrix, Severus, Draco, Luna and Rubeus from the Harry Potter series. 

9. Mina and Teague from the Unfortunate Fairy Tale series.

10. Peeta, Primrose and Katniss from the Hunger Games series.

Any unusual character names are we missing?

Top 10 Tuesday

This is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish and this week's topic is the Top Ten Favorite Books You Were Required to Read. These are not in any particular order.

 


Most of Rachel's are from school.  I can't remember what I read in school and if it wasn't for Goodreads, I probably wouldn't remember what I read yesterday.  Most of mine are from Book Club.  One of them we received as a Review request.  I'll let you figure out which one. ;)

Rachel's List 1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 2. The Adventures Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 3. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien 4. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry 5. Oath of Servitude by C. E. Wilson 6. Imaginary Invalid (Le Malade Imginaire) by Moliere 7. Room by Emma Donoghue 8. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (my book club pick) 9. Divergent by Veronica Roth (my book club pick) Melissa's List 1. On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony 2. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Rachel's book club pick) 3. Another Fine MYTH by Robert Asprin 4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Rachel's book club pick) 5. The Woods by Harlan Coben 6. Delirium by Lauren Oliver 7. Secret Daughter by Shilipi Somaya Gowda (Rachel's book club pick) 8. Oath of Servitude by C.E. Wilson
What books made your list?

Top Ten Best/Worst Series Enders

This is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish and this week's topic is the Top Ten Best/Worst Series Enders. These are not in any particular order.

Best: 

1. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I shut this book and thought, "WOW. How is any other book going to exceed my expectations ever again." The ending blows your mind.

2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore. This book tied in all the books in this series and answered all my questions about King Leck, Po and Fire.

3. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. I debated what list this should really go on because there wasn't as much action as I anticipated and Jacob's new love interest kind of creeped me out. On the other hand, I loved meeting all the different clans and learning about Bella's unique gift. However, the latter trumps the former.

4.The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. This ending was complete and felt right though I didn't mind that Riordan continued on things in the spin-off series, The Heroes of Olympus.

5. The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts. Melissa loved the ending of this series. I need to read this trilogy so I can find out why.

Worst (Our definition of worst in this case doesn't mean bad. It means the ending wasn't what we were expecting or that we wanted more from it meaning there were too many unanswered questions.We still  love these series otherwise we wouldn't have finished them in the first place):

1. Twilight by Meg Cabot. I love Jesse and the ending, but at the same time I wanted to know what happens next. The ending had too much of a cliffhanger feeling to it. I kept saying to myself, "Is that it?" and it was for the longest time. But, rumor has it that Cabot is writing an eighth book in this series so lets hope Jesse returns and the ending is solidified.

2. Requiem by Lauren Oliver. Great book except there should have been an epilogue. I need to know what happen to Grace and Hana, but more importantly with Julian, Lena and Alex. Also after reading Raven's novella, I have some unanswered questions about what Tack knows about Raven's condition during Requiem.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. I am such a hypocrite since I was not a fan of the epilogue for this. I felt like too many young characters lived thus it felt non-realistic. Then after all those years of adventures, Harry just settles down and lives a normal life...for a wizard and frankly that was too realistic for me. I have Peter Pan syndrome, you know, that fear to grow up and once Harry Potter grows up that means it is time for me to grow up as well. Frankly, I was not having that at age nineteen when I finished this series. Maybe I would feel different about it now.

4. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares. I haven't actually finished this series. Once my sister told me what happens to Tibby I have steered clear of reading this book. I don't know if I am prepared for this series to end especially since I know Tibby, who I have grown to know and love, will do something that will break my heart.

5. The Minority Council by Kate Griffin. Melissa loved this series more and more with each book, but she did say that the ending left it open and made you feel like more was to come. It sounds like there may be a spin-off series in the works that will satisfy Melissa's desire to see more of this world.

What do you think are the best or worst series enders? Do you agree/disagree with any of the books on our list? Any we are missing?

Top Ten Tuesday

This is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Book Turn Offs

Rachel's list is a little more cut and dry and mine.  I do agree with Rachel's list and in addition a turn off to me is how the book makes me feel.  A really well written book has so much power over my emotions it's not even funny.  For whatever reason, I become emotionally connected to what is happening in the book.  Is anyone else like this or is it just me?  One of big emotion that I do not care to feel when I read is terror which is one the reasons I stay away from horror books.  Blood and gore don't bother me, it's more of the feeling of terror when someone/something is going to jump out at you.  Disgust is also another big emotion I try to stay away from.  This is what I would feel if children are being mistreated in any way or when adults have no morals.  Contemplating rape, murder, abuse that sort of thing.   I also prefer books with happy endings, since sadness is also a very strong emotion for me as well, however, it's not a deal breaker.

These are on Rachel's list, which I also find annoying.

~Overuse of exclamation points
~Overuse of hyphens
~Over descriptiveness
~Childish dialogue
~Too cliche
~Drug use
~Incest


What else do you find are book turn offs?

Top Ten Best Sequels Ever

This is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Best Sequels Ever - These are not in any particular order.

1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Here is the test of a good book. You have to re-read the ending because your were reading it so fast that you didn't understand what happened.

2. Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan. Melissa and I both love Tyson. Also never have I seen my boyfriend laugh so much for a book as he has for Sea of Monsters.

3. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. Lisabeth gets her revenge and it is sooo sweet.

4. Forsaken by Heather Fleener. This is my favorite book in the Ancients of Light series so far. Nicholas' bad boy demeanor is so damn sexy.

5.Fire by Kristin Cashore. My favorite in the Graceling series even though I love them all. The land of Dells is beyond enchanting. Fire is an amazing and fascinating female protagonist. Just talking about this book makes me want to read it all over again.

6. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. Alex is dead. Lena stumbles upon Raven (I love her character). Lena starts falling in love with the enemy's son. Sound enticing? Why yes indeed. 

7. Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Melissa has been talking about these books nonstop since she started book #0.5 in the Lux series last week while she was in Nashville. Check out her review.

8. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares. I loved watching the girls' relationships and friendships grow and change throughout this book. This reminds me that I need to read the final book in this series.

9. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden takes a look at an unusual murder.

10. Insurgent by Veronica Roth. So many questions answered but so many new questions raised.  

What is on your top ten best sequels list?

Top Ten Books on Our Fall 2013 TBR List

I know I'm a day late, I'm in Nashville traveling for work and my internet at the hotel isn't that great.  So, I trying to sneak this today.  Nashville, is amazing.  This city continues to amaze me.  This is the second time I've been blessed to come here for work.  Next time, I'm bringing my husband and I will not be working.  So much to see and do, a great place to have a great time, eat some great food, and see some great shows.  I have been working, seeing as much of the town as I possibly can, and getting in some great reading time.  I haven't even turned on the T.V. at all since arriving here.  As you know, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish. This week's top ten is the Top Ten Book on Our Fall 2013 TBR List.

Rachel is actually participating in a Read-a-thon to tackle her TBR list.  She is doing a great job and you can check out her progress on this blog!  I'm just reading, it's what I love to do, so most of these are mine, and I'm fairly confident that I can get these all read by winter.  I do love a challenge!

~ Onyx by Jennifer Armentrout- These are the books that I downloaded right before leaving for Nashville.  This is the second book in the series because I've already finished the 0.5 and the 1st book.  Opal and Origin are next!  I'm am so deep into this series right now that I'm not going to be able to leave these unread. I'm pretty sure they all will be done by the time I'm back home.

~The Rebel Within and Rebels Divided by Lance Erlick.  Rachel and I received these book to review.

~City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.  Rachel and I both have just read the first book in this series, getting pumped up for the movie, we will both continue with the series.

~Legend, Prodigy, and Champion by Marie Lu.  Champion is set to be released November 5th, therefore, I need to catch up on the other two as well.

~House of Hades by Rick Riordan.  Rachel and I have been waiting a year for this book!  Release date October 8th.

~The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.  This is my book club pick for this month and I'm super excited to read it!

~Seaborn by S.A. Bolich.  Soon to be released, no official date yet but sounds like within the next couple of weeks.  I discovered this series completely by random and was hooked!  I have been waiting over a year for this 3rd book in this series to be released.

~Maze Runner by James Dashner.  My sister has been nagging at me to read these books and at our last book club meeting so we all entered into a little agreement that we would have this book and my pick done for the next book club meeting.  I think I can do it.

~ Hunt by Andrew Fukuda. This one is on Rachel's TBR list.  I haven't even the slightest idea of what this is about.

~ Allegiant by Veronica Roth.  EEK!  Every time I think about this book I get all giddy!  I'm so excited for this release on October 22nd.

Any others on your TBR list?

Top Ten Books We Would Love to See As A Movie/TV Show

This is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Books We Would Love To See As A Movie/TV Show (set in a perfect world...in which movies don't butcher the books we love) - These are not in any particular order.

1. Sign of Seven Trilogy by Nora Roberts. A group of kids opens up a portal and releases a demon which causing the residents of a town to commit unspeakable acts. M. Night Shyamalan should direct this.

2. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. This would be like Groundhog Day or Life or Something Like It, but better. I can picture the car crashing in slow motion, the music being muffled while the actress who plays Samantha Kingston does a voice over and says one of the many profound quotes from the book.

3. Matthew Swift Series by Kate Griffin. I would love to see all the different magical factions and art come to life.

4. Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. A beautiful Cinderella cyborg brought to life by Hollywood? Hells ya.

5. Ancients of Light by Heather Fleener. That scene where Lorcan is torturing Kat with his vampire bites in front of Laverock's gate while it is lighting and storming. Yum.

6. Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant. A young woman's hidden affair with a talented painter while her hand is given to an older, wealthier man. Set in 15th Century Florence.

7. Mindjack Trilogy by Susan Kaye Quinn. Telepathic abilities are hard to portray on the big screen but if done right this would be amazing.

8. The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot. Suze sees dead people and Jesse happens to be a sexy ghost who haunts her bedroom. Enough with the vampire flicks, it is time for a sexy ghost on the big screen.

9. Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs. Two sisters fighting over the same man's heart. This is a retelling of biblical story of Jacob, Leah and Rachel set in Scotland in 1788. Imagine the beautiful scenery, music and wardrobes.

10. Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. I would love to see a Stephen King movie that doesn't give me the creeps. 

What other books do you want to be seen made into a movie?

Top Ten Books We Wish Were Taught in School

This is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Books We Wish Were Taught in School

This week we had two choices of the Top Ten and we chose what books we wish were taught in school.  Rachel's books generally have a little more depth to them, so I had to seek her help with this list.  I read to escape and enjoy, so if I were a Language Arts teacher I think I would just be happy with kids reading, as long as they enjoy it.  More kids needs to love reading.  It breaks my heart that none of my four kids will willingly pick up a book and start to read.  They need to be bribed or forced.  Which I don't think helps the situation at all, so if anyone has any ideas please let me know.  Anyways, back to our top ten.  Rachel and I both agree that teenagers are in a tough place.  They think they are invincible, know everything, and yet they sometimes struggle with who they are and how they fit in.  Part of becoming an adult is that you have to go through a process to find your identity, it just sucks to have to do it alone most of the time.  If these books were taught in school, then maybe our teenagers wouldn't feel like they were alone.  Hope you enjoy!  I know a couple of these are now on my To-Read list thanks to Rachel.

1.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak- The Nazi Germany story beyond your Diary of Anne Frank or Number the Stars.  This story is narrated by Death himself from a perspective like nothing else I've read. 

2. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or Divergent by Veronica Roth.  These are our dystopian favorites and it just has to be on our list.

3. Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden.   A lesbian coming of age story about two girls who fall in love.  This book has actually been banned from many school libraries and, sadly, publicly burned in Kansas City.

4. Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer and A.J. Allen.  A young girl who is dealing with OCD.

5. Ishmael: An adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn.  This book will open your mind to how people are destroying the environment.

6. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid.  This book explores the relationship between the US and the Middle East.  Your interpretation of the ending gives you an insight of how you view the world.

7. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.  This book follows a girl who won't speak after the event that changed her life - her rape.

8. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda.  To learn about the two India's and another country's culture.

9. Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.  How fun would it have been to read these stories first before getting into Greek Mythology?

10. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.  Only because I feel that sometimes we need to open our minds because a lot of the time things aren't exactly what you think they are.

How about you?  What would you like to have read in school or what would you want to teach?

Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters

This is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters

There are sooo many memorable secondary characters that it made this week hard to narrow down to only ten but here are the ones that made our cut.

Rachel's Picks
1. Rudy, from The Book Thief. Rudy has such an amazing heart and personality that he is impossible to forget. The Jesse Owens scene with him is just beautiful.

2. Snape, from Harry Potter. I don't love Snape, but I did respect him at the end of this series. He redeems himself in a way no other character has done before or after in my eyes.

3. Jace, from City of Bones. On the other hand, I might love Jace. His sarcasm is over the top (which is kind of a turn on), but also my heart goes out to him and his difficulty in embracing and showing love.

4. Dobby, from Harry Potter. Dobby is one of the most loyal characters I have ever met. This little house elf stole my heart with his unending determination and courage.

5. Coach Hedge, from Heroes of Olympus. Coach Hedge's crazy antics always steal the spotlight.

Melissa's Picks

1. Dunkirk, from Forsaken. He is cleaver and witty. The big, soft teddy bear disguised as a big bad wolf.

2. Po, from Graceling. He is sexy, has a kick ass gift and overcomes many obstacles. What's not to love?

3. Joe Morelli, from Stephanie Plum. He oozes sex appeal and always has some smart ass reply to Stephanie's illogical explanations.

4. Thomas, from The Dresden Files. He is a white court vampire who also has a secret for those that haven't read the series yet. He gets Harry out of many, many uncomfortable situations.

5.Tyson, from Percy Jackson and the Olympians. He has the biggest heart in the world and you just have to love him.

What's on your Top Ten this Tuesday?

Top Ten Things That Make Our Life As Readers and Book Bloggers Easier

This is our Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Seven Things That Make Our Life As Readers and Book Bloggers Easier

1. Goodreads - This is a must have for any reader or blogger. I use it to see what other's are reading, view book ratings, follow author's blogs, watch for new releases, update my reading status, keep track of what I want to read and what I have read. I love its features to compare books, recommended books, set goals, create lists, enter in giveaways, ect. 

2. Our eReaders - Melissa is a Nook girl. I am indecisive so instead of picking a Nook or Kindle, I decided not to decide by purchasing a Samsung Galaxy Tablet thus having the best of both worlds with Nook and Kindle apps. And Melissa now has a Kindle app on her Nook so we are both serious offender of free book downloads on Amazon and B&N.

3. Local Library - The library is my home away from home. I wouldn't be as well read if it wasn't for public libraries since about 2/3 of the books I read are from the library.

4. Bloglovin' - My bloglovin' feed gives me quick access to what my fellow bloggers are posting, reading and reviewing. It allows me to see more of my friend's blogs in less time so I can spend more time reading.  It is a win-win!

5. Book club - Book clubs give me a excuse to read books, drink wine and have a girl's night. Not that I need an excuse. They also introduce me to books I might have not discovered on my own.

6. Other Blogs - I love to explore fellow blogger's pages and find new books that need to be added to my TBR list. I also enjoy seeing the diversity in reviews, blog templates and posts. 

7. Fotor - This is a site I found that you can do picture collages and stitching. I especially like this when I have big hauls or large showcases. I haven't played around with it too much, but out of all the site I found this one has worked the best. Here is a quick example of what you can do on Fotor.

What other things make your life easier as a reader/book blogger? What was on your top ten this week?

Top Ten Books Set in an Alternate Realm

This is our second Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Favorite Books With (X) Setting

When Rachel and I sat down last week to discuss what to do for this weeks top ten, we pondered a couple of choices. Dystopia or Alternative Realms. Apparently, most of our reads lately have fallen under either of these two settings which we are lovin' right now. We decided on Alternative Realms as the setting because our top ten list for books set in a dystopia would be: The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins, The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth, and The Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver. We can offer you slightly more of a variety with books that were set in alternate realms or maybe not. Here they are...

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
2. Fire by Kristin Cashore
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
4. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
5. Forsaken by Heather Fleener
6. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
7. Chosen by Heather Fleener
8. Firedancer by  S.A. Bolich
9. Windrider by S.A. Bolich
10. Lichgates by S.M Boyce

Can you think of anymore to add to either of our lists? What is on your top ten list for this week?