Top Ten Authors I’ve Read The Most Books From

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish!

So I haven’t done one of these in a LONG time, but since the theme worked so well into the direction I’m turning the blog in (i.e., promoting what I love, leaving the critical reviewing behind), I just had to do it. So, here we go (in no particular order)!

1. Tamora Pierce

This woman was the hero of my childhood. She was the hero of my tweens. She is the hero of my twenties. I got to learn from her for two summers in a row in high school–and THEN she came to my college freshman year–and the starry eyed wonder of her has never left me. Not to mention the fact that she has written more books than I actually know how to count and I have read them ALL.

2. Clive Cussler

There are about 20+ books in his Dirk Pitt series, PLUS however many are in the Kurt Austin adventures. He’s got a few other series now, but I’m a traditionalist and I’ve only ever read through these two favorites of mine.

3. Meg Cabot

Didn’t every girl go through this phase? I’m not just talking Princess Diaries here, either. I read her stand-alones, her All-American Girl series … everything. If Meg Cabot write it, I had to have it.

4. Philippa Gregory

I will forever be cranky about the historical leaps that she took in The Other Boleyn Girl especially, but that doesn’t stop me from lapping up every single book she writes on Tudor England. I think the only books by her that I haven’t read was that one non-Royal series she did and–strangely–her YA series. The first book of which I have lying around here … somewhere.

5. Richelle Mead

Richelle is another one of those authors that has written more books than I know how to count, but I haven’t actually read them ALL. I’m deeply obsessed with her 12 Vampire Academy and Bloodlines books but I have also read part of her Gameboard of the Gods series. I don’t know what I’ll do without more VA goodness, but she’s got me hooked enough on her to keep going with whatever she writes.

6. Cassandra Clare

Did you guys miss the time that I drove 5 hours one way mostly to see Cassie? Because I did that. I have not only read everything she’s ever written, but also own it. (Except for that middle grade series she’s doing. I’m scared of middle grade.) She’s one of my favorite authors of all time right now, and I don’t see that changing in the foreseeable future.

7. Eva Ibbotson

Did anyone else read these books as a kid? I couldn’t stop. Sometime during my childhood, the publisher did a re-release of a bunch of her stuff and I bought all of it. It’s just so much … fun. Romantic, magical fun.

8. Simone Elkeles

I read Perfect Chemistry by Simone and I was just hooked. I went back and read all the stuff I’d missed beforehand, and then the two books that followed Perfect Chemistry. I even started her new series before my love of contemporary YA romance phased out. I still love these books to death, though.

9. Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall was absolute perfection. When her Rebel Belle series started, I wasn’t so sure I could do it. But no. I’m in love with Rachel forever and always.

10. Kiersten White

Sometimes I forget just how MUCH STUFF Kiersten has done. Her Paranormalcy series was beautiful, of course, but then there was her Egyptian God based book Chaos of Stars–which I just reread–and her Mind Games series. All of which I own, of course!

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ARC Review: “Wild Cards” by Simone Elkeles

Wild Cards (Fullriders #1) by Simone Elkeles

Goodreads | Amazon

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain–people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

Thanks to Walkers Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this eARC! This title will be released on October 1st, 2013.

Three stars

I have a soft spot for Simone Elkeles’ books. When I saw she was writing a new series, I jumped up and down with glee. I had hoped that with this one Simone might try for something a little different, and it certainly seemed that way. But what I got was more of the same tried and true Simone Elkeles, but not in the best way.

Top Ten Books On My Fall 2013 TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish!

I have a lot of books that I have but need to read. Therefore, the only way I could possibly make sense of this TTT is by listing the next 10 book reviews I have scheduled on my handy-dandy Google Calendar. Hopefully, if all goes well, these will be the next 10 or so reviews that you see from me. Marina will just be surprising you. 😉

Waiting on Wednesday #19

Waiting on Wednesday is a feature hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: Foretold – 14 Tales of Prophecy and Prediction

Author(s): Richelle Mead, Carrie Ryan, Simone Elkeles, Meg Cabot, Heather Brewer, Saundra Mitchell, Diana Peterfreund, Laini Taylor, Margaret Stohl, Matt de la Pena, Kami Garcia, Malinda Lo, Lisa McMann, and Michael Grant

Expected Publication Date: August 28, 2012

Summary from Goodreads: Have you ever been tempted to look into the future? To challenge predictions? To question fate?

It’s human nature to wonder about life’s twists and turns. But is the future already written—or do you have the power to alter it?

From fantastical prophecies to predictions of how the future will transpire, Foretold is a collection of stories about our universal fascination with life’s unknowns and of what is yet to come as interpreted by 14 of young adult fiction’s brightest stars.

Why I’m Waiting: Okay, not going to lie, at first I only wanted this book for Mead’s Rose and Dimitri story. I mean, I have been DYING for that ever since Mead said she was writing it. But after seeing that author list? I’m going crazy for the WHOLE THING. This is almost too much awesomeness in one book to handle.

My Favorite Reads Giveaway Hop – Win a Simone Elkeles Prize Pack!

My Life is a Notebook is participating in the My Favorite Reads Giveaway Hop, June 1st thru June 6th, as hosted by I’m a Reader, Not a Writer and Rachelle’s Writing Spot! What this means is that you can enter the giveaway here and then click HERE to go to a list of 148 other blogs hosting giveaways of their own!

For my “Favorite Reads” I’m going with FREAKING EVERYTHING Simone Elkeles has ever written. Seriously. (Well, unless you count her Fullriders series but that isn’t released yet!) Anyways. What’s in this prize pack? Well, one lucky winner will get:

The entire Perfect Chemistry trilogy

– Paperback copy of Perfect Chemistry

– Hardcover Rules of Attraction

– Hardcover Chain Reaction (See my review here)

The entire Leaving Paradise duology

– Paperback Leaving Paradise

– Paperback Return to Paradise

And a 3-1 version of her How to Ruin trilogy!

Excited yet? To read the rules and enter the giveaway, click HERE and open the link in a new window. This will be very important, trust me. Please note that this giveaway is for US ONLY.

This giveaway is over! The winner is Sarah A.!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books to Read in a Day

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Alright, now, total disclaimer here: books that I can read in a day are … everything. Seriously. I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in one day. I am a speed-reader like nobody’s business. I’m going to try to slow it down here as best I can and not add something like War and Peace to this list. 😛 (All title links go to Goodreads)

1. The First Test by Tamora Pierce

Now, seriously, I’ll let you in on something. When I read this one (the first book in Pierce’s Protector of the Small series) or, say, the first book in her Song of the Lioness series or – erm, really, any of her books up til the Beka Cooper series, I just read the entire series in one shot. As I see it, I own them all – why not? Every single one is a funny, exciting ride that brings back so many memories for me, so that’s just kind of become a tradition with me.

2. A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

Yet another blast from the past, I know, but a book I just adore. Don’t ask me WHY I own so many Ibbotson books, because after a while they all look very much the same, but A Countess Below Stairs has always been my favorite. Eva Ibbotson is classic and this book is cute. Enough said.

3. The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

My favorite of all Moran’s books (so far) is also, sadly, the shortest. Still, rereads happen FREQUENTLY. Nefertari is a very active character I wish was my best friend, and the genuine love story that develops between her and Rameses never gets old. This is also by far my favorite overall cast of characters when up against Nefertiti and Cleopatra’s Daughter.

4. Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

If you’ve read my review of this book, then you know I squealed in it (and have squealed multiple times since) that this book and it’s predecessor Angelfire read like rapid fire shot guns. It’s AMAZING. These books ARE big, but you just HAVE to read them in a day because EVERYTHING just keeps HAPPENING. It kept me up til wee hours of the morning because there is just no way I could put it down.

5. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

The next two books in this series might have been a lot like repeats of this one, but there is a reason for that: this book was pretty good! It’s one of my guilty pleasure books when I’m in the mood for YA romance.

6. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

As much as I try, I don’t think I will ever make any kind of favorites list without mentioning this book. I’m really sorry, guys, but again: HAVE YOU SEEN MY REVIEW? There is more CAPS than I ever care to write with. I just adore this book til the moon and back, and I just can’t seem to stop rereading it. Ever. It still makes me laugh so hard I cry. Speaking of which…

7. Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Again, I believe we’ve been over this too. Several times. But GUYS. The ENTIRE Hex Hall series. (No matter what I said about Spell Bound!) I love these books. I want Sophie to be my best friend. I want Archer to be my boyfriend. (SHH, don’t tell my real boyfriend!) I want Jenna to be my best friend. I LOVE THESE BOOKS.

8. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

I think it’s bad that I live for the end of this book. Nothing gives me more glee than to watch this love triangle set up, knowing what’s coming. I think that’s a sign that I need to either stop reading books with love triangles in them or get therapy. Or, you know, both. But seriously. Check out my book review! And read this if you want a fresh take on a love triangle!

9. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

TIME FOR MORE CAPS. Why? Because why not! I adore this book and I’m not ashamed to say it! (Seriously, have you SEEN my book review?) Anyways. This book is for people who want a fresh new world to explore, people who want to see some interesting characters AND people who want some real romance. It’s like you can’t lose!

10. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Seriously? Did you think you could get out of one of my lists without a Cassandra Clare book? Because you can’t. Ever. READ THESE BOOKS. Okay, so, her Infernal Devices series is said to be better than this Mortal Instruments series, but these were the first ones I read and therefore closest to my heart.

Book Review: Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Book Review: Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. But that didn’t stop him from taking risks — whether he’s scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can’t stop looking for the next thrill. Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules — boys lie to get their way, don’t trust a boy who says “I love you,” and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor’s daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex’s wedding, and suddenly, she’s tempted to break all her rules. Getting Nikki to take a chance on a south sider is Luis’s biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis’s family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he’s ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world and permanently living on the edge?

The third book in Simone Elkeles’s Perfect Chemisty series was good. It was a little different. It flowed. If it had been the first of a series, I would have applauded Elkeles for having created a very solid beginning. But the thing was, it wasn’t. Chain Reaction was supposed to be the finale to her Perfect Chemistry novels, but compared to its predecessors, it didn’t measure up. There wasn’t much of the real chemistry found in Perfect Chemistry or the sweetness found in Rules of Attraction. Luis was good as a character, but this was constantly undermined by the cockiness about him that felt forced (as if Elkeles has gotten him confused with Carlos) and the fact that the one thing Nikki asked of him was not to lie, and that was all he did. Nikki herself started out as a strong character–if you can get past the fact that she was Mexican as opposed to white like in the other two books but all she did was act white–but towards the end she fell flat and unbelievable as she continued to pine after Luis after everything he did to her.

I will admit that the book had its moment; a few between Nikki and Luis, but most when Elkeles brought back Carlos and Kiara and Alex and Brittany–and kids! I fell in love with Alex and Brittany and I adored Carlos and Kiara so my perception is skewed, but it seems to be that I shouldn’t be begging for characters from past books to drop in instead of caring about the story the book is actually about.

I must say, the end of the book did much to redeem itself, but there is only so much it can do when the rest of the book has been so flat. There was an interesting twist (and even another senseless death like Perfect Chemistry. Not what I meant, Mrs. Elkeles!) The epilogue, of course, was as corny and sweet as ever, and put a nice closing chapter onto the trilogy. All and all, a good read, but not quite as good as the first two books in the series.