Top Ten Fave Books I’ve Read During the Lifespan of My Blog

 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

It's been a really long time since I participated in Top Ten Tuesday. In fact, I don't think I've done one all this year - crazy! This one was really hard to do, because I've read and loved a ton of books in the year and however many months that I've been blogging. I managed to narrow it down though, and here's my top ten for today.

Top Ten Favourite Books I’ve Read During the Lifespan of My Blog

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Paris! Anna. Etienne. Canadian flag pin. Movies. Sleeping alone in the dorm. Humor. Romance. Did I mention Paris? What’s not to love?

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Touching, funny, emotional, worthy of the ‘epic’ in its title. I’ve always wanted to take a cross-country road trip, and this book had my wanderlust itching as I fell in love with Amy, Roger, and all the secondary characters.

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Lyrical writing, unique storyline, beautiful love story.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Riveting, exciting, romantic, brilliantly unique.

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Another story that got my wanderlust going. I connected so much with Bria, fell in love with Rowan, and felt like I was right there with them as they explored and learned and grew.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Another fantastically unique concept, totally different from other dystopians, which often feel like the same old recycled story with new characters. Brilliant characters, beautiful writing - overall amazing book.

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

A dark and gritty retelling of Little Red Riding Hood...with werewolves. Incredible.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

When I read Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen, I was barely in my mid-teens and I couldn’t imagine loving one of her books more. It was my story - it felt like she’d written it just for me, but I think I loved Along for the Ride at least as much. There’s a reason why Sarah Dessen is known as the YA contemp queen, and it’s because of books like Along for the Ride.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

I’d been looking for a truly amazing faerie book, and I found it with The Iron King. Enchanting, romantic, exciting, funny - it had a bit of everything with a healthy dose of fae lore (I love all things fae).

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Incredibly emotional, beautifully written, poignant.

I fell in love with the characters in each of these books - I was able to relate to the female leads, and I swooned over the guys (seriously...every single one of these books has at least one swoonworthy boy...I'm all about the romance and swoonworthy boys!). Even though it's been a long time since I read a few of these, I still think about them often.

What are some of your favourite books that you've read in the lifespan of your blog? Have you read any of the books from my list? Be sure to leave a comment or a link, and I'll visit you in return!

Book Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Published: March 13th, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

352 pages (ebook)

Genre: Contemporary young adult

Acquired this book: NetGalley

{GoodReads || Purchase this book: Book Depository || Amazon}

Synopsis: It all begins with a stupid question:
Are you a Global Vagabond?
No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.
Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.
But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

I don't know where to start with this one. There were so many things I loved about Wanderlove.

First of all, Bria was a great character. She was believable, relatable, and likable. I admired her bravery in traveling alone; it's something I've always secretly wanted to do, but have never had the guts to actually do. Bria wanted to temporarily escape her life and all the people who disappointed her and hurt her in various ways, and she succeeded in doing that while having the adventure of a lifetime, and learning surprising things about herself. Her thoughts, emotions, and reactions were so real. She grew so much as a character, and I loved taking that journey with her.

The secondary characters were great, too. Rowan, Starling, and all the other people who made appearances throughout the story. They added to Bria's journey of discovery, and to the story itself with their humour, insight, and knowledge.

I loved how the relationship between Bria and Rowan grew. Their friendship started off kind of rocky and had its moments, but it was enjoyable, whether they were arguing or laughing. They learned a lot from each other and about each other. I loved how the romance between them took time to blossom, and it wasn't the main focus of the story - this was Bria's journey, and in a lot of ways it was Rowan's journey too; it was about them becoming whole people, confronting their demons and their pasts, and figuring out how to move on.

I also really loved learning about the places Bria went. I've never had any real interest in traveling to Central America - nothing against it, I'm just not really a tropical kind of girl. Beaches don't do much for me, and neither does the heat. I'm the type who would rather go to Europe and see historical sites and museums and monuments and scenery. But after reading Wanderlove, I'm actually considering adding the places Bria visited to my bucket list. They were described so vividly - the good, the bad, the sketchy, and the beautiful. I was always excited to see where Bria and Rowan would end up next, and learn little tidbits about local culture and custom.

I try not to compare books to other books - "if you enjoyed *insert title here*, you'll enjoy this book". It doesn't really seem fair, since all books are different. But...I'm going to make an exception, and I mean this as the greatest compliment ever, because these are two of my favorite books. Wanderlove reminded me in the best possible ways of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. The relationships that start out as friends, those sweet, squee-worthy will-they/won't they moments, the witty banter, the developing feelings kept secret, etc. And of course, the travel. The exploration and discovery. The stories themselves are completely different and unique, but some of the elements are what makes these three of my favorite books.

Overall, I thought this book was amazing. Plain and simple. I loved everything about it, from the characters to the dialogue to the places to the writing style. Oh! And the drawings...how could I forget about the drawings? They were amazing, and added so much to the visual appeal of the book. Ms. Hubbard is multi-talented! Books like this are the reason I love contemporary young adult.

Have you read Wanderlove? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan on reading it? Do you enjoy books about road trips and travel as much as I do?