Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I’ve Read the Most Books From

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

~Top Ten Authors I've Read the Most Books From~

JK Rowling: 9

HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER

Maddy Hunter: 9

The Passport to Peril series is one of my favourite series ever. These cozy mysteries are each set in a different place (Switzerland, Ireland, Italy, Hawaii, Australia, Norway, Holland, Scotland, and France, respectively), and not only are they hilarious, but even after 9 books, I've never been able to figure out the mystery. Plus they stir up my never-ending wanderlust, and I get to live vicariously through Emily.

Cecelia Ahern: 8

Ahern is best known for PS I Love You (gaaah my feels), but she also writes fantastic magical realism. I haven't loved her newer books as much, and I even DNF'd One Hundred Names (it just about killed me to do it because I loved her older books so much, but I was bored senseless). She has a few newer ones I haven't read, and I'm going to take a chance and give them a try sometime soon. If you haven't read any of hers but want to, I'd recommend starting with Where Rainbows End (also known as Rosie Dunne or Love, Rosie), If You Could See Me Now (also known as A Silver Lining) or A Place Called Here (also known as There's No Place Like Here). PS I Love You and The Gift are also personal favourites, but be prepared to be punched in the feels.

 

Sarah Dessen: 6

One of my favourite authors since I was about 15. I hate to admit that despite owning all but two of her books, I still haven't read them all!

Sarah Addison Allen: 5

Another author who writes incredible magical realism. The Sugar Queen is one of my all-time favourite books, and I absolutely love Garden Spells. I re-read it recently, and loved it even more than I did the first time.

Veronica Rossi: 5

THIS SERIES. Gah. Perry, Aria, and Roar are characters that will never, ever leave me.

Lilly Avalon: 5

Lilly is a good friend of mine, plus one of my critique partners (and I happen to design her book covers), so I've read pretty much everything she's written!

Stephanie Perkins: 4

Anna and the French Kiss is another of my all-time favourite books. I adore this whole series, plus Stephanie's contribution to the My True Love Gave to Me anthology was adorable and lovely. 

 

Lia Riley: 4

The Off the Map series is amazing beyond description. I adore Talia and Bran, and Lia's writing is fantastic. These books are honest, bold, sexy, emotional, and totally swoonworthy.

AC Gaughen: 3

ROBIN HOOD. These books turn the Robin Hood legend on its head, with "Will Scarlet" actually being a girl in Robin's band. Tons of action, adventure, heartache, swoons, and feels.

Who are some of the authors you've read the most books from? If you did this week's TTT, feel free to leave your link and I'll visit you in return!

Blog reminders: the cover reveal for my 7th book, Something in the Air, is August 20th, and sign-ups are currently open. I also have 3 giveaways open right now: a wishlist giveaway to celebrate the new design of my blog, plus 2 giveaways from Lilly Avalon!

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What's Happening + Stacking the Shelves June 8th

I reviewed Born of Illusion by Teri Brown and gave it 3.75 stars

I reviewed Linked by Imogen Howson and gave it 3 stars

I talked about how I’ll be slowing down on the blog for the summer

 

In Distractions from Reading I talked about the reasons I haven’t been reading as much lately 

On my personal blog I shared my tips (along with a bunch of photographs) for DIY maternity photography; I talked about visiting Toronto and going up in the CN Tower; this week was week one of my new feature called Gilmore Girls Mondays; and I talked about being in the delivery room when my nephew was born

 

I'm an aunt again! My very first niece, Maddison, was born Thursday morning at 4:43am. She weighed 9 pounds, 12 1/4 ounces and she's all roley poley and crazy dark hair. We went to visit her in the hospital, and since the visiting hours on the maternity ward are pretty lenient, we ended up staying for four hours. I got to hold her for about two hours on and off (talk about aunty heaven!), and we got to see her big brothers seeing her for the first time (my nephews are 3 and 10). I'll be talking about it more and sharing more pictures on Lost and Found this weekend. 

Also, this happened:

Sarah Dessen has been one of my favourite authors since I was 16 and first read Someone Like You, so this was pretty exciting for me! A new long-awaited Sarah Dessen book (see below), a niece, and a tweet from Sarah all in the same week! :-D

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews

I got a ton of great books this week - a couple for review, won one, got a few ebooks, and I went to my local Alzheimer's Society book sale and got a bunch of books. Here's my haul for this week:

FOR REVIEW:

To Be Perfectly Honest (A Novel Based on an Untrue Story) by Sonya Sones {GoodReads}

Georgetown Academy Season 1 (books 1-4 in the series) by Jessica Koosed Etting and Alyssa Embree Schwartz {GoodReads}

WON:

From Ashley at Ashley Loves Books

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger {GoodReads}

BOUGHT:

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen {GoodReads}

The Forsaken by Lisa M Stasse  {GoodReads}

The MacGregor Grooms by Nora Roberts {GoodReads}

The MacGregors: Serena and Caine by Nora Roberts {GoodReads} 

The MacGregors: Daniel and Ian by Nora Roberts {GoodReads} 

The Calhouns: Catherine, Amanda, Lilah by Nora Roberts  {GoodReads} 

Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts {GoodReads} 

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon {GoodReads}

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon {GoodReads}

The Witches of Willowmere by Alison Baird {GoodReads}

Atonement by Ian McEwan {GoodReads}

From the Ground Up: U2360 Tour Official Photobook {GoodReads}*

On Every Street by Karina Halle {GoodReads}

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover {GoodReads}

*The U2 photobook was this year's U2.com subscriber perk. It's a huge book with pictures from the 360 tour (which I went to), four lithographs, 4 bookmarks and a CD

*A big thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada, Coliloquy, and Ashley*

What books did you get this week? Tell me in the comments below or post a link to your Stacking the Shelves/Book Haul/In My Mailbox/Showcase Sunday, etc. Happy reading! <3

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Want to Reread

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

This week's TTT is a rewind where we can pick any previous topic we want. I've chosen...

Top Ten Books I Want to Reread

1. Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
This was my favourite book as a teenager, and I read it two or three times. I've been wanting to reread it for awhile, but I've been putting it off because it was my favourite book and I was so tied to it for emotional reasons that I'm afraid of how I might feel about it now as an adult (I talked more about it in February in my To Reread or Not to Reread discussion post). I'll be reading it soon as part of the Spring of Sarah Dessen Reading Challenge.

2. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
This is in my top 5 - maybe even top 3 - contemporary YA books ever. Funny, romantic, and emotional, with great characters, fantastic little extras (the drawings and playlists are classic), and a super fun road trip, I've been wanting to reread this book ever since I first read it in 2011.

3. Splintered by AG Howard
I just read this one a few months ago, but it was an instant favourite, and I had to buy it after reading the ARC because I knew I'd read it again. I'll likely wait until closer to the next book comes out before rereading this one - if I can wait that long!

4. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
I read this one in my teens, along with the next two books. Now I want to reread them and then read the final two books. This was on my summer reading list last year but I never got around to it, so I'm hoping for this summer!

5. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
A pre-blogging favourite, and my introduction to Sarah Addison Allen, who is now one of my favourite authors. This book was so amazing and I want to reread it so I can finally write a review.

6. The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
Next to Harry Potter (which I was going to put on this list, but if you know me at all, it's probably obvious, since I talk about Harry Potter all the time, plus I've already read them several times, and it feels like a given that I'll read them again), the Chronicles of Narnia is probably my favourite fantasy series. The seven books aren't that long, so I figure it shouldn't take me too long to reread them, and I'd really love to be able to write reviews for them.

7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Another pre-blogging favourite, and another favourite series. I read these just before I started blogging, and I seem to have forgotten quite a bit, so I'd like a refresher. 

8. Zel by Donna Jo Napoli 
My favourite fairytale retelling. I read this book a couple times in my late teens/early twenties and have been wanting to reread it again (re-reread?) for awhile. I don't think any of my blog friends have read this book and it's a shame because it's so beautiful and dark and haunting.

9. On Fortune's Wheel by Cynthia Voigt
I read this one in high school and I honestly don't remember anything about it except that it rekindled my love of reading at the time. I own it and have been wanting to reread it for years, and I'm determined this is the year!

10.Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
I read this shortly after the movie came out several years ago. I don't normally see a movie before reading the book, but I wasn't reading much at the time, so when I fell in love with the movie I knew I had to read the book.

What are some books you want to reread?

If you're participating in Top Ten Tuesday this week, be sure to leave a link below and I'll stop by and see your TTT rewind!

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The Daydreamer's Ramblings: Books We Once Loved

The Daydreamer’s Ramblings is a semi-regular feature here at Ramblings of a Daydreamer. It ranges from discussion posts to rants to raves.

 

I think many of us have reread books we loved as children, whether they’re actual children’s books, middle grade or teen books, or maybe even classics. There’s a curiosity there - maybe you don’t remember certain details of the story, or perhaps you simply remember loving it as a child or teen and now as an adult you want to remember what it was you loved so much.

Last year I reread Anne of Green Gables for the first time since I was in my early teens. I loved the book then, I still love the movies, and I was certain I would love reading Anne as an adult, and I did. In fact, I think I loved it even more as an adult.

But there are other books I’ve been wanting to reread that I’m a bit wary of trying. For whatever reason, they meant a lot to me when I originally read them, but what if I hate them now? Blogging has made me a more critical reader, as has being a writer and editor. What if the things that drew me to a book when I was fifteen repel me now? What if the characters are silly or the plot is lacking and I end up wondering what on earth 15-year-old me had been thinking?

As part of the Spring of Sarah Dessen Reading Challenge (have you signed up yet, by the way? It runs until June!), I’m reading (or rereading in some cases) all of Sarah’s books, and I’m doing it in the order of publication. I’ve already read That Summer, and now it’s time to read Someone Like You.

When I was 15 or 16, I read Someone Like You and it spoke to me like very few books had before. The main character was me - her thoughts, her actions, everything - her best friend was my best friend and her boyfriend was my boyfriend. It was uncanny. It was one of those books that you’re sure somehow the author wrote just for you, and at a time when you needed it desperately. To this day, when someone asks me what my favourite books are, Someone Like You is on my short list.

But I’m scared to reread it. I read it twice, maybe even three times when I was a teen, and I even had my best friend read it because it was ‘our’ story. But it’s been about thirteen years since I read it, and I worry how I’ll feel about it now - this story that I sort of put on a pedestal for the last decade plus. I keep looking at it sitting on my shelf (my original 1998 copy, by the way) and I can’t bring myself to pick it up. I need to get moving if I’m going to read all of Sarah’s books before June, but I can’t seem to make myself do it.

There are at least half a dozen books from my teens I plan to reread this year and while I feel slight trepidation, none of them are hitting me on an emotional level the way this one is. I know it’s probably silly, and I’m sure I’ll love it as much as I did back then, but I can’t help but think ‘What if I don’t?’

Has this ever happened to you? Have you reread a book you once loved and ended up hating it or feeling indifferent toward it?

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Book Review: That Summer by Sarah Dessen

That Summer by Sarah Dessen

Series: Stand-alone

Published: October 1st, 1996

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

198 pages (paperback)

Genre: Contemporary young adult

Acquired this book: Bought

Warning: May contain spoilers

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For fifteen-year-old Haven, life is changing too quickly. She's nearly six feet tall, her father is getting remarried, and her sister—the always perfect Ashley—is planning a wedding of her own. Haven wishes things could just go back to the way they were. Then an old boyfriend of Ashley's reenters the picture, and through him, Haven sees the past for what it really was, and comes to grips with the future.

  

I’ve been a fan of Sarah Dessen’s books since I was in my mid-teens. I first read That Summer when I was about fifteen, but when I picked it up recently I honestly didn’t remember a single thing about it. Upon rereading it all these years later, I think I realize why. This was Dessen’s first novel and it shows; she’s certainly come a long way in the last decade and a half.

That Summer is kind of a strange book. The entire story was told - and I emphasize ‘told’ - in a very passive voice from Haven’s perspective. It felt almost like an older woman telling a story about her youth rather than a fifteen-year-old girl telling her story. It was a lot of inner dialogue, thoughts, and observations.

While there wasn’t much actual plot and the way the story was told was kind of odd, I appreciated Haven’s growth and self-discovery. She was a bit overlooked in her family, and all these things kept happening to her that were beyond her control. She had to deal with a lot of disappointments in her life, and I really felt for her. She learned that things change, people change, and growing up is difficult and often painful, but you learn so much along the way, and there’s a lot of good mixed in with the bad if you’re open to it.

That Summer is definitely not my favourite Sarah Dessen book, but I’m glad I reread it. If you haven’t read any of her other books, I wouldn’t recommend starting with this one,
but I think any true fan of Dessen’s work should give it a shot.

“Sometimes things don’t turn out the way you want them to, Haven. Sometimes the people you choose to believe are wrong.” ~ Ashley, That Summer, page 192

 

Have you read That Summer? What did you think? What's your favourite Sarah Dessen book?

 

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This post is part of The Spring of Sarah Dessen Reading Challenge. To learn more and/or to sign up, visit this page. 

The Spring of Sarah Dessen Reading Challenge Kick-Off

Today is the official beginning of the Spring of Sarah Dessen! If you need a reminder of the details, and/or you want to sign up click here. Sign-ups will remain open throughout the course of the challenge so that latecomers can join in too.

Here's how submitting your reviews will work: since each review gets you one entry into the giveaway at the end, I thought people might as well just enter their reviews right into the Rafflecopter. Don't forget that only reviews posted for the first time between March 1st and June 1st count toward this challenge. Each review that's submitted will be featured on this page so we can all check out each others' reviews.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Remember to use the hashtag #SOSD on Twitter to update your progress, and don't forget to grab the button in the side bar and place it somewhere on your blog. Have fun, and happy reading!

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