Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR

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

Okay, so there are a lot of books on my October-December reading list already, so I'm picking out the ten that I am most convinced I will like. Then, later, I can look back and see if I have a good sense for my own taste or not. Wish me luck!

1. The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two (Fairyland #3) - Catherynne M. Valente

Okay, so I actually still have to read the sequel, but I loved The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland, and I'm pretty damn confident that I will love both of these. The third book comes out on October 8th.

2. Reality Boy - A. S. King

Even though Lili (Lili's Reflections), who sent this to me, didn't like what she read, and I've seen some unfavorable reviews, I'm still really hopeful that I will love Reality Boy. Ask the Passengers, The Dust of 100 Dogs and Everybody Sees the Ants all impressed me, so I'm willing to bet that King will live up to that.

3. Crash Into You (Pushing the Limits #3) - Katie McGarry

Based on early reviews, Katie McGarry will not let me down with this installment either. Loved both Pushing the Limits and Dare You To, and I'm excited to see if McGarry can make me love Isaiah.

4. Parasite (Parasitology #1) - Mira Grant

MIRA GRANT. That is all. Okay, maybe not. From what I've heard, I won't love this as much as Newsflesh (Feed/Deadline/Blackout), but what the heck can I possibly love that much. I fully anticipate that this will still be brilliant.

5. Racing Savannah (Hundred Oaks #4) - Miranda Kenneally

Miranda Kenneally has proven herself with Catching Jordan, Stealing Parker, and my personal favorite Things I Can't Forget. This one has HORSES. How can I not love this?

Already Published:

1. Nantucket Blue (Nantucket #1) - Leila Howland

To be honest, when this cover was revealed, I had no interest in this book, because it looks like it would some poor little rich kids at their family's beach house or something. However, all the good reviews have made me crave this and I will be reading it soon for Sadie Hawkins Sunday

2. Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling

Over the holidays, I'll be rereading the whole series and I am SO EXCITED. Basically, I do not remember much that happens in the last three books and this must be rectified.
 

3. Belle Epoque - Elizabeth Ross

The reviews for this one have been great, and it's a historical! There's too much contemporary on this list, so I need some more balance. :-p

4. Burning - Elana K. Arnold

Jenni (Alluring Reads) recommended this one highly to me, and we tend to agree on contemporaries. Even Renae (Respiring Thoughts) loved this one. Ashleigh Page (Birth of a New Witch) wasn't as sold, but I'm still pretty convinced this will work for me, even though I wasn't initially attracted to this blurb or cover at all.

5. What Goes Around - Courtney Summers

Oh hey, Courtney Summers books. This omnibus includes Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are, the two Summers novels I've yet to read. This Is Not a Test blew me away and I enjoyed Fall for Anything, so I expect these two to be epic as well.

Are any of these on your fall TBR? Have you already read any of them? What did you think?

Top Ten Secondary Characters Who Stole the Show

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

Warning: This list will include fangirling, more than 10 characters, disorder, and spoil a couple of character deaths, but only ones you should know by now. The sneaky ones will remain in wait.

Humanoid Companions

This category consists of humans. Well, mostly. Humanoid because of that one pesky robot. Otherwise I would have had to make a FIFTH section, and that would just be silly.

Colonel Fitzwilliam from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Colonel Fitzwilliam is just the best, and I would totally ship him with Lizzie if she and Darcy were not MTB and everything. He's a great friend to Lizzie and Darcy both. P&P would not end happily were it not for his existence, I feel. And Lady Catherine's. Mwahaha. Oh, also, I approve of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries version where he's gay. That SO works. Anyway, just love him.
Finnick from Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins: Here's the beginning of them breaking my heart. A lot of my favorites die. HOW DO THE AUTHORS KNOW? HOW? *coughs* Excuse me. Also, before you yell at me, you should have read the books and not waited for the movies. This is your own fault.
Miss Honey from Matilda by Roald Dahl: Do not even pretend that after you read this book you didn't sort of wish you had evil parents so that Miss Honey would adopt you.
Uncle Mort from the Croak trilogy by Gina Damico: I can has? Uncle Mort is hilarious, incredibly brilliant, sarcastic, hot and totally of an age where I am legitimately allowed to give him book boyfriend status. He has a sort of long distance girlfriend, but I'm sure I can take care of that.
Hamlet from Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde: Now, he MAY be a main character somewhere else, but who cares about that? Hamlet, the fictional character, is all meta and running around London. He's basically hilarious. He does things like going to critique all performances of Hamlet and having a meltdown trying to order a coffee because there are SO. MANY. CHOICES. As we all know, Hamlet and decisive do not go hand-in-hand.
Mahir from the Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant: Okay, so I basically love Shaun and Georgia's whole team, but I have a special spot in my heart for Mahir. He's just so classy and intelligent. I basically picture him like THIS.
Michi from Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff: Badass lady who is awesome. Would have a lady crush on her, except that Kat Kennedy totally called it first, and I am NOT getting in Kat's way. She is Australian and would no doubt sic spiders and kangaroos on me.
Nehemia from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas: A YA best friend who does not hate the heroine for being more beautiful? A friendship based on shared interests and mutual respect? WHUH. Basically, I friendship Celaena and Nehemia really hard.
Tom from Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry: Hot Asian. With abs. And not a teen. Also, he is awesome at zombie-killing, which comes in handy. Basically, Tom's a really good guy, and he takes great care of his brother even though Benny's sort of a snot for much of the beginning of the series.
Iko and Captain Thorne from Scarlet by Marissa Meyer: THESE TWO ARE THE BEST. I ship them a lot. Even though Iko's a robot and currently a spaceship, and Thorne is human. DETAILS.
Elend from Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson: Okay, so, I'm cheating a little (Does this surprise you? If so, REALLY?), but Elend really isn't a major player in the first book. He's OBVIOUSLY going to be the love interest/a main character later, but in Mistborn he's secondary, but PRIMARY IN MY HEART.

Animal Companions

Furry creatures (or sometimes scaly) are some of my favorite characters in fiction. I mean, when a person dies in my book, I'm like OOOH. When an animal dies, I weep and yell at the book and it's a whole emotional mess of a thing.

Rex from the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich: Rex is Stephanie's hamster, and he is adorable. He's super chill and loves all food ever and lives in a tomato soup can. I think once he was in danger and I was SO CONCERNED.
Buruu and Daken from Stormdancer and Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff: BURUU MADE ALL CAPS AWESOME AGAIN. Daken is a cat and he is awesome.
Igor from The Year of Shadows by Claire Legrand: Another cat. This one might talk like Cary Grant.
Wolf from Winter Omens by Trisha Leigh: Such a wonderful doggy companion. Warm and snuggly and sweet and catches food for youuuu.
Ramoth from Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey: How much did I want to live on Pern and have a dragon best friend? SO MUCH. (Also, you get to have strange but really hot our-dragons-are-into-each-other sex. This could get problematic fast, but whatevs ignore that.)
Manchee from The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness: MANCHEEEEE! This puppy has such a rough life, but he is so sweet and determined and would never leave your side.
Hedwig from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling: I loved a lot of the animals, but Hedwig has been with you for seven books. I cried BUCKETS of tears when she died. ROWLING, HOW COULD YOU? (Again, if you haven't seen the movies OR read the books, you deserve this spoiler. OWN IT.)
A-Through-L from The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente: A dragon who is also half of an encyclopedia. He's part library. I mean, come on. Clearly, he is the best companion ever.
Ampersand from Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan: Generally, monkeys aren't my favorite animals, but Ampersand is fabulous.

Best of Both Worlds

Can't decide between a human companion and one of some other sort of animal variety? I have you covered. You may also choose one of the rare shifter models. With them at your side, you're ready for anything!

Rory from the Spiritwalker trilogy by Kate Elliott: Rory is the main character's brother and he's half cougar. Also, he's a HUGE flirt and acts like such a cat even as a human. He's hilarious and ridiculous and I love him.

Orma from Seraphina by Rachel Hartman: Orma is a grumpy old man/dragon, and it's fantastic. One of my favorite quotes was one where he was talking about how much he hates kids. Love it!

Hatsuharu and Kureno Sohma from Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya: Since I couldn't just be like EVERY CHARACTER FROM FRUITS BASKET, I limited myself to my two favorite non-MC Sohmas. Hatsuharu is, honestly, just kinda hot, but, on top of that, he's very loving and devoted. Kureno has a really compelling story ARC and he's this really nice, selfless guy, which I usually do not go for, but love here.

Sassy Grandmas

Finally, I noticed a trend in fiction that grandmothers are often the best. Thus, I want to highlight some books with wonderful, sassy grandmothers. Since these are mostly YA and the MC isn't going to call grandma by her first name, they're pretty much all Gram or Grandma, so I'm just putting the book. Sorry, Gram. I also won't break these out individually, but these are the grandmas who are bossy, say hilariously inappropriate things, and always have your back. I know I'm forgetting some but still, a respectable showing!

Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell
Famous Last Words by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
The Bookie's Son by Andrew Goldstein
The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Delcroix Academy series by Inara Scott

That was closer to thirty than ten, but I have no regrets. Do you love any of these characters? If so, FLAIL WITH ME!

Top Ten People Who Make Book Blogging Awesome

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

The topic this week is supposed to be things that make blogging easier, but I'm changing that to people who make blogging easier, but I mostly went with who has the biggest impact on me as a blogger. Whatever, deal with it. Because, sure, a lot of things help me blog, but the community is what makes it so worth my time. It is time for me to throw some love out into the blogosphere. The whole community is just amazing, and my life is so much richer for having you guys in it. Seriously, you are all my kindred spirits.

But since I have to name 10....

1. Steph of Cuddlebuggery
Without this girl, I do not know where I would be. She gives such great blogging feedback, and we talk a lot throughout the week about books or whatever. As I transition to Wordpress, she will be an invaluable resource. Also, she's my BEA buddy (and totally awesome to team up with to hold spots in lines and run the floor). Oh, and we totally have this mutually beneficial cover hunting thing so I can get Cover Snark done and she can pull together Hot New Titles.

2. Jenni of Alluring Reads
Jenni is another person that I talk to several days a week. We discuss what we've been reading, maybe argue if we've read the same thing and had a difference of opinion. Actually, we do agree a lot though, so that's fun. BUT we remain true to how we got so close (she hated The DUFF and I loved it), and have definitely had some serious, but never angry, arguments about books behind closed doors. When we read the same things, it's sort of like having a mini, impromptu book blog. Jenni definitely helps keep me sane and focus on the happy aspects.

3. Lenore of Presenting Lenore/The Memory of After
Lenore's an author now more than a blogger, but she still updates her blog a few times a month, so she counts. We chat a bunch as well. Lenore's totally like my blogging fairy grandmother (and, no, I'm not trying to call you old), because she gifts me Harper ARCs that I have been wanting for forever. *hugs* Also, I went on a bookish vacation to Asheville to see Lenore and that was good fun, even if I saw snowflakes and thought I might die on the mountain.

4. Kara of Great Imaginations
Kara's both a bitch and a sweetie, so obviously she's my kind of person. Seriously, she's an amazing friend and will always have your back/be ready to support you emotionally. It's all the more impressive since Kara struggles with migraines and such. However, she's been doing a crazy health diet thing and that's apparently been making her feel great so YAY for Kara, even if I am a bit worried about what I'll eat when I visit her in a month. Also, I visit her in a month. Expect a vloggy chat. Maybe. If we feel like it. Just fyi, Kara's coblogger Lyn is awesome too, but I don't know Lyn quite as well yet.

5. GIllian of Writer of Wrongs
Speaking of visiting people, Gillian's letting me crash at her place in L.A. for almost a week and it will be OFF THE HOOK. What I mean by that is Disney-tastic. Also, I'm going to introduce her to kdrama and we will flail with the feels together and it shall be amazing. None of that is about blogging, but whatever. Actually, to tie it together, the reason Gillian is on this list is because she is a giffy wizard and we totally share opinions on flaily romance reads, and it's nice to have someone to fangirl with over things like Fangirl.

6. Bekka of Pretty Deadly Reviews
Bekka is actually one of the first bloggers that I met in person, and I also got to see her briefly in Asheville at the aforementioned bookish event. Anyway, Bekka's one of those blogger friends where we totally disagree like 75% of the time, but I still totally respect her opinion and enjoy her reviews even if I'm like "girl, how did you even get there?" except that generally it makes sense, but she's coming at it from such a different angle. It's just cool. Like, even when I don't agree, I respect her opinion and the way she supports it, and I think having blogger friends like that is important, because it reminds you to be open-minded and that your opinion isn't the only valid one. Oh, also, Bekka got me to give Francesca Lia Block another try and it went very well, so yay for Bekka!

7. Kat of Cuddlebuggery
Kat Kennedy is a freaking institution in book blogging, amirite? I seriously cannot believe that Cuddlebuggery's just barely over a year old, because the world must have been a much sadder place back then and I'm glad I didn't know what I was missing. Kat totally waves the snarky, dick-joke-cracking flag and I love it. When weird shit happens, Kat will be there to write this ridiculous but perfect post about it. I've even seen her turn a post about how she didn't have anything to post into something brilliant.

8. Renae of Respiring Thoughts
Renae falls into the camp of reviewers I totally respect and trust, but with whom I often disagree. If I loved something, odds are, Renae's going to give it one or two stars. Of course, recommending her things and seeing what she rates them is a fun fun game I like to play, of which Renae is maybe not a huge fan. Also, the way Renae handles the absurd amounts of trolls she gets (seriously, why does that happen?) is pretty inspiring.

9. Lili of Lili's Reflections
This girl may be seven years my junior or something insane like that, but she totally bosses me around. Basically, every so often, she's like HEY LET'S DO A READALONG. And I'm like BUT I DO NOT HAVE TIME. And she's like YEAH YOU DO. And I'm like WELL OKAY THEN. Also, when we're not doing readalongs for either something atrocious or something mindblowing, she's putting books in Sadie Hawkins and then poking me for updates. I was supposed to be talking about how these people make my life easier, wasn't I?

10. April of Good Books and Good Wine
Oh oh, April. She's the awesomest. This girl is too cool and she has an amazing sense of style, which I know because I've seen her at BEA two years running and her clothes are so pretteh. Her book reviews sound like no one else's and it's totally a feat. She really inspired me when I first got involved with the blogosphere to write like myself and not worry so much about being too weird or swearing like a sailor or whatever. April's totally the book blogger poster child for being yourself.

11. Jamie of The Perpetual Page-Turner
So, cheating, but I couldn't not include Jamie on this list, because she's perhaps the most creative person in book blogging. For one thing, she came up with TTT, but she also creates all these surveys and features and I am just endlessly impressed. She also has a sweet sense of style and is about the sweetest person ever. Jamie makes book blogging better for everyone, because she has ideas to share and will greet you with a smile at all times.

I super love those people, but I also really would not want to live without so many other people. Seriously, anyone I talk to on an almost daily basis on Twitter is totally someone I love, and you all make my blogging life better by being in it. These peeps get priority, because they've been in my life so long (with the exception of Lili and Gillian) who it's hard to believe I ever didn't know. Even though I'll still forget people and feel like a jerk, here are a couple more shout-outs: Kat of The Aussie Zombie, Kayla of Bibliophilia, Please, Pixie of The Bookaholic, Christina of Christina Reads YA, Gaby of Queen Ella Bee Reads, Debby of Snuggly Oranges, Judith of Paper Riot, and Amber of Books of Amber. Gah, I know I am forgetting people, but it is late and I am exhausted, so just HUGS FOR ALL OF YOU PEOPLE WHO MAKE MY LIFE BETTER.

Top Ten Books I Wish Could Have Had Sequels

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

Okay, so this is totally going to be an exercise in fangirling and not based remotely in reality. Obviously, I won't be including series I've not finished in this list, since I don't know if I'll feel like I'm done with it. Otherwise, everything is FAIR GAME. Basically, these are the books or series where I'm like "That was awesome, but you know what?"

Like Ariel, I'm a greedy bitch.

1.  Anatomy of a Single Girl (Anatomy #2) - Daria Snadowsky

Maybe this is already in the works, but I've not heard anything yet. I want to see a non-depressed Dom in college living it up! And I sort of want her to get with Calvin or someone. She's at a point now where she can have a healthy relationship and I want to be there for that!

2. Beauty Queens - Libba Bray

TBH, I have no clue what would happen, but this book was HILARIOUS and I want more books in this style, mmmkay?

3. Shadows on the Moon - Zoë Marriott

Okay, so Shadows on the Moon is fantastic, and I definitely could do with more. Also, I think there's totally space for one. Trying to make my suggestion without spoiling anyone should be interesting, but I'm going to go for it. Basically, I would like a sequel set in Onieto's homeland that explores powers and such more. How badass would that be? INCREDIBLY BADASS.

4. Fruits Basket - Natsuki Takaya

What's that? Most of you don't care about manga? Well, I do, so deal with it. Fruits Basket is on my list of favorite things all time ever. I've read the series three or four times now, and at pretty much any point I would be willing to reread. If you're scared of manga but tempted and need a buddy, I WILL read this with you. I WILL find the time. That's how much I love it. Anyway, this is one of those cases where I am just completely in love with the characters and need to know more about them. Epilogue was not satisfying enough. I need more time to revel in my ships, and for ships to form for the ones who don't have anyone. MAKE IT SO.

5. Meant to Be - Lauren Morrill

I cannot be the only one who wants to see Julia go to college, can I? In Meant to Be, I liked the couple, but I don't see them lasting forever, so it would be awesome to see the breakup and recovery process in freshman year, because that's a common part of the college experience.

6. Lady Knight (Protector of the Small #4) - Tamora Pierce

Some of you may disagree with me, as I imagine Tamora does, since she probably wrote this just how she wanted it, but, for me, a Tamora Pierce series is not complete without the swoons. Kel needs herself a sexy man and some sex in general. It's not fair that the least feminine of Pierce's heroines ends up alone with only possible hints at a relationship. This must be rectified with a fifth book, tentatively titled...I'm not sure yet, since The Woman Who Rides Like a Man was taken.

7. Front and Center (Dairy Queen #3) - Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Like with Meant to Be, I think this would be a good series to continue onwards into college with, since it's really not wrapped around an HEA onto eternity. Sure, I do really want D.J. to get Brian Nelson, but, at the same time, that's not what the series was ALL ABOUT for me, so they would break up in college and date other people, and I would be totally okay with that. I just want to know how she does in her studies and basketball and everything!

8. Ascendant (Killer Unicorns #2) - Diana Peterfreund

You guys, I freaking love this series, but the ending of Ascendant did not feel like a period. There should be more. Most of the series on this list feel pretty complete to themselves, but could probably have more. In this case, I think more would make the story even stronger, because it felt like some questions were left lingering. Also, I just want more killer unicorns.

9. Nana- Ai Yazawa

This one's unique on my list as I actually haven't read what there is of Nana yet. I have, however, read some of her other works and loved them, and watched the anime while I was home sick one day. Here's the deal. Yazawa got really sick, and so this series went on hiatus at a crazy dramatic point, and all I'm saying is that I wish for Yazawa Ai to heal entirely and be able to finish the series.

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #7) - J.K. Rowling

Yeah, I know this will be on every single list ever, but I have no fucks to give about that. The epilogue was not nearly enough. I want to know every single detail of their lives and their kids' lives and on and on, okay? I'm in love with this world and there cannot be enough. Also, that Buzzfeed article that came out last week made me DESPERATE for the expanded universe to get going. I especially must know about Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley, because oh man do I ship it. I want all of this even though pretty much all of the kids have stupid names. That is how in love with all of this I am.

What say you? Anyone else want to see these sequels happen?

Top Ten Topics That Scare Me Off Picking Up a Book

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

For the most part, I think of myself as a really open-minded reader. I read children's books, middle grade, YA, and adult. I read most genres, and I do both print and audio formats. There's a lot that interests me, but certain subjects make me want to steer clear.

1. Infidelity - I loathe infidelity stories, largely because they're usually romanticized. If someone cheats, I want them to suffer for it, preferably dying alone. Okay, well, I wouldn't usually go that far, but they shouldn't get to end up happily with the person on whom they cheated - and, no, both of them cheating doesn't mean they're right for each other. If a blurb hints at infidelity, I'm unlikely to go out of my way to procure the book.

2.Mermaids and Furies - Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not completely opposed to mermaid or fury stories. However, I've been bitten more than once by my lack of caution in selecting them. For whatever reason, mermaids seem to bring out the worst in gender dynamics, and I honestly don't know what happened to the furies.

3. Drug Addictions - Though I've been really getting into the darker contemporaries, I still struggle to be interested in books about substance abuse. Part of me really wants to try Ellen Hopkins, but the subject matter makes me nervous. Drugs never held any appeal for me, so diving into someone's stream of consciousness thoughts as they get high doesn't rank high on my list of things to do. I suspect this fear stems back to my college course on counterculture, where I was made to read books like Naked Lunch and On the Road, which are just not my thing.

4. Divorce - In this case, I'm referring to the perspective of being one of the people in the divorce. Part of my reticence here is that it tends to come hand in hand with infidelity. On top of that, divorce is so far away from my own life experiences that I can't really relate to it, and only the most mind-blowing book will do anything for me. Old people (yes, I know young people can get divorced, but married people always seem older than me somehow) fighting don't interest me.

5. Mysteries - Being loath to pick up mysteries does eliminate a broad swath of books. I'm not saying I won't read them, but I don't like that to be the main element of a story. Exceptions to the mysteries scaring me away rule are serial killer stories, which I find it hard to resist.

6. Romance - Wait! Hold on! Let me explain myself. I love having romance in my books, BUT the caveat is that I don't want it to be the center of the blurb if the book is genre fiction. If it's a contemporary or historical romance, and the blurb is all about the hot boy, cool; if it's science fiction or paranormal or dystopian, and the blurb is all about the hot boy, that book and I will likely have problems.

7. Graceling meets X-Men meets Pride and Prejudice - I've gotten REALLY sick of this marketing campaign. "You mean this book is all my favorite things rolled up in some bacon with a side of mashed potatoes? Where do I sign up?" That's what I used to say, but now I say "It's a trap!"

8. Adult Romance Author Writing Teen - Again, this isn't something I avoid a hundred percent of the time, but, if I know going in, I won't read these unless I've heard a lot of praise from reviewers I trust. Too often, the YA offerings are sci fi or fantasy settings with a lot of promise, but then the world doesn't get built and cheesy romance ensues. I'm not saying romance authors aren't talented, but such things are not my style.

9. Pregnancy - True story. I picked up How to Love by Katie Catugno at BEA and, when I got back, read through the blurb. That's when I found out it was about teenage pregnancy, at which point I tried to get rid of it, and failed, though I could have tried harder. Basically, I will try to push through this fear, just like the heroine will have to push through her contractions.

10. Babies - The only thing worse for me than pregnancy? An actual baby, with the crying and the pooping and the lack of reasoning capabilities. I refused to read In the After, because one of the characters is called Baby and I was afraid she was a baby, but am planning to read it again, because she's apparently a kid. This is how far my fear goes.

There you have it. I am a person of many fears and many gifs. Also, I made the mistake of looking for gifs about babies; you do not know my horror.

Top Ten (Eleven) Books Thus Far in 2013

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

I'm back! It's been like two months since I participated in TTT, because of busy and lack of motivation and other things. Lazy almost won out, but this is an important post for me to do, so that I can help narrow things down and actually do a top books of 2013 post at the end of the year (since I wimped out last year).

Usually I link up my lists to GR, but since this is about MY top reads, I'm linking to my reviews, and you can hop to GR from there if you want.

Also, I'm cheating all over the place, because I narrowed my 150 books so far this year to 14 and I'm just going to keep them all. What can I say? I'm a book hoarder. So I'll start with the books published in 2013, and then move to the backlist titles that blew my mind so far this year.

Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) - Leigh Bardugo 

One word: Sturm-FREAKING-hond.

Shadow on the Crown (Emma of Normandy #1) - Patricia Bracewell 

The only adult title to make the list. This is why I'm reading so much YA these days, because it's rare that get the same feels from adult. Bracewell managed that though, despite all the crazy historical names.

Earth Girl (Earth Girl #1) - Janet Edwards  

Science fiction made of win, basically. Strong heroine. Sweet love interest who thinks it's super hot his girlfriend could totally kick his ass. Basically, amazing all around.

Things I Can't Forget (Hundred Oaks #3) - Miranda Kenneally

Seriously, Miranda Kenneally gives me feels like crazy, and, though I know a lot of people didn't like TICF as much, it's my favorite of her books so far. Definitely the least fluffy of them, but OMG the feels.

Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) - Robin LaFevers

 Much as I loved Grave Mercy, LaFevers amped everything up in Dark Triumph. Let's give a hurrah for unconventional love interests, shall we?

The Trouble with Flirting - Claire LaZebnik

Jane Austen's Mansfield Park made as awesome as it should have been, only in a young adult setting with theater. HECK YES!

Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell

Nerds bonding over comics? Pop culture references? High school being the worst? Heartbreak? Yes, yes, yes.

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

 What's that you say? I'm obsessed with Rainbow Rowell's books? You might be right. Her writing makes me happy.

The Reece Malcolm List - Amy Spalding

This book is the epitome of cuteness, with authentic high school relationships, musical theater, and a focus on family dynamics. LOVE.

Golden Boy - Abigail Tarttelin 

Multiple points of view done brilliantly in this novel about an intersex person. Simply beautiful and heartbreaking.

Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) - Kasie West

Pivot Point has so many things I love, like parallel universes and adorable romance and a heroine who can make tough choices.

BONUS!

Second Helpings (Jessica Darling #2) - Megan McCafferty 

Sloppy Firsts was awesome too, but Second Helpings is where it's at. MARCUS FLUTIE, y'all!

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) - Brandon Sanderson

Best book I've read this year, hands down.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne M. Valente

 This book was as magical as promised. It's sort of like the Persephone myth meets The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe meets Alice in Wonderland, and yet somehow still makes sense.

How about you guys? Have you read any of these? Want to? What wonderfulness have you read this year?