Top Ten Tuesday: Can We Get a Sequel, Please?

Happy Tuesday! Happy Top Ten-ing! Today's Top Ten Tuesday is  Top Ten Books I Wish Could Have Had Sequels. We spend a tiny bit of time grumbling about series that go on forever (SIDE EYE, Charlaine Harris) but sometimes a book is so good you want more no mater what.As always a cheers of our whiskey sours (or in CC's world, whiskey on the rocks, since she is a badass) to The Broke and the Bookish for hosting TTT. And now for books we wish had sequels:

Grad Student:

1. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

2. Paper Towns by John Green

3. Chime by Franny Billingsley (has anyone else read this yet!? I need a friend here)

4. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith.

Goosie Mama:

5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (suggested sub-title: The College Years a la Saved by the Bell. Zach Morris reference on a Tuesday morning? Awesome.

6. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and Daivd Levithan I would like a book completely from Tiny's POV.

7. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. Can we just dedicate an entire chapter to "bat. bat. bat." ?!

Crazy Camper:

8. The Help by Kathryn Stockett- whatever happened to Aibileen? Did Miss Skeeter's mom survive her cancer?

9. Stupid Perfect World, I liked this premise. This novella was just not enough for the characters!

10. SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAD A SEQUEL: Fallen by Lauren Kate.  Ugh. Stop after book 1.

Want to know more? See our reviews (in the links here) of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, Paper Towns by John Green, Chime by Franny Billingsley, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green and David Levithan, The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (Goosie Mama's Review, Grad Student's Review), and Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfield.

Top Ten Tuesday: Inspirational Characters

On Sunday the ladies of YAF & WS had this email conversation: "Got any ideas of awesome characters that make you, in the words of Tom Cruise in Jerry MaGuire, make you want to be a better man?" AKA we are dedicating today's Top Ten Tuesday Rewind to Inspirational Characters. As always cheers to The Broke and the Bookish for hosting TTT!

Grad Student:

1. The teacher in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (and Paul Rudd playing him in the movie is only an added bonus. Teachers that make kids believe the are in fact smart are so important!)

2 and 3: Maddie and Julie from Code Name Verity. I am inspired by their friendship and their bravery. Cue the tears!:

“And this, even more wonderful and mysterious, is also true: when I read it, when I read what Julie's written, she is...whole and undamaged...Gloriously daft, drop-dead charming, full of bookish nonsense and foul language, brave and generous. She's right here. Afraid and exhausted, alone, but fighting.” 

Crazy Camper:

4. Liesel Meminger from The Book Thief, because in the face of Nazi oppression, she believes in the power of her words.

Goosie Mama:

5-6: I think you have to include Katniss Everdeen because she's a really strong female role model who is badass, but not at the expense of others. She's one tough, flawed cookie, but has a heart at the same time. I would actually couple her and Tris from Divergent/Insurgent in the same bucket.

7.: When I told Crazy Camper and Goosie Mama that I wanted to pick some great parents that are role models for happy homes, CC suggested "can we do the parents from Easy A? Because I loved them." GM says "YES EASY A IS THE BEST!: I agree with this over-application of capital letters and inclusion of movie-characters rather than book characters. We tots want to be adopted.

                                            

Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is AMAZING. I read it this summer since the movie is due out, and I am so happy I did.

Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This is the story of what it’s like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, andThe Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.GoodReads

We follow Charlie through the difficulties of making friends the dark side of relationships (and sometimes funny as experimentation with drugs) and I rooted him the entire time as he learned about who he is and who he wants to be.

• Originality: 7. This is a classic coming of age YA (but extra points for all the classic YA Charlie reads and thinks about. How meta!) Having a narrator who was unraveling was new for me and felt very original.
• Absurdity: negative 10.This book tackles serious issues like abuse drugs sexuality and mental health with aplomb. A book that can be serious and striking while also bring a fun read. This is a major accomplishment. Can we also give out a Best Teacher Award? Having watched close friends through their first yr of teaching I totally bought the idealistic hopes/ change the world attitude of Bill. It resonated as lovely and a bit bittersweet. 
• Level of Paranormal Romance: 5. let's call this friend-mance . Charlie so needs good friends and then turns out to be an excellent one thoughtful and earnest. And don't get me started on how much he loves his family and how he can so easily say it. Precious to the tenth degree! Only thing is I am not totally convinced on the stuff about Charlie being a doormat friend . You can be a great person without being a alpha personality! I didn't want him to change who he is.
• Level of Harry-Potter-ness: 8.Charlie narrates his freshman year of high school through a series of sparse, moving letters to an unknown reader. All we know is that Charlie has something to say, and he trusts the reader to understand (me! he trusts me!) I love the connection the reader has (or at least I felt) with Charlie. The distinctive voice feels authentic. I believed this was a teenage boy on the brink of unraveling. 

Wow wow wow wow! If you have not read this already, go get it. Today, if possible. Then we can all see the movie, which is also getting great reviews.

Reading update: LOVE LOVE LOVE a Wallflower

PEOPLE I am almost done with The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and I am in loooovvvvvee. Charlie is so precious I just want to make him happy and safe. I can't wait to finish this book AND am all jazzed about the trailer. Paul Rudd! As the coolest movie teacher ever (ok, well maybe right after Robbin Williams in The Dead Poets Society).

Who is with me on this!?

ALSO, to conclude, my copy is this lovely small size with an appealing mat cover. Do you know what I mean? A nice-sized book is the best thing to find.

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer Must-Reads

This Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is dedicated to books on our Summer "to be read" lists. Most of these are not new books. But summer is a time to log serious beach-reading hours, and these are the top of the reading lists at YAF and WS.


Grad Student:
1. Rules of Civility by Armor Towles.  In prep for The Great Gatsby film!

2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Because the trailer is adorbs with Hermione and Zack Effron-Light ( apparently other people call him Logan).

3. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. It looks like perfect summer fluff.

4. Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore.  Paranormal YA and cute cowboys.

5-7: The Shade series by by Jeri Smith-Ready. I heard Jeri Smith-Ready speak recently (and she reminded me of Tonks from the Harry Potter movies. To clarify, this is a compliment). People have SWOONED over Shine, the last book, which recently came out.  I am ready to jump on the bandwagon!

Crazy Camper:
8. Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. (DO THIS so I can talk to someone about book 5- love, GS)

Goosie Mama:

9. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

10. The Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I'm on the first one and i'm already obsessed. BEEEIIIIILLLL!

11. The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting, the 3rd Body Finders novel!!! I might have to take out the physical book from the lib instead of using eReader. Gasp.