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.

Review: Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker

Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life. Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now. Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart? (Good Reads)

Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker proves I am old, since the first thing that comes to mind is Toni Braxton, not YA fiction. Nonetheless, this was a VERY easy beachy read. It  seems to aim at the 14-year-old set......but hey I still read and liked it fine. The highlights include an adorable little sister Olive. I hate precocious kiddos, but Olive is wise beyond her years and cutely silly. Mom and dad are super, too! Yay for happy families in YA fiction!. 

• Originality: 6. I like the idea of sailing from port to port and running into the same characters.  But in New England we don't call them boat people.... They are sailors. I grew up sailing, so I found this weird. 
• Absurdity: 2. I 100% buy the story of Clem's bad choices and the resulting condemnation (and boys being excused). High school is hard.
• Level of Paranormal Romance: 5. Cute boy helps girl struggling with who she is become happy again. James, aka Joe-Fontaine-lite, is a charming, quick-witted redhead who is nice to old ladies and kid sisters. Adorbs!
• Level of Harry-Potter-ness: 3 for writing style. Flashbacks jogged by letters she tries to write her BFF or ex-BFF the explain the year that broke Clem's heart. As the story goes we figure out the root of Clem's self-loathing (although it is obvious from the get go). This format is nicely done.

The moral of this story: I am supremely glad that they did NOT have Facebook when I was in high school. Emo away messages via song quotes on AIM was bad enough. FB sounds truly miserable.

A cheers of our whiskey sours, as always, to Jandy Nelson and The Sky is Everywhere for creating Joe Fontaine, the leader of the dreamy YA love interests! (Goosie Mama's review and my review).

Top Ten Tuesday: Fave Reads of Young Adult Fiction and Whiskey Sours

Happy Top Ten Tuesday, blog world! We love TTT (and The Broke and the Bookish for hosting it.) This week's list-mania is devoted to the Top Ten Books Read During the Lifespan of Your Blog. Now YAF & WS is still growing up, so our ultimate top ten is still in formation, but here are the books that we have spent the most time loving/discussing as a group. It is a big sign when not one of us but all of us read the same book.

1. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. BAT BAT. BAT. I had to buy a copy to have on hand, just in case.
2. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. Ditto on wanting to own a copy.
3. Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow. I just gifted Crazy Camper this book this weekend. I love it that much!
4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. Crazy Camper peer-pressured me into buying this one -- she literally cannot stop talking about how great Rose is.
5. Divergent by Veronica Roth. Our debates on this have been epic, but Goosie Mama truly stands behind this read.
6. Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore. Crazy Camper and I enjoyed the heck out of this cowboy story. Will it stay on the ultimate top ten forever? Who knows, but it was a lot of fun.
7. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. It instantly feels timeless.

Check out our reviews for Texas Gothic, Strange Angels, The Scorpio Races, Vampire Academy, Jellicoe Road and both  Goosie Mama's Review and my review of The Sky is Everywhere and my review and Goosie Mama’s review for Divergent!

Review: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Lennie plays second clarinet in the school orchestra and has always happily been second fiddle to her charismatic older sister, Bailey. Then Bailey dies suddenly, and Lennie is left at sea without her anchor. Overcome by emotion, Lennie soon finds herself torn between two boys: Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, and Joe, the charming and musically gifted new boy in town. While Toby can't see her without seeing Bailey and Joe sees her only for herself, each offers Lennie something she desperately needs. But ultimately, it's up to Lennie to find her own way toward what she really needs-without Bailey.

Bat. Bat. Bat. This book is so amazing. Bat. Bat. Bat. 

If you couldn't tell, I am basically going to spend the next couple of paragraphs gushing, so buckle up.

• Orginality:  9 - I don't know what it was about this book - I'm sure there are many other books with similar premises - but this book just felt so ... rare. Sometimes Ms. Nelson would describe the most mundane things or feelings in a way that would make you stop, re-read, think about it and smile because it was such a unique, but obvious way to put that certain idea/thought into words. Her words literally stunned me.
• Absurdity: 2 - There's some ridiculousness that happens in the book (Lennie, all dressed up, waiting outside of Joe Fontaine's home under a tree), but it's all so innocent and lovely, it only adds to the charm. The only part that I found truly absurd (and this has been co-signed by Grad Student) is the part where they find a bedroom in the woods. A bed with sheets in the woods.  Although it's explained as a neighbors outdoor room extension to his local B&B, which he covers up whenever it rains, I still couldn't help but think about what would happen in a flash rain shower?
• Level of Paranormal Romance: 94783 - It's official. I die for Joe Fontaine. Grad Student and I would legit wrestle for him. He just sounds so wonderful and dreamy! Not to mention Lennie is a doll-face who sounds just as lovely and complicated as a young woman could be. These two break my heart and make it swell up all at the same time!
• Level of Harry Potter-ness:  10 - As I was finishing up this book, I actually thought to myself that this could easily be the next great American novel. It was the first book in a long time that made me sob like a little baby in one part and smile like a crazy person (yeah, other subway patrons were nervous around me) in others.

If Grad Student's review didn't convince you, I implore you: READ THIS BOOK!


Sidebar: So, apparently they're making this book into a movie and there are rumors that Selena Gomez is going to play Lennie. I am devastated. I really hope this isn't true - and that's not a dig at Ms. Gomez, it's just that this book is such a masterpiece, that I think that setting it up as a Disney-like movie would do it such a disservice! (man, all of these Beliebers are going to start following this blog now!).


Gah, should we start a letter writing campaign??! I would happily play Lennie if I could pick my Joe Fontaine ... Ryan Gosling, are you available?

Top Ten Tuesday: Fictional Crushes

Today's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is a freebie and we have decided on Top Fictional Crushes.  I considered making a  list alternating between Joe Fontaine and Augustus Waters since Goosie Mama has jumped on the Fontaine bandwagon. Those eye lashes! But here are some other favorites we don't discuss as frequently at YAF & WS:

1. Numair from the Immortals series by Tamora Pierce. How the twins learned that manly chest hair = great-- Crazy Camper and Grad Student.*
2. Eric Northman from the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris--Crazy Camper and Grad Student.
3. Tod in the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent (more GS's love of Tod here!)
4. Graves from the Strange Angels series by Lili St. Crow. From classmate to werewolf to friend to save-your-life-no-questions-asked-friend to love. (Ignoring the end of book 5: angry side-eye from Grad Student to St. Crow).

5. Eldric from Chime by Franny Billingsley. (see here for why you should be swooning over Eldric)--Grad Student. 

6. Kaleb from the Hourglass series by Myra McEntire. YAAAA for those tattoos and (slightly cocky) frat boy style--Grad Student.

7. Four from the Divergent series by Veronica Roth is Goosie Mama's number one pick. When I asked about fictional crushes she said: "Tobias, duh..."
8. Bram from Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel. "big time"crush--Goosie Mama (her review)
9 & 10: George vs Jonathan from Tamora Pierce's Alanna Quartet (the purple eyed Lioness, she had excellent choice in men) while my young self would have loved Jonathan, George won in the end. And I can't lie, one of my best friends from college also read these books and while on a road trip this weekend, we referenced her new relationship to our mutual best friend as a George vs. Jonathan debate, where again, the George character won-- Crazy Camper.

CC:  I bet you wish this was your
phone- Alana Quartet! - GS

Apparently the internet thinks Max Irons should be Eldric. I agree. And Ian Somerhalder does the best drunk-handsome-heart of gold guy on TV. Who cares if he is  too old to be Kaleb?! I am casting him. Its my TTT. 


Crazy Camper says: GS, remember that time you came down to visit and do research and instead we watched every episode of Vampire Diaries we could? and then spent $50 dollars to buy the rest of the season on iTunes? I blame Ian.


*Crazy Camper and I are twins. Have we mentioned this? TRUE FACT. Although Goosie-Mama tried to Talented-Mr.-Ripley CC's spot in the fam over Memorial Day Weekend.

Top Ten Tuesday: Future Favorites

Hello and happy TTT! Hope you all had great long weekends. Goosie Mama and I went to RI, got tans (errrr sunburns), and got our digital readers VERY sandy.  Crazy Camper was off camping and loving nature/rocks/plants, so we have not yet heard of her escapades, but hope they were epic!

On to the TTT, hosted by the awesome The Broke and the Bookish. This week's TT books written in the past ten years you hope people are still reading in the next 30 years was hard, but I am giving it the 'ole college try! This is an abbreviated list: what makes a timeless read (besides critical acclaim)? For example, the critics loved Swamplandia! by Karen Russell, but Goosie Mama found it unappealing (see her hilarious review). 

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. OBVI. I will fall off my chair if this doesn't win a major award.

2. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stievfvater. It already feels timeless! (review)

3. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. (my glowing review). I love the lyrical quality of this book.

4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy (WHOA adult lit. We have it in us to read "important" fiction). Scary and sparse and gripping

5. The Millenium Trilogy by Steig Larsson. Cultural phenomenon. Done and done. (The same could be said for Twilight or Hunger Games series). I chose the third of these over 4th of July fireworks last summer. No joke.

6. Never Let Me Go  by Kazuo Ishiguro  (MORE real-deal adult lit! But with some sci-fi and YA love.)

7. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. (my love in review form). YA at its best. I bought a copy after I read it, because I loved it so much and felt like I needed to have it accessible at all times, just in case!

Share your TTT and help us identify classics in the making!