Top Ten Tuesday - Favorite Romances

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

This week's topic is: Top Ten Favorite Romances

1. Lola and Cricket

“I know you aren't perfect. But it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for someone else.” 

2. Anna and Etienne

“I bought you love poetry! 'I love you as certain dark things are loved, secretly, between the shadow and the soul.'" I blink at him. "Neruda. I starred the passage. God," he moans. "Why didn't you open it?”

3. Megan and John After

“And the rest is happily ever After.” 

4. Clara and Tucker

“Hey, Carrots," he says.” 

5. Aria and Perry

“It didn't matter if Aria was hundreds of miles away, or whether she'd hurt him, or said goodbye, or anything else. Nothing would change the way he felt. The moment Aria had taken his hand on the roof at Marron's, she'd changed everything. No matter what happened, she'd always be the one.”

6. Samantha and Jase

"And the way he does look at me makes me feel absolutely beautiful.” 

7. Katsa and Po

“I know you don't want this, Katsa. But I can't help myself. The moment you came barreling into my life I was lost. I'm afraid to tell you what I wish for, for fear you'll... oh, 
I don't know, throw me into the fire."

8. Echo and Noah

“We’d read about sirens in English this fall; Greek mythology bullshit about women so beautiful, their voices so enchanting, that men did anything for them. Turned out that mythology crap was real because every time I saw her, I lost my mind.” 

9. Helen and Lucas

“Helen, beloved of the goddess of love, went downstairs to crawl into her empty bed as Lucas, the son of the sun, leaned back on his elbows and watched his father-god brighten the bare wooden planks of her widow's walk.”

10. Calla and Ren

“Tell me you’ll come back for the pack. For me.” His eyes were bright with tears. “I don’t 
want to lose you.”

Honorable Mentions (can't help myself, I love so many): 

Mara and Noah  

Ashton and Beau

Natalie and Ash 

Violet and Lincoln 

Will and Tessa

Best Book Covers of 2012

This is a week about all the best of 2012, hosted by Two Chicks on Books. You can check out everyone else's top ten lists here!

Best Book Covers in 2012

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini 

All the pretty colors.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

So perfect. So adorable.

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Not entirely sure why I'm so in love with this cover. But it's gorgeous.

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill 

This book lured me by it's cheerful cover.

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Gorgeous. And it feels so free.

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowly

Just love it.

Above by Leah Bobbett

Not a fan of the book, but the cover is wonderful.

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

This cover is simple and just has a classic feel to it.  

The Selection by Kiera Cass

This cover is kind of typical and unoriginal (girls in dresses...) but for some reason, I just love it. It's so pretty.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

It fits the story so well - a little mysterious, with the light and the dark.

Today is the Day!: Birthday Extravaganza Day 4

Hey everybody. It's my birthday today! Crazy pants. 

I have lots of prizes to give away today on Twitter. 

Tweet people! Tweet!

I have all kinds of fun stuff - swag for The Diviners by Libba Bray, signed chapter samplers from Jessica Brody's 52 Reasons to Hate my Father, and some My Life Next Door bookmarks! (these things are US and Canada only).

And of course the grand prize - Wildefire and a pre-order of Embers & Echoes by Karsten Knight will go to one lucky person (this prize IS INTERNATIONAL). 

Just keep tweeting all day with the hashtag #BestWorldsBirthday. The more you tweet, the more you are entered. All tweets with this hashtag from earlier in the week will be entered as well! I'll be giving away prizes randomly all day, but I'll give away the grand prize at 8 PM Central Time. So stay tuned for that. All winners will be announced on Twitter as well.

Thanks SO much for celebrating my birthday with me! 

You guys kind of rock, you know? 

My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick

Synopsis: The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself? (From Goodreads)

There are a lot of dysfunctional relationships in YA lit. Lots of stalking like it's cool, lots of possession and control, plenty of it's forever as long as we don't talk about anything really serious, and of course- quite a bit of - I'm 100 years older than you so I know a lot more than you do. So I can't thank Huntley Fitzpatrick enough for writing a book that shows what a healthy relationship looks like. There are plenty of great descriptors I could use for this book but I can't help fixate on this one - healthy. This book looks like the one vibrant sunflower if a field of dead plants.

Jase and Samantha have some problems, but I love the way they TALK about what is bothering them which allows them to resolve the issue. They also TRUST one another. Even when Samantha makes some poor decisions, Jase is so good about forgiveness. Their channels of communication are completely open. When they go through things, they go together. This relationship feels real and vibrant. This is what you should strive for in a relationship, and I'm so happy there's an example out there now to refer to.

The Garretts were an amazing part of this book. I don't know how Huntley managed to write so many characters and make each one a well rounded individual. Even with a mom and a dad, and 8 kids, somehow each one had their own thing going on and were an important piece of the story. I can see how Samantha was so drawn to them. I used to wish I had a ton of siblings (I'm now, honestly, grateful that I don't) and families like the Garretts always seemed like they'd be so fun to be a part of. Watching Sam become an appendage of that family was like watching one of my own wishes come true. These people had so much love and life in their house and that's just beautiful.

There are some questions about what makes a good family that are raised through the comparison of Samantha's quiet and sparse household next to the noise Garretts next door. In the end it comes down to the people you love and how you show that love, but it's still interesting to see the way this is laid out. Friendships are also incredibly important in Sam's life. Samantha and her friends go through fluctuations - she loses some, she gains some - just like all teenagers. But still what's incredible is all these things are going on in Sam's life, but she and Jase share all these things with one another.

I'm just so incredibly impressed with Huntley Fitzpatrick's debut. It really is the perfect summer read and Jase puts all (or most) other YA boys to shame. If you're ever feeling overwhelmed by negativity or darkness, or books that seem to exist only to rip your heart out of your chest - turn to this book. Or if you just want to read awesomeness. This is a book that lifts you up and gives you something to aspire to - that really, shouldn't be out of your reach if you look in the right places. Most YA relationships make it seem like forever is easy and I get really cranky about that. Jase and Sam are one of the few (fictional) couples that I've really had faith in making it through the (theoretical) forever.

June Top 5

Wow. I totally spaced that June was over. Seriously. What happened to June? So a couple days after the fact - here are my top reads from June!

1. Velveteen by Daniel Marks 

Just. Whoa. This book. Keep your eyes open for this one. So much awesome I can hardly stand it. I've never been so fascinated or found such dark things (or gross things) so beautiful.

2. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Ever get the feeling you've been holding your breath for a long time, but didn't realize it? Yeah, this book was like taking a deep breath after you realize you need one. I wish I had some Garretts hanging out next door. I'll have my review for this one up tomorrow.

3. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

I love Tiger Lily and Tink and Pine Sap and Peter and...I just love them all. Except Wendy - I don't like Wendy anymore. Still this book is so beautifully written and it's hard not to fall in love with it, even though it breaks your heart. Read my review here.

4. Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Yay werewolves. Yay for awesome werewolf stories. I loved Mac and Kyle so much. Read my review here.

5. Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

This book just feels important. It's a different point of view and it's a different voice than your typical YA novel. It's sad, but hopeful. It's just one you NEED to read. Read my review here.

What were your top reads in June?

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBR

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

This week's topic is: Top Ten Books on my Summer TBR

1. Something Like Normal by Trish Dollar
2. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

3. Reunited by Hilary Grahm

4. Defiance by C.J. Redwine

 5. Pushing the Limits by Katie

6. Embers & Echoes by Karsten Knight

7. False Memory by Dan Krokos

8. Team Human by Sarah Rees Brennan & Justine Larebalestier

9. Rift by Andrea Cremer

10. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas