Top Ten Tuesday: April Showers

by Elena

There’s absolutely nothing better than curling up in bed with the most charming romance you’ve ever read, with a spring shower coming down outside. And what better time to share my favorite books than during springtime? 

 

1. The Upside of Falling by Alex Light

This novel follows two teens grappling with family issues. Book nerd, Becca Hart, tells her friend she has a boyfriend to avoid embarrassment, and Brett Wells, the popular football captain, steps in to fake date Becca. As they lean on each other for support through difficult times, their relationship blossoms into something neither of them could have imagined. 

 

2. Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

Jessie moves to LA to live with her father and his new wife, while still grieving the loss of her own mother. During her first week of school, she received a mysterious text from SN. They help her navigate high school and intense emotions, while keeping their identity secret. Meanwhile, she feels herself falling for her moody, quiet English partner. Will SN ever reveal their identity? Or will her silly adventures to discover who they are be all for nothing? 

 

3. The Do-over by Lynne Painter

Emilie wakes up on Valentine’s Day, only to experience the worst chain of events of her life. Unable to wait for the day to be over, she goes to bed, but inexplicably wakes up in a time loop. The day repeats over and over until she finally realizes: there are no consequences for her actions. Will she wake up the next day, or is she destined to be stuck repeating the same day for the rest of her life? 

 

4. Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

America’s fattest teen, Libby Strout, and Jack Masselin, a boy with face-blindness, form an unlikely bond. Together, the pair navigates bullying, vulnerability, and everyday struggles in high school. Though they seem an unlikely pair, could they be perfect for each other? 

 

5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This heart shattering book follows the tragic love of Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters, two terminally ill teens. The book represents the difficulty of living with cancer, the joys of being in love, and the pains of loss and grief. 

 

6. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

A vampire and a werewolf fall in love with a human? Bella Swan is trapped in a love triangle with the two most handsome boys in Forks, Washington, but they are mortal enemies. This book (as well as its following saga) is a classic, especially among teenage girls, and for a reason. The perfect book for a hopeless romantic, especially one who loves a good romantasy filled with swoony moments, as well as moments sure to make your jaw drop and your heart race. 

 

7. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch 

Travel and romance. Who wouldn’t want that? Except Lina doesn’t want anything except to be with her mother. Unfortunately for her, that isn’t an option anymore. Struggling with the loss of her mother, she must move to Tuscany to spend the summer with Howard, the father she’s never met. Following her mother’s footsteps through her journal, will she even have enough time for Lorenzo, the charming Italian boy who offers to help her track down her mother’s past life? You’ll just have to wait and see in this perfect European love story. 

 

8. If He had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

Laura Nowlin delivers the perfect, soul-crushing, tear-jerking slow burn romance. Childhood best friends Finny and Autumn drifted apart in high school, but will they be able to make it back together, or will they just be left wondering what could have happened? 

 

9. What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

An unexpected friendship forms when Kit Lowell joins socially isolated David Drucker at lunch. Attempting to process her father’s death, David just might be exactly what she needs. Incredibly smart and yearning for Kit, he can’t believe his luck. But when things take a turn for the worse, will their friendship disappear as fast as it formed? Every novel from Julie Buxbaum is extremely entertaining, and this one is no different. 

 

10. Better Than the Movies by Lynne Painter

They’ve been enemies forever, but still, Liz needs all the help she can get. She enlists her neighbor, Wes Bennett, to help her capture the attention of her long-term crush. Somehow, though, her goal seems to switch, and she finds herself falling for Wes. This insanely viral book is popular for a reason and will make you gasp, laugh, and smile ear-to-ear. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Oldest (aka Earliest Published) Books On My TBR x 2!

 Two top tens written by Luke M. and Grace H.!

From Luke

As an avid reader, I have a long list of books that I want to read soon, and a lot of them aren’t insanely recent. There have been times where a book grabs my attention, prompting me to find everything there is about it, and I’m surprised when I discover that the book isn't brand new. There is an endless collection of books on my TBR list that were published a little while back, so allow me to present them, in no particular order.

My Friend Dahmer (2012)
Talk about a chilling start. To give some context, this graphic novel was made by Derf Backderf, a cartoonist and graphic novelist known for his punk-inspired art style, and serious subject matter. His debut, My Friend Dahmer, is a sort of autobiographical graphic memoir, in which Backderf chronicles his friendship with the now infamous serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, in high school. The book went on to become a bestseller and even got a film adaptation in 2017, with Ross Lynch, of Austin and Ally and Teen Beach Movie fame portraying Dahmer. It’s been on my list ever since I found out about the movie, and I can’t believe it’s more than a decade old.

The Girl From the Sea (2021)
That’s right, another graphic novel (there’s going to be a lot of them, sorry not sorry :). Written by Molly Ostertag, the book follows Morgan, a lonely teen who meets a mysterious girl named Keltie, who she ends up forming a relationship with. Considering I’ve enjoyed Ostertag’s work on TV shows like Star vs the Forces of Evil (prop design) and The Owl House (writer), I’d be intrigued to check out how her work translates in book form.

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow (2020)
It has Reese’s Book Club stamp, so it must be quality. Written by Laura Taylor Namey, the book centers on Lila Reyes, a Cuban-American girl who moves from Miami, Florida to Winchester England, and falls in love with an English teen named Orion. At first glance, I didn’t take the premise of this book seriously and honestly, a part of me still doesn’t. However, the book must have been popular as a semi-sequel has recently been published, and there’s even a feature film in development, with Maia Reficco and Kit Connor starring in it. With all that in mind, I do sort of want to give this book a shot, even though it’s not insanely recent.  

Invincible, Volume 1 (2005)
Finally, an actual retro book on my TBR, by which it’s still in the 21st century. The Amazon adaptation has been the one show that has been constantly recommended by both my friends and my search engines, but I’ve put off watching it because I like reading the original source material. Made by Robert Kirkman, the stories follow the coming of age of Mark Grayson, the son of Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on Earth. It took a while to adapt the books into a show, but at least it makes me all the more eager to read the original series. 

Seconds (2014)
Written by Bryan Lee O’Malley, of Scott Pilgrim fame, Seconds follows the story of Katie Clay, who is head chef of a restaurant that shares the same name. One day, she obtains the ability to fix her mistakes by writing them in a notebook, eating mushrooms, and falling asleep, which ironically creates more problems. I don’t really have a lot to say about this one, but due to me enjoying the Scott Pilgrim books and a possible feature film in the future (with Blake Lively directing it), the book is pretty high on my list of books I want to read.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (2019)
I chose the cover with Emma Myers on it, that should say a lot about my motives for choosing what books to read. Holly Jackson’s YA Book Prize winning story follows Pip, a 17 year old true crime enthusiast, who investigates the murders of 2 classmates under the guise of a school project. The book was named one of the best books of 2020 (still released in 2019) and has received a TV adaptation by BBC (Netflix internationally). Given my habit of reading books before watching adaptations, I prioritize reading this book soon. Also, I just realized I have 2 books on this list that have “girl” and “guide” in the title…what?

Heartstopper, Volume 1  (2019)
Now this has been really high on my list for the past few months. Written by Alice Oseman, the book series focuses on the romantic relationship between teenagers Charlie and Nick, and the ups and downs their relationship faces. Starting off as a webcomic, both the book series and the Netflix series have received critical acclaim for their likable characters and positive portrayal of LGBTQ people, giving me all the more reason to check it out.

A Whole Song and Dance (2023)
I’ve realized that a majority of my selections on this list are books that have either been adapted into movies/TV shows, or from authors I already like. Some books on my TBR though, don’t fall into either scenario, I just happened to find it one day and became interested. Written by Sarvenaz Tash, the story focuses on Nasrin, a freshman in NYU who has to battle between pursuing her dreams of majoring in musical theater and her parents' expectations of earning a business major. Oh, and a crush gets thrown into the mix. As someone who’s also stuck between pursuing a creative career and a more practical/profitable career, I felt like I could relate to the story. Hopefully one day, I’ll actually pick it up and give the book a shot.

Turtles All the Way Down (2017)
The one John Green book of the list. Written by the acclaimed author himself, the story centers around Aza, a 16 year old girl with OCD and anxiety who, along with her friend Daisy, search for a fugitive billionaire. Believe it or not, I’ve never actually read anything by John Green before, and considering that a movie adaptation was recently released, maybe it’s time I changed that.

The Hunger Games (2008)
Let’s end the list with a bang. Suzanne Collins, of Wow Wow Wubbzy fame (no elaboration look that up), struck gold when she created the Hunger Games trilogy books back in the late 2000s. For all 6 people who don’t know, The Hunger Games follows Katniss Everdeen, who is forced to be a contender in the Hunger Games, a battle to the death hosted by the wealthy capitol, as revenge for a failed uprising. There she befriends other contenders and attempts to take down the capitol and stop this corruption. I actually own the first 3 books, and since they are so iconic, it’s about time I actually gave them a read.

From Grace

Welcome back to TBG’s Top Ten Tuesday! 

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, Top Ten Tuesday is a widespread trend in which book bloggers create a “Top Ten” list in response to a different topic each week.

This week’s theme is… Oldest (aka Earliest Published) Books On My TBR!!

While preparing to write this list, I was looking through my TBR on Goodreads, and I clicked the helpful feature that allowed me to sort my shelf by date published. I was somewhat surprised to discover that all ten of the oldest books on my TBR were published before the turn of the millennium. Typically, I enjoy reading novels published recently, but I’m excited to delve into some older classics that are on my TBR.

Here are the 10 earliest published books on my TBR (oldest to most recent)!

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (published October 30, 1811)

Emma by Jane Austen (published December 23, 1815)

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (published December 1847)

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (published 1878)

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (published November 1939)

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (published January 1963)

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (published March 31, 1969)

The Body by Stephen King (published August 27, 1982)

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (published November 1985)

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (published October 1, 1996)

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Summer 2024 To-Read List

Written by Grace H.

Welcome back to TBG’s Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, Top Ten Tuesday encourages book bloggers to create and share a “Top Ten” list in response to a different topic each week.

This week’s theme is…Books on My Summer 2024 To-Read List!!

Now that summer is here and school is out, teens have a lot of extra time on our hands, and I plan to make a big dent in my TBR stack. Here is a list that I’ve compiled of my most anticipated reads for the summer!

 

BOOK VS FILM! Turtles All the Way Down

 by Helena M.

Turtles All The Way Down, written by award-winning author John Green, focuses on the life of Aza Holmes. Aza has severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) about germs and bacteria. It hugely affects her well-being and plagues her life with constant irrational thoughts and behaviors that she cannot control. Her life changes when she and her best friend Daisy hear about a missing billionaire on the news who is the father of her childhood friend, Davis Pickett. Daisy and Aza’s need for the award money ($100,000 for people with relevant information) causes the pair to meet Davis again. Aza and Davis begin to connect and face the challenges in their lives together, one thing at a time. On May 2, 2024, a movie based on the book was released to Max and carries a 6.7/10 rating on IMDb.

 

The Movie

The movie is surprisingly good. Before I watched it, I unfairly assumed that it would be very different from the novel (which is sadly often the case). I was surprised while watching because of the added complexity and detail. Some of the best parts of the film were enhanced and barely anything was neglected.

The movie was very well made. The filming, the music, and the effects were tied together perfectly. The combination improved the story greatly. The only thing I did not like about the film was that it was a bit excessive in some parts. A few of the scenes were stressful and hard to watch, but that may be fine for other people.

 

The Book

Turtles All The Way Down was my first book by John Green, and it helped me get back into reading with its beautiful plot and detail. Additionally, the writing is splendid. The characters are nicely developed and feel like real people, which is only sometimes common. It can be a bit of a heavier read because of the subjects that are presented in the book, but I often find myself coming back to it again and again. In my opinion, it is a great read for most people and a must-read.

The Verdict

After comparing and contrasting the two works, I believe that the book is the superior way to savor the exquisite story. It was a tough decision, but the book is so breathtaking. The movie is as well, but not at the same level. I would recommend either the book or the movie, depending on your mood, to anyone interested in a captivating drama.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish WIshes

 by Grace H.

Welcome back to TBG’s Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, Top Ten Tuesday encourages book bloggers to create and share a “Top Ten” list in response to a different topic each week.

This week’s theme is…Bookish Wishlist!!

This is a list I have put together of the top ten books that I wish I could add to my ever-growing collection!

1. The Cruel Prince trilogy by Holly Black (this is one of my favorite YA series and I wish I had physical copies so I can read them over and over again!)

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2. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi (this is another one of my all time favorites!)

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3. The Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy by Stephanie Garber (a really popular series that I haven’t read yet + the covers are gorgeous!

4. Swarm by Jennifer Lyle (an intriguing sounding YA sci fi)

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5. Five Survive by Holly Jackson (one of the best YA thrillers I’ve read within the past year!)

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6. The Temptation of Magic by Megan Scott (newly released supernatural/fantasy novel)

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7. Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon (I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and this next installment sounds like a good read!)

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8. Paper Towns by John Green (one of the few John Green books that I have yet to read)

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9. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh (I’ve had this series on my TBR for a while and I’m very excited to read it)

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10. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (this one isn’t being published for almost an entire year, but I’m already adding it to my wishlist!)

      

Let us know which books you are eager to add to your collection!

Top Ten Tuesday: Weird or Funny Things I’ve Googled Thanks to a Book

Hello, everybody! Below are ten books and what weird or funny things Helena searched while reading them. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Covers/Titles with Things Found in Nature

Helena's picks

Top Ten Covers/Titles with Things Found in Nature: YA edition

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Meant to Read in 2023 but Didn’t Get To

Holly K's list:

1.  

Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk and Nicola Yoon

2. 

Loveless by Alice Oseman

3. 

I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi

4. 

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

5. 

Miles Morales: Suspended by Jason Reynolds

6. 

Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

7. 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

8. 

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

9. 

Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman

10.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

What's on your list?