Books I Struggle With

This will be kind of a different type of Top Ten Tuesday from me today.  Only I've been thinking quite a lot about the ways in which my reading habits have changed and the types of books I really love reading and the types of books that languish on my shelves. And as today's topic is 'books you struggle with' I thought I'd explore that a little bit more.

So what I've come to realise is that the types of books that I really enjoy reading are emotional contemporary stories. This can be dark, gritty emotional or intense, romantic stories, 'issue' stories, family or friendship dramas.  I'm just all about emotional stories set in realistic settings. Therefore the books I struggle with are anything outside of this.

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

Fantasy Books

Like, fantasy books.  I recently cleared out an entire shelf of fantasy books that I had hoarded over the last year or so but when I really asked myself if I was even excited to read these books anymore ... my answer was a firm 'no'  I do still have some fantasy books on my shelves unread that I haven't quite gotten around to abandoning yet.  Mostly by big-name fantasy authors.  A Court of Mist and Fury and A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. The Sleeping Prince by Melinda Salisbury. Will I get around to reading these books at some point? Possibly.  Is it more likely they will be donated to a local secondary school? Yes. But we shall see.


Science-fiction


I also struggle with science-fiction books.  But unlike fantasy books, I'm much more inclined to abandon science-fiction books, therefore there aren't as many books on my unread shelves that fall into this category.  I think the only book I'm aware of that counts as science-fiction on my shelves unread right now is The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James.  And I am hoping that I'll read that by the end of this month.  I hear good things but that doesn't always mean that it'll be enough.  I hope so though!


Middle Grade books


The other largest collection of books that are unread on my shelves include books aimed at sort of 8-12 year olds.  I think sometimes I hold onto these books thinking that I'll read them with the boys but usually that's just wishful thinking.  I have books I'm still excited to read amongst them though: Beetle Boy by MG Leonard, The Dreamsnatcher by Abi Elphinstone and some classics like A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.  I'm not giving up though.


Funny Books

This one might be a little strange but ...I struggle with funny books.  Usually the type of book that's really awkward about the funniness. Like ... Noah Can't Even by Simon James Green or Super Awkward by Beth Garrod. I have to be in the exact right frame of mind to get into these types of books and I really just don't think they're right for me.  I lean more towards intensity and these books are all about humour and light-heartedness.  Not to say I won't read these books and love them ... eventually. Hopefully.

What books do you struggle with, if any?

Top Ten Tuesday: Back To School

It isn't back to school here for another three more weeks or so but I thought I'd still take part in this week's Top Ten Tuesday which aims at looking at our favourite back to school books. I've chosen books that I love that are set in high schools.  In particular I love books like Some Girls Are which are all dark and intense and hard to read because that seems more indicative of my own high school experiences. But I've diversified the list to also include some lighter, happier reads too because I'm sure some of you had those experiences too? I sure hope so.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers is one the hardest most emotional stories that I can ever remember reading. I remember reading it and almost wailing out sobs as I read what this girl was going through, the lengths of bullying and torment she was facing, the guilt she was feeling for her part in betraying the only person willing to stick by her now.  It was some truly horrific stuff. And while I realise that this isn't everyone's high school story, it is for some. And I remember thinking it was incredible when I read it. Really hard-hitting and honest in its brutality.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

It's been awhile since I read Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver but I did recently watch the film adaptation so I'm more familiar with the story line now than I was a week ago.  And I think what I liked about this book (better than other stories with a similar story line) is how our actions affect those around us. Especially in high school when it maybe feels easier to go along with things you know are wrong to fit in with a different crowd.

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley is one of my favourite books. I really need to re-read it one of these days. What I really love about this book is kind of three-fold. 1) I love the exploration of image and identity. We see this with the main character's large facial birthmark, her mother being overweight and hiding in her fat and also Jacob's being Goth and also Chinese and the way in which he uses both to alter his image to other people. 2) the maps. I love maps utterly. 3) Terra's collages and general interest in art.  It inspired me no end when I read this book the first time.

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

I think the film adaptation of The DUFF has my mind a little bit confused as to the premise of the story but I remember really loving this book.  About a girl whose family life is falling apart so jumps into bed anyway with a boy who called her the 'designated ugly fat friend'  I remember it being all about using sex as a distraction and working towards being okay with how she looks and her place within her friendship group.  I thought it was a great look at high school life and all of its uncertainties.

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

I could have just as easily included Jellicoe Road onto this list as well and I'm sure nobody would have been surprised. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Melina Marchetta. But I included Saving Francesca because it probably means more to met.  I remember it being the first book I had read where the main character has to deal with a parent's mental illness and the profound effect that depression has on everyone else in the family.  It was an important book for me, this one.  It's also about a boy's school that it trying to be co-ed and how Francesca manages to find this amazing set of friends anyway.  I have heart-eyes for this book something fierce.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

I remember being really blown away by this book when I first read it.  I didn't love the ending, but I did love the slow-build friendship to something more between Violet and Theodore.  What I particularly like is that people might be going through hard stuff all around you and you might not know it.  And you also might people and not realise the importance they'll have on your life.

Girlhood by Cat Clarke

Girlhood by Cat Clarke is the most recent book that is on this list.  I guess I haven't been reading that many books set in high school lately that have had an impact. But Girlhood definitely did. I love that it's a boarding school story, that it's set in Scotland. That the campus is old and rambling and has plenty of history and hidden places that lend itself to creepy traditions like locking new girls in a dark hole overnight with only a handful of matches.  This book is about friendship and grief and I adored it.

The Rest Of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

What I love so much about this book is that it's about normal teenagers living their lives while some other drama is happening around them and potentially the world is ending.  And it's still just them navigating school and friendships and love and working out who they are.  I loved that about this book and I love the way Patrick Ness writes.

Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albetalli

And I had to include something just utterly happy-making. And that's what this book is for me.  Yes, there is the whole blackmailing you thing but I try not to think about that. Instead I think of how incredibly sweet Simon and Blue's relationship is in this book.  It's two boys who fall in love with each other online while probably running into each other every day at school and not even really knowing it.  They are entirely cute and I couldn't love this book any more than I do.

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

And finally we have Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.  The high school in this book is straight out of a fantasy world where differences are celebrated and it's the crazy-wonderful universe in which the prom queen is trans, the cheerleaders ride motorcycles and the entire cast of this delightful story are all weird and fantastic and I dare anyone to read this book and not fall in love.

What are your favourite stories set in high school?

Top Ten Books that Inspired me to Do/Learn Something Else

This week's Top Ten Tuesday are about the books that have inspired us. Either to do something new or to learn something new. I really like this topic and of course had to join in. There is a major absence amongst this list of books but that's only because I had already planned to write about it separately. Look out for this related blog post very soon. I'm very intrigued to learn what books inspired you! Leave your TTT links in the comments below and do share your top inspiring blog posts, please. I'd love to hear them.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish 

The Night Itself by Zoe Marriott

I really adore Zoe Marriott and all of her books. I wrote last week about how Shadows on the Moon is one of my favourite all-time books but I do love them all. When reading The Night Itself, the first book in the Darkness Hidden trilogy with a basis in Japanese mythology, and more so when I attended an event in which Zoe Marriott was able to explain some of her writing process, I was hugely inspired to read up on other Japanese mythology. And just mythology in general, in fact!

A World Between Us by Lydia Syson

It's no surprise to anyone (I've written about it a lot on this blog!) that it takes a special book or author to really get me into historical fiction. Something about historical fiction just intimidates me.  But Lydia Syson's writing, and especially A World Between Us, was just so easy to get into. And I think it was a combination of Lydia Syson's writing style and because A World Between Us is about a time period I had absolutely zero knowledge about that it made things so much easier for me to fall in love with it so completely. In fact, reading this book inspired me not only to look into the Spanish Civil War more but just history in general.

Notes From the Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell

Oh I love Notes From the Teenage Underground. Do you guys know Simmone Howell?? One of my first bookish events I attended was a Chicklish event with Keris Stainton, Sarra Manning, Luisa Plaja and ...Simmone Howell. And because I had already read and loved books by the other authors before I went to the event I picked up this book by Simmone Howell. And loved every second of it. It's about filmmaking and teenage life and feminism. And I remember after reading this book, I ended up buying other non-fiction books about awesome historical women (and starting up a new feature on this blog, Awesome Women).

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Anna Perkins

I'm a big fan of Stephanie Perkins' cute romantic stories. Though nothing really topped Anna and the French Kiss for me, what I loved most about Lola and the Boy Next Door is Lola's interest in fashion design and her wacky, outlandish costumes. And while I haven't yet gotten to the stage where I'm making my own clothes I feel like that will happen in the near future. So while I can't say for sure that Lola inspired me in the first place it was definitely something that helped the idea along.

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Oh how I adore Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. It's such a beautiful book about three teenagers on one epic night. What I loved about it is how creative each of the main characters are. From actual graffiti to poetry to ... my favourite, glass-blowing. I can't say that I will ever indulge in glass-blowing myself, but I remember visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum after one of the characters in Graffiti Moon mentioned the beautiful green and yellow glass chandelier in the museum reception.  So, I'm counting that.

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

It's been awhile since I read North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley but it's still a story that has stuck with me over the years. I loved the themes of identity and image in this book and the many ways these themes are covered through the main character's birth mark on her face, her love interest's racial identity and wardrobe, the size and shape of her overweight mother. But aside from this, the main character is also quite creative and she works through some of her issues through the creation of different collages. And I love the idea of collaging, mixing different types of materials in order to create something beautiful. It really did inspire me to express myself artistically more than I have done.

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

I love books like Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone. It's telling a really important story and it does so through the medium of poetry. I don't mean that it's written in verse, it's not. (there are lots of other great books that I've loved written in verse though! You should definitely read more books written in verse. I recommend Sarah Crossan's One or The Weight of Water.) But in this book the main character expresses herself and her feelings so well through writing and reading aloud her own poetry. And I loved that about this book. It really made me consider writing my own poetry. I'm still working on possibly sharing some of them with other people though. Baby steps.

Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine

Oh I love Jenny Valentine. I remember reading Broken Soup years ago and it was just what I needed in order to inspire me to start writing again after a really long break and a big dip in my confidence. 

Looking For Alaska by John Green

Many years ago I read this book and decided it was just what I needed in order to shake up my life. Do things differently and get myself out of the rut I was in. It was only a mildly successful attempt but I think any progress in that area is a win! 

Regeneration by Pat Barker

I read Regeneration, the first book in Pat Barker's trilogy about World War I and there was so much to be fascinated by. War, new psychology practices ... but the thing that really inspired me was to read more WWI poetry, especially that of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon's poetry that was featured in the book. Which I did. Which was both beautiful and heartbreaking. 

Are there any books that have inspired you to do or learn something else?

Top Ten UKYA Books Set Outside of the US and UK

It's been awhile since blogging occurred here on Fluttering Butterflies! I'm sorry for my absence, it's been a challenging time for me lately but hopefully I'll be back with a little more regularity from now on. We shall see.

For my blogging debut, I thought I'd take part in this week's Top Ten Tuesday. It's technically meant to be books set outside the US only but I figured I'd do the same with the UK as well. AND just because I wanted to do a(nother) post here on Fluttering Butterflies celebrating UKYA (and one UKMG) books, all of the authors in today's posts are also by British authors.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish 

Liberty's Fire by Lydia Syson (France)

Lydia Syson is one of my favourite authors. I love the way she writes historical fiction in such a way that it makes it so easy for me to get swept up in her characters and the time periods she writes about. Liberty's Fire is set in Paris, France during a revolution in 1870 and it follows the lives of four entwined characters who are on both sides of the political upheaval. And I loved every second of it! 

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell (Russia)

I absolutely adored The Wolf Wilder! It's set in a fictional Russia in which wolves have been taken on as pets by royalty and then sent to a wolf wilder in order to be taught how to be wild again.  I love the concept of this book, the setting, the characters and definitely the adventure. This was such a sweet, fun book that I had to go out and pick up Katherine Rundell's debut book, Rooftoppers. 

Forbidden Spaces trilogy by Helen Grant (Belgium)

It shouldn't be a surprise to anybody that I'm a huge fan of the Forbidden Spaces trilogy by Helen Grant. All three books are set in the Flemish speaking area of Belgium and centre around serial killer goings on. I absolutely loved the pace, the intrigue and especially the relationship between the two main characters. 

The Last Leaves Falling by Fox Benwell (published under the name Sarah) (Japan)

The Last Leaves Falling is such a tear-jerker. It was one of those hugely emotional books that I read and just sobbed my way through. It's about suicide and suicide culture in Japan but it's also a book about hope and friendship and acceptance. It's just a really beautiful book and I definitely look forward to more from Fox... 

Stolen by Lucy Christopher (Australia)

I'm still kicking myself for having waited so long to read Stolen by Lucy Christopher. I was really intimidated by it for such a long time without ever coming to any conclusions as to why.  I think the thing I loved so much about this book is how emotional it is. Lucy Christopher described the outback of Australia so well that it felt like a character in itself and also she described how much the main character didn't want to be there that it made me feel that way too.  This setting of this book was incredible. 

Monkey Wars by Richard Kurti (India)

It's a bit of a strange one, Monkey Wars, in that unlike the majority of other books on this list it isn't a contemporary story. This is a book about warring monkeys in Calcutta, India. And it's fascinating. The different monkeys have such differing and powerful personalities. And this book is pretty gruesome. It's bloody and political and I found every page of it fascinating. I love how emotionally invested I became in monkeys on both sides of the conflict and how much I felt about them and their relationships. Such a surprising novel. 

Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott (Japan)

Shadows on the Moon is on my list of favourite books ever, that's how much I love it. It's set in a fictional fantasy feudal Japan, is a fairy tale retelling, it's got a great main character, great secondary characters, an emotional love interest and an amazing setting. I love the world that this book is set in. And I love the revenge and vulnerability... oh, I just love this book!

Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace (Zimbabwe)

I read Out of Shadows several years ago and I still occasionally find myself thinking about it. It's a book set in Zimbabwe during the 80s just after the war of independence. It's about an English boy in school during a time of great upheaval and racial tensions. Robert Mugabe is set to visit the school and that sets off this chain of events that occur. This book was a really powerful and unflinching story about bullying, race, belonging.

A Beautiful Life by Irfan Master (India)

A Beautiful Lie is such a sweet little book. Written back in 2011, this book is set in India during Partition in 1947. The main character, Bilal, is determined to protect his dying father from the news of Partition as he thinks it will break his heart. Set during a time of great turmoil, Bilal and his friends and everyone he can enlist throughout his village go to great lengths so that Bilal's father has peace in his final days. This book is equally sad and beautiful. 

Sophie Someone by Hayley Long (Belgium)

Sophie Someone is the most recent book I've read from this list. I loved the Belgian setting, specifically in Brussels. There was Flemish words thrown into the narrative, there was mentions of different ethnicities living within Brussels because of colonisation etc. It was just a really interesting general look at teenage life in another country as well as being an intriguing story about identity and language. 

What are your favourite books set outside of the US or the UK? 

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Didn't Get Around to Reading...

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

This week's theme is shameful.  It asks you to list the top ten books published in 2014 ... that you haven't read. Or reviewed. Whoops.  I hang my head in shame with all of these. Especially because I initially had different titles on my list until I checked and actually they were published in 2013.  I am officially a terrible book blogger. Especially since all of these except for the final four books were sent to me specifically for review.

Winger by Andrew Smith 

I've heard really good things about this book and I really wanted to read this over the summer, however the sheer chunk of it put me off slightly.  I will get there eventually!


Shimmer by Paula Weston

I absolutely love this series.  It's about angels and angels (as most of you know) are not my favourite paranormal creature by any stretch of the imagination but the way Paula Weston has written this series just sucks me in effortlessly.  The only reason that I haven't yet read this book is because it is in a series and I don't recall exactly how the previous book ended.


Running Girl by Simon Mason

Another book where size matters. Size and the fact that it's a hardback book which isn't as easily portable.  Still, fab sounding book and I love the sound of a POC main character.

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

I have a problem. And the problem is called 'I read too many series and all the books are spread too far apart which means when I get the latest in the series in my hands I don't read it because I can't quite recall what happened previously and I don't have the time to reread books'  You're familiar with this problem, yes?


Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

The story with this book is that I started reading it and there were so many quotes and passages of it that I thought were utterly beautiful and just too true to not write it down.  And I always feel really bad that I wasn't giving this book my whole attention that I stopped giving it any attention at all. Which is something that needs to be rectified.


Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Oh god, this book.  For awhile there (and I'm not saying that this has specifically changed) this book was everywhere and everyone and their mother was saying what a great, amazing, perfect book this is. And I just can't handle that kind of praise and high expectations.  No book can live up to the hype that has built up in my head. So I'm giving it awhile before I tackle this book.

Geek Girl: Picture Perfect by Holly Smale

I love this series! It's an amazing series ... but this third book in the series is a book I bought myself AND a hardback book. Both of which puts it at the very bottom of my list of priorities.  It's just the way things go.  But! with the publication of the next book in the series not that far away, at least I have some incentive to get to this book sooner rather than later.


Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

I think the problem with this book is that I keep hearing mixed things about it.  It sounds like a book that I'd really enjoy reading and I should be dead excited to read it ... however, one or two middling to poor reviews makes me check my excitement and feel a little wary. We shall see.


The Dream Thieves and Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Why oh why have I not read these two books? I absolutely ADORED The Raven Boys and was gasping to get hold of The Dream Thieves and then when I got a copy ... I did nothing.  I'm making the wrong life choices here, people, send help.

Bonus! Here is a further 6 books on my TBR pile that I'm ashamed I haven't read:

Which books did you not get around to reading before the end of 2014?

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors in 2014

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

This week's topic is about new-to-me authors that I discovered in 2014. I love this topic and I love discovering new authors. I aim to discover many more in 2015! 

In no particular order... 

Robin York

This year, I read Robin York's two new adult books Deeper and Harder.  I thought they were both really good and I was really surprised by the depth to them as well as how emotional I felt when reading them.  After reading terrible NA book after another, reading these two books gave me hope that the new adult genre can be different.

Cammie McGovern

I absolutely loved Amy and Matthew. I was really surprised by it.  I loved both the main characters and how much we came to know about them and watch them both grow individually as well as in a couple.  I'd love to see more books like this - to see more characters with OCD or with long-term illnesses and conditions like cerebral palsy.

Clare Furniss

The Year of the Rat is one of my favourite books that I've read this year. And it's down to the wonderful, emotional story that Clare Furniss has written.  Grief and anger and family and friendship and love of all types.  It was really great read, Year of the Rat, and I'm looking forward to reading more by the same author.

Non Pratt

I didn't really discover Non this year.  I've known her for awhile and she's a fab person and friend. But this year I finally read her written work and her debut book, Trouble, was absolutely amazing.  I'm ridiculously excited for her second book, Remix.

Sarah Crossan

I think Sarah Crossan is my favourite discovery of 2014.  On a whim, I had bought her verse novel, The Weight of Water on my Kindle and this year I finally read it.  I loved it so much that I recommended that my book club read it who then all read it and enjoyed it too.  I was very much looking forward to reading Apple and Rain this year, which while it wasn't in verse as well it did contain elements of how powerful and important poetry is.  I loved them both and will certainly be reading Sarah Crossan's previous books in the near future!

Louisa Reid

I read Lies Like Love by Louisa Reid this year and I feel like it was the most powerful book I read all year.  It really packed an emotional punch for me and I ended up feeling so many strong emotions when I read it.  I loved the complicated family relationships and the element of mental illness and also the romantic aspects of the book.  It was definitely hard to read in places and might not be everyone's cup of tea but it was certainly mine. And I can't wait to read more by Louisa Reid! 

Emma Carroll

I'm not a huge reader of historical fiction but every time I say that I think I end up reading more and more historical fiction that I absolutely fall in love with and rave about.  And that was definitely the case for The Girl Who Walked On Air, this historical middle grade adventure novel about a young girl who is a Victorian tight rope walker.  It was exciting, it was emotional and I absolutely fell in love with everything about this book.  I definitely want to read more books just like this!

Holly Black

During the summer holidays, I read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and I fell in love.  Not only with Holly Black's writing and this interesting story line, but I was also hugely impressed with the amount of diversity that was included. It really, really made me excited to read more by her. Starting with her newest, The Darkest Part of the Forest I think...


Brigid Kemmerer

Another surprise for me this year was reading and loving the first book in the Elementals series by Brigid Kemmerer.  I'd heard good things about the series but I really didn't think the series would be something I would enjoy. Little did I know! The first book was utterly addictive and I couldn't help but fall in love with all of the brothers at the same time. I can't wait to read more in this series and get to know all of them.

Leigh Bardugo

2014 was the year I finally read the first book in the Grisha trilogy! I've downloaded the second book onto my Kindle and I have a feeling that as soon as I finish the second book I'll want to dive straight into the third.  I loved the world-building in Shadow and Bone, I loved the characters and the relationships and I can see myself very easily falling into this world completely.

Who are some authors that you discovered in 2014?

Top Ten Sequels I'm Dying to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish and asks bloggers to participate by listing their top tens on a particular topic. 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is SEQUELS I'M DYING TO READ. How very exciting. I did want to keep my list to be entirely UKYA but I did sneak a couple other books in that I can't help but be extremely, extremely excited for.  So without further ado, here we go. Books are in no particular order.


P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

This is the sequel to To All the Boys I've Loved Before which I read recently and I absolutely loved.  I just adore Jenny Han in general and I cannot wait to see where this story will go. I really liked Lara Jean and her relationships with both her sisters and the different romantic entanglements she gets into.  Please get into my hands quickly!

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

Shadow Scale! Rachel Hartman! AHH! I absolutely LOVED Seraphina SO MUCH. That I can't help but write in CAPITAL LETTERS when thinking about a sequel.  Dragons and music and political intrigue. This sequel had been delayed and the publication date had been put off but I don't care. I want this book BADLY.


The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

I quite enjoyed the first book in the series, The Winner's Curse.  I thought it had a great premise and showed off a great and complicated relationship between the two main characters. I found myself quite surprised by how emotionally invested I became in this world and with these characters. I can't wait to find out more!

Arsenic For Tea by Robin Stevens

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, Murder Most Unladylike! With a passion.  I wanted to be both Hazel and Daisy's best friend and I was desperate to go to this school and go on bun breaks and solve murders. It sounds like amazing fun and I have really high hopes and expectations for Arsenic For Tea!  Plus? Great covers.

Frail Mortal Heart by Zoe Marriott

I'm such a huge fan of Zoe Marriott's! And I adore this new trilogy.  Frail Mortal Heart is the third and final book in the trilogy and I think I'm going to be worried about MY heart whilst reading it.  I love the characters, the Japanese mythology and especially the friendships.  Great stuff.

The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May

The Falconer, the first book in this trilogy, is a book that I've absolutely RAVED about since I first read it. It's fast-paced, it's exciting, it has amazing characters and friendships and relationships. It's set in Scotland and killer fairies ... and oh, I'm in love with Kiaran McKay.  I NEED this sequel and I need it now.

Stung by Joss Stirling

I've loved absolutely everything I've read by Joss Stirling so far. Especially the books in the Benedict brothers series. But Stung is the second book in a new series about smart, teen detectives. The first book was initially called Storm and Stone but I believe it was renamed Struck when published in ebook format. This follows on with different characters and it doesn't even matter to me what it is about. It's Joss Stirling, so I will definitely pick up this book and read it (and love it.)


Endgame by CJ Daugherty

The end of Night School! Am I ready emotionally? No, no I am not. But maybe I will be by the time this book is published. Night School really has been one of my favourite recent series. I love that it's contemporary, I love how exciting and action-packed it is as well as having some really emotional friendships and romantic relationships. It's great stuff all around and I will be sad to see the end of this series.  (But how exciting is the news of the Night School web series?!)

Urban Legends by Helen Grant

I've been a huge fan of the Forbidden Spaces trilogy since the beginning! I absolutely adore Kris and Veerle and I'm going to be so sad when it comes to the end of their story. I've become very emotionally invested in their lives and their relationship that I don't know how I'll be able to cope. Plus, it's set in Belgium and there's some great legends and folklore that I've been introduced to that have been really fascinating.

Poppy in the Field by Mary Hooper

I'm not a super big fan of historical fiction but I have been finding recently that I do enjoy certain time periods more than others. And I've been loving what I've read about WWI lately. Especially this book by Mary Hooper which really sucked me in.  I can't wait to find out how this story and these characters get on!

What are some of the sequels that you're most looking forward to?!

Top Ten Underrated UKYA Authors

I know that it's been awhile since I took part in a TTT, but I couldn't pass up this week's topic. I was going to film a video about underrated authors but it's always more fun to do things with a group of people, so I'm doing this instead!  Top Ten Tuesday, as ever, is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Do visit her site to visit other people taking part in this week's topic!

In no particular order, here are my top ten underrated authors.  They are all British authors who write YA. I came about this list by checking my Goodreads page and ranking my 'read' books by the books with fewest ratings. It's a very scientific approach, really. Sometimes I impress myself.

Liz Bankes

Liz Bankes is the author of three wonderful, funny, romantic books: Irresistible, Undeniable and, most recently, Unstoppable.  All three books are companion novels of each other and focus on a similar group of characters as they navigate their friendships, identities, jobs, and relationships.  I love all three books for their humour, their friendships and for all the lovely boys we meet. There's plenty of tension and awkwardness and I wish more people were reading and talking about her books!

Vanessa Curtis 

I really love Vanessa Curtis' books.  She is the author the Zelah Green books - Zelah Green and One More Little Problem - about a girl who is dealing with obsessive compulsive disorder and also the Lilah May books - The Taming of Lilah May and Lilah May's Manic Days - about a girl with rage.  She's also written a ghost story calling The Haunting of Tabitha Grey and most recently a middle grade story, The Baking Life of Amelie Day, about a teen baker who also has cystic fibrosis. Each of her books have been quite emotional and felt very different to other books I've read. I love the range of topics covered and how easily it was for me to really care about the characters.

Helen Grant

Now, I haven't yet read many books by Helen Grant but based solely on the strength of her two books in the Forbidden Spaces trilogy that have been published so far - Silent Saturday and Demons of Ghent - I really want to hunt down her other books.  I absolutely love Silent Saturday and Demons of Ghent. They're both set in Belgium and cover urban exploration and the ways in which the main character, Veerle, finds herself involved in difficult (and illegal) situations with some dangerous people.  I love the way these books unfold, how emotional they are and how absolutely tense and suspenseful they are!

Lydia Syson

I think that historical fiction writers are kind of overlooked? Especially in YA? And I think that's an absolute shame.  I've read and loved both of Lydia Syson's YA novels - A World Between Us and That Burning Summer - and I think she has a wonderful skill of really drawing me into her stories and letting the historical detail wash over me really seamlessly.  I'm not usually a big of historical fiction, but I am when Lydia Syson writes it.  A World Between Us tells the emotional story of three people during the Spanish Civil War and That Burning Summer is about a Polish pilot who crash lands in England and cannot face returning to war.  Both books are fascinating and gripping reading and count amongst my favourite UKYA.

Phil Earle

Love Phil Earle. His debut book, Being Billy, will always be one of my favourite books and it's one that made me feel a whole range of things. And everything else he's written - Saving Daisy, Heroic, The Bubble Wrap Boy - has been written with such warmth and heart as well.  It's been a very emotional experience reading Phil Earle's books but I look forward to it always.  He's published the first in a series of middle grade fiction next year and I cannot wait.

Candy Harper

Now I've only read one book by Candy Harper so far (but have read her dystopian book written under the name CJ Harper called The Disappeared and really enjoyed that!) but I found it hugely funny and entertaining and I can't think why more people haven't been picking it up and raving about it.  It's called Have A Little Faith and there's already a sequel, Keep the Faith, which I'm looking out for to read next.  I love the main character's attitude and self-centredness SO MUCH. I did the full range of smile to snort to full-on belly laugh reading some of Faith's adventures!

Sharon Jones

I've said it a million times, but I love Sharon Jones' books. Her Poppy Sinclair novels - Dead Jealous and Dead Silent - are really incredible and I'm constantly recommending them to people. Not only do I love the thriller aspect of the books, I also love the main character, her love interest, the setting and the fact that religion plays a part in both books. I love everything about these books and I can't wait to read more by Sharon Jones!

Julia Green

Julia Green is perhaps the author that I've read the least from on this list, but I'm very sure that that will change in the very near future. I just love how gentle Julia Green's stories are. Especially This Northern Sky which I absolutely adored. I love how much family and friendship and the setting felt like the main focus of the story.  It was also beautifully written in a way that made me quite desperate to visit the Scottish islands.

Theresa Breslin

Theresa Breslin is another historical author who I absolutely adore. I've only read a handful of her novels but everything by her that I've read, I've loved. And it does make me want to read her entire backlist too. My favourites of hers being Divided City about the religious divide between Catholics and Protestants in Scotland, Prisoner of the Inquisition and also Spy for the Queen of Scots.  Wonderful characters and settings!


Sita Brahmachari

 

I haven't read all of Sita Brahmachari's books (yet) but those books I have read make me want to read her others.  She's the author of five books for teens: Artichoke Hearts and Jasmine Skies which I believe are in a series together. There's also Kite Spirit, about a girl who goes to the country to recharge after the suicide of her best friend, and also Brace Mouth, False Teeth a Barrington Stoke book about a girl's work experience at a care home.  All of her books are filled with wonderful characters and settings! Her new book, Red Leaves, is being published this month, I believe.

Which authors would you consider as being underrated?