Top Ten Tuesday--Books I'd Recommend to Reluctant Guy Readers

I love today's Top Ten Tuesday topic--it's "Books I'd Recommend to X Person."  I chose reluctant guy readers because that's the target group that I've been focusing on lately in my own school.  And once a guy picks up a book and enjoys it--the result is amazing!  They have fun reading and discussing their books.  A totally proud librarian moment.  So here are books that I would recommend to reluctant guy readers:

The Maze Runner by James Dashner.  It's weird, unpredictable, and action-packed, and boys love it!

Ashfall by Mike Mullin.  Not a pretty dystopian book, and guys usually love the realism of it.

Jude by Kate Morgenroth.  This book is often under the radar but is so great!  A young guy pretends to be a drug dealer to help out his politician mother and then finds himself wrongfully accused and imprisoned.

Boot Camp by Todd Strasser.  Any Todd Strasser is great but this one is especially awesome...the ending is a total surprise!

Genesis Alpha by Rune Michaels.  Two brothers, a video game, and a murder--boys will be hooked!

Divergent by Veronica Roth.  Word is definitely out about this series, but I think guys especially love that it's a little more "high school" than other popular dystopian books.

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker.  Again, Carl Deuker is a popular author for guys, but this book especially catches their attention.

The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz.  Basically a teenaged James Bond.  Sold.

The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan.  Another action-packed series for guys.

Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith.  A terrifying prison set underground...guys are hooked!

So what do you think of the list?  What books would you recommend for a particular group of people?

I'll be back tomorrow with an outfit based off of Under the Never Sky.  See you then!

Top Ten Tuesday--Book Covers I Wish I Could Re-design

I am obsessed with book covers--they really make or break a read for me.  Which is sad, honestly, since most authors have no control over their book covers.  But I totally judge a book by its cover!  So today's Top Ten post (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) is about book covers that I wish could be re-designed.  Here are my choices:

 

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.  I'm just not a fan of books with actual people on the cover, and this girl looks way too much like Angelina Jolie.

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann.  This is the paperback cover.  The hardback cover is AWESOME and has this creepy etching in an old school desk.  This one makes this book look like a romance...and it's not. 

Choker by Elizabeth Woods.  This cover is boooring.

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith.  This book was so good--a great historical fiction book about a girl wanting to join the WASP.  But no one will pick it up in my library because of the cover.  They just don't like the image of her and it definitely pushes guy readers away.

 

Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan.  Again, another boring cover.

 

Ice by Sarah Durst.  This looks like a girl is hopelessly in love with a polar bear.  Yeah, I have no desire to pick it up now.

 

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis.  I love this book series and I loved the design of the first book in the series (on the left)...and then the publishers changed the third book to this design theme (on the right).  And I just want the first design back!  Besides, who wants to have the trilogy with different themed covers?

Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman.  Again, another great book (this one is about Hades and Persephone) but this girl does nothing for me.  And kids just don't check this book out.

Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins.  Could be so much better without a cartoon.

The Beastly Arms by Patrick Jennings.  I HATE the font of this title.  It looks too much like the Harry Potter font, so I think of this book as a Harry Potter wannabe.  Which I'm sure is not an accurate representation of the book!

So what covers do you wish you could re-design?  Leave a comment below!  And come back tomorrow for an outfit inspired by Between Shades of Gray!

Top Ten Tuesday--Scary Book Covers

Happy Tuesday!  Today's Tuesday theme is so fun--the Top Ten Scary Book Covers!  Thanks to The Broke and the Bookish for hosting this!

YA books can get really creepy, and covers are so awesome nowadays that they can get super creepy, too!  So here are a few of my favorite scary covers:

 

Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith...yeah, I would prefer not to come face-to-face with this guy.

 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs...Notice that the girl on the cover is levitating?  Makes it a bit creepier.  I love the photos inside the book, too--keeps you feeling edgy!

 

The Rats by James Herbert...Ok, no way are you ever getting me to read this book!  Rats preying on humans?!  AAAAAGH!

 

The Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan...All of Shan's books are pretty creepy-looking (this is #2)...yeah, this kid on the cover has definitely had a bad day.

 

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff...Daggers/scissors hanging over a baby bassinet?  Eek!

 

Unsouled by Neal Shusterman...I talked to Neal at my ILF conference last week about this cover...did you know that HE asked for one of these heads to have its eyes open?!  That's the creepiest head of all!  These covers get spookier with each book!

 

Blood on my Hands by Todd Strasser...dripping blood--need I say more?

The Restless Dead by various authors...dragging/digging hands always get me.

 

Misery by Stephen King...I could've put any Stephen King book here, but this one is just known for its crazy scary factor.

Read If You Dare by READ Magazine...We have this book in my library and the girls' eyes are shiny red and jump out at you...super creepy!

So what do you think of my choices?  What are YOUR scariest book covers?

I'll be back tomorrow with an outfit based off of The Knife and the Butterfly...see you then!

Top Ten Tuesday: Character Names I Love

Hi, readers and fashionistas!  Today's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by the Broke and Bookish) is about character names.  I love me some character names!  And they're getting more and more creative as time goes on.  So here are the top ten character names that I love:

• Ember from Article 5...I LOVE the name Ember.  I actually wanted to use it for a daughter if Baby #2 was a girl.  A neat twist on the traditional "Amber" with some pretty cool meanings behind it
• Pierce from Abandon...Pierce is a girl in this book, and I love using some of the more traditional guy names for girls (like Spencer, Christian, etc).  A strong name for a girl :)
• Xander from Matched...A cooler version of the traditional "Alexander"
• Katsa from Graceling...Katniss is so popular now that I like this similar but different name (similar but different...does that even make sense?)
• Severus Snape from Harry Potter...I love alliterations in names and I love the way that this name rolls off the tongue.  Plus "Severus" just has this evil sound :)
• Eleanor from Eleanor & Park...names like these, the more traditional names rarely used, are ironically becoming more popular and just have that cool factor.  I could have an Eleanor as a daughter :)
• Park from Eleanor & Park...c'mon, Park is just a cool name.  People don't mess with a Park.
• Lev from Unwind...I love shortened names, and Lev (once again) has that short, cool factor.  
• Arden from Eve...I've always loved the name Arden because it's not as cutesy as so many other female names.
• Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars...maybe I'm just biased because I love Augustus.  But what a cool yet cute name.  Just like his character :)

So what are some of your favorite character names?

See you back here tomorrow when I show off an outfit inspired by The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson!

Top Ten Tuesday--Books I was Forced to Read

Hi, readers and fashionistas!  Today's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by the Broke and Bookish) asks us to list ten books that we were forced to read.  I feel like I'm always being told to read, whether it's for a class, book club, or committee.  And as you'll see from the list below, sometimes this is a great thing and sometimes I'm ready to just finish the darn thing!

Books I had to read for class:

Middlemarch by George Eliot.  I remember that this took FOREVER for me to read, and once our class watched the movie, I realized I hadn't really understood any of it while I was reading.  Oops.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.  I know it's probably a sin as a Hoosier to not rave about Vonnegut, but he's just a little bizarre for my taste.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.  I had to teach this to freshmen one year--one of my favorite classics.  LOVE this book.  Makes me so sad whenever I see it banned somewhere.

The Odyssey by Homer.  I taught this to an academic team last year.  It's great but man is it long!  And to think that this used to be a verbal story!

Books I read for my book club:

The Host by Stephenie Meyer.  I probably wouldn't have picked this up on my own--it's pretty long--but I really enjoyed it!

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.  Probably one of the more fun books I've been told to read.  I'm reviewing it on Thursday, so pop back then!

Books I had to read for a committee:

Jude by Kate Morgenroth.  This book is SO underrated.  Such a great YA read!

Steve & Me by Terri Irwin.  I don't share much in common with Steve Irwin, so it was an interesting read.  Made me appreciate his work a bit more!

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi.  If I were required to read books like this all the time, I'd never stop reading!  I'll be reviewing this one soon!

Genesis Alpha by Rune Michaels.  Another hidden gem!  My boys especially love this at school.

I can't wait to see what's on YOUR list!

Top Ten Tuesday--Best/Worst Series Enders

Aaaagh...today's Top Ten Tuesday is another question revolving around series.  And if you remember, I have a very hard time finishing series!  I just get caught up in reading so many other books that it's hard for me to stick through a series.  So I think I will just give you my opinion of the series that I HAVE finished.

Today's question?  What are the best/worst series enders?

*Warning--possible spoilers ahead!

• The Hunger Games--thumbs down.  Ok, I love this series, but so much happened in the last 50 pages of Mockingjay that it could've been another, better-developed book.  Katniss' goodbye to Gale was SO weak (and I'm totally Team Gale!) and Prim!  My sweet, sweet Prim that didn't survive...sigh.
• The Maze Runner--thumbs down.  James Dashner, I want to kiss you and slap you for this series.  I love this series and yet so much is still unanswered for me.  And Teresa?!  Why did you kill off Teresa?!
• Harry Potter--thumbs up.  I mean, is there really anything to criticize in this series?  Such a sweet ending that took my breath.
• The Chronicles of Narnia--thumbs up.  Ok, probably not fair since this is my favorite series ever.  But I love the way that everything is wrapped up in the end.
• Vampire Academy--meh.  I love the Rose/Dmitri story but felt like Rose's goodbye to Adrian was so weak.
• Eve--thumbs down.  I didn't buy that Arden had gained so much power, and I'm still confused as to whether Caleb is still dead or alive.

Series I REALLY need to finish: Matched by Ally Condie, Across the Universe by Beth Revis, Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz

Series I can't wait to have published endings: Divergent by Veronica Roth, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, Unwind by Neal Shusterman

So what about you?  How does your list compare?

Meet me back here tomorrow to see the fashion inspiration I'm sharing from the book Trafficked!

Top Ten Tuesday--Best Sequels Ever

So maybe I should title this post "Top Four Tuesday" because that's all I've got.  Let me explain.

 

Today's topic is about the best sequels ever...but I am HORRIBLE at reading sequels in a series!  Why?  Because there are SO MANY books out there and I want to read everything!  So often I get distracted by other books and never finish a series.  The Young Sherlock Holmes series by Andy Lane?  Read the first one.  The Wake series by Lisa McMann that my students RAVE about?  Read the first one.

And then when I do read an entire series, I almost always prefer the first book.  Just about every time.  So I only came up with four books for my top ten list. 

• The Scorch Trials by James Dashner--I LOVE the Maze Runner series and was so engaged in this second book of the series.  So much mystery, action, secret behavior--I LOVED it!
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling--I think #4 and #7 were the best!
• Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead--I loved the Vampire Academy series and this third book is when I became truly invested in the Rose/Dmitri saga.  So much emotion in that book--so. much. emotion.
• Scorpia by Anthony Horowtiz--I am a die-hard Alex Rider fan and this fifth book was my favorite.  Very action-packed with a great villain.

Ok, so it's a measly list today, but maybe this will kick me into gear so I'll finish a few series!  Maybe...