Mini Challenge: Top 5 Books

I

I had a tough time narrowing down my favorites to top five. But anyways! Here are the top 5 books/series that I've read so far this year.

(In no particular order)

 Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness

My review

On The Jellicoe Road and The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

I know they're two different books... but they're both written by Melina Marchetta! I'm so glad I discovered her works just before graduation. I'm one of her biggest fans and I can't wait til NBS gives in and take her here in the Philippines. :DDD

Divergent by Veronica Roth

I'm a HUGE fan of Dystopians and this one stood out for me this year. I love it as much as I do THG and 2012 can't come soon enough!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This is the best contemporary YA I've ever read. I finished this three times in a span of a week. I love it that much.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

My review

Three words: Adam freaking Wilde *swoons*

What are the top 5 books you've read this year?

Waiting on Wednesday: Everybody Sees the Ants and Night Beach

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Everybody Sees the Ants  by A.S. King

Hardcover: 288 pages

Release date: October 3rd, 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary: Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their family is fine. And he certainly didn't ask to be the recipient of Nadar McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far.

Lucky has a secret—one that helps him wade through the daily dysfunction of his life. Grandad Harry, trapped in the jungles of Laos, has been visiting Lucky in his dreams—and the dreams just might be real: an alternate reality where he can be whoever he wants to be and his life might still be worth living. But how long can Lucky remain in hiding there before reality forces its way inside?

Printz Honor recipient A. S. King's distinctive, smart, and accessible writing shines in this powerful novel about learning to cope with the shrapnel life throws at you, and then taking a stand against it.

I LOVED A.S. King's Please Ignore Vera Dietz!! It's one of my favorite books I've read this year and I'm looking forward to this one.

Night Beach  by Kirsty Eagar 

Hardcover: 324 pages

Release date: February, 2012

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia

Goodreads summary: For Abbie, the ocean is a refuge and the only place she feels in touch with her wilder, truer self. But when her step-cousin Kane returns from a surf trip with something to conceal, she learns that what the sea wants, the sea shall have … A page-turning gothic thriller from award-winning author Kirsty Eagar. 

"It’s about art, the ocean, and the very dark things that feed the creative process … There’s surfing in there, and a look at the idea of ownership. But mainly it’s about a girl called Abbie and a guy called Kane." 

This one sounds compelling... And it's Kirsty Eagar's! I haven't read a book of hers but they're all getting rave reviews. I'll start with Raw Blue next week.

What are you anxiously waiting on this week? Just leave a comment of the link to your WoW post!

Don't forget to enter our First Ever Giveaway if you haven't!

Top 100 YA List

This list has been going around the blogosphere since the beginning of September. I've seen it at Down The Rabbit Hole and Reading Teen and I thought I'd join the fun to see what books in the list I've read so far. In red and bold are those I have read. Since we just started blogging, my reviews for them are on my Goodreads account

1. Alex Finn – Beastly
2. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones
3. Ally Carter – Gallagher Girls (1, 2, 3, 4)
4. Ally Condie – Matched
5. Alyson Noel – The Immortals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
6. Anastasia Hopcus – Shadow Hills
7. Angie Sage – Septimus Heap (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
8. Ann Brashares – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (1, 2, 3, 4)
9. Anna Godbersen – Luxe (1, 2, 3, 4)
10. Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
11. Aprilynne Pike – Wings (1, 2, 3)
12. Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush, Hush (1, 2)
13. Brandon Mull – Fablehaven (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
14. Brian Selznick – The Invention of Hugo Cabret
15. Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments (1, 2, 3, 4)
16. Carrie Jones – Need (1, 2, 3)
17. Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth (1, 2, 3, 4)
18. Christopher Paolini – Inheritance (1, 2, 3, 4)
19. Cinda Williams Chima – The Heir Chronicles (1, 2, 3)
20. Colleen Houck – Tigers Saga (1, 2)
21. Cornelia Funke – Inkheart (1, 2, 3)
22. Ellen Hopkins – Impulse
23. Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
24. Faraaz Kazi – Truly, Madly, Deeply
25. Frank Beddor – The Looking Glass Wars (1, 2, 3)
26. Gabrielle Zevin – Elsewhere
27. Gail Carson Levine – Fairest
28. Holly Black – Tithe (1, 2, 3)
29. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
30. James Dashner – The Maze Runner (1, 2)
31. James Patterson – Maximum Ride (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
32. Jay Asher – Thirteen Reasons Why
33. Jeanne DuPrau – Books of Ember (1, 2, 3, 4)
34. Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
35. John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
36. John Green – An Abundance of Katherines
37. John Green – Looking for Alaska
38. John Green – Paper Towns
39. Jonathan Stroud – Bartimaeus (1, 2, 3, 4)
40. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – Caster Chronicles (1, 2)
41. Kelley Armstrong – Darkest Powers (1, 2, 3)
42. Kristin Cashore – The Seven Kingdoms (1, 2)
43. Lauren Kate – Fallen (1, 2, 3)
44. Lemony Snicket – Series of Unfortunate Events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
45. Libba Bray – Gemma Doyle (1, 2, 3)
46. Lisa McMann – Dream Catcher (1, 2, 3)
47. Louise Rennison – Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
48. M.T. Anderson – Feed
49. Maggie Stiefvater – The Wolves of Mercy Falls (1, 2, 3)
50. Margaret Peterson Haddix – Shadow Children (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
51. Maria V. Snyder – Study (1, 2, 3)
52. Markus Zusak – The Book Thief
53. Markus Zusak – I am the Messenger
54. Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
55. Mary Ting – Crossroads
56. Maureen Johnson – Little Blue Envelope (1, 2)
57. Meg Cabot – All-American Girl (1, 2)
58. Meg Cabot – The Mediator (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
59. Meg Cabot – The Princess Diaries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
60. Meg Rosoff – How I Live Now
61. Megan McCafferty – Jessica Darling (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
62. Megan Whalen Turner – The Queen’s Thief (1, 2, 3, 4)
63. Melina Marchetta – On the Jellicoe Road
64. Melissa de la Cruz – Blue Bloods (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
65. Melissa Marr – Wicked Lovely (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
66. Michael Grant – Gone (1, 2, 3, 4)
67. Nancy Farmer – The House of the Scorpion
68. Neal Shusterman – Unwind
69. Neil Gaiman – Coraline
70. Neil Gaiman – Stardust
71. Neil Gaiman – The Graveyard Book
72. P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast – House of Night (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
73. Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials (1, 2, 3)
74. Rachel Caine – The Morganville Vampires (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
75. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
76. Richelle Mead – Vampire Academy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
77. Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
78. Rom LcO’Feer – Somewhere Carnal Over 40 Winks
79. S.L. Naeole – Grace (1, 2, 3, 4)
80. Sabrina Bryan & Julia DeVillers – Princess of Gossip
81. Sarah Dessen – Along for the Ride
82. Sarah Dessen – Lock and Key
83. Sarah Dessen – The Truth about Forever
84. Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
85. Scott Westerfeld – Leviathan (1, 2)
86. Scott Westerfeld – Uglies (1, 2, 3)
87. Shannon Hale – Books of a Thousand Days
88. Shannon Hale – Princess Academy
89. Shannon Hale – The Books of Bayern (1, 2, 3, 4)
90. Sherman Alexie & Ellen Forney – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
91. Simone Elkeles – Perfect Chemistry (1, 2, 3)
92. Stephenie Meyer – The Host
93. Stephenie Meyer – Twilight Saga (1, 2, 3, 4)
94. Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees
95. Susan Beth Pfeffer – Last Survivors (1, 2, 3)
96. Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games (1, 2, 3)
97. Suzanne Collins – Underland Chronicles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
98. Terry Pratchett – Tiffany Aching (1, 2, 3, 4)
99. Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl (1, 2, 3)
100. Wendelin Van Draanen – Flipped

That's 20/100 or 43 books. Not so bad.. But I hope I get to catch up on reading since there's so many books in this list I'm dying to read. If you did the same list, Please feel free to leave your links  in the comments. I'd love to check them out!

Review: Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien

Prized (Birthmarked #2) by Caragh M. O'Brien

Hardcover: 368 pages

Release date: November 8th, 2011

Publisher: Roaring Book Press

Source: NetGalley

Amazon ││The Book Depository ││ Barnes and Noble

Goodreads Summary: Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime.  In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?

I read Birthmarked in March and couldn’t wait for Prized ever since. Imagine my delight when I saw the title on NetGalley! Everyone who knows me is fully aware that I’m a dystopian buff. Leaving whatever I was reading was such an easy decision when I found out that my request got accepted. All those months of waiting are definitely worth it! I loved Prized more than I did Birthmarked and I’m anxiously waiting for the last book in the trilogy.

Prized begins where the first book left off. After escaping from the Enclave, Gaia arrived at Sylum where the society is matriarchal and the women’s number is continuously decreasing from an unknown cause. She is forced to live within the stretch of the newfound society to be with her sister and adjust to the way the laws are enforced in Sylum.

Caragh O’brien handled everything with virtuosity. Prized held me entranced from the very first page until the last. It has everything that the first book lacked of and exceeded my expectations. The romance was fun to read, especially that it’s a love square! It’s good that Gaia doesn’t fall in love quite easily. I adored the two new guys but my heart will always be for Leon. Prized was also full of surprises and mysteries. I hardly remember every detail in the first book so I’m glad to be reminded of bits of them. In spite of having many dystopia books being released these days, this series still kept a unique identity for its readers. I’m taking Genetics this semester and I was delighted to find a little of it in Prized! Anyway, I’ve always admired Gaia for her skill in midwifery. She’s just my age but her talent is unbelievable.

Prized deals with the issues of justice, love, trust, gender egalitarianism, and leadership. I can’t say enough how much this series is a must read for people in all ages. You’re seriously missing out on something if you haven’t heard of this, especially if you love dystopians as much as I do. Now I have to wait another year for the third book! But I know it’s going to be worth the wait. J

Thank you to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for providing an e-galley of this book! 

Completely smitten!!

Mini Review: The Summer I Lost It by Natalie Kath

The Summer I Lost It by Natalie Kath

Hardcover: 112 pages

Release date: August 1st, 2011

Publisher: Stone Arch Books

Source: NetGalley

Amazon ││The Book Depository ││ Barnes and Noble

Goodreads Summary: Kat is just like other fourteen-year-old girls. Except this summer, she's spending four weeks at a Health Camp . . . otherwise known as fat camp. Can she lose the weight she needs to be able to do the things everyone else does? Or will she let her body control her?

I could really relate to this story (The Summer I lost it). Being not just fat but in the category of “obese” is really hard to subjugate, especially if you want to do things you can’t do because of your situation. I have a classmate with this kind of situation, kids tried to make fun of her, people stared at her like she’s some kind of a specimen and not a human being, and it’s really bothering me and sometimes annoying. Reading this book is really a wake up call for everyone who’s in this same situation, that you have to change for the better. Kat, our protagonist showed us her eagerness to transform, to have a healthy life. At first, she wanted to change for her crush, Josh, because she wanted to wear swimsuit and someone who could dance her. But as she changed herself, she realizes that she shouldn’t do those things for others but for herself, and soon achieved her dreams. The story was easy to embrace, and you will absolutely learn something from this story. I hope you’ll try to read this book!