books Archives - Page 34 of 102 - Better Than Dreams

My reading journal, with my current favourite pen.

Happy Monday! A strange greeting, perhaps, but just think, you could read something really brilliant this week. And on that subject…

Keris Stainton wrote a beautiful post for Author Allsorts, I love libraries. I would love to know that my local library had a book that I’d written in stock. I really do love that place. I haven’t gotten any new fiction books out of my local library in months but every time I visit to renew something I find it impossible to resist walking around for a little while to soak up the atmosphere. Then I tell myself that I must get through my TBR so that I can fully enjoy discovering new books in the library like I used to. Not sure that will happen any time soon, but it’s a lovely thought!

I enjoyed reading Jo’s write-up of her experience speaking on a London Book Fair panel at Once Upon a Bookcase. It sounds like such an amazing event.

I was excited to read that SisterSpooky will be hosting another Geek Week! I caught up with the last one a bit late but it was really fun to read all the posts revelling in geekdom.

It seems like every book blogger has been posting about the state of their TBR piles recently. I loved seeing Clover’s pictures, and Lynsey of Narratively Speaking posted asking for ideas for TBR organisation. Last year I used a spreadsheet to help me calculate how many books I had left to read to help me finish each reading challenge I was participating in, but I haven’t set it up for this year yet. It’s not easily customisable because you’d need to change all the categories and numbers to fit your plans, but if anyone is interested in seeing it, I might upload it somewhere when I’m done.

I really enjoyed this video post by Paula at The Broke and the Bookish about learning to give people better quick reviews, though honestly I admire her for being able to openly enthuse to people about the books she loves! I’ve never been entirely comfortable expressing my opinions about anything cultural other than things that are really mainstream, like television and fashion. Talking about music makes me really anxious that I’ll be judged for my tastes and when I do have the opportunity to talk about books, sometimes I freeze up and don’t say anything because I don’t think the person I’m talking to would have any interest in reading the books I like, or because I’m worried I’ll bore them with my enthusiasm or criticism. It can be tough being an adult with a serious, academic interest in YA! (And this is why I blog)

I love a good list, and my recent favourites are Books I’d Like To See As Film Adaptations, at Fluttering Butterflies, Unlikable Female Characters in YA Fiction: A Reading List, at Stacked, and Stylist‘s 50 best books of the 1920s. I want to read my way through all three of these lists!

Did you ever stop to think and forget to start again?‘s Confessions of a Book Nerd (via @cloverness) made me giggle. I have gotten the bus to another library so that I can get out a specific book that I looked up on the online catalogue. Several times. Happily this bus ride only takes me about 20 to 30 minutes, not an hour, but I usually go straight to the library, get the book, and go home again, only spending about 20 minutes there in total.

On to reviews, and Michelle at Fabbity Fab Book Reviews made Cadillac Couches by Sophie B. Watson sound like an absolute must read. A coming-of-age book about twenty-somethings? With a road trip and music festivals? Yes please!

After reading Sophie’s review of Gail Carriger’s Etiquette & Espionage I thought, yet again: right, that’s it, this year I MUST read something by this author. I’ve had Soulless sitting on my TBR for years now, so I have no excuses.

Finally, Writing from the Tub and SisterSpooky both covered You Don’t Know Me by Sophia Bennett and made it sound amazing – it’s going straight on my wishlist for sure.

Do subscribe if you enjoy my link selections, and feel free to explore the archive! No Monday Amusements here next week, but Friday is the first day of my Diary of a Crush theme week (aka, my cunning plan to force myself to review this series)!

All the books I chose for this theme that I currently have copies of, except for Girl Overboard, which I couldn’t find.

This is my twenty-second Top Ten Tuesday post. Top Ten Tuesday was created and is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. I’m really excited about this topic because it means that I get to feature a wide range of books, from those that have held a place in my heart (and on my shelves) for years, to more recent reads. I’ve tried to pick books that deal with a variety of issues, but couldn’t resist including three that deal with food and body issues, all read as part of the Body Image and Self-Perception Month that I participated in. As always, click the links in the book titles to read my full reviews.

Top Ten Books Dealing with Tough Subjects

1. Pushing the Limits, by Katie McGarry – Yes, this novel has a romance at its heart, but Echo and Noah also have to deal with the social care system, betrayal, amnesia, and mental illness, and the characterisation throughout is outstanding.

2. Noughts & Crosses, by Malorie Blackman – A thriller set in an alternate version of the UK where the dark-skinned Crosses are in charge of everything, whilst the light-skinned Crosses struggle to gain access to decent education, healthcare, and justice. As best friends Callum and Sephy, a Nought and a Cross, head towards adulthood, they have to deal with the harsh realities of their world and their growing feelings for each other. It’s a heartbreaking and fascinating story, and the first in a four-part series of novels.

3. Candy, by Kevin Brooks – A compulsively readable novel about Joe, who falls in love with Candy, a heroin addict, and despite his denial, slowly and inevitably learns about the terrible world she lives in.

4. Nobody’s Family Is Going To Change, by Louise Fitzhugh – The eldest of the protagonists is only eleven, but this story, about learning to cope with parents that disapprove of your dreams, is immensely powerful.

5. Massive, by Julia Bell – A haunting snapshot of the life of Carmen, a teenage girl heavily influenced by the disordered eating of those around her, especially her mother Maria, who is obsessed with dieting.

6. Fat Kid Rules The World, by K. L. Going – Troy, the titular ‘fat kid’, is befriended by Curt, a popular, skinny, punk boy, in this short book with an unusual plot. Troy finds himself following Curt around, and eventually being encouraged to play the drums in Curt’s band. This book deals with family problems as well as the food and body image issues that you would expect from the title.

7. Girl Overboard, by Justina Chen Headley – Billionnaire’s daughter Syrah Cheng has to deal with the body issues her mother has passed onto her while recovering from a snowboarding accident and heartbreak.

8. Leader of the Pack, by Kate Cann – As their relationship develops, Gem and Jack have to deal with the laddish, hyper-masculine culture that goes hand-in-hand with his beloved rugby team.

9. Saving June, by Hannah Harrington – Recently bereaved Harper sets out on a road trip to scatter her sister’s ashes in California, along with her best friend Laney and the mysterious Jake.

10. Dancing Through the Shadows, by Teresa Tomlinson – A tiny little book about a teenage girl called Ellen whose mum is diagnosed with breast cancer, and how she deals with her feelings though dance and helping to clean an ancient well.

Would any of these make your top ten? What are your favourite ‘tough subjects’ for books to tackle?

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