Top Ten Tuesday


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! Each week, a new topic is put into place and bloggers share their top ten accordingly. I LOVE lists, they keep me happy…here are my top 10 picks for this weeks topic:

June 26th 2016: Best Books You’ve Read In 2017 So Far…

*had this been a prompt for the 2nd half of the year I think I would’ve tapped out with all the great books we have coming our way. The books listed below are in no particular order.

(Covers  —-> Goodreads Links)

320756711. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

*A raw & moving read relevant to our current times. It’s hard to read THUG & not walk away feeling like you need to do your part in the Black Lives Matter movement. Check out my review here.

 

 

 

 

 

2. love, and you by Gretchen Gomez34335011

*For all those who have experienced that one toxic relationship, you know? the one you simply cannot let go…this one is for you. Love, and you will haunt you with each turn of a page & ultimately will leave you with hope for healing. Check out my review here.

 

 

 

 

 

   3. History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera   history-is-all-you-left-me

* If you’ve been following me for a while now, this comes as no surprise. I ADORE Adam Silvera to pieces! so much so that after being pushed by a mob at Bookcon for his new book They Both Die at the End, my hubby went into full on Superhero mode & got me a copy smh lol. Every single one of his books make me cry & I keep going back for more! smh. Check out my review here.

 

 

 

4. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
Upside

*Upside was my 1st Albertalli book & it was everything I could’ve hoped for and some. I laughed so hard & fell in love with all of these characters. Filled with diversity & positive body rep, Upside is a Gem of a book <3. Check out my review here.

 

 

 

 

 

5. A Million Junes by Emily HenryA Million Junes

*STUNNING writing! if you’ve ever felt a tad bit intimidated (Me) by Magical Realism or even had a bad experience reading a MR book, please give this one a go, it’s not at all the type that will have you looking all types of constipated trying to figure it out lol. A beautiful story at its core about a daughter trying to find answers from her father who passed away…Check out my review here.

 

 

6. The Bear And The Nightingale by Katherine Arden

25489134*This was Katherine Arden’s debut novel & OMYGOSHHH how is it so damn good?!?! Atmospheric, slower paced, filled with Russian folklore gahhhh! female protog reminds me of Merida from Brave lol, be still my heart! Check out my review here.

 

 

 

 

 

300954647. The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1) By Rin Chupeco

*The Bone Witch has a ton of mixed reviews, mostly the complaint was based on the slow pacing & I won’t deny that it is slow paced.  However, as a lover of Memoirs of a Geisha, I instantly got sucked into this world and its main protog. This one is for the lover of lush worlds & details. I am looking forward to the sequel . Check out my review here. 

 

 

8. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappa Eliza and her monsters

*I am still a mess from having to leave this world & these characters. For those who have ever loved being part of a fandom, Eliza is your girl! filled with bits of comic strips and online chat messages this book will make you wish Monstress Sea was a real thing 😉 Check out my review here.  

 

 

 

 

291028969. Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios

*Impactful, raw, painful, but necessary. A story centered around dating abuse & domestic violence  I just recently finished Bad Romance & it’s safe to say that it will resonate with me for years to come. This isn’t the type of book I’d recommend to just anyone as it does tackle many difficult topics. Check out my review here.

 

 

 

Our Dark Duet10. Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab

* I couldn’t possibly compose a list of my favorites so far & not include the most satisfying conclusion to a duology. Our Dark Duet left me in tears & heartbroken yet at the same time, it was perfect. Review to come just as soon as I could work up my nerve to write my RAVE review lol 😉

 

 

 

Happy Tuesday Bookworms!!! have you read any of the books I’ve listed? It’s already the last week of June & there are a ton more EPIC reads ahead of us *Gasps* legit wish I could slow down the hands of time just a smidge 😉

Author: LairOfBooks

"I didn't choose the Book Life, the Book Life chose me"

62 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday”

    1. I debated with myself whether to include this book but ultimately I have never read a conclusion that has both shattered my heart, hopes, and dreams yet still felt so damn satisfying smh…Schwab is a wizard! 😂The Bear & the Nightingale was a feast for my imagination, I adored it and cannot wait for the sequel this December 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 I hope you continue enjoying it 💜

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  4. I really need to get a copy of Our Dark Duet now!!! I loved This Savage Song and I’m so so excited to read ODD!!!! I’m still finishing THUG but I’m sure it’ll also be one of my best reads this year. 🙂

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    1. OHMYGOSH! ODD was just I can’t even describe how I feel which is why I haven’t written my review just yet LOL! please read soon & then good luck finding all the words smh *sobs*

      THUG—I’m actually currently watching the interview with Angie Thomas for THUG on Youtube , def recommend once you finish reading THUG, very insightful 😉

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      1. Yay!!! Now I’m MORE excited to get my hands on ODD!!! 🙂 I’m finishing THUG now and I’m loving it more and more!

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  5. I’m listening to a Million Junes on audiobook and it’s really good, but I think I need to get the book so I can enjoy it even more! Oh and I hope you read Becky Albertalli’s other book, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda because it is SO GOOD! Great list here!

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    1. hmmm…I really enjoyed the writing in A Million Junes but i don’t think I would’ve enjoyed it as much at all as an audiobook 😦 hope it goes better for you with the physical book. I have a copy of Simon but I got to Upside first smh lol, def plan on reading before the movie though, thank you 🙂

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      1. I’m actually not much of an audiobook person but I had a free credit and thought I’d try it out haha! You’ve got some time before the movie comes out and you’ll really enjoy it! It is just so cute 🙂

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      2. I only listen to autobiographies/memoirs/non-fiction on audible because they’re typically narrated by the author. Magical Realism though I’d think wouldn’t translate well over audio-book. I’d like to try a Fantasy over audible but preferably a full cast one like Illuminae lol. I’m really looking forward to Simon after his brief cameos in Upside 🙂

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      3. Yeah bios seem like good ones to listen to on audio. I get so distracted while listening to audiobooks that I generally don’t make a habit of it 😂but I haven’t gone back to my audiobook of AMJ in weeks though 🙃🙈

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      5. Yeah I definitely need to get my hands on AMJ because I feel like I’ll love the physical copy seeing as I was already enjoying the audiobook (when I was paying attention, that is 😂😂)

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  6. Your list is perfect! I want to read almost every single book on your list, haha. Especially The Hate U Give, The Upside, and Eliza. The book cover for Bad Romance is so beautiful and it sounds so awesome too. I NEED ALL THE BOOKS! I actually own quite a few of these, so no more excuses! And I just got A Million Junes in my BOTM box. I am currently reading History is All You Left Me now. I’m about 40 or so pages into it and it’s so freaking sad ughhh. lol. It’s so good though! 😀

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    1. Bad Romance does have a gorge cover but if you look closer, it def has meaning. That book seriously hit me hard. A Million Junes was beautiful and by the end I found myself in tears smh lol. Yay for History is All You Left Me! so sad yes, but like you said, so good! haha! Love me some Adam, he lways knows what to write to make me a blubbering mess smh 😉

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  7. These are some great picks for this week Lilly. 🙂 I just had to add The Hare U Give to my list as well, I think of all the contemporary books I’ve picked up so far that is my top read of 2017! Also I really wish I could have added A Million Junes and Our Dark Duet to my list this week too but I had to make some hard cuts and these were two of them. If not this could have easily been a Top Twenty Tuesday instead of Top Ten! 😀
    I still have Eliza and Her Monsters on my to-read list but I can’t wait for it to be released so I can start it. If it’s as good as I hope it will be, as everyone says it is, I sure it’ll be on my list when it comes to top reads for the second half of the year! 😀

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    1. Thanks Beth! 🙂 & yeah nothing really tops The Hate U Give in contemporary. Our Dark Duet…I really need to write my review but still all the feels! lol. I totally understand, I actually had 15 & sadly cut it down to 10 smh lol. Can’t wait for you to read Eliza and Her Monsters, really looking forward to your thoughts <3! I don't even want to think about the second half of this year cuz the list of books i'm anticipating is long *sobs*

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      1. That’s all right, I’ll wish you luck for writing your Our Dark Duet review, I know how you feel because I have a couple I need to get around to now. It’s hard choosing which are the best of the best isn’t it?I’ll be sure to let you know what I’ve thought once I’ve finished it then! 🙂

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    1. that’s how I’ve been feeling all day today as I make my way through bloggers TTT LOL! I haven’t read Simon yet but I can tell you that he has a small cameo in Upside. Literally just shows up a couple of times very briefly, def done to incite interest haha! it worked!!! I have Simon to read soon 😉

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  9. YESS THUG is so amazing and I adoredddd History is All You Left Me and The Upside of Unrequited 😍 So many amazing books!! I really need to pick up Our Dark Duet and Eliza and her Monsters, I’m so glad you enjoyed those two. ❤ Amazing list!

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    1. Still have all the feels over History is All You Left Me *sobs* SO GOOD! I agree, so many good ones & yet still more to come the remainder of this year. I hope you enjoy Our Dark Duet and Eliza and her Monsters when you get around to them ❤

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  10. High on my TBR is THUG and History! I cannot wait to read that before the year is over. You already know that I am absolutely LOVING the crap out of Eliza and we definitely both cried for ODD. I still can’t believe it’s over. I hope that she writes a spin off for The Wardens because that would be amazing. I NEED THE SECOND BOOK IS THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE. WHERE IS IT AND WHY CANT WE HAVE IT NOW?!?!? Lol sorry that I’m screaming but I know you understand my pain lol. Thank you so so so much for including my book baby, means a lot to me twin. Especially with what we went through and how much you are a part of the process!! Great list and I am super excited for the second half of the year ❤

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    1. Can’t wait for you to read THUG and History twin, preferably not back to back since they both are tough emotional reads. Eliza Eliza…smh…I just can’t accept that she’s not going to pull a Rainbow Roweell, another blogger said the author pulled inspiration from Fangirl so I’m keeping hope alive lol. As for ODD, I think that the door was left open enough for a spin-off & I’d be all over that if it comes to fruition lol. You already know how we felt about The Bear!!! the sequel will be the perfect Christmas gift *eeeeK* &&&& how could I make a list of best books I’ve read so far & NOT include your book baby?!?!? LOVED IT! still LOVE it! and loved being a part of the process ❤ can't wait for the 2nd half of the YEAR!!!! *flails* LOL XoXO!

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  11. Great list! I loved Our Dark Duet! The ending was sad but it’s definitely a perfect ending. I’m going to pick up Eliza and her Monsters as soon as I’m finished with my current read. The Bear and The Nightingale and Bad Romance are already in my tbr so I hope I’ll get to read them soon. 🙂

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    1. Thank you Raven! 🙂 I agree it was the perfect ending even though it left me sobbing into my pillow lol. I hope you enjoy Eliza and her Monsters, look forward to your thoughts, happy reading! ❤

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  13. I have yet to read all these books, but they all sound so AMAZING. I own THUG, so I’ll get around to that one eventually 😀 I’ve heard so many wonderful things about the others and I’m so glad you enjoyed them as well. I’ve only recently heard of Eliza and Her Monsters but it sounds like something I’d really enjoy! I’ll have to get to these all one day 😀 Fantastic list, Lilly!

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    1. Thank you Azia! there are still so many more that I haven’t gotten around to. THUG was just a stand-out so of course it gets the #1 spot even thought the rest of my list is in no particular order. I think as readers & book bloggers, there is so much we all could find relatable in Eliza and Her Monsters. Happy reading <3!

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  20. While I remain on the other end of the spectrum with Bone Witch, I do have several of these here 😉 I actually just received A Million Junes and well I ordered The Hate U Give and Bad Romance thanks to yourself ❤ looks like I have some great reading in my future! love & You and The Bear and the Nightingale were also among my faves ❤

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  21. I’m so happy to see so many of these on your list since a lot of them are on my TBR, haha. I’m really hoping to get to Upside and History very soon. I’m going to the library later today and if they’re there, I might grab them. I’ve been waiting long enough, haha.

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  22. Hallo, Hallo Lilly!

    Coming through the twitterverse, as I was thankful we crossed paths recently via the #bloghops happening on Twitter! 🙂 There IS one book on your list here which I’ve been trying to either read via print and/or listen too via audiobook (courtesy of my local library!): The Bear and the Nightingale!! I might just go for the audio version as it’s easier to get into the hold queue and has the added benefit of letting me get my groove on with art as I love colouring as I listen to audiobooks! 🙂 It’s simply been a wreck of a Spring for me with my beastly pollen allergies – which is why a lot of the months this first half of 2017 have been a bit infrequently blogged and are on the lighter side of how much I’ve been able to read! 😦 Blessedly, this Summer I’m getting a second chance not only through monsoon season but due to #20BooksOfSummer which is igniting a nudge into my readerly life! Very inspiring!

    I’ll have to re-visit lateron this year after I’ve listened to the story! 🙂 Til then, glad to see you celebrating your Top Reads! I should do this myself after I release my favourite genres – a TTT I never released a few months back! lol

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    1. Oh The Bear and the Nightingale was BEAUTIFUL! and lush and just perfect story-telling, truly took me surprise that this was a debut authors work. I truly enjoyed reading this book and cannot wait for the sequel in January *insert excited emoji* I’d love to hear how the audiobook fares for you. I’m weary of audiobooks & tend to take recommendations from blogging buddies since a bad narrator can legit ruin a book for me lol.
      I do hope you get some relief from your allergies & that you enjoy #20BooksOfSummer which sounds like a ton of fun! love TTT & missing it badly *sobs*, can’t wait for it to return next month LOL!
      Thank you for stopping by <3!

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