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 and I’m so glad to see this meme return this week after a mini hiatus. This week was a freebie of sorts where you are prompted to list 10 bookish recommendations. I’ve linked my reviews for each of these as well, please excuse the older reviews since I didn’t know what I was doing in terms of format, a year ago when I 1st started this blog lol. Here are my top 10 picks for this weeks topic (in no specific order):
August 15th 2016:Ten book recommendations for Bookworms looking for Diversity:
1. Saints & Misfits by S.K. Ali
*features a Arab Indian-American hijabi teenager, her friends, family, and community. Janna Yusuf is like many other teenagers trandealing with social pressures, first love, and friendships. We follow Janna’s story as she tries to reconcile her wants with her faith. (Trigger warning: attempted rape) check out my review here.
2. You’re Welcome Universe by Whitney Gardner
* features a Indian deaf girl with 2 deaf moms & a honest f/f friendship with it’s ups & downs. Our main protagonist is skilled in Grafitti art & has a wicked sense of humor 😉 Check out my review here.
3. When The Moon Was Ours by Anna Marie-McLemore
* features a transgender Pakistani boy & LATINX girl as main characters in this Magical Realism story guaranteed to stir emotion. The writing is lyrical & lush with vivid imagery. Check out my review here.
4. 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.
5. Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas #1) by Zoraida Córdova
* a LATINX Young Adult Fantasy with elements of Alice in Wonderland. This story centers around a young Bruja’s (witch) Death Day celebration which is a rites of passage. In the Authors Afterword, the ancestors who appear in this book are from Ecuador, Spain, Africa, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Check out my review here.
6. American Street by Ibi Zoboi
* features a Haitian main protagonist who leaves Haiti with her mother in search of a better life in Detroit Chicago. We get a different perspective on a religion we often see in mainstream media. The writing in American Street is a mix between Fabiola’s native culture and the raw grittiness of Detroits mean streets. Check out my review here.
7. The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee
* features a Chinese American teenager slayyyyying demons! centered around the Chinese tale of The Monkey King, this book offers up a kick a** protagonist who doesn’t take ish from anyone & I loved her! Check out my review here.
8. History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
* features a gay couple with AMAZING parents who I wish we had more of both in real life & in our books. This book deals with grief & will leave you reaching for the nearest box of tissues. Check out my review here.
9. The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana
* Lush with Persian influences & steeped in Indian folklore, this book will leave you questioning whether we are in control of our own fate. This book also features a positive f/f friendship & a beautiful father/daughter bond. Check out my review here.
10. Noteworthy by Riley Redgate
* features a Chinese-American teenager in a gender bending story. Jordan Sun is on a mission to join Acapella in order to stand out in her college applications. The only thing standing in her way is that Acapella is all male only. When Jordan decides to dress as a boy in order to try-out, she wasn’t expecting to find a diverse cast of characters she feels most at home with. Check out my review here.
Happy Tuesday Bookworms!!! have you read any of the books I’ve listed? are you as excited as I am to have TTT back?!?! I guess I’m more excited than some since just when I started doing this meme again, the hosts announced their hiatus leaving me with a ton of unused excitement haha!
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Great list! I loved Library of Fates, History is all You Left Me, and THUG.
Can’t wait to get to Noteworthy and You’re Welcome Universe . And Genie Lo which I’ve heard a lot of great stuff about recently.
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Thank you! Those three were all so good! I’m a BIG Adam Silvera fan & so I couldn’t have a list w/out mentioning one if not all of his books lol. You’re Welcome Universe is such a quick read yet so different & diverse. Noteworthy was a bit slower but also a great read and the cast of characters made the read all worth while. Genie Lo was a ton of fun & got me looking into all things Chinese folklore. Hope you enjoy these as much as I did when you get around to them 🙂
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Love your theme for the week! These are such wonderful books too!
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Thank you Krysti! ❤
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Ive been really struggling with Labyrinth Lost, but Ive also picked up three other books and put them down 😦
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Oh no, in so sorry to hear that Stephanie 😕but it happens. I’ve also picked up certain reads at the wrong time so that can also be a reason…whelp, the good thing is that there are plenty of great books to read after 😆💕
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Great picks for this week Lilly. I’ve read a fair few of these books myself, When the Moon Was Ours and The Hate U Give are two favourite reads of mine, and I really enjoyed Labyrinth Lost when I picked it up as well. I don’t see too many people talking about it now though which is a shame because it’s a good book. 🙂
I still need to read a few of these, but after the things I’ve heard about them I really can’t wait to get around to The Library of Fates and Noteworthy especially! 😀
Again great picks. ❤
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Thanks Beth! I’m hoping Buzz for Labyrinth Lost picks up again with Paramount picking it up for the big screen 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼I think it would be visually stunning 🖤 Library of Fates & Noteworthy were both very enjoyable reads and I hope that when you get to them, you also love them as much as I did. I’ll keep an eye out for your thoughts 😉🖤📚🖤
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Ohh, I hadn’t heard about that but yeah a movie would probably get more people to read the book. I hope so as well, either way I’ll definitely let you know when I pick them up. 🙂
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Awesome & I agree 😄💕
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Such a great list Lilly! I’ve even read quite a few of these! You’re Welcome Universe by Whitney Gardner though is one I didn’t know about which sounds so good! I’d love to read about a deaf girl and all her diversity! ❤ I still need to read THUG and I am so mad at myself that I skipped The Epic Crush of Genie Lo book tour – everyone is loving it and now I have to hunt down a copy!
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Thank you Dani! 😃 You’re Welcome, Universe was soOoO good! Highly recommend of course 🙌🏼 I almost missed out on Genie myself but quickly requested on Netgalley when I caught wind of the buzz on Twitter 😂 glad I did though. Hope you find a copy soon 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼& that you enjoy it as much as I did 😆💜📚💜
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You and I chose the same topic for this week, haha. Great minds think alike! I had THUG and Labyrinth Lost on my list this week too. Most of the rest of these are books I’m still trying to get around to. Saints and Misfits and When the Moon Was Ours are especially high on my TBR. Great choices!!
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Great minds do think alike! haha! Just in time with this meme after reading news of Labyrinth Lost getting picked up by Paramount *eeeeeK* so excited to follow this series. I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts on Saints and Misfits & When The Moon Was Ours…both got me all teary eyed smh 🙂
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I don’t think I’ve heard a single bad thing about When the Moon was Ours, so I’m super excited to get to that one!
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Love this post! ❤ And I can't believe I have only read History Is All You Left Me of these… Although a lot of these are waiting impatiently on my TBR.
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Thanks Yvo! Oh History is All You Left Me is top FAVE! anything by Adam really lol. I hope you get to some of these awesome reads, look forward to your thoughts 🙂
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I need to read all of these (besides History…read it and really liked it). There are just so many books to read and not enough time to do it. Great list!
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I know Ashley! 😭😭😭I’m trying to read them all but it’s just not possible 😂thank you & I hope you can get to some of these 💜
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Great recommendations! I’m looking forward to read The Epic Crush Of Genie Lo, and The Library Of Fates. 🙂
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Both great books! Hope you enjoy them 😆💕
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Lovely list 🌸
I absolutely adored Noteworthy, it was so cute and all the characters were amazing! I’ve read Labyrinth Lost before and I enjoyed the cultural aspect, but I don’t know I wasn’t such a big fan. I’m very exciting for History is All You Left Me & THUG 😊
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Books I Need To Read: ALL.OF.THEM. lmfaoooooo!!! Awesome list twin! Love the diversity in both humans presented and genres as well!
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Lmfaoooo! Facts! Thanks twin 😆 hope you’re able to get to some of these & that you enjoy them as much as I did 🙃🖤📚🖤🙂
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Oh this is such a fantastic list – I have all of these on my TBR, except for Noteworthy, which I already read and loved 🙂 I recently got The Hate U Give and I’m eager to see what the hype is all about, it sounds like such a powerful story. You’re Welcome, Universe and When The Moon was Ours have been on my TBR for such a long time, I really should get around to reading them soon. So many books to read ahah 🙂 Great post! 🙂
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Thank you Marie! I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts on THUG, it most definitely was a powerful and important story. You’re Welcome, Universe is a short read & a wonderful addition to the diverse books in YA. Also, the protagonist has no filter and that bumped her up a notch for me lol. When the Moon Was Ours is Magical Realism at its best. The writing is beautiful and drips with magic & the impossible. Underneath that though, is a heartbreaking story 😢 I hope you enjoy these reads when you get around to them 🙂💕
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Such a great list!! I loved THUG, Noteworthy, HIAYLM, WtMwO and Labyrinth Lost!!! Nearly all the rest are on my TBR and I can’t wait to get to them.
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Thank you Lauren! those were all such amazing reads! eeeeK! can’t wait to see more from every single one of those authors 🙂 I hope you enjoy the rest but I have a feeling you will 😉
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This is an AMAZING list! First of all– brilliant topic. Diversity is a trend for sure, and it makes me really happy to see all these books here knowing that I have a few more I would add to this list. Secondly, you’ve not only read all these books, but you’ve also REVIEWED THEM on your BLOG! !!! !!! That blows my mind. I can’t recall the last time I put together a TTT where I had reviewed every book I’ve listed. I bow to your amazing blogging skills.
I haven’t read a single one of these books yet, but they are all on my TBR~! The dreaded TBR. If given the same TTT topic as you selected, I would have a totally different list. That’s a great sign for literary diversity!
I am SUPER glad to have TTT back. I don’t participate consistently, but often enough. These are always really fun posts. 😀
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Thanks Jackie! I’m very grateful for each and every one of these books and their authors who are paving the way to normalize diversity. Diversity shouldn’t be viewed as a trend but rather every day life which is why I give priority to these titles. I’m now curious about what your list would’ve looked like, I enjoy seeing blogging buddies TTT. It’s a great meme & I discover so much through it so it’s great to see it back up and running. Happy reading 🙂
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Preach at me, Girl. You are singing my song! I think I’ll hold on to this as a TTT topic for when we next have a free week– I’d love to think on this and compare our lists!
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Awesome! sounds like a great idea 😉
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I loved When the Moon Was Ours! It’s one of my favorite books of all time, and probably my favorite YA standalone.
I’m reading The Library of Fates next for a book club. Also, I have a copy of THUG but haven’t got around to it yet. I have so much to read right now 😭.
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When the Moon Was Ours was so beautifully written! it’s def up there for all time faves in YA for me as well. I have her next book Wild Beauty & can’t wait to see what it’s all about.
I hope you also enjoy THUG & Library of Fates, they were both great reads. I def have a preference for THUG lol, it was just such an impactful read but they each bring something to the table that is needed. LOL I can totally relate to having way too much to read though, story of my life & I don’t make it any better by requesting more smh haha!
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