5 contemporary books I recommend to high schoolers

Now that my "journey" of high school is over, I'm so glad it's over  I decided to compile of list of contemporary books I recommend every high schooler to read. You know, books that teach you about life, books that are raw in emotion and don't shy away from the grotesque. Or the books that'll make you laugh or swoon or sigh in content.

But what all these books I'm going to list have in common is this; they are, above all, coming of age novels, and in my opinion, they accurately depict the journey that is adolescence. They helped me grow as a person and opened my eyes, if even by a fraction, but the effect on me was noticeable nonetheless.

Favorite Interior Book Designs

Many thanks and chocolate for Amelia from YA Bookologists for suggesting this topic! The blog has been dry lately and I've been sucked of my creative juices for the past week or so, and you saved it from dying! <3 you Amelia.

Going through the books on my non-existent bookshelf (it's actually a Leaning Tower of Books, but I'll save that for another day) I gathered books which I thought contained really pretty illustrations, title pages, chapter headings, etc. and took bad quality pictures while failing to keep my arm steady. Never said I was a photographer.

BEST Books I Read in 2014

Overall, I'd say 2014 was a good reading year. I mean, I had to lower my Goodreads challenge twice (hehe) and I didn't read as many books as last year. However, I do feel like I've read better books this year, mostly due to the fact that I've become better at discerning which books I'd like and which I wouldn't.

Anyway, here are my top books of 2014! Not all of them were published this year, but I did read all of them in the past year.

4 Contemporary Novels That Depict High School Realistically

Unfortunately, I'm still a student in high school. Which might have been a fortunate experience for some, but all I can say about these past three years is: ugh. (On the bright side, anything is better than middle school.)

Although a slightly smaller portion of my reading material is contemporary, I have read enough YA books in the genre to state that there are very few books out there that actually depict high school realistically. Sort of contradicts their being designated as "realistic fiction," doesn't it?

To placate this nuisance, which has been bothering me for the longest time, I've decided to highlight the best novels I've come across that actually make an effort to be accurate in their manifestation of hell high school. Granted, I could only find four, but that's mostly due to the fact that I've only recently began to broaden my horizons into this genre.

Chocolate Book Tag

Did someone say chocolate? *rummages through house for KitKat and/or Reese's*

Okay, I'm back. Before I get distracted by my chocolate cravings again, let me start by saying thank you to Anne @ Anne Books for tagging me! Here we go:

Blog Tour: 3 Reasons to Read The Fire Wish + Giveaway!

Title: The Fire Wish (The Jinni Wars #1)
Author: Amber Lough
Publication Date: July 22, 2014
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: 3.5 stars

A jinni. A princess. And the wish that changes everything. . . .

Najwa is a jinni, training to be a spy in the war against the humans. Zayele is a human on her way to marry a prince of Baghdad—which she’ll do anything to avoid. So she captures Najwa and makes a wish. With a rush of smoke and fire, they fall apart and re-form—as each other. A jinni and a human, trading lives. Both girls must play their parts among enemies who would kill them if the deception were ever discovered—enemies including the young men Najwa and Zayele are just discovering they might love. -Goodreads

I just finished The Fire Wish a couple weeks ago, and OH MY GOD YOU GUYS HAVE TO READ THIS. There are Jinnis, princesses, princes, magic, palaces - basically, if you love fantasy, this book will satisfy you and go above and beyond your expectations. Yes, there are flaws, but most of them I was able to ignore.

Here are 3 Reasons to Read The Fire Wish!

1. Because it's far more authentic than the watered down Disney version (ahem, Aladdin) 

Snarkfest: Overly Badass Heroes & Heroines

I'm sure most of us, if not all, love a heroine/hero with a considerable amount of "spunk." Girls like Katniss and Celaena makes us girls proud, and guys like Ash and the Darkling make us swoooon.

But.

For some, there comes a time when you encounter a hero/heroine who is just WAY too badass and extremely unrealistic. Yeah, yeah, it's fiction, but we crave a character with flaws, who isn't perfection incarnate, and who makes mistakes. Sometimes, I think, authors take the badassery way too far and end up creating a character whose only purpose is to defeat the bad guys. There's no personality, no imperfections, NADA.

Support Strange Chemistry!

This support blog hop was created by Kaye at Watercolor Moods.

It's super depressing to hear the news of Strange Chemistry, a young adult imprint of Angry Robot, closing down. Authors who were supposed to publish their books in the coming months are no longer able to, such as Eliza Crewe, author of Cracked.

So, in honor of them, I shall make a list of the awesome things they have brought to the YA world:

Top Ten Tuesday #9: Top Ten Characters We'd Never Want To Trade Places With

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I (Tierra) noticed that there hasn't been a Top Ten Tuesday for a while on this blog, so I thought it would be fun if this week Summer and I did it together!

1. Penryn (Angelfall) - One thing I know for sure, I'd NEVER want to live in Penryn's post-apocalyptic-dystopian world where angels are taking over. Add that to having a psychotic mother and a lost sister, and you've got a very screwed-up world.

2. Puck (Iron Fey series) - I adore Puck. He will always be one of my favorite characters. But, throughout the series he's forced to do Meghan's dirty work, and is easily discarded once she meets Ash. He's treated like nothing, and he definitely doesn't deserve this unfair treatment.

3. Anyone from Of Poseidon aside from the main characters - Mostly because I feel bad for anyone who has to endure through the "ohmysweetgoodness!" exclamations and witness the barf-inducing relationship of Anna and Galen.

4. Mal (Shadow & Bone) - Poor Mal. I'm not his biggest fan, but he's always being made fun of by readers, just because he's "wimpy" or "boring". His presence is ignored once The Darkling is around, and he's just never good enough, no matter how hard he tries.

5. Gemma (Stolen) - Being drugged, kidnapped, and forced to live in the Australian outback is not exactly an ideal life. I would never, ever want to be in her situation. 

6. Any student at Hogwarts in the same year as Harry Potter (The Harry Potter Series) - Imagine how much stuff they had to go through because "The Chosen One" was battling something different every single year. I very much doubt that they got a substantial education.

7. A Katherine (An Abundance of Katherines) - I don't have anything against Colin, but all the way through the book the extent of each Katherines personality (apart from maybe K19) is just a number. I don't want to be just known as Katherine number 5 who was part of a mathematical equation.

8. Jacob Black (The Twilight Saga) - Always having to come second? No thanks. I almost felt sorry for him until he fell in love with Bella's daughter... Seriously, who does that?

9. Hazel Grace (The Fault in our Stars) - I admire Hazel so much, but I would not be able, nor would I want to deal with so much heartbreak and loss at such a young age. Having the knowledge that death is inevitably close would not be a nice way to live.

10. Anna (My Sister's Keeper) - She lives her life to keep someone else alive. She was literally only conceived so that she would be a bone marrow match for her sister. That sucks! And then to make it even worse she has to make the decision to stop helping her sister so that she can finally live her own life.

WHICH CHARACTERS WOULD YOU NEVER WANT TO TRADE PLACES WITH?

Top 2014 Book Releases I'm Crazy About

In no particular order:

1. Ruin and Rising, by Leigh Bardugo

 

2. Cress, by Marissa Meyer

End of Year Bookish Survey

Thanks to Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner for hosting this survey!

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

Fantasy- Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, Shadow & Bone series by Leigh Bardugo, The Unearthly series

Contemporary/Realistic- Anna and the French Kiss, I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Dystopian/Sci-fi- Cinder by Marissa Meyer, The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa  

Historical Fiction- Out of the Easy and Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

7 Reasons to Read Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta

Title: Jellicoe Road

Author: Melina Marchetta

Genre: YA Contemporary

Pub. Date: August 28, 2008

Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham 17, finally confronts her past. Hannah, the closest adult she has to family, disappears. Jonah Griggs, moody stares and all, is back in town. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future. -Goodreads

5 stars!

Merely thinking about Jellicoe Road makes my thoughts scatter and unorganized, so in order to convey me thoughts effectively, I must make a list. Hopefully I’ll give Jellicoe Road at least a fraction of the praise it deserves.

7 Reasons to Read Jellicoe Road:

1- The Writing.
Enticing, captivating, profound, and dripping with emotion. Easily my favorite part of the book. That’s all I can say.

2- The Mystery.
I’m pretty sure everyone was confused for the first third of the book. I am no exception to that. I did get frustrated; I was feeling a bit impatient. I didn’t appreciate the genius behind the slowly unraveling storyline until I had finished the book. In the end, it all came together, and for the element of mystery Marchetta used, I am grateful.

“Whatever is now covered up will be uncovered and every secret will be made known.”

3- The love, the pain, the hope, and everything in between.
What I find most incredible about Jellicoe Road? Even through all the hardships, all the pain they were forced to endure, a small wisp of emotion was sneaking out of the pages, resonating: hope.

4- You will fall in love with each and every character.
Days after finishing the book, I still tear up thinking about the masterfully well-written characters. The characterization is so superb, near flawless, to the point where you feel like have known the characters for your whole life. That is the impact her characters have on me.

5- Jellicoe Road will affect your life, whether you’re a teen or not.
This book has some powerful messages about friendships and relationships. It will not only affect the lives of adolescents, but also the lives of adults. It will open your eyes.

“It's funny how you can forget everything except people loving you. Maybe that's why humans find it so hard getting over love affairs. It's not the pain they're getting over, it's the love.”

6- Taylor and Jonah.
I don’t recall ever being as enamored as I am with Taylor and Jonah with any other fictional couple. And you know what? They don’t have the healthiest relationship. It is realistically flawed. No matter what they did to each other, no matter what they said, their love was ubiquitous. I don’t care how cheesy that sounds.

“I shrug. "I'll probably mention that I'm in love with you."
He chuckles. "Only you would say that in such a I-think-I'll-wash-my-hair-tonight tone.”

7- Jellicoe Road expertly chronicles the journey that is known as adolescence.
I’ll get this out of the way: being a teen sucks. I would know, as I am at that stage of my life currently. As a result, this book had a massive impact on me. I could relate to everything Taylor thought and said. Her internal monologues were at times hilarious, and at others, made me choke up in tears from her truthfulness. How Marchetta captures the voice of a teen authentically and effortlessly will never cease to amaze me.
Seriously, this book should be required reading for ALL teens.

Melina Marchetta, you have officially converted me. Prior to reading Jellicoe Road, I could care less about realistic fiction. I was more of a fantasy type of gal. Now, after being exposed to this masterpiece, my eyes have been opened.

Reading through my favorite quotes is making me nostalgic. I’m already in need of a re-read.

Top Ten Tuesday #7: Top Ten Books Dealing With Tough Subjects

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic is pretty serious. Not all of the listed affected me on an extremely personal level, but they all evoked some feeling out of me, such as depression, sadness, grief, and the like.

1. Stolen, by Lucy Christopher: Personally, I haven't read this yet, but I have read enough reviews to know that it is about a girl who was kidnapped. Pretty depressing subject.

2. Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson: This book effectively portrays anorexia and not only the physical effects, but the psychological effects.

3. Mornings in Jenin, by Susan Abulhawa: Out of all of the books, Mornings in Jenin probably affected me the most. It is a story on the Israel- Palestine conflict (a very complex and tough subject), and really touched me on an emotional level. The horrors this book described were unimaginable and brutal.

4. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson: Evidently, LHA handles tough topics very well; she managed to tackle the topic of rape and how drastic the effects are on the victim.

5. Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver: The subject of death is a tough one in and of itself, and Lauren Oliver did an outstanding job in her novel. Honestly, I think this should be required reading in high school, to teach the students a life lesson. I know it affected me and my outlook on life tremendously.

6. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green: Few authors can manage to pull off a book on cancer while at the same time enjoyable to read (except the ending). But c'mon, we're talking about John Green here.

7. A Child Called "It", by Dave Pelzer: Back in elementary school, my friend persuaded me to read this. You can imagine the effects it had on 10-year-old me.

What are your top 10 picks? Comment and link below!

Top Ten Tuesday #6: Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Here are the books that I thought I'd like more than I actually did:

Books I thought I'd like LESS than I actually did:

As you can see, there are a LOT more books that were disappointing to me. Mostly I was disappointed because all my friends would be raving about how good it was, and once I read it, I never ended up understanding what made that book so special. Or, in the case of Everbound and Ceaseless, these sequels were not as enjoyable as the first books.

I think many people, like me, were not that sure about Bloodlines, mostly because the main character is Sydney, the "boring" girl from VA. But I, like countless others, were surprised to find out that we actually ended up loving this book.

What's on your top ten list? Comment and link below!

Top Ten Tuesday #5: Top Ten Book Covers I Wish I Could Redesign

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

1. Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas
What a girly assassin she is.

2. Half-Blood, by Jennifer L. Armentrout

3. Neverfall, by Brodi Ashton 

This cover is pretty and all, but it's exactly the same as the second one, only a silhouette.

4. The Iron Legends 

That is NOT how Puck looks. And why are they in such awkward positions?

5. Finale, by Becca Fitzpatrick

The cliche-ness of this cover is unbearable that I literally just burst out laughing when I saw it. What, is he going to push her of the cliff??

6. ALL of the Vampire Academy books

7. Holes. by Louis Sachar 

Is that supposed to be Stanley at the bottom...

8. Blue Bloods, by Melissa de la Cruz 

One word: Gross.

9. Paper Towns, by John Green

Wow. A picture of a girl. How utterly fascinating.

10. The Iron Traitor, by Julie Kagawa

I simply refuse to believe that that is Keirran. 

This week we could choose ANY of the past topics. Which topic did you choose, and what's on your list? Make sure to leave your link below so I could check it out!