Top Ten Books That Make You Think

TTT is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It's a lot of fun so stop by if you get the chance :)

Top Ten (erm, Twelve) Books that Make You Think

Another rewind week, and I came up with tons of books that made me think about a variety of topics. 

I couldn't narrow it down to just 10, so here's 12:

 

 

1. Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger. I read this awhile ago, but I remember I was blown away when thinking about the main character's relationship to his lesbian friend (I don't even remember either of their names, that's how long it's been). This is one of those few young adult books that says, "Hey, first love is not always easy, and there's not always a happy ending." 

 

2. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.
Now, this applies to all (well, most... The Tenth Circle is the exception, as I hated that book) of Jodi Picoult's books that I've read. While I know a lot of people get sick of the repetition of her books, I love how each one takes an important issue and looks at it from a number of different perspectives. It always makes me think outside the box.

 

3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.

This book was awesome because it got me thinking about how my interactions with others really have an impact on others. Something I take as being completely innocent and unimportant could have huge repercussions on the way other people feel about themselves.

4. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.
Every young person should read this book, because it looks at someone who is seemingly weird and different and shows you her perspective. I relate to her because I was always weird or different growing up, and I always felt like I was judged unfairly. I also know that even though I was judged unfairly, I also have judged others in the same way, and this book helped me see that and made me take a closer look at myself and how I could improve.

 

5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Feminism, capitalism, materialism, etc. etc. I can't say that I'm consciously thinking about these things when I'm reading, but I see that they're there and I am able to recognize it when I'm reflecting.

 

 

6. The Host by Stephenie Meyer.
I recently re-read this, and for the second time I was blown away by the beauty of it. The Host takes a look at what it really means to be human, which is something I will always be thinking about since reading it.

 

 

7. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff.
Such an amazing book! It definitely makes you think about how war affects the innocent bystanders, especially children, and how it can change lives forever.

 

8. Sold by Patricia McCormick.

This book about a young girl sold into prostitution was sooo painful to read. I couldn't imagine if I wasn't able to live the cozy life I live now. Most Americans are so blessed to not have this sort of oppression in our lives, and I can't believe that more people aren't aware of how common sex trafficking is in developing countries. Read this! 

9. Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger.
While I remember I wasn't blown away by this book itself, I know that I was shocked about how limited my reading is. I rarely read young adult books about teens who are of a different race/religion/heritage/etc. It was surprising to read this and it made me want to read other novels that feature characters who grew up different than myself.

10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

This was another book that made me think about war and children. Most people think about World War II and think about Hitler and concentration camps, but this book shows the behind the scenes, everyday life of people living in Hitler's Germany.

11. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

Awesome book that shows a different culture and how colonization affects the lives of indigenous people. While this book is set in Africa, it could easily be describing the colonization of any other country out there. 

12. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot.

I've thought about this book a lot since reading it earlier this year, and what really gets me is how society pushes people to behave one way, while natural instinct pushes people to behave the way they want. It's unfortunate that girls like Maggie Tulliver were so oppressed up until fairly recently, and this book made me also think about oppression today and how it affects my life as a woman. 

I hope you enjoyed my list! What are some of your favorite thought-provoking books?

Top Ten Favorite Covers

Go check out Top Ten Tuesday at The Broke and the Bookish!

Top Ten Favorite Covers

The dresses! Ahhh!

Love the colors

Love it so much I got a tattoo!

Creepy!

Old version- true to book.

love the tears!

Simple is good.

Nothing like an eye cover.

Also true to the book.

very pretty.

-Jane

Top Ten Authors I'd Love To Have At My Thanksgiving Feast

TTT is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Go check it out :)



Top Ten Authors I'd Love to Have At My Thanksgiving Feast

1. John Green. This should be a fairly obvious choice, because John Green is hilariously funny and made of awesome. (I also wouldn't mind if his brother Hank tagged along!)

2. Maureen Johnson. Also hilariously funny. And made of awesome.

3. Sarah Dessen. She writes some of the best books I've ever read, and turned me onto reading YA way back when. She definitely deserves a spot at my table.

4. Libba Bray. Her writing is incredible, so I think it'd be awesome to meet her and see what she's like in person.

5. Margaret Mitchell. The author of Gone With the Wind can definitely sit at my table, especially because I think she'd add some drama to the mix.

6. Megan McCafferty. She writes funny books. She's probably funny in real life!

7. Meg Cabot. Also writes hilarious books. Equally funny blog, which I haven't read in a long, long time.

8. Suzanne Collins. How could I forget the incredibly amazing author of The Hunger Games??

9. Sarah Zarr. I feel like she could teach me something about life, just by being in her presence.

10. Elizabeth Scott. Her books are a healthy combination of everything: angst, romance, friendship, humor. A perfect blend.

I think my table would be an awesome blend of YA authors- with one dead broody person to add to the mix, haha.

Jane

Top Ten Books I Had VERY Strong Emotions About

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Top Ten Books I Had VERY Strong Emotions About

Note: I would add The Hunger Games to this list, but I'm sure just about everybody has strong emotions about it. I thought I'd focus on some others that are not quite as obvious.

1. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray. Hands down, this is the one book that I will always remember as a book that I loved so much, I hated it. The ending, just thinking about it even now, makes me want to go find the nearest copy and either 1) go read it or 2)  throw it across the room. 

2. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Oh, the tears. I'm sure a lot of readers felt the same way about this book. There was always something to be crying about, and I vividly remember the day I read it: I was sitting in my bed surrounded by tissues and empty A&W cans, and I would go out to the living room every once in awhile with tears in my eyes, just to take a break from the SADNESS! And then, when it was over, I took it out and said, "Mom, you have to read this book."

3. Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot. Meg Cabot has been one of my favorite authors for a long time (although I have to admit, I have not read any of her recent books), but I especially love her adult books. The humor in them is so much different than that found in her teen books, and I find them especially hilarious. This book was one that I could not put down because I was laughing so hard.

4. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Such a sad, sad book. Not much to say about it, except that it was known to my family as "that crying book" for the longest time.

5. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I'm fairly certain that this is required reading for a lot of kids in middle/high school, but I'm not sure if everyone reacted quite like I did. I was sad, for sure, but I was also incredibly... touched. I don't know how to explain it, but I read this book right before taking a week-long vacation, and instead of enjoying my vacation I seemed to think about this book nonstop. It kept me awake at night, honestly, and I'm not really sure why. Maybe it was just because it is so incredibly real.

6. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. Another sad one. Not much to say about it, really. Just that it was sad and thought-provoking.

7. Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo. I think I mentioned this in a previous TTT post, and I'm more than happy to mention it again. This book had me in tears, which was a pleasant surprise, because I wasn't expecting such emotion to come from it. I really wish someone else would read this book so I can talk about it.

8. Sold by Patricia McCormick. The idea of children being sold into prostitution is such a heartbreaking one, and Patricia McCormick did the subject justice by writing this depressing, thought-provoking novel.

9. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. I had such strong feelings about this book because it was sad, funny, and it also confused me a little. It's hard to say too much without spoiling some o
f the main ideas, but when a book is this thought-provoking and deals with so many issues, it's natural that it should carry so much emotion behind it.

10. Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks. I'm not the hugest fan of Nicholas Sparks (I can only handle his books in small doses; maybe, one book per year?) but this is one of the first books I read of his, and I remember locking myself in the bathroom and bawling like a baby throughout the ending. That was, until I realized that most of his books end in a similar way... now, I don't care one way or another.

Jane

Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again For the First Time

TTT is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It's a lot of fun so stop by if you get the chance :)

Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I feel like this is one of the books that everybody wants to re-read, but it's impossible to truly experience the magic when you know how everything ends up. I wish I could go back to being in suspense, always wondering what would happen next.

2. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. When I first read this, I was young and my opinions on good books were a lot different. I would like to go back and read this as a college student (as opposed to a middle schooler) and get a new perspective.

3. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Once again, I was young when I read this the first time, and I didn't really realize what a real piece of literature I had my hands on.

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Same thing. Young. Oblivious to literature.

5. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I cried so much reading this book. It was a constant tear-jerker, from beginning to end. I'd love to go back and do that all again.

6. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. Another tear-jerker that I'd like to experience for the first time.

7. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen. One of my favorites; I was so shocked the first time I read it, I'd love to feel that again.

8. Undone by Brooke Taylor. I was very excited to read this book because the hype at the time was unbelievable... it was everyone's new favorite. I was disappointed, but I'm not sure if that's because I was just busy and unable to enjoy it, or because my expectations were too high. I'd like to go back and try this again.

9. Harry Potter (series) by J. K. Rowling. I'm sure everyone wants to relive their first magical moments with this boy wizard.

10. The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I love this book, and I want to relive it over and over and over again!

Top Ten All-Time Favorite Books

Top Ten Tuesday

TTT is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It's a lot of fun so stop by if you get the chance :)

Top Ten All-Time Favorite Books

This week is TTT Rewind week, so when I looked back at the choices I couldn't resist the chance to share my favorite books ever!

1. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen.
This was the very first Sarah Dessen book I ever read, and it is also the first young adult book I've ever read, and so it really sat with me for a long time. After reading it I promptly read all of her books, and then re-read them, until I discovered that hers were not the only good young adult novels out there. However, I still think they are some of the best.

2. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr.
While I enjoyed Story of a Girl, and later Once Was Lost, Sweethearts is the only one of Zarr's books that really... I don't know, inspired me. I couldn't put it down, and I loved the story and the characters and everything about it. Immediately after finishing I knew it'd be a favorite of mine for a long time, and it was one of the few books I bought in hardcover even after reading it.

3. Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers
I was a bit skeptical to read this book, but when I did I totally understood why I'd heard such good things about it. I can't even begin to explain how much I love it... it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me cringe... It was an instant favorite, and I'm really sad that Summers' second book didn't do the same things for me. I haven't read her third book yet, but I'm hoping it's good like Cracked Up To Be.

4. Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott.
Bloom was sweet, I guess, but when I read Perfect You I was completely blown away. It was a regular teen romance but with comedy and some "awe" moments, and this book has total underline potential. In fact, all of my copies of Elizabeth Scott's books have notes in the margins. This book is definitely one of my faves.

5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Yep, that has to go on this list. The Hunger Games is so exciting, so interesting, so believable... And to add to it, the social commentary is incredible to think about, especially for someone like me who is just beginning to make those kind of connections in my reading.

6. Looking for Alaska by John Green.
Wow, I was so blown away by this book when I first read it. It was not at all what I was expecting, and it was hilarious and sad and insightful and just overall awesomeness. I recommended it to all of my friends, as well as the book club at my high school. I just think it should be read by everybody.

7. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty.
I felt it appropriate to list Sloppy Firsts, since it's the first of the series, but in reality the sequel, Second Helpings, is my favorite from that series. However, just speaking about the series as a whole, I have yet to read a series that has made me laugh so hard. So many memorable scenes, Laugh-Out-Loud moments, and the most interesting characters I've ever read about. This series is a must-read for teenage girls who are just coming of age and trying to discover who they truly are.

8. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.
After reading My Sister's Keeper (and bawling my eyes out... I have no idea how many tissues I went through that day, and how many times my mom asked me what's wrong) I knew I had to read more from Jodi Picoult. At the time Nineteen Minutes was her newest, and I loved it even more than My Sister's Keeper. It just seemed so horrible and real, like it could happen to anybody.

9. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray.
This series has got a lot of awesome stuff going on. It's historical, which is really exciting. It has a hot guy (oh, Kartik!) which is also exciting. But it's wonderful because it's sooo well-written, so suspenseful, and Gemma is just such a badass woman without even knowing it, it's just so awesome to read about her and her adventures with her friends.

10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
I often forget about this book, probably because I read it for school, but just remembering it now I realized I had to add it to my favorites. A WWII novel, it's written in a really interesting way, and it is also such a realistic portrayal of what a young girl might go through during the war. It's definitely a must-read for those interested in the subject, or if you're just looking for a tear-jerker.

Jane

It's Monday! What are you reading?! (5)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. I'd highly recommend joining this meme and taking a peek at the others who are participating as well!

I Read 2 books:
1. Beloved by Toni Morrison
2. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
I actually read Beloved my freshman year of high school, but I really did not understand it at all. It's really nice to revisit it with a fresh perspective, and I've got to say I really enjoyed both Toni Morrison novels. She truly is one of the great American contemporary writers.


This Past Week On the Blog:
1. Review: Favorite by Karen McQuestion

Upcoming On the Blog:
1. Top Ten Tuesday Rewind: I'll be tackling my Top Ten All-Time Favorite Books!
2. Review: Everyday Psychokillers by Lucy Corin
3. Review: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

To Read:
1. Life On Hold by Karen McQuestion
This is FINALLY going to the top of my list. And I'm also going to start it tonight :)
2. Drought by Pam Bachorz

Also, here's something notable: no more required reading for this semester! Woot woot!

Can't wait for summer!
Jane