If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

In This is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith's new YA novel, perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet—albeit virtually—when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about his pet pig, Wilbur. In the tradition of romantic movies like "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the two 17-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names.

Through a series of funny and poignant messages, Graham and Ellie make a true connection, sharing intimate details about their lives, hopes and fears. But they don't tell each other everything; Graham doesn't know the major secret hidden in Ellie's family tree, and Ellie is innocently unaware that Graham is actually a world-famous teen actor living in Los Angeles.

When the location for the shoot of Graham's new film falls through, he sees an opportunity to take their relationship from online to in-person, managing to get the production relocated to picturesque Henley, Maine, where Ellie lives. But can a star as famous as Graham have a real relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie's mom want her to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

Just as they did in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the hands of fate intervene in wondrous ways in this YA novel that delivers on high concept romance in lush and thoughtful prose.

1.) by Daphne DuMaurier

This one is actually inspired by Allison of , who put it on her list.  I completely agree with this choice.  Between the mysterious circumstances surrounding Rebecca and the creepy Mrs. Danvers, this book will definitely give you a case of the shudders.

2.) Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Do you like snarky, paranormal creatures? Then you have to pick up Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst. It's the story of a vampire who's pretty happy the way she is until she finds herself stabbed in the heart by a were-unicorn.  Even if that doesn't sound appealing to you, read this book anyways.  It surpassed my expectations--and they were high. 

3.) by Victoria Schwab

Schwab's debut isn't an obvious choice for a Halloween pick, but I enjoy fairy tale like stories around this time of year.  Plus, between Cole's existence and children disappearing, this is a haunting tale that's also beautifully written.

4.)

Hungry for braaaaaiiiins?  Be sure to check this one out, then. It's a graphic novel so you get to see the terror of this zombie apocalypse in drawn form.  Just keep in mind that The Walking Dead is written for adults--not something I normally point out, but there are some conflicts in this one that I can see teens not relating to at all.

5.) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I think I'm one of the only people who's picked this one, but I got some serious autumnal vibes from this book.  It was probably the delicious descriptions of hot drinks, chocolate treats, caramel apples, and popcorn.  And, as we all know, The Night Circus is filled with magic.  If you like your Halloween books to be more magical instead of scary, make The Night Circus your go-to read this season.

6.) by Bram Stoker

Requires no explanation.  Vampires are always fitting around Halloween, but unlike Twilight, Dracula is legitimately a terrifying book.


7.) by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is another less obvious book, but it can definitely hold it's own against other seasonally appropriate books.  Riggs incorporates old photographs into the story, but there's a few elements that make it even more frightening.

8.) by Mary Shelley
So the Creature is terrifying. Let's not argue that.  But I think there's also something to be said for the mob mentality and the way people turn on said Creature.  It's a bit more of a thinker,  but it will creep you out.
9.) by Angela Carter

Look at the title of this book.  Obviously, it's quite a gory pick.   This one is very Gothic, so if you're into that, you will eat Carter's collection of short stories right up.

10.) Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Here we have another paranormal creature: werewolves.  However, there are also witches involved, and the climax of this book takes place on Halloween.  What more could you ask for?

Those are some books I think are perfect for this time of year.  What are your favorite books to read around Halloween?

As you guys know, I have been to a lot of Andrea Cremer signings because she used to live in the Twin Cities area.  She recently moved to NYC, but in August , which is the first book in the Nightshade Prequel series, was released.  Andrea went on a small tour for Rift and thankfully was once again one of the stops.  I haven't had the chance to read Rift yet (after all, I only read in August and have yet to review it here) but I was able to attend the signing and pick up a copy.

The event started at 6 so I got there a little early.  I actually browsed in some nearby shops beforehand and found some great accessories on sale, so I was pretty happy with myself. I also had the opportunity to look around the store, buy copies of Rift, and pick up by Eric Carle, which I like to use during storytimes.

Andrea Cremer came out at 6 wearing an amazing wolf-printed dress from .  After talking some about her writing process from Rift, she did a short reading.  I'm really looking forward to the book after hearing the passage she read.  Plus, it helps that everyone has said that this book is even better than the Nightshade trilogy.  Andrea wrapped up by answering questions.   I know she's a big fantasy lover, so I asked what fantasy has had a big effect on her as a writer on person. I can't remember everything she listed, but I remember that she mentioned by Marion Zimmer Bradley and by George R.R. Martin, as well as .  She also mentioned that she was working on and talked a little bit about and release in 2013.  I'm so excited for all three books!

After that, she signed books!  I was able to get a signed copy for myself and pick up one for you guys.  Check out the rules and fill out the form below if you're interested.
*One winner will receive a signed, finished copy of Rift by Andrea Cremer.
*Open to international readers.
*You must be 13 years of age or older to enter.
*The giveaway will end on Nov. 12th at 11:59 p.m. CST.

For review:
by Jay Kristoff
by Jill Wolfson
by Marcus Sedgwick
by Cassandra Clare, illustrated by Hyekyung Baek
Won:
by Elizabeth Eulberg
Signed:
by Elizabeth Eulberg
by Elizabeth Eulberg
Bought:
by Elizabeth Eulberg 
by Suzanne Lazear
by Rachel Gold
John Green boxed set
by Michelle Hodkin
by Rae Carson
by Jasper Fforde
by Sarah Ockler

Currently reading:
by Rainbow Rowell
by George R.R. Martin
by E.L. James (Disliking this one, but now I have to finish so I can write about how much I dislike it)

by J.K. Rowling
What I plan to read:
by Allan Richard Shickman
by Faith Erin Hicks
by Lani Taylor
by Rachel Hawkins

You guys are probably wondering what's up.  It's been a quiet week here--I had a Waiting on Wednesday post for by Lauren Morrill post but that came down, and then Thursday morning you couldn't access my blog with Google Chrome because a warning message came up saying that my blog linked to a site known for distributing malware. Well, I've fixed the problem, and I want to explain how I did it in case any of you encounter it as well.

Like I said, I didn't post this much this past week. I spent last weekend with my relatives and wound up with a stomach/flu-like bug Sunday afternoon.  Monday I was well enough to make the 2.5 hour drive home, but felt so awful that as soon as I arrived, I got straight into bed.  I worked on some posts Tuesday but only had time to get the WoW post up.  Someone pointed out that my blog was fine Tuesday morning but not Wednesday morning, which is why it come down.

In the end, Google Chrome was right--I did have a link that led to a suspicious site.  However, I couldn't find it at first.  and both suggested cleaning out the spam filter of my comments, so I started with that, in addition to deleting the WoW post. When that didn't work, I started poking around my dashboard.  No alerts had popped up, but I saw that you could request a malware review from Google, so I thought about doing that, but the option wasn't listed.  I started Googling how to request a malware review, when I stumbled across .  It told me that sometimes Blogger doesn't pick up with malware or other problems on Blogger, and suggested running one's blog through .  Right away, the tool showed me where the bad link was in bright red lettering so I was able to go in and fix it.  Unfortunately, the link had somehow gotten in with the button that led to my blog's Facebook page.  I wasn't able to figure out how to get rid of the link without deleting the whole button, so that's gone for now. Fear not, though, I plan on restoring it soon. 

I hope this post anyone who has the same problem I did but can't figure out what's wrong.  It took me all day, but I'm glad it's resolved.  Until next time, happy reading and blogging!

For review:
by Darren Shan
by Colleen Clayton
by A.S. King
by Marissa Meyer
by Erica Lorraine Scheidt
by Rainbow Rowell

Won:
by Jessica Martinez
Gifted: 
by Jay Kristoff
by C.A. Moulton (I bought this copy, but Misty got it signed for me! Thanks, Misty!)

Borrowed:
byA.J. Hartley
Purchased:
by Victoria Schwab tote bag + swag
by Maggie Stiefvater
by Maggie Stiefvater
What Comes After by Steve Watkins
by Daniel Marks
by Jo Walton
by Emily Hainsworth
by Rae Carson
by Claire Legrand
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente
by Elizabeth Fama
by Patricia C. Wrede
by Garielle Zevin
by J.K. Rowling
by Jose Saramago
by Andrew Smith
by Esther M. Freisner
by Tatiana de Rosnay
by Carsten Jensen

Blogs and bloggers mentioned:
Misty of
Adam of

Read:
by Miranda Kenneally
by David Mitchell
by Ransom Riggs
by Sarah Ockler

Currently reading:
by George R.R. Martin

by J.K. Rowling
What I plan to read:
by Rainbow Rowell
by Allan Richard Shickman
by Faith Erin Hicks
by Lani Taylor

One day when I was on Pinterest I found a link to the Rory Gilmore reading challenge. The version I found appears to be hosted by It's Time to Read!  Now, I am a huge fan, and am due for a rewatch of the entire series.  I know lots of other bloggers are a big fan of the television show, so I thought I'd share this challenge with you.

I actually don't normally do challenges, but this one is an exception.  First of all, I've already read 67 of books on this list.  Second of all, it's one of my all-time favorite television shows.  For those of you who are interested, a line will be drawn through all the titles I have read.  I can't imagine completing this list any time soon simply because it's so long, but I am interested in reading some of these titles.

Are you a Gilmore Girls fan? What do you think of this challenge?


1984 by George Orwell
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Archidamian War by Donald Kagan
The Art of Fiction by Henry James
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Babe by Dick King-Smith
Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney
The Bhagava Gita
The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews by Peter Duffy
Bitch in Praise of Difficult Women by Elizabeth Wurtzel
A Bolt from the Blue and Other Essays by Mary McCarthy
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Bridgadoon by Alan Jay Lerner
Candide by Voltaire
The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
Carrie by Stephen King
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman
Christine by Stephen King
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse
The Collected Short Stories by Eudora Welty
The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty by Eudora Welty
A Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
Complete Novels by Dawn Powell
The Complete Poems by Anne Sexton
Complete Stories by Dorothy Parker
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas père
Cousin Bette by Honor’e de Balzac
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Cujo by Stephen King
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon Daisy Miller by Henry James
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
David and Lisa by Dr Theodore Issac Rubin M.D
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Deenie by Judy Blume
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx
The Divine Comedy by Dante
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Don Quijote by Cervantes
Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhrv
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems by Edgar Allan Poe
Eleanor Roosevelt by Blanche Wiesen Cook
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn
Eloise by Kay Thompson
Emily the Strange by Roger Reger
Emma by Jane Austen
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Ethics by Spinoza
Europe through the Back Door, 2003 by Rick Steves
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Extravagance by Gary Krist
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore
The Fall of the Athenian Empire by Donald Kagan
Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World by Greg Critser
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
The Fellowship of the Ring: Book 1 of The Lord of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
Fiddler on the Roof by Joseph Stein
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce
Fletch by Gregory McDonald
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger
Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut
Gender Trouble by Judith Butler
George W. Bushism: The Slate Book of the Accidental Wit and Wisdom of our 43rd President by Jacob Weisberg
Gidget by Fredrick Kohner
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels
The Godfather: Book 1 by Mario Puzo
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Alvin Granowsky
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford
The Gospel According to Judy Bloom
The Graduate by Charles Webb
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Group by Mary McCarthy
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad 
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry
Henry IV, part I by William Shakespeare
Henry IV, part II by William Shakespeare
Henry V by William Shakespeare
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
Holidays on Ice: Stories by David Sedaris
The Holy Barbarians by Lawrence Lipton
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
How the Light Gets in by M. J. Hyland
Howl by Allen Gingsburg
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
The Iliad by Homer
I’m with the Band by Pamela des Barres
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
Iron Weed by William J. Kennedy
It Takes a Village by Hillary Clinton
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë  
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
The Jumping Frog by Mark Twain
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Just a Couple of Days by Tony Vigorito
The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 
Lady Chatterleys’ Lover by D. H. Lawrence
The Last Empire: Essays 1992-2000 by Gore Vidal
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
The Little Locksmith by Katharine Butler Hathaway
The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Lottery: And Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Love Story by Erich Segal
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
The Manticore by Robertson Davies
Marathon Man by William Goldman
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir
Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman by William Tecumseh Sherman
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
Mencken’s Chrestomathy by H. R. Mencken
The Merry Wives of Windsro by William Shakespeare
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion by Jim Irvin
Moliere: A Biography by Hobart Chatfield Taylor
A Monetary History of the United States by Milton Friedman
Monsieur Proust by Celeste Albaret
A Month Of Sundays: Searching For The Spirit And My Sister by Julie Mars
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
My Lai 4: A Report on the Massacre and It’s Aftermath by Seymour M. Hersh
My Life as Author and Editor by H. R. Mencken
My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the Guru by Tim Guest
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin
Nervous System: Or, Losing My Mind in Literature by Jan Lars Jensen
New Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson
The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Night by Elie Wiesel
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism by William E. Cain, Laurie A. Finke, Barbara E. Johnson, John P. McGowan
Novels 1930-1942: Dance Night/Come Back to Sorrento, Turn, Magic Wheel/Angels on Toast/A Time to be Born by Dawn Powell
Notes of a Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Old School by Tobias Wolff
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life by Amy Tan
Oracle Night by Paul Auster
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Othello by Shakespeare
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan
Out of Africa by Isac Dineson
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition by Donald Kagan
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Pigs at the Trough by Arianna Huffington
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby – read
The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker
The Portable Nietzche by Fredrich Nietzche
The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O’Neill by Ron Suskind
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Property by Valerie Martin
Pushkin: A Biography by T. J. Binyon
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Quattrocento by James Mckean
A Quiet Storm by Rachel Howzell Hall
Rapunzel by Grimm Brothers
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Rescuing Patty Hearst: Memories From a Decade Gone Mad by Virginia Holman
The Return of the King: The Lord of the Rings Book 3 by J. R. R. Tolkien
R Is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton
Rita Hayworth by Stephen King
Robert’s Rules of Order by Henry Robert
Roman Fever by Edith Wharton
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
Sacred Time by Ursula Hegi
Sanctuary by William Faulkner
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford
The Scarecrow of Oz by Frank L. Baum
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman
Selected Letters of Dawn Powell: 1913-1965 by Dawn Powell
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Several Biographies of Winston Churchill
Sexus by Henry Miller
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Shane by Jack Shaefer
The Shining by Stephen King
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
S Is for Silence by Sue Grafton
Slaughter-house Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Small Island by Andrea Levy
Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway
Snow White and Rose Red by Grimm Brothers
Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World by Barrington Moore
The Song of Names by Norman Lebrecht
Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos by Julia de Burgos
The Song Reader by Lisa Tucker
Songbook by Nick Hornby
The Sonnets by William Shakespeare
Sonnets from the Portuegese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
A Streetcar Named Desiree by Tennessee Williams
Stuart Little by E. B. White
Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust
Swimming with Giants: My Encounters with Whales, Dolphins and Seals by Anne Collett
Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Tender Is The Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Term of Endearment by Larry McMurtry
Time and Again by Jack Finney
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 
The Tragedy of Richard III by William Shakespeare
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Trial by Franz Kafka
The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson
Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom 
Ulysses by James Joyce
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath 1950-1962 by Sylvia Plath
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Unless by Carol Shields
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
The Vanishing Newspaper by Philip Meyers
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray 
Velvet Underground’s The Velvet Underground and Nico (Thirty Three and a Third series) by Joe Harvard
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Walt Disney’s Bambi by Felix Salten
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
We Owe You Nothing – Punk Planet: The Collected Interviews edited by Daniel Sinker
What Colour is Your Parachute? 2005 by Richard Nelson Bolles
What Happened to Baby Jane by Henry Farrell
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire – started and not finished
The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

(Summary from GoodReads)

I’ve never had particularly strong feelings about the circus or circus-related book.  But a magical circus?  One that’s described in writing so delicious that I would probably drop everything and go there in a heart beat?  Why, that sounded delightful.  Although I was a little dubious about The Night Circus at first, once tons of great reviews came pouring in, I knew I had to read it.  Morgenstern’s novel is like a rich, chocolate dessert that surprised and enraptured me until the very last bite.

Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops.

Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast -- as the entrees.

The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?

(Summary from GoodReads)

Several weeks ago I was reading , which is run by Jordyn, when I came across this contemporary YA survey.  While I haven't read as much contemporary as Jordyn or some other bloggers who claim it as their favorite genre, it was one of my preferred genre and I read a decent amount of it. With that said, here are my responses to the survey.

Favorite YA contemporary novel?

Being as indecisive as I am, I happen to think this question is evil.  Since I've read so a handful of contemporaries, I'm dividing my answer into two categories: series and standalones.

Favorite series?
I've loved The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot for the longest time, and for me, it's all about Mia.  I love that Cabot created a girl who may not be perfect, but who has her own interests and beliefs and stands up for them.  I think those are the kinds of characters teens need to read about.

I also adore by Ann Brashares, although I have yet to read and .  Brashares is an author who understands teenagers exceptionally well.  She understands the life events that matter to them and the range of emotions that comes with being that age.  There's even one scene in the first book where she describes a feast of junk food the girls eat, and it's totally something I still want to eat, because my weakness for junk food do not die with my teenage years.

And of course, no one will be surprised by my mention of Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.  I love all of the characters and the romances are incredibly cute and sweet. Plus, Perkins draws her settings so richly that now I want to go to Paris and San Francisco.

Favorite standalones?
Definitely Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.  At first, Sam seems like a totally unlikable character, but she turns out to be amazingly introspective and thoughtful.  Oliver's writing in this book is simply beautiful.

I've also adored The Fault In Our Stars and Looking for Alaska, both of which are by John Green.  What can I say about these books that hasn't already been said?  I think Looking for Alaska is an incredibly well-done debut and based on The Fault In Our Stars, Green keeps getting better and better. I can't wait to read his other books that I've missed.

Lastly, I have to mention Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez, which is decidedly one of the most beautifully written books I read in 2011.  If you haven't picked this one up yet, please do.

Contemporary YA that deserves more recognition?

I have to say What Comes After by Steve Watkins.  Although this didn't end up on my favorites of 2011 list, I've been remiss in not recommending it to more people.   While I want my contemporary books to be good, I also think books that are different deserve a lot of credit as well.  Iris is a really enjoyable character, but as an animal lover, I was fascinated by the farm setting of this novel as well.

What contemporary YA novel made you the saddest?

That's a toss-up between If I Stay and Second Chance Summer, but If I Stay probably takes the cake.  The scene between Mia and her grandfather is gutting.

Cutest contemporary YA you've ever read?

The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith.  I complete adore Oliver and the concept behind this book.

What contemporary YA made you feel all the feels?

 Again, If I Stay by Gayle Forman.  Although this book was gripping and I read it in a sitting, I initially felt conflicted over how Forman ended the story.  Plus, there was sadness and hopefulness along the way. I'd say that covers quite a few of the feels.

Who is your favorite character from a contemporary YA?

In terms of love interests, Kent from Before I Fall and St. Clair from Anna and the French Kiss.  Kent is an incredibly sweet character, and I loved seeing how he interacted with Sam. As for St. Clair, he's a little bit louder and snarkier.

It's really hard to choose for females.  Mia from The Princess Diaries sometimes drove me a little nuts, but I still love her.


What character do you relate to the most?

Tibby from .  In some ways, she frustrated me, because she can avoid problems to an extent.  However, I think that the problems she experiences and the way she deals with them is incredibly realistic.

What contemporary YA surprised you the most?

Second Chance Summer. I had no idea that it would be as good or amazingly readable as it was.


Why do you enjoy the contemporary fiction genre?

As many people who read my blog know, I try to read a bit of every genre. I love contemporary because there is so much to connect with in these books: characters, situations, conflicts, emotions, etc.  Contemporary can remind you of emotions you once felt, good or bad, or make you think about the perfect lake house, or you can meet characters who remind you of crazy things you once did.


What contemporary YA are you looking forward to that is being released this year? 

I am incredibly excited for are by Lauren Morrill. I just love the cover of that book and want to try it, even though the reviews have been mixed.  Since 2013 is approaching, I'd also like to list by Gayle Forman, by Eric Lorraine Scheidt, by Sarah Ockler, by Elizabeth Eulberg, and by Jennifer E. Smith. Yes, it's going to be a great year for the contemporary YA novel.

***FEVER IS BOOK TWO IN THE CHEMICAL GARDEN TRILOGY. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR WITHER***

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

 The TBR pile is something that myself and other bloggers talk about constantly. It's the infamous pile of books waiting to be read, the one that I spend my days chiseling away at.  Mine happens to be huge--I'm fairly certain I'll die without ever conquering it, because I'm constantly finding new books to read.  Plus, books keep coming out, which is awesome, but leads to steady increase in the problem.

I try and have a vague idea of what I'd like to read during a year.  I usually have a few new releases as well as some, "How on earth have I not red this yet?" titles in mind.  Now that I'm done with school, I'm catching up on review books and some new releases, but also wondering how I've managed to put some titles off for so long. So what am I hoping to read this fall?  Here are the top ten titles.


1.) by Kathryn Stockett

As you all know, I aspire to be a children's and teen librarian, answering reference questions and providing readers' advisory.  However, sometimes in small public libraries, people who work with youth may be called upon to help with adult reference services, or a parent may ask for a book recommendation.  Regardless, I think it's good to periodically mix in a few titles for adults so one isn't at a total loss upon receiving this question. Plus, I've been hoping to read this one since it first came out.

2.) by Gail Carriger

I am enamored with the concept of steampunk, despite having not read any novels with steampunk elements.  I bought a copy of this a while ago on the recommendations of and . It's time to finally dive into it.

3.) by Stieg Larsson

I've never been a big mystery reader, but everyone else in my family liked this, and a friend recently nagged me to read it.  It sounds to me as though book is very well done, so I'm eager to give it a chance.

4.) by Chad Harbach

Those of you who have met me are aware that my foot and my mouth are BFFs, so I'm going to go ahead and say this: I'm a little skeptical about The Art of Fielding.  However, John Green, Brent, and the same friend that suggested The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo all said this book was incredibly, so hopefully I agree. If not, you guys will probably get to read a ranty, rambly review.


 5.) by Rae Carson

Carson's novel has gotten a lot of love from readers of YA fantasy as well as a blurb from Tamora Pierce.  Plus, I have to be honest and admit that I bought because the finished copy is simply stunning.  I'm curious to pick this one up and see if it lives up to the hype.

6.) by Suzanne Fisher Staples

I feel as though this one has been on my TBR pile since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Time to shut up and read it.

7.) by Marissa Meyer

I'd list everyone who's told me I should read Cinder but we'd be here all day. I don't doubt for one second that it'll be great--I've wanted it since before its release and even procured a signed copy.  Definitely going to try to read this one before the end of 2012.

8.) by Lani Taylor

Here we have another title that tons of people have told me to read.  Everyone has praised Taylor's writing, and I am a sucker for beautiful writing.

9.) by Louisa May Alcott

Anyone remember Great Illustrated Classics? Because I read that version of Little Women as a child and LOVED it.  I'm ready for the real thing.


10.) by George R.R. Martin

I'm actually reading this one right now.  As I write this post, I'm 70 pages and I feel as though Martin has already introduced a bazillion characters.  It is a chunkster, but everyone says that it's also a page-turner, so I'm not worried.

With any luck, I'll get through these and a good chunk of my review pile this fall. In the meantime, I want to know what books you're itching to read. Let me know in the comments!

***THIS IS BOOK TWO IN A SERIES.  TO CHECK OUT MY REVIEW OF THE FIRST BOOK, CLICK HERE***

September returns to Fairyland to reunite with A-Through-L, Saturday, and Gleam, and to confront her shadow-self, who has become the queen of Fairyland-Below, the upside-down world beneath the Fairyland of the first novel, filled with creatures of water and shadow, tales of ancient Fairyland before the human world was born, and not a few hungry buffins, blind birds of ice and moonlight. The yearly revels of Fairyland-Below climax in a mysterious rite September must avert or else lose her shadow forever.

When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace? 

 Parker doesn't want to talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her conselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really rather not be feeling anything at all. 

Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth. 

Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.

(Summary from GoodReads)

Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book.