Book Haul: Temptation Kicks In

For some reason my brain thinks that just because I'm away visiting somewhere; that's an excuse to buy a shed load of books. It's really not. However here is the damage. 

Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan This isn't the kind of book I would usually pick up but I have heard some very good things about it and when I went to buy it the woman in the shop said she really enjoyed it too. So I consider fate to have played a hand in this one.

The Jewel by Amy Ewing I haven't heard terrific things about this book. It is the sort I would typically read but reviews haven't been great. I think I will probably still read it, but it maybe be pushed down near the bottom of my to-read list. 

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban I had never heard of this book until I saw it in a bookshop. But the cover was so pretty and the synopsis sounded really interesting. For some reason I adore books set in boarding schools and it sounds like it could be a little sad; and I love sad books.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Everywhere I look people are reviewing and raving about this book. I have no clue what it's about apart from a group of affluent kids. Oh! And that there's a twist at the end! (or something like that). It's a lot shorter than I thought it would be actually, especially the way people had been talking about it.  But do I care? Nope. I love jumping on bandwagons.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer This is another one of those books that I'm really late to the party about. Originally I wasn't too keen on the idea; a cyborg Cinderella in a Beijing set somewhere in the future (I'm sorry what?). But everyone's next door neighbour and their dog seems to have read this book. So I'm giving it a go.

Top Ten Tuesday: There isn't enough time in the world.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book blogging meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where each week we have a new top ten to list. Because who doesn't love lists?! This is my first week doing this even though I've been wanting to for a while. 

And the topic is; Top Ten New Series I Want To Start.

Okay I am notoriously lazy and procrastinate way too much so this list was not at all hard for me to compile.

1. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken I have the first book in this series sitting on my kindle waiting to be read but I just haven't got round to it.

2. The Gemma Doyle series by Libba Bray There's nothing about the sound of this series I don't like (except maybe the slightly low Goodreads score).

3. The Young Elites by Marie Lu I devoured the Legend series; I loved the simplicity of it and the plot was killer. This one sounds slightly similar but I still think I'll love it.

4. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon This series seems to have popped up out of nowhere since the TV show started (yes I know it was published ages ago but it's new to me). It's set in the past, in Scotland (my Dad's Scottish so it feels like I have to read it) and everyone raves about it.

5. Thomas Cromwell series by Hilary Mantell I want to cry every time I remember I am yet to start reading this, it sounds perfect (again I know this is slightly older but I feel guilty about not reading this).

6. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas My sister goes on and on about these all the time. Like for reals. I may just read them to shut her up; although they do sound good.

7. The Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo I've almost bought this book so many times. The cover is gorgeous and the plot sounds intriguing. Plus it's set in Russia (I think...) and I'm obsessed with Russia.

8. The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski I have a bit of an on/off relationship with forbidden love stories (I'm pretty sure this is what this book has) but the whole premise of this one sounds super cool and again the cover is to die for.

9. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins This is one of those books that I really want a physical copy of and it is so hard to find in England (I don't think it's released in paperback yet). So that's my excuse for not having bought it yet.

10. The Mortality Doctrine by James Dashner Just read that title and tell me it doens't sound cool. I'm a massive fan of The Maze Runner series but I haven't got round to this one yet although the plot once again sounds freaking awesome.

I find it really hard to keep up with series that aren't complete yet but I'm sure in the near future I will read these. And when I say near I mean like within 1-2 years.

Let's Talk About: Romance in YA Books

I'm not going to lie, I pretty much live for a good romance in an awesome YA series. Back when I started reading YA books (I must have been around ten and had no idea what YA meant) I didn't give much thought to the romantic relationship the main character had; I just saw it as another part of the plot. In fact it wasn't until around two years ago when I really got into YA that I paid attention to it. And then I realised. How bloody hard it is to get right. Seriously. more periods = more serious.

Here are a few issues I have with YA romance:

1. Instalove. You know what I'm talking about. Where our two love interests meet and bam! they're hopelessly, desperately in love. And they haven't said more than four sentences to each other. I get that it's more enjoyable if we get to see a relationship progress rather than most of the development having started before the book. And I know a lot of YA books happen over a short space of time. But god this annoys me. And people do get it right (somtimes), and unless it's horrendously instantaneous I can usually still enjoy and finish the book.
2. 'Love/Hate' relationships. Because let's face it; most of the time it's not. It's; 'wow I'm super attracted to you but I'm a jerk' or 'meaningless hatred than can turn to obsessive love in two seconds flat'. Admittedly I could never write a love/hate relationship because they're really difficult to portray, and usually you need a little background to get it going. Which could work, but right now good examples are severely lacking.
3. Creepy love interests. Okay so this is aimed at one book in particular; The 5th Wave. Nothing could possibly bring me to like Evan and Cassie relationship. Everything about him screams; stay away. There are other examples too; following protagonists around, overly aggressive behaviour, staring at them so intensely I feel uncomfortable, and refusing to let up when the protagonist clearly states she/he isn't interested. Obviously they're not written to be creepy. They just come across this way.

That isn't to say all YA books are like this. In fact there are several relationships in YA novels that I love. They're (nearly always) well paced, have great chemistry and involve two three dimensional characters who are not defined by said relationship.