Persnickety Snark's Top 100 YA Novels

I got this list via Misty over at Book Rat, so thanks to Misty for providing the link to the list and for Persnickety Snark for analyzing the data for the list!

I've bolded the ones I've actually read and/or I own and will be read soon. There are lots I haven't even heard and look forward to acquainting myself with these. I also am a bit disappointed in a few of the choices on the list...

What ones have you read? Which ones are a disappointment? What do you recommend I should read next on the list? What one/ones should be on the list?

Persnickety Snark's Top 100 YA Novels for 2010

The Hunger Games	Suzanne Collins (great dystopia series)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	J.K. Rowling (another must-read series!)
To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee (a true classic for all)
Speak	Laurie Halse Anderson (a much needed discussion about rape)
Northern Lights	Philip Pullman (very interesting story...only read the first book, though)
The Truth About Forever	Sarah Dessen
The Book Thief	Markus Zusak (excellent book about books and Death is the narrator!)
The Outsiders	S.E. Hinton
Twilight	Stephenie Meyer (brain candy and then blah)
This Lullaby	Sarah Dessen
Looking for Alaska	John Green
Just Listen	Sarah Dessen
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows	J.K. Rowling
Little Women	Louisa May Alcott (The March sisters are wonderful!)
City of Bones	Cassandra Clare (bought it from a seconhand store but haven't gotten around to it yet...)
On the Jellicoe Road	Melina Marchetta
The Catcher in the Rye	J.D. Salinger (I've heard great things, still on the shelf)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	J.K. Rowling
The Perks of Being a Wallflower	Stephen Chbosky
Along for the Ride	Sarah Dessen
Shiver	Maggie Stiefvater (Interesting werewolf mythology...nothing special, though.)
Vampire Academy	Richelle Mead
Graceling	Kristin Cashore (Excellent female character and story!)
Thirteen Reasons Why	Jay Asher
Sloppy Firsts	Megan McCafferty
The Lord of the Rings	J.R.R. Tolkien (Wonderful story but a bit wordy throughout)
Alanna: The First Adventure	Tamora Pierce
Ender's Game	Orson Scott Card (Just really interesting, worth a read)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	J.K. Rowling
Uglies	Scott Westerfeld (OK)
A Great and Terrible Beauty	Libba Bray
Tomorrow, When the War Began	John Marsden
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks	E. Lockhart
Pride and Prejudice	Jane Austen (My fave Austen)
The Westing Game	Ellen Raskin
Paper Towns	John Green
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	J.K. Rowling
Catching Fire	Suzanne Collins
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn	Betty Smith (Beautiful coming-of-age story)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian	Sherman Alexie
Lock and Key	Sarah Dessen
The Amber Spyglass	Philip Pullman
Evernight	Claudia Gray (Better than the usual vamp story)
Sabriel	Garth Nix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix	J.K. Rowling
Beautiful Creatures	Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl (Looking forward to this series)
Forever	Judy Blume
I Capture the Castle	Dodie Smith
Ella Enchanted	Gail Carson Levine (I've heard the movie is better--I love the movie)
The Princess Diaries	Meg Cabot
Stargirl	Jerry Spinelli
Howl's Moving Castle	Diana Wynne Jones (been sitting on my shelf since I saw the movie...)
The Dark is Rising	Susan Cooper (movie horrible but hear book is good)
Hush, Hush	Becca Fitzpatrick (Torn...want to read but have heard it's not so great)
Saving Francesca	Melina Marchetta (One of my fave reads for 2010)
Second Helpings	Megan McCafferty
Dreamland	Sarah Dessen
Eclipse	Stephenie Meyer (More blah)
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist	Rachel Cohn, David Levithan (movie was fun)
Fire	Kristin Cashore (it's beckoning me!)
The Chocolate War	Robert Cormier
Weetzie Bat	Francesca Lia Block
The Diary of a Young Girl	Anne Frank (classic)
Looking for Alibrandi	Melina Marchetta
How I Live Now	Meg Rosoff
City of Glass	Cassandra Clare
Keeping the Moon	Sarah Dessen
Breaking Dawn	Stephenie Meyer
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging	Louise Rennison
If I Stay	Gayle Forman (Really enjoyable)
The King of Attolia	Megan Whalen Turner
Wintergirls	Laurie Halse Anderson
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast	Robin McKinley
The Blue Sword	Robin McKinley
Feed	M.T. Anderson
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants	Ann Brashares (Cute movie, too)
Go Ask Alice	Anonymous
Wicked Lovely	Melissa Marr
Lord of the Flies	William Golding
Someone Like You	Sarah Dessen
The Forest of Hands and Teeth	Carrie Ryan (zombies and a moral!)
Jacob Have I Loved	Katherine Paterson (very disappointing)
The Knife of Never Letting Go	Patrick Ness
Poison Study	Maria V. Snyder
Shadow Kiss	Richelle Mead
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle	Avi
An Abundance of Katherines	John Green
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time	Mark Haddon
A Ring of Endless Light	Madeleine L'Engle
Glass Houses	Rachel Caine (a bit put-out that the series is soooo long)
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party	M.T. Anderson
Walk Two Moons	Sharon Creech
Whale Talk	Chris Crutcher
Perfect Chemistry	Simone Elkeles
Going Too Far	Jennifer Echols
The Last Song	Nicholas Sparks
Before I Fall	Lauren Oliver (Also beckoning me)
Hatchet	Gary Paulsen (I might have read this as a kid...don't remember for sure, though)
The Pigman	Paul Zindel
The Hero and the Crown	Robin McKinley

Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox

Genre: teen fiction, fantasy
FTC Disclosure: bought from Amazon.com
Published: 2007
Pages: 464 
Content: PG

One line review: Fantastic writing but a rather odd ending.

Elizabeth Knox really has a knack for drawing you in and getting you excited about this world and its characters. I really enjoyed this one, overall, better than the first book. Events and plot moved along a lot faster this time around and I really enjoyed that. We learn more about the Place and why it appeared and how Laura and her family are connected. There's also an evil plot afoot from a someone in authority that needs to be dealt with. She also explores faith and unbelief and power and control. And I definitely was not expecting the ending. She had be guessing for quite awhile. Sometimes I would stop and think after a chapter and ponder what was really going on and make my own guesses.

But the ending!!! Yikes...we've got time travel, a time paradox and some slightly odd relationships going on in the end...really odd, actually...disturbingly so. I'm not sure why she had to write it like this. But I don't want to give it all away and may have already if you decide to read both books.

I loved the series. It was different and interesting. I cared about the characters; they were real, and the writing is just fantastic. But the ending was a huge disappointment. Others may feel differently, though. So go ahead and give it a try.

My review of Dreamhunter is here.

Rating: 4/5 stars

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Genre: Modern classic
FTC Disclosure: bought from Target
Published: 1943
Pages: 430
Content: PG-13

One Line Summary: A beautiful coming-of-age story.

From Goodreads: The beloved American classic about a young girl's coming-of-age at the turn of the century, Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a poignant and moving tale filled with compassion and cruelty, laughter and heartache, crowded with life and people and incident. The story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and her bittersweet formative years in the slums of Williamsburg has enchanted and inspired millions of readers for more than sixty years. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the daily experiences of the unforgettable Nolans are raw with honesty and tenderly threaded with family connectedness -- in a work of literary art that brilliantly captures a unique time and place as well as incredibly rich moments of universal experience. 

I enjoyed reading about Francie and her journey with her family in Brooklyn. Even though our childhoods were completely different I still felt like I could identify with her struggles. I could see pieces of me growing up with siblings, the wants and longings of our childhood hearts.

It was amazing to find myself in her neighborhood, what it was like growing up in that era where everyone knows everyone, for good or bad. I loved how Francie loved to read and learn and was able to finally move forward on her dreams. I was also shown the deep love a child can have for her father even when he is less than perfect. Even though Francie's father was an alcoholic, he was still a loving father and enjoyed his children. There are many scenes in the book that really make you think about your worldview and to reexamine yourself accordingly. That's what a classic is supposed to do...entertain and make you think. This one does both in abundance.


Rating: 5/5

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!

I'm grateful for my husband, my little boy, family, friends, love, knowledge, science, freedom, books, and the Internet! Hope everyone has a fabulous day here in the States and I hope everyone not officially celebrating has a fantastic day of love and hope!

Let's not forget about our dear turkey we're eating...poor little guy.

But may we eat together as friends!!!!

Cheers!

Chronicle Books Haul-idays Giveaway!!!!

What a Haul!
*** Blogosphere Bookstore Giveaway ***
$500 in books for 1 blogger
and
$500 for 1 blogger’s reader
for a total of $1,000

Rules: If you are a blogger post about this giveaway and browse Chronicle Books's catalog and list your own set of books up to $500. If you don't have a blog and would still like to participate, just comment on someone else's blog that has a list of books and things you would like to have as well! Done, just like that. Signup here and for the official rules. 

 Check out this video to wet your appetite!

Here is my haul of books!

How to Speak Zombie: A Guide For the Living by Steve Mockus (14.95)

The Worst-Case Scenario Almanac: Great Outdoors by David Borgenicht and Trey Popp (15.95)

The Space Tourist's Handbook by Eric Anderson and Joshua Piven (14.95)

52 Amazing Science Experiments by Lynn Gordon (6.95)

Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall (14.95)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Deluxe Heirloom Edition by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (24.95)

Dracula's Heir: An Interactive Mystery by Sam Stall (24.95)

Chuck Dugan is AWOL by Eric Chase Anderson (19.95)

Aesop's Fables by Russell Ash and Bernard Higton (19.95)

Ernie a Photographer's Memoir by Troy Mendoza (12.95)

Hieroglyph Detective: How to Decode the Sacred Language of the Egyptians by Nigel Strudwick (16.95)

Lost States: True Stories of Texlahoma, Transylvania, and Other States That Never Made It by Michael Trinklein (24.95)

Extreme Encounters: How It Feels to Be Drowned in Quicksand, Shredded By Piranhas, Swept Up in a Tornado, and Dozens of Other Unpleasant Experiences by Greg Emmanuel (15.95)

Mini Goals Notepad by Mary Kate McDevitt (9.95)

The Ultimate Book Club Organizer (18.95)

Kittenwar Card Game By Fraser Lewry
and Tom Ryan (10.95)

Prisoners in the Palace: How Princess Victoria became Queen with the Help of Her Maid, a Reporter, and a Scoundrel by Michaela MacColl (16.99)

The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams (17.99)

Scary Stories Illustrated by Barry Moser
Introduction by Peter Glassman (16.95)

How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend by Gary Ghislain (16.99)

Werewolves: An Illustrated Journal of Transformation by Paul Jessup
Illustrated by Allyson Haller (19.95)

Ramayana: Divine Loophole by Sanjay patel (29.95)

The Writer's Toolbox: Creative Games and Exercises for Inspiring the "Write" Side of Your Brain by Jamie Cat Callan (24.95)

Use This Book!: The Only Book You'll Ever Need by Melissa Heckscher (16.95)

Creature by Andrew Zuckerman (60.00)

1,001Ways to Live in the Moment by Barbara Kipfer (9.95)

If you decide to participate, I'd love for a link back to your list so I can see what you'd like as well!

Good luck!

I originally spotted this giveaway at vvb32 reads. Thanks, Velvet!

Monday Movie Meme-Mind Games

Feature Presentation...

MONDAY MOVIE MEME

 This week's movie topic is all about Mind Games...

We all have forgettable moments. When we do something embarrassing or stupid that we hope no one noticed or will quickly forget. The movies love to make their characters forget. Memory loss. Hypnosis. Spells. It makes for interesting plot possibilities and entertainment for the viewers.

I'm back for more movie fun with The Bumbles Blog and Molly!!! Yeah, I've been missing this meme a lot so I've decided to at least do this meme and may add one or two more...


1. Inception (2010): I chose this one because this one definitely did a mind job on me...but half the time you don't know whose mind or dream you're in or whether the main character is just plain loony!

2. The Net (1995): This one is all about how our lives can be completely controlled as long as we're on the Internet...how we can literally be forgotten on a whim. Sandra Bullock's mother also has Alzheimer's and doesn't remember who she is. This was right when the Internet was starting to really take off.

3. The Dollhouse (2009) (TV): OK, so technically not a movie...but Eliza Dukshu's brain keeps getting wiped clean every episode so she doesn't remember a thing. A really great and creepy show.

 

Pemberley Ball 2010

Velvet over at vvb32 reads is hosting her second annual Pemberley Ball! Yeah! This is a great excuse to get me to come out of my partial blogging hiatus for a weekend of blogging fun. I thoroughly enjoyed my attendance last year and even won a prize! Check out this link for a way to RSVP and enter her Darcy-licious surprise giveaway (it's open til November 20th).

I am Lady Godiva and will be arriving with clothing and not on a horse. I recall quite the zombie antics last year and am looking forward to more such undead antics, as well as lots of wine.

Lady Godiva

I also am looking forward to any young Darcys! Let the dance begin!

Favorite Darcy image:

Matthew MacFadyen from 2005 Pride and Prejudice