Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Authors of All Time

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where we make lists of wonderful and bookish things.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Authors of All Time

I love authors as much as I love their books. They are all so sweet on social media and meeting them at events is always exciting for me. Here's hoping I get to be one of those one day!

1. Rachel Vincent: The day I meet her (if it ever happens) will be incredible. She's great with her readers and I've been lucky to win some signed books by her. Can't wait for her new ones to come out soon!

2. Rainbow Rowell: She is literally the sweetest thing in the world. Meeting her was awesome and we even owned the same dress! We had a moment about it, okay?

3. Marissa Meyer: I showed up in a Scarlet cosplay when I got to meet her and she loved it! She was really sweet and her love of Sailor Moon just makes me really happy.

4. Stephanie Perkins: Her books are swoon-worthy and she's really great with her fans. Hopefully I'll get to meet her one day too!

5. Kasie West: My favourite contemporary author. Her books are great, fast reads and I seriously cannot wait for The Fill-In Boyfriend to be out!

6. Courtney Summers: A fellow Torontonian, Courtney's books are so different from what's out there right now and they are so important. If you haven't read All the Rage yet, what the hell are you waiting for?

7. Tiffany Schmidt: I've had some great Twitter moments with Tiffany and she has been fantastic. We pulled an all-nighter together for her book Before the Sunrise (go read it now!) and I kind of decided we needed to be best friends after that. She's also great friends with Courtney Summers and how cool is that?

8. Lauren Oliver: She was a joy to meet! Her books are incredible and they just keep getting better. Her writing is something I strive to even remotely resemble and I love that she was so down to earth in person.

9. Cora Carmack: New Adult at its best here people. Cora is so adorable and awkward and she always sets up book release parties on Facebook with tons of giveaways and lots of interactions. That makes her perfect in my eyes.

10. Miranda Kenneally: Her books are so great and they quickly became my favourites. I can't for more from her and I'd love to have the chance to meet her one day!

Having the opportunity to meet my favourite authors has been fantastic. I've met some great people, had some great interactions and it made me feel closer to them. Even just having them reply to me on Twitter or Facebook is a great experience. Their books are important too, but how they treat their readers is more important to me.

Review: My True Love Gave to Me

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories
Edited by Stephanie Perkins
Authors: Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt De La Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Stephanie Perkins, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White
Published: October 14th, 214
Hardcover, 320 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favourite sitcoms and, especially if you love holiday anthologies, you're going to fall in love with My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international best selling author Stephanie Perkins. 

This is the first time I've read an anthology all the way through. Normally I just pick out the stories by my favourite authors and read those ones, promising to go back and read the rest but still haven't. So I read this one from start to finish, in order, and it was wonderful. It brought out the warm, cozy emotions you get around the holidays. Each one was so different and diverse, they each stood out from the others and got me into the Christmas spirit.

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell 
5 Gold Stars

Rowell's story is super cute, Set over a few New Year's Eves, we watch as Mags and Noel, a pair of friends, spend every New Year's together with the wrong ending. Noel always ends up kissing someone at midnight, and it's never Mags. It's sad, realistic, and has the cutest happy ending there is. Sometimes it takes years to realize what's right in front of you.

Mags held on to his neck with both arms. She pushed on his forehead. He smelled like skin. "I can't get close enough," Noel said.

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link
4 Gold Stars

A cute, magical story told over many Christmases. Miranda spends every Christmas with her god-mother Elspeth Honeywell, and one year she sees a strange man outside in the snow. His name is Fenny and he can only be out when it's snowing. Miranda quickly falls in love with him, uncertain of who he is and how he's here but determined to give him the life he deserves. It read like an old-fashioned fairy tale and I loved the link to the fox through Fenny and the creepy lady that went with him.

"Could I stay with you. I vow I would. I would stay and grow old with you, Miranda. Or as long as you wanted me to stay."

Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena
5 Gold Stars

Shy is spending Christmas alone cat-sitting in New York, the first year away from his family. He's broke and starving, but too proud to do anything about it. That's when Haley shows up at his door claiming her shower is broken. She is sweet and loving, also alone and wanting someone to spend Christmas with. They are both broken people who find each other on a cold winter's night. Shy is a great character and Haley is his perfect counterpart. This one warmed my heart!

I felt like I was breathing the world into my lungs.

Polaris is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han
4 Gold Stars

This one was very cute! Natty has a magical life. When she was a baby, Santa brought her up to the North Pole and now she lives among the elves. At the annual Christmas party, Natty is ready to get the one she thing she really wants for Christmas, an elf named Flynn. She's always felt out of place and no one believes her stories. This one was too short for me, and I felt like I couldn't really get into the story, but it was sweet nonetheless.

"Living where I live, it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between magic and make believe."

It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins
5 Gold Stars

Marigold does not live a typical life. She wants to get out of town and her new animation series is just her ticket, but needs a voice and North is just the right guy for the job. She just needs to talk to him first. What begins as an innocent trip to a tree farm becomes a lovely evening as North helps Marigold get into the Yuletide spirit. These two are the cutest ever (as expected from Stephanie!) This one was probably my favourite of the twelve and I wish I had more time with these characters.

"I've always felt lucky to live someplace where snow is rare, you know? It's the rareness that makes it so special."

Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan
4 Gold Stars

Connor needs someone to play Santa for his little sister, for one last year before she stops believing. Our narrator, Connor's boyfriend, dons the suit and sneaks into the house late at night to put presents under the tree. When he encounters both of Connor's sisters, he learns a lot more than he thought he would. It helps him find where he belongs. It was cute little story, reminded me a little of the Grinch, but in a good way. It's a cute reminder of what Christmas is really about.

"It's hard not to feel just a little bit fat when your boyfriend asks you to be Santa Claus."

Krumpuslauf by Holly Black
5 Gold Stars

Hanna bargained with the universe many years ago, and this winter she celebrates Krumpuslauf this year, she meets someone that makes her second guess everything she believes in. She plans a New Years party that to her seems like a million bucks, but not so much to the douchebag her best friend is dating. But sometimes miracles happen and bad people get what they deserve. This was a very different story and I loved the magical aspect to it.

"And then I found myself in the hall, kissing Joachim, a boy I barely knew, a boy with a pretend name and who might be a demon or a faerie or a disturbing hallucination."

What the Hell Have you Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman
5 Gold Stars

Sophie is very different from the rest of the people at her college. She's a scholarship kid and from New York ,so no one really gets her sense of humour or lack of money. They wear Christmas sweaters on purpose and sing awful Christmas carols. But when Russell shows up enjoying her little sarcasm, she realizes she may just have a friend after all. They spend the evening together doing fun things and celebrating Hanukkah. They are both different and find solace in each other. Full of Gayle harm, this one made me smile and feel very cozy and warm.

There were only nine emergency candles on the shelf. "That's almost like the actual Hanukkah miracle."

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire
4 Gold Stars

A very different take on the nativity. Vaughn is the kind of kid who gets up to no good and always find way to prank people. But when he has the chance to impress Gracie, the Pastor's daughter, he jumps at the chance to be a better person. With his help, the church is able to put on their live nativity, with him as Joseph and Gracie as Mary, he realizes he has family everywhere.

Q"Although I'm glad he ruined it for you. I'll be happy to be the one to set things right."

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White
5 Gold Stars

Maria lives in the barely there town of Christmas, CA. She can't wait to leave her small apartment and the tiny Christmas diner she works at. But when a new chef starts working there, with a mysterious name and background, Maria starts to actually have fun while she's at work. Soon everything starts looking up and she realizes that everything she really needs is in this small Christmas town. The best little story about what really matters at Christmas and all year round.

"I might be okay with Christmas, but Santa is still the worst."

Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter
4 Gold Stars

Lydia wants to escape for the winter, so when she has the opportunity to switch plane tickets with someone at the airport, she does it in a heartbeat. While in the middle of nowhere, she learns about real families and falls for Ethan, the boy who doesn't know anything real about her. But things have a way of catching up to us. This was cute story that could easily be turned into a movie for Christmas. Very Hannah Montana and very cute.

"If you just want to go away then any ticket will get you there."

The Girl who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
4 Gold Stars

I hate to say that this was my least favourite. Laini is such a great writer and this world was very different, but not very much happened. Neve will do anything not to have to marry the Priest so she prays to the forbidden Wisha and in doing so wakes the Dreamer. Can he help her escape her inevitable future at the clutches of the man who wants to marry her? And can the Dreamer give her what she really wants? It was lovely to read and very different, but I wish it had more pizzaz.

"If I spend all my disappoint before breakfast, what will I go on for the rest of the day?"

The cover of this is the cutest. I loved being able to pick out the characters from each story as I met them. This is a book I'll be picking up every Christmas to get me into the spirit.

Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After

Isla and the Happily Ever After
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Published: August 14, 2014
Hardcover, 339 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favourites Anna, Etienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love - set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona - is a swoon worthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins's beloved series. 

If there's one thing to say about this series by Stephanie Perkins it's that she knows how to make us fall in love, make us go through torture when our lovers can't be together, and then makes us swoon all over again when they find a way to be together. This is a plot I can get behind and Stephanie does it perfectly. In Anna and the French Kiss, Anna falls for a guy who's already taken but they can't seem to stay apart either way. Drama ensues. In Lola and the Boy Next Door, Lola has kept her next door neighbour out of her mind since they moved, but when he returns to town, she can't stop the way he still makes her feel. Drama ensues. Now, in the final instalment in this lovely contemporary series, Perkins brings back Isla, the quiet girl who helped Anna out of an awful situation in the first book and Josh, one of Etienne's old friends.

Isla has been in love with Josh from afar for a long time. He's always had a girlfriend, so she just watched longingly, knowing there would never be a time for her. But when she spots Josh in Manhattan over the summer, where they both live outside of school in Paris, she knows this is her chance to talk to him. It helps that she just came from the dentist and it hopped up on pain meds, so sweet, shy Isla can actually talk to him this time. The small conversation between the two of them leads to so much more and before she knows it, Isla is dating Josh(!) If anyone has noticed, when a couplet gets together early in the book, it means it will not be smooth sailing along the way. Isla soon discovers things about Josh she's not sure she likes, like his past relationships, his senator dad and the side it brings out in him. It doesn't help that college is looming around the corner and they most likely won't be going to school anywhere close to each other and they start asking themselves if it's worth the effort, the hardship and the drama to be together.

This book made me laugh, swoon and bawl my eyes out. Isla is the sweetest character, the kind of girl I was in high school. She stays out of people's business and is happy spending time with her only friend. She does what most girls do when they finally get a boyfriend - she starts to spend more time with Josh and makes him the focus of her life. Her grades drop a bit and she gets into trouble, and it's so real it hurts. We have all lost ourselves in a guy so we all know the feeling of making him top priority, even if it wrecks your life. Josh was the kind of guy I would have fallen in love with in high school. The quiet artist with his deep stares and lanky frame. I think that's why this is my favourite one of the series, because they were so real and familiar to me. Their relationship is wonderful and reckless. Josh takes Isla places she has never been and shows her a side of Paris she has never seen. The heartache is real and I was rooting for these two from the first page to the last. The cameos from our favourites from the other books was perfectly timed and any fans will love the part with them.

This whole series will continue to be my favourite. Perkins writes contemporary perfectly and I have yet to find any author who has made me feel the way she's made me feel. Hopefully she's working on a new series!

"Phones are distracting. The internet is distracting. The way he looked at you? He wasn't distracted. He was consumed."

Top Ten Tuesday: New to Me Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we talk about a bookish topic in the form of lists!

This week's topic is: Top Ten new authors to us of 2013

I love discovering new authors, and this year was full of them!

1. Rainbow Rowell: Fangirl, Eleanor & Park
2. Richelle Mead: Vampire Academy
3. Chelsea Pitcher: The S Word

4. Stephanie Perkins: Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door
5. Daisy Whitney: The Mockingbirds
6. Rachel Alpine: Canary

7. Jenny Han: The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You, We'll Always Have Summer
8. Tiffany Schmidt: Send Me A Sign
9. Kasie West: Pivot Point
10. Holly Black: White Cat, Red Glove, Black Heart

I hope to discover more amazing authors in the new year (though I have no doubt I will!) Who have been some of your faves this year?

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Published: July 9, 2013
Paperback, 368 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighbourhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.


There's just something about Perkins's writing that gets right into my soul and makes me want more. Maybe it's her brilliantly flawed characters that come alive and beg to be heard. Or her settings, rich in detail and just as much a character as the rest. Though I bet it's both these things, twisted together to create a story that leaps off the page and feels like it's happening to your best friend. After reading Anna and the French Kiss, I knew I'd found a new favourite author. And the sequel did not disappoint. Each character was unlike any before and it was refreshing to see such diversity in such a small amount of space.

Lola does not live a typical life. Raised by her uncle and his boyfriend, she loves to be theatrical. She goes everywhere in costume, a new wig everyday and a stand out outfit to match. She knows people thinks she's quirky, but it's all she knows. Her life is working out exactly as planned, she's got great plans for her winter formal dress and she's dating an older rockstar. But when she spots one of the Bell twins, people she grew up next door to most of her life, she knows it's not long until she sees the other, Cricket, and the heartbreak that comes with him. Before she knows it, she's feeling things she shouldn't be and trying to get her life back in order.

One thing that stood out most to me was how non stereotypical this novel was: Two gay dads that are strict and act like normal parents would, no special programming about gay marriage. A female teenage character who's had sex and does not let this change who she is. A male love interest with little to no sexual experience, and a drug recovering mother who isn't there to be taught a lesson or change who the female is, she's just there because that's how life really is. Everything about this book felt real. The emotions Lola felt for Cricket resurfacing after not seeing him for years. He broke her heart, but seeing him after all that time and having him be so different than she remembers creates new feelings that can't be ignored. Real life is hard and sometimes there are people who will get hurt, and maybe she didn't do things the best way possible, but that just made it more real. I've never been one for love triangles, but this one was not forced at all. It was similar to the one in The Hunger Games, where you knew there was really only one person she could pick. Perkins could write just about anything and I'd root for it.

I love how she connected Lola's story to Anna and Etienne's. Lola and Anna work together and Etienne knows Cricket from school. They play small roles in this book, but they are pivotal and help Lola to make some hard choices. I can't wait until all the stories come together in the final book, Isla and the Happily Ever After. I've fallen in love with these characters so quickly and I can't wait to see more of them. Lola is one of a kind, eccentric and outspoken, and Cricket is just as he's described, the boy next door who would do anything for the girl whose heart he broke. Realistic obstacles, strict parents, and problems every teenager faces, this book will break your heart and then make you laugh at the next page. This book was utter perfection, an equal contender for its predecessor, and I know the finale will not disappoint. Some YA books fall short, but this was is perfect and heart warming. If you have not discovered this series yet, then what are you waiting for?

“Just because something isn't practical doesn't mean it's not worth creating. Sometimes beauty and real-life magic are enough.” 

“And if I'm the stars, Cricket Bell is entire galaxies.” 

Review: Anna and the French Kiss

 Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Published: July 13, 2013
Paperback, 372 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. She is less than thrilled about boarding school in Paris - until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, he has it all - including a serious girlfriend. Will Anna get her French kiss?

Paris, the city of love. It's magical and anything can happen when you're far from home. Anyone would be happy to spend the semester abroad in this beautiful city, everyone expect Anna Oliphant. She's happy with her life in Atlanta, ready for her senior year of high school with her best friend and Toph, the boy who could very well become something more than a friend soon. So when her family ships her to France, she's content to stay in her room and pretend none of this ever happened. But life won't let Anna dwell on the past. Immediately, she finds herself friends with the girl next door and soon enough with Mer's friends. They force her out of her room and into the wonderfulness that is Paris. She finds herself drawn to Etienne St. Clair, the very handsome British boy who lives upstairs from her. And although she knows he's very taken and her feelings for Toph have not gone away, she can't help but want to be with him all the time. As she struggles to keep her feelings for him aside, she starts to discover the real beauty of Paris.

Paris is just as much a character in this book as Anna is. When Anna finally leaves her room, we see the cityin a beautiful light, like a new chapter in Anna's life. From Notre Dame to the Shakespeare and Company bookstore, the more Anna loses herself in the city, the more she changes from who she used to be. Throughout the pages, we see her grow up. She realizes some things can never be the same with her friends and family back home, and she realizes just how important some friendships are. She learns to except that paris is part of her life now and slowly she finds herself falling in love with a city she never wanted to be in. 

Every character stands out. Some have your basic characteristics, but Perkins makes them her own. Anna, who is shy and reserved quickly becomes the girl she never thought she could be.  St. Clair is your typical YA crush, but he has his own demons to deal with and tries to make the right choices in life. Mer is a girly sporty chick, Rashmi is a cool indie chick, and Josh is a loud artsy guy. The characters made this book what it is. Each one had their own story inside this story, each with their own drama to deal with. And even though Anna and St. Clair's story was the main focus, no one was forgotten in the background. Our main characters wouldn't get to where they ended up without help from their friends. 

This story is the perfect length. As I was reading it, I thought it was going to be long, I thought there would be a lot of filler before I got to the parts I wanted to read. But there is no filler. Everything that happens needed to happen. In fact, by the end, I was hoping for more. I can't wait to see what's next for Anna and Etienne, but I'm also looking forward to meeting Perkins's new characters in Lola and the Boy Next Door, where I'm hoping Anna and Etienne will make a guest appearance. I'm still new to the YA contemporary genre, but this book certainly stood out among the rest and will forever stay in my heart. Also, can I go to paris now, please?

Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?