Category Archives: Lists

Top Ten Books Featuring Music

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Top Ten TuesdayTop Ten Tuesday is a weekly Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is music in books. I think the actual prompt is geared more toward either listing songs that would make great books or identifying a theme song for a particular book. I’m horrible at that sort of thing, and also deep in the revision process of my own project, so all I could think of were songs for my own scenes.

Instead, I’ve put together a list of books in which characters are either in a band or in which the stories feature music as an important theme. For me, music has always been a huge part of my life, so I was surprised that, as I made this list, there weren’t more books that came to mind which feature music as part of the story.

Here are my picks:

Scar Boys by Len Vlahos – Harry finds music and his role in the band to be an outlet and identity, even if it only makes the inequality in his relationship with Johnny more obvious. Read my review.

Scar Girl by Len Vlahos – After the tragic accident that tore them apart, the band struggles to reunite. Told as a series of interviews with band members, each recalls the highs and lows that ultimately led to another loss for the group. Read my review.

If I Stay by Gayle Foreman – Mia’s life hangs in the balance after a car accident that leaves her in a coma. She has to decide whether she will return to her life, even if it means facing life alone.

Where She Went by Gayle Foreman – Adam, Mia’s boyfriend in If I Stay, finds his new stardom to be a pretty empty life and reflects back on the great love he shared with Mia.

Apparently I didn’t review either of these books, though I did read them. I’m pretty sure there’s some sexual content– Mia’s parents are pretty permissive as far as her relationship with Adam goes. I can’t remember whether or not there’s profanity. I’ll have to go back and review these.

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert – I don’t think I can say it better than the description on Goodreads: “Punk rock is in Emily Black’s blood. Her mother, Louisa, hit the road to follow the incendiary music scene when Emily was four months old and never came back. Now Emily’s all grown up with a punk band of her own, determined to find the tune that will bring her mother home.” (I think I read this back before I started doing reviews here. I wish it were a cleaner read.)

Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert – I think I liked this one better than I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, but it’s been so long I’m not sure. Both are really gritty tales with great characters. One has quite a bit of drug content (mostly drinking maybe? I can’t remember.)

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen – I loved that the music in this book became this bond between Annabel and Owen, and really, a path toward healing. I remember that I adored Owen Armstrong. Must keep him handy for the next “book boyfriends” list. He’d be on there for me. (I seriously thought I had reviewed this book. I can’t believe I didn’t! Must add to my review list.)

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell – (Forgive me…. I listed this book on my last TTT. Can’t help it!! It fits both categories.) While the music doesn’t play a ginormous role in this story, either, it’s definitely part of the connection between Eleanor and Park. The story does great justice to the way that music so often becomes a voice or an anthem, putting things into words that we have a hard time speaking on our own. Read my review.

Sold Out by Melody Carlson – A girl unused to fame suddenly finds herself right in the middle of it. As Chloe and her band mates have to navigate the struggles of stardom, they learn that only by putting it all in God’s hands can they succeed.

You Were Here by Cori McCarthy – Five teens connected by a fatal accident sort out their unresolved grief by revisiting places frequented by the boy they knew in hopes of finding messages he left behind. I haven’t reviewed this book yet, because I only finished reading it recently, but I really liked it a lot. Unfortunately, it does have some explicit language, alcohol content and sexual situations. Look for the review soon for more information.

Top Ten Books that Leave Your Heart Aching (In a Good Way)

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Top Ten Tuesday is a Meme hosted by The Broke & the Bookish. Here’s my post for this Top Ten Tuesday:

Five Stories With Swoon-Worthy Romance (Gimme Heartache!)

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and next to a romantic date, my favorite way to celebrate is with a book featuring a romance that leaves me breathless on those last pages. Here are my top five O2 snatching reads:

  • Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell- That last pages leaves us with just three words. If you’ve read the book, you know exactly what I mean. *sigh* My review.
  • Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo- I’m pretty sure I tweeted about this. Gah. Kaz and Inej FOREVER!!! They must get together. I never pre-order a book seven months before it releases– unless it’s by Harper Lee OR the sequel to Six of Crows. My review.
  • Not if I See You First by Eric Lindstrom- This was one of those books that I could have immediately read over again when I reached the last page. The romance had so many hurdles to overcome. So much angst and drama. So great. My review.
  • Hawk’s Flight by Carol Chase – Yep. You were wondering when I’d bring that one up again, weren’t you? It has been a long time favorite, despite the fact that it’s out of print. This was a book that I’d read almost every year. Faith, love, politics, star-crossed lovers, a good guy who has to do the hard things, a philosophy debate. Man, I love this book.
  • Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor – I can’t help it. I feel like I was rooting for Karou and Akiva from the quote before the first chapter begins. So good. To me this story makes a great parallel to life in that there are these two groups at war over their differences — literally, the difference between them as creatures. Yet two people found the courage to see past those differences and cultivate love and respect anyway. Okay, I’m kind of talking you out of reading the story, but you should definitely check it out.

Five Stories that Love Being Single (Non-Love Heartache)

It’s easy to get overloaded on the super sweet lovey-dovey stuff. If that’s you, here are five stories where romance is not the be all, end all:

  • Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein- A WWII story about a female pilot and a woman working behind enemy lines in France. Both strong, admirable women and one wild ride of a story. My review.
  • Sensible Shoes: A Story About the Spiritual Journey by Sharon Garlough Brown- this tale follows four women as they journey through grief, loss, and heartache. I want to attend their study sessions. Wowza. Really deep, really brave stuff.
  • The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway – a really fun sci-fi featuring mimes, scary goo, special forces, ninjas, and best friends. Wow, that doesn’t even begin to do it justice. It’s a super-fun read.
  • Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman – If you’re a big fan of YA, you’ve probably already at least heard about this book, if you haven’t read it four times. Shusterman won the National Book Award for his brilliant story about a boy facing mental illness. I loved this book, and wholeheartedly agree with its status as an award-winner. My review.
  • Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon – A boy looking for a favorite author stumbles onto a dark mystery. I’m grossly under-educated about Spanish history, but I loved this book set in 1945 Barcelona. Made me want to get out there and learn more history and also read more Zafon!

February News, Upcoming Reviews, and Other Updates

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Blogging Goals for The Story Sanctuary

How is it February already?! I started the year with lots of glorious plans, many of which are still sitting on a to-do list somewhere, waiting to be realized. For instance, I have some blog-related goals:

  • Create a 2016 To Read List. In the past, my reading lists have been really simple, just a bulleted list which I add a link to once I’ve read and posted my review of the book. I’d really like to do something a bit fancier that has thumbnails of the book covers, links to sites where you can buy the book, etc.
  • Add a fourth weekly post. Not a fourth review, mind you. Two-to-three reviews per week is about all I can keep up with, honestly. I’d love to read all the time, but alas… the whole day-job thing keeps getting in the way. Not to mention that whole sleeping phenomenon that my body wants to spend all kinds of time on. Anyway, I’d like to add a weekly list post. Whether it’s great books I’ve read lately, upcoming reviews, favorite quotes. Things like that.
  • Books I Meant to Read in 2015

    Catch up on the books I meant to read last year. I transitioned to 2016 with about a dozen books left on my To Read list from 2015, and I really want to catch up on those. I’ve read a few already, as you can see. I’m also really trying to work in some of the books I own but haven’t read yet. Not sure what this means in terms of accepting new reviews. Still figuring out the logistics.

  • Comment on other blogs more. I used to be better about this. Partly, reading other review blogs is awesome because inevitably I find books I haven’t heard about, and partly it’s overwhelming because I find too many books I haven’t heard about. But it’s still a good practice, and I do enjoy it.
  • Review more Christian/Clean Middle Grade and Young Adult Books. My original goal with this blog was twofold: 1. To review Christian and clean fiction books to raise awareness about them. And 2. To review popular novels so that parents and readers can find out what kind of content exists in various teen books. I try not to judge, but to provide information so parents can judge what’s appropriate for their kids. So I feel like I’ve done better at the second goal than the first one, and I’d like to bring more balance into the scope of what I read and review.

So there you have my list of blogging goals for this year.

Our Handsome Kitty

In Other February News

(read: this is where I talk about my cat)

The cat we adopted last summer is really acclimating to our home. He likes to lounge on me every night while I’m reading on my tablet. The only problem? He likes to turn the pages while I’m reading! It’s adorably frustrating, because he likes to turn them when he’s ready. Not when I’m ready. So we’re working on that.

This is a picture of him. I haven’t managed to get a picture of him in the act of “reading” with me mainly because I only have two hands, but I’ll post one if I catch him. He’s been a great addition to our family over all. We hope to get another cat sometime soon. He’ll have a kitty friend!

Coming Soon

Reviews Coming February 2016

Over the next few weeks, you’ll see some new reviews and other excitement. One of the things I’m super excited about is a blog tour for Katherine Marsh’s The Door by the Staircase, which is a middle grade novel with some references to Russian folklore. I’m a huge fan of re-imagined fairy tales, so I can’t wait to share more about this book later this month. Other reviews coming soon include:

  • Bad Luck by Pseudonymous Bosch. A light, funny middle grade read.
  • Curio by Evangeline Denmark. A girl discovers a secret world in her grandfather’s repair shop.
  • You Were Here by Cori McCarthy. A contemporary story about a girl still dealing with the unexpected death of her brother. Also– one of the narrators doesn’t talk, so his scenes are told through graphic novel panels. I *love* this!
  • The Feuds by Avery Hastings. You might remember me raving about this book last year when I read the sequel. Boxing, ballet, and genetically engineered human perfection. All the things a good dystopian novel needs, right?
  • Blue Gold by Elizabeth Stewart. I’m pretty sure I heard about this on Twitter, but I’m not sure. Follows the story of three girls and their connection to a rare mineral used to make smart phones. Love the message of social responsibility.

Your Turn!

So what’s on your list of goals for this year? What are you most excited about reading? If there’s a book you really want to see reviewed, leave me a comment! I’ll see what I can do about getting a copy.

 

Mini Reviews: Never Never Part 1 and Reprieve

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Never, Never (Part 1) by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher / Hoover Ink

I stumbled across this series of novellas on Amazon. Of the three parts, I’ve only read Part 1. It basically seems like a novel broken into three pieces. The whole series is available as a bundle for $2.99, which is a pretty great deal.

In terms of the story, it was definitely a wild ride. There’s a lot of romantic tension and some sexual content (main characters watch a video that includes a sex scene, thought it’s dark and only sounds are described) and brief violence. I was really hooked by the idea that both characters have lost their memories and are scrambling both to pretend they’ve got things under control/run their lives as if nothing’s wrong but also figure out what made them lose their memories. It’s clear something sinister happened, and we don’t know if our protags are good guys or bad guys. Will I read part 2? Possibly. I’m definitely curious about the story. Not curious enough to bump it ahead of the rest of my TBR list, though, so for now it’ll have to wait.

Inherit the Stars: Reprieve by Tessa Elwood/Running Press

After falling face-first in love with Inherit the Stars (read my review), I HAD to read this short story featuring Asa and her sister Wren (who is unconscious in Inherit the Stars.) I’ve read short stories by authors whose novels I love and been disappointed by the lack of structure (short fiction is not as easy as you think), but this was not the case with Elwood’s tale. The writing was powerful and the characters really moving. I loved having that chance to see Wren and Asa interact with one another, to have that real-time look at how their relationship worked. It only strengthened my understanding of Asa’s motives in Inherit the Stars. If you liked the novel, I recommend the short story. If you haven’t read the novel, check out the short story. It’s free, and you’ll get a really good feel for the narrative in the full-length novel. Update: I can’t seem to find a good link for the short story online. I think I got it on Amazon, but I don’t see it there now. Check out the Goodreads page and see if maybe it gets updated to show it posted somewhere else?

 

Reading Recap and Plans for 2016

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The last two weeks of 2015 flew past me without a moment for blogging, and I’m only now beginning to catch up on the massive list of things I want to do around here. There are books to read, author interviews to post, exciting blog tours coming up, and of course, more books than I could possibly hope to read!

Coming Soon: Books I’ve Read to Review

To start, here are the books I have read but haven’t posted reviews for yet:

I’m super excited about posting my review of Eleanor & Park. Rainbow Rowell is an author I’ve been meaning to read for a while. I had started Fangirl last summer, but just didn’t get into it. In E&P, she had me at the first line. Wowza. And I felt like I held my breath until the last line. If you haven’t looked at the fan art for the story, it’s definitely worth checking out, too. There are some really clever/cute images.

I also LOVED Paradox of Vertical Flight. I read it after being selected for a blog tour to promote Ostrovsi’s sophomore novel Away We Go. After the amazing ride that was his debut, I can’t wait to read his next. (Also… he’ll be here on TSS in the form of an author interview! *insert hyperventilating and hoarse star-struck sputtering*)

So all those lovely titles will be reviewed here in the next couple of weeks as well as a couple of shorter pieces. I recently read both a short story (“Reprieve” by Tessa Elwood, author of Inherit the Stars) and a novella (Never Never part 1 by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher) that I thought deserved a post. So those will be appearing as well.

But, Wait. There’s More! (Books I Meant to Read Last Year)

Curious about what’s coming after that? In taking stock of my 2015 To Read List, I noticed some books I wasn’t able to fit in. I haven’t accepted many new reviews for Jan-March. My plan is to work back through that list and catch up on those first. Here’s the list:

Every Blogger Has a Mammoth TBR List. This is (part of) Mine…

I’ve also got quite a towering stack of books sitting on shelves and next to my bed that I need to read. Nightingale’s Nest, Shouldn’t You Be In School, Across a Star-Swept Sea, All the Bright Places, Belzhar, and Feuds are among those. Also worth noting (translation: can’t believe I didn’t list these on my TBR list) are Brown Girl Dreaming, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Isle of the Lost, and Embers in the Ashes. Here’s the full stack:

And those are only the actual physical copies of books that I have. Doesn’t include the lists of ebooks filling up my tablet. More reading for me! So it’s already shaping up to be a busy season for reading in my house. My daughter is most excited about the Descendants book and the finale to the Lemony Snicket series All the Wrong Questions.

I also accumulated several really cool nonfiction books that I’m eager to crack open. I’ll save those for another post, though.

How about you?

So how about you? What are you reading now? What did you plan to read last year that you haven’t managed to sit down with yet?

My Favorite Books from 2015 (January to October)

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My Favorite Books from 2015 (So Far…)

So these are not guaranteed to be clean teen reads. This list is made up of the stories and characters which most captured me, deprived me of sleep or free thought until I’d finished the very last page or beyond. Read my reviews (click the book title) for more information on content of each novel. Enjoy!

1. Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman – I loved that Shusterman took us on this journey through mental illness and it felt so authentic. At the same time the metaphorical structure made it easy to follow the story and added to its complexity.

2. When You Leave by Monica Ropal – This was one of those books that I read in one sitting and thought about for weeks afterward. I loved the characters and the way Ropal explores the unanswered questions left behind when we lose someone.

3. Because You’ll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas – I was a little bit torn between this book and Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon, but the tie breaker for me was the fact that I loved both the boys in Because You’ll Never Meet Me so incredibly much and couldn’t stop rooting for them. I didn’t realize until just now that both books feature boys named Ollie/Olly, but also deal with a person who is unable to be around others for medical reasons. Both were great books, but BYNMM takes top prize for me.

4. The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey – I loved the fantastic story world in this book. It definitely reminded me a bit of Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but it wasn’t quite so dark, I thought. I loved the romance.

5. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella – This book made me laugh so hard I had tears streaming down my face. The relationships between characters is absolutely great, and the way Audrey’s illness affects each family member is really well-explored. I think it takes a truly amazing writer to take a hard topic like mental illness and yet relate events to us in such a way that we can still laugh. Kinsella definitely has the knack for it.

6. The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow – Right from the very beginning, I was completely hooked on this story. Such high stakes! And I loved that they AI character(s) didn’t follow all the stereotypes about how AI would behave, etc.

7. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – Are you tired of hearing about how much I like this book yet? I feel like it’s all I’m talking about right now. Totally immersive story world. Characters that I just can’t stop thinking about. And an impossible heist to keep me on the edge of my seat.

8. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – This book is like World War Z meets 2001: A Space Oddyssey. Some nights I could not go to sleep for thinking about this book. The dialogue and the unique presentation are definitely among the book’s strengths. I would definitely pick up a follow-up story to this one.

9. These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly – If you’ve been around TSS much lately, you know I LOVE me some books by Jennifer Donnelly. This book really scratched an itch for me. It’s a historical set in the 1890s and touches on some feminist themes about that time. It’s also a murder-mystery and has a really intense (but not explicit) romance. Loved it!

What’s your favorite?

Have you read any of the above books? What are your favorites so far this year?