Top Ten Books I Liked but Can’t Remember ANYTHING About (Top Ten Tuesday #28)

I AM ACTUALLY DOING A TOP TEN TUESDAY *bursts confetti for myself* It's been FOREVER (10 months, to be exact) because these posts take FOREVER and I don't seem to find the time to do them. AT ALL.

When I read this post on The Artsy Reader Girl's Blog, I immediately went onto my Goodreads "Read" Shelf and stared at the covers of books to try and figure out which plots I remembered and which plots my memory completely erased.

It's probably a GOOD TIME to point out that I had a (mild) freak out session at how LITTLE I remembered about the books I've read over the last three years, with only mild recollections of plots/ characters coming back to me as I scrolled down my VERY LARGE Read Book Shelf. Still, down below are the 10 Books that I remember almost NOTHING about:

~~~

1. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawerence: It was our final year in school and my best friend and I kept visiting our local bookstore, Starmark, to de-stress and buy all the books in the world, which is when I picked up Mark Lawerence's Prince of Thorns. I sped read through it ALMOST immediately (because, YES, I used to be the kind of person who read books almost immediately after buying them) and I remember ABSOLUTELY NOTHING except that it's about A STABBY PRINCE WHO WAS WRONGED. That's it.

I even have the second book waiting for me in my bookshelf but I don't know if I'll ever get to it. *sighs*

2. Poison's Kiss by Breeana Shields: I read this book during the month it released (the lovely folks at PRH International sent it to me) and even a month later, I STRUGGLED TO REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE PROTAGONIST. I remember some basic elements of the story - a baby brother, a handler, a kill list and YET, I DON'T REMEMBER EVEN A SINGLE CHARACTER'S NAME. I really liked the book too, AND it was an Indian Fantasy but my brain refuses to retain information about this.

3. The Fall of Butterflies by Andrea Portes: I read this book about a year and a half ago AND I REMEMBER ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT IT, except that it was set in high school. I JUST read my own review about it to see if it sparked anything in my memory, but I turned up with a BIG ZERO. 

How is it even possible to read a book and remember nothing about it?

Side Note: I don't THINK the actual book had anything to do with the butterflies on the cover.

4. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski: While I do remember MOST of the first book in this series (with all the forbidden love and the WANTING) I remember absolutely NOTHING about the second book in Marie Rutkoski's Trilogy EXCEPT for the fact that there was a Tiger. Somewhere. I think. 

Surprisingly, I DO REMEMBER the names of the main characters, but that's probably because of all the PURE ANGST I faced in book one. I own the third book in the series, but I don't think I'll ever get to it. (I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING BEFORE IT *sighs*)

5. My Name is Alexandra Gantson by T.A. Maclagan: A SPY? Her grandfather? I don't know any more. There were some handlers and some romance and some familial moments but other than that, I REMEMBER NOTHING.

I do remember this feeling of shock when the BIG PLOT REVEAL came out in the end but I'm pretty much blank other than that. I ALSO HAPPENED TO READ THE SEQUEL, AND REMEMBER NOTHING ABOUT THAT EITHER. 

And I used to hope my memory was eidetic...

6. Fate of Flames by Sara Raughley: All I remember is that this book had four celebrity girls with powers, the supposed 'saviors' of some messed up future world, all of whom had SERIOUS ISSUES and kept dying. There was also a final fight scene that I DIDN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND AS I WAS READING IT and (obviously) still don't but yes. I never requested/ picked up the sequel because of how absolutely little I remember. 

I wonder if I would still like it if I read it again.


7. The Museum of Heartbreak by Meg Ledger: A contemporary romance with THINGS ON THE COVER? Someone help me because I remember thinking this book was cute with a HORRID, SAPPY ending but I REMEMBER NOTHING. Why is there a Museum of Heartbreak? Was ir an ACTUAL MUSEUM? WHAT ARE THE THINGS ON THE COVER? What was the heartbreak about? DID THEY GET BACK TOGETHER? 

I'm at a total loss, so if someone wants to summarize it for me, that would be GREAT.


8. Drowning is Inveitable by Shalanda Stanley: YEAH, HOW PRETTY IS THIS COVER? I remember thinking this when I requested the book on NetGalley (back when NetGalley was an INCLUSIVE website and not the THING it is today) and there was some best friend romance going on but I REMEMBER NOTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK TRALALALALA.

Seriously, though, how can I READ ENTIRE BOOKS AN NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING? It kind of freaks me out.

9. Passion by Lauren Kate: I started reading the Fallen series when I was 11 (middle school, you know how it goes) and thinking about HOW GLAMOROUS MY LIFE WOULD BE WHEN I TURNED SIXTEEN as it seems that THAT IS THE MAGICAL AGE WHEN ALL PROTAGONISTS FULFILL THEIR DESTINY AND MEET THE LOVE OF THEIR LIVES and I sped read through Passion, the third book in the Fallen series.

I remember nothing except that there were BLACK SMOKEY TUNNELS THAT WERE ALSO TIME MACHINES. #GreatMemory

10. The Watcher in the Shadows by Carols Ruiz Zafon: I remember being absolutely ENCHANTED with my first Carlos Ruiz Zafon book, because his writing brought magical realism to LIFE but I remember nothing about this book except for the fact that it was set in an abandoned house.

It was a brilliant book nonetheless,  but I wish I remembered some of it...

What are some book you you REALLY LIKED but just cannot remember?

Have you read any of the books on my list? 

What do you think of them?

I'd absolutely love to hear from all of you!

Meet The Authors: Heather Kaczynski, Author of Dare Mighty Things - Guest Post + Giveaway

Hi Everyone.

And welcome to Meet The Authors October! This was originally supposed to start last week, but due to familial commitments, I didn't find the time to post and so here we are! I have an AMAZING Line-Up of authors for you with some brilliant giveaways, interviews and guest posts that I hope you love!

First up we have the super kind debut author Heather Kaczynski, author of Dare Mighty Things that comes out tomorrow from Harper Teen. It's a Space YA novel and it sounds (and looks) amazing and I can't wait to read this book. 

The amazing Heather Kaczynski has provided us with a Top Five List on the Best 2018 Space YA Books she's read. I've read a few of them and I am SO EXCITED for a few others. I hope you love this list (and the International Giveway down below) just as much as I do.

Hey friends!

Okay, so, at the very least, the past couple of years have had the saving grace of seeing a resurgence of amazing science fiction franchises: the return of both Star Wars and Star Trek, Amy Adams communicating with aliens, a new Mass Effect game (shut up, I love it), and a little show I recently fell in love with called Killjoys – and that’s not even mentioning the books! (Which, by the way, includes my own: DARE MIGHTY THINGS, coming out October 10, 2017!)

 2018 looks like it’s going to continue this trend with some hot new YA books set in space, and I’m READY.  Let’s see if I can write this without including too many Star Trek references.

Engage!

 

1.       UNEARTHED by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

If you know me, this is not a surprise. Humans encountering an alien message? Those aliens are now EXTINCT? We go to their home planet and EXPLORE their RUINED SOCIETY? It sounds like all the coolest parts of the Alien movies that nobody ever talks about. There’s not a ton of realistic YA alien books out there (if you know of some, help a girl out!) so I’m psyched for this! Of course, I’m also waiting anxiously for Kaufman and Kristoff’s finale to THE ILLUMINAE FILES, OBSIDIO, but for this list I’m narrowing it down to new and first in a series.

   2.       BRIGHTLY BURNING by Alexa Donne

This one is only slightly a cop-out , because Alexa is my critique partner, and when she mentioned to me that she wanted to write a “Jane Eyre in Space” book I basically grabbed her through the computer and shook her and said “YES, you will do this for me!” Jane Eyre  is one of my favorite books, so, transposing the Gothic England setting for a remote and mysterious spaceship circling the moon, with a spunky & smart heroine and adding really cool ship A.I.,  and I’m all about it. And, since Alexa sold her book it’s been through edits I haven’t seen yet, which means I get to read it all anew when it comes out – and I can’t wait.

   3.       The Disasters by M. K. England

Described as The Breakfast Club meets Firefly, this has all the potential for a hilarious and heartwrenching read that I’m hoping will have elements of my new fave show, Killjoys.  Everybody loves underdogs, and five teens who consider themselves failures who now have to save the world? They’re already halfway to making me love them. 

4.       Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston

Okay, I have to admit that the extent of my knowledge of Anastasia stars and ends with the animated movie. However! When the blurb mentions scoundrels, outlaws, androids, found families, and spaceships, and this sounds like the kind of rollicking space adventure I crave.

5.       The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

So this one is already out in Lauren’s native U.K., but at least we only have a few more months to wait for it stateside! (Except I, ahem, might already have an early copy that I’m going to reward myself with when I meet my next deadline.) Not only is the cover all shiny and TO DIE FOR, but Lauren is very much a supporting of girls in STEM, which is also a passion of mine. Her main character, Romy, is the last surviving member of a spaceship travelling to another planet, and has had to survive on her own. I know this is going to be a great adventure with a smart heroine, and it even seems like it might have a twist ending – which, as you may discover in about a week, is also a favorite trope of mine.

There you have it! More spacey scifi coming to you in 2018. And if you can’t wait that long – which, ha, can’t blame you – don’t forget to check out DARE MIGHTY THINGS coming to you on October 10^th! (Its sequel will also be coming out in September of 2018!) Scifi nerds, this is gonna be our year. Let’s show publishers we want plenty more where that came from.

To keep up with even more upcoming YA books in space, there’s a handy Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/111676.2018_YA_in_SPACE_

Title: Dare Mighty Things
Author: Heather Kaczynski
Publication Date: October 10th 2017
Publisher: Harper Teen
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1/2 of an unitiles Duology
Buy Links: Amazon US || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: You must be gifted. You must be younger than twenty-five. You must be willing to accept the dangers that you will face if you win.
Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Gupta’s entire life has been leading up to this—the opportunity to travel to space. But to secure a spot on this classified mission, she must first compete against the best and brightest people on the planet. People who are as determined as she to win a place on a journey to the farthest reaches of the universe. 
Cassie is ready for the toll that the competition will take; the rigorous mental and physical tests designed to push her to the brink of her endurance. But nothing could have prepared her for the bonds she would form with the very people she hopes to beat. Or that with each passing day it would be more and more difficult to ignore the feeling that the true objective of the mission is being kept from her.
As the days until the launch tick down and the stakes rise higher than ever before, only one thing is clear to Cassie: she’ll never back down . . . even if it costs her everything. 

Heather writes books for teenagers and other people who like books about teenagers. They’re usually about teenagers saving the world, because she really believes they can.

Heather never got to go to Space Camp, so she had to settle for writing about it. After graduating cum laude with a degree in biology, she returned to her first love of books, and now works in a library near NASA. She lives with her husband and their daughter outside Huntsville, Alabama. She’s not nearly brave enough to go into space, but she did twirl a fire baton in high school.

She’s represented by Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary Agency.

Twitter || Instagram

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Meet The Authors: Rebecca Barrow, Author of You Don't Know Me But I Know You - Top Ten List

Hi Everyone, and welcome to Day Two of Meet The Authors August! I just back from a mini photography expedition to another side of the city I live in for which I woke up at 5a.m. and I'm EXHAUSTED while I type this so please excuse any typos you might find.

This lovely author's debut novel releases later this month and I could NOT be more excited for it, especially because Harper India send me some amazing news about it and hopefully, with all the luck, I'll recieve a copy of it. EEK.

Without any further ago, please welcome the LOVELY Rebecca Barrow, whose debut novel You Don't Know Me But I Know You is a haunting YA contemporary with a strong female friendship and teenage pregnancy and I AM SO EXCITED FOR IT.

Here's a Guest Post / Top Ten List by Rebecca on her Top Ten Romactic Couples in YA!

I give you this list with the caveat that not all of these romances end in happily ever after, and not all of them are the sweetest or purest couplings. But they are the ones that felt the most real to me! Not everything has a happy ending, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth something. Let’s get into the top ten:

1.      Adam and Mia from IF I STAY and WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman—talk about heartbreak. I loved watching them grow and change and navigate their pain to find their way to each other.

2.      Emi and Ava from EVERYTHING LEADS TO YOU by Nina LaCour—an intriguing mystery wraps around this sweet love story, set against a cool Hollywood background.

3.      Remy and Dexter from THIS LULLABY by Sarah Dessen—girl who doesn’t believe in love but does believe in controlled order meets messy musician with a cute dog. I mean, what else are you supposed to do but fall in love with him?

4.     Sophie and Mina from FAR FROM YOU by Tess Sharpe—back to real heartbreak here. Sophie and Mina were best friends who began to love in each other in a different way and maybe they’d have lived happily ever after—if Mina hadn’t been killed. Intense and painful.

5.      Vivi and Jonah from WHEN WE COLLIDED by Emery Lord—perhaps Vivi and Jonah’s relationship wasn’t always the healthiest, but that only made it feel that much more real to me. Sweet and honest.

6.      Dimple and Rishi from WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI by Sandhya Menon—one coding geek plus one repressed artist plus one possible arranged marriage equals a whole bunch of mess. (And sweet romance, as hard as Dimple might try to avoid it…)

7.      Marin and Mabel from WE ARE OKAY by Nina LaCour—(I just love the way she writes girls in love, sorry not sorry!) Another set of best friends who realized their love might be taking them along a different path—until Marin completely veered off track in everything. Painfully real.

8.      Dylan and Edie from the DIARY OF A CRUSH series by Sarra Manning—Dylan and Edie are the epitome of teenage angst. From Manchester to Paris to Vegas, on-and-off all the way, I still love them in all their pouty, artsy glory.

9.      Kiko and Jamie from STARFISH by Akemi Dawn Bowman—when the boy you loved as a kid comes back and you’re still in love with him, what do you do? Complex feelings swirled with art and anxiety and family anguish.

10.  Liesl and the Goblin King from WINTERSONG by S. Jae Jones—again, probably not the healthiest relationship, with the whole “you took my sister” thing, but oh wow do these two have chemistry.

Title: You Don't Know Me But I Know You

Author: Rebecca Barrow

Publication Date: August 29th 2017

Publisher: Harper Teen

Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone

Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Rebecca Barrow’s bright, honest debut novel about chance, choice, and unconditional love is a heartfelt testament to creating the future you truly want, one puzzle piece at a time.
There’s a box in the back of Audrey’s closet that she rarely thinks about.
Inside is a letter, seventeen years old, from a mother she’s never met, handed to her by the woman she’s called Mom her whole life. Being adopted, though, is just one piece in the puzzle of Audrey’s life—the picture painstakingly put together by Audrey herself, full of all the people and pursuits that make her who she is.
But when Audrey realizes that she’s pregnant, she feels something—a tightly sealed box in the closet corners of her heart—crack open, spilling her dormant fears and unanswered questions all over the life she loves.
Almost two decades ago, a girl in Audrey’s situation made a choice, one that started Audrey’s entire story. Now Audrey is paralyzed by her own what-ifs and terrified by the distance she feels growing between her and her best friend Rose. Down every possible path is a different unfamiliar version of her life, and as she weighs the options in her mind, she starts to wonder—what does it even mean to be Audrey Spencer?

Rebecca Barrow writes stories about girls and all the wonders they can be. A lipstick obsessive with the ability to quote the entirety of Mean Girls, she lives in England, where it rains a considerable amount more than in the fictional worlds of her characters. She collects tattoos, cats, and more books than she could ever possibly read. YOU DON'T KNOW ME BUT I KNOW YOU is her first novel.

Website || Twitter || Instagram || Goodreads

Who are some of your top romantic couples in YA? Don't forget to say hi to Rebeca!

I can't wait to see who all of you pick!

Meet The Authors: Maggie Harcourt, Author of Unconventional - Top Ten Unlikely Romantic Heroes

Hi Everyone and welcome to day two of Meet The Authors, where I introduce the person behind the book to it's readers.                                                                                                                                 Today I have with me the LOVELY Maggie Harcourt whose sophomore novel, Unconventional, I got to read at the beginning of this year and it also turned out to be MY FIRST FIVE STAR READ of 2017 because it was the MOST ADORABLE THING IN EVER. It was the perfect book for all Fangirls and I HIGHLY recommend it!                                                                                                                                                                                                               Maggie Harcourt is talking all about her Top 10 Unlikely Romantic Heroes (And Anti Heroes) and I hope you love all this post as much as I do!

Maggie Harcourt's Top 10 Unlikely Romantic Heroes (and anti-heroes…)

1. Jack Aubrey (the Master & Commander novels). The original Captain Jack is a lifelong sailor in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Knowledgeable, brave and smart, he enjoys music - and is a keen musician himself - often playing duets with his friend, ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin - and is good at what he does. He hates the sight of blood and has a terrible habit of using too many proverbs in conversation… most of which he gets wrong, constantly baffling Stephen. But it's this, and his generally good heart, which makes him loveable.

2. Aragorn (the Lord of the Rings novels). It's all very well saying that Aragorn is a perfectly likely romantic hero by the time we've got to know him… but think back to the very first time he's introduced. Back then, all we know is that he's a "strange-looking weather-beaten man" with muddy boots and a dirty cloak. Even when we see him more clearly, "a pale, stern face" and "a shaggy head of dark hair flecked with grey" isn't exactly promising… but then, he's Aragorn.

 

3. Remus Lupin (the Harry Potter novels). Who couldn't love Remus Lupin? Infected by a werewolf in childhood in revenge for his father's beliefs, he became one of the Marauders at Hogwarts - a connection which would last his whole life. Brave - but absolutely broke (although never broken) because of his condition - he was also clever, kind, warm and open-hearted.

4. Edward Ferrars (Sense & Sensibility). On the one hand, Edward might appear to be a bit of an idiot - he doesn't always make the choices we want him to make (or even the ones he wants to make…) but he's loyal, and it matters to him that he keeps his word. Not particularly handsome, really rather shy, he's perhaps not the guy who will sweep you off your feet, but the one who will - somehow - find a way to be there when you need him the most and expect him the least.

 

5. Jareth the Goblin King (Labyrinth). You might not think that a baby-stealing, petulant goblin prince who would be particularly romantic. When he's played by David Bowie, you'd be wrong. Jareth knows what he wants, and he'll do just about anything to get it (rearrange time? Tear down his own city? Promise the world? Sure - why not?) And if that thing just happens to be you… how could you refuse?

6. Jonathan Strange (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell). Jonathan Strange is a layabout. Jonathan Strange is a pupil. Jonathan Strange is a soldier. Jonathan Strange is a husband. Jonathan Strange is a rival. Jonathan Strange is an acolyte. Jonathan Strange is a madman. Jonathan Strange is a master. Jonathan Strange is a curse. Jonathan Strange is a friend. Jonathan Strange is a magician. Jonathan Strange is maybe unlikely, maybe not always a hero… but the idea of him, at least, is always romantic.

7. John Rokesmith (Our Mutual Friend). Talking about John is… tricky. Partly because like so many Dickens characters, he's more complicated than he at first appears, and partly because he's so central to the plot of Our Mutual Friend that it would take an essay to cover him in any proper detail - one that would almost certainly give away the ending. But it's enough to say that in a novel where the themes of money and love constantly interact, John is trying to do the right thing; not just for himself but for the people around him. His methods might occasionally be, shall we say, 'questionable?', but his heart is in the right place. Mostly.

8. Bill Weasley (the Harry Potter novels). Ever a sucker for a redhead, I can't leave Bill off the list. Bill is cool. He's both fun and serious; a professional curse-breaker who loves his family - and is connected to another member of the Order of the Phoenix by werewolf Fenrir Greyback…

9. Athos (The Three Musketeers). Athos can be sullen and taciturn, but underneath his brooding exterior - if you can get him to sober up long enough - you'll find a fiercely loyal friend and an inspiring leader. Loved by his allies and hated - but still respected and feared - by his enemies, Athos is occasionally the most sensible of the Musketeers. He's certainly one of the most famous… or should that be 'infamous'? Either way, he's a man you'd want on (or by) your side.

10.  'Cousin' Matthew Crawley (Downton Abbey). Matthew Crawley has to be a bit of a wildcard: often stubborn and with a tendency to be pompous, there's still something about Matthew. And it's not his enormous inheritance (not entirely, anyway…) but rather his wit and arch sense of humour - as well as his determination and single-mindedness - that makes him probably the most likely of the 'unlikely' romantic heroes on this list after all.

Maggie Harcourt was born and raised in Carmarthenshire, west Wales. At 17, she moved to London to study English Literature - and later took a Master’s degree in medieval literature - at University College London.

She always wanted to be a writer, but has also worked as a hotel chambermaid, a PA and for a French chef along the way, as well as spending several years involved in convention running. Writing is still her favourite thing, but she also loves the theatre. She currently lives in Bath - where she can usually be found in a bookshop or somewhere near the river. She guards the secret of her favourite coffee shop jealously, because she has the perfect spot picked out there for people-watching.

You can follow her on Twitter and on Instagram and Tumblr

She is represented by Juliet Mushens at Caskie Mushens.

Title: Unconventional
Author: Maggie Harcourt
Publication Date: February 1st 2017
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Usborne Publishing (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon || The Book Depository || Wordery || Waterstones || Foyles || Google Play Store

Blurb Description: For fans of Rainbow Rowell and Stephanie Perkins
Everyone's a fan of someone...
Lexi Angelo has grown up helping her dad with his events business. She likes to stay behind the scenes, planning and organizing... Until author Aidan Green -  messy-haired, annoyingly arrogant - arrives announced at the first event of the year. Then Lexi's life is thrown into disarray.
In a flurry of awkward encounters, lost schedules and late-night conversations, Lexi discovers that some things can't be planned... Things like falling in love. 
Six Conventions, A Girl With A Clipboard, A Boy With Two Names - and One Night Than Changes Everything

 Who you some of your Top Unlikely Romantic Heroes or Anti-Heroes? 

Do you agree with any on these list?

Do say Hi to Maggie and check out her book, because trust me, IT IS ADORABLE!