Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten "Awww" Moments In Books

It's been awhile since I've participated in Top Ten Tuesday. Actually, it's been awhile since I've posted much of anything. I sincerely apologize for the lack of content lately. It's not much of an excuse since so many of you other wonderful bloggers work full time, but work really sucks up most of my time these days. I'm trying to get back into blogging and reading more because I really do enjoy it. So, without further ado, here are my top ten favorite "awww" moments in books (in no particular order).

1. Bridge To Terabithia- when Jess and Leslie first create Terabithia. This was one of my favorite books as a kid and I was so happy that those 2 became friends.
2. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close- pretty much every time Oskar opened his mouth I found myself awwwwing. Such a precious little boy!
3. Romeo & Juliet- this one must be obvious! When the two die for one another I almost can't handle it. Especially in the movie version with Clare Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio. I would have died for Leo DiCaprio for most of my teenage years.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows- the epilogue made me so happy. I won't spoil it for the few of you who haven't read HP yet but I was very pleased with how Rowling wrapped everything up.
5. The Time Traveler's Wife- the way Clair waits for Henry and the pain she goes through to be with him gets me everytime.
6. Love Is A Mixtape- the way Rob Sheffield writes about his late wife if so touching. He made me feel like I knew them as a couple because I could feel the love eminating off the pages.
7. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares- when the two of them are shut inside the closet at The Strand... ooh I would have loved to be stuck in a giant bookstore with a boy I was crushing on when I was a teenager.
8. Along For the Ride- I think this is my favorite Sarah Dessen book. Auden & Eli's nighttime adventures had my heart melting.
9. Gone- Cabel's willingness to stick by Janie when he finds out her fate is majorly aw worthy. He has to be one of the most upstanding characters in any book I've read thus far.
10. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour- after Roger realized he was into Amy, every moment they shared was adorable. I particularly loved the moments they were driving and listening to the mix cds. So simple yet I totally know how much lust was probably in the air at those moments.

This was actually very difficult! I guess that's the problem when I don't really read many sappy romance novels.

Review: Made For You and Me: Going West, Going Broke, Finding Home by Caitlin Shetterly

Book: Made For You and Me: Going West, Going Broke, Finding Home by Caitlin Shetterly
Published: March 2011
Genre: Memoir
Pages: 256 pages
Where I got it: received an e-book from NetGalley
Buy It: Amazon

Summary (from Goodreads): Newlywed Caitlin Shetterly and her husband, Dan Davis, two hardworking freelancers, began their lives together in 2008 by pursuing a lifelong, shared dream of leaving Maine and going West. At first, California was the land of plenty. Quickly, though, the recession landed, and a surprise pregnancy that was also surprisingly rough made Caitlin too sick to work. By December, every job Dan had lined up had been canceled, and though he pounded the pavement, from shop to shop and from bar to bar, he could not find any work at all.

By March 2009, every cent of the couple's savings had been spent.
So, a year after they'd set out with big plans, Caitlin and Dan packed up again, this time with a baby on board, to make their way home to move in with Caitlin's mother. As they drove, Caitlin blogged about their situation and created audio diaries for NPR's Weekend Edition and received an astounding response. From all across the country, listeners offered help, opening their hearts and their homes.
And when the young family arrived back in rural Maine and squeezed into Caitlin's mother's small saltbox house, Caitlin learned that the bonds of family run deeper than any tug to roam, and that, with love, she and Dan could hold their dreams in sight, wherever they were.
Made for You and Me captures the irrepressible spirit and quiet perseverance of one small family and offers to share that strength with any reader willing to make the journey.

My thoughts: Caitlin Shetterly's Made For You and Me was a breath of fresh air for me. Everything about their struggle to survive as a family during the current recession is so relatable because we are all still living it today. For Caitlin and her husband, Dan, they have had a particularly hard time as freelancer's in such uncertain times. This memoir follows the couple as they embark on a journey across America (twice) and learn just how important family is along the way.

Before I begin gushing, let me explain to you all that this book resounded with me more so because my boyfriend and I did the same thing that this couple did. Last summer, I quit my job and we moved across the country from New England to California for a change of scenery. Luckily in our case, my boyfriend was able to continue working his same job so we still had his income. It was difficult and exhausting looking for a job when I arrived here. The connections I had always seemed to fall through and even though I was getting called for interview after interview, I would find out I'd made it to the final few candidates, only to lose out to one of the others. I also passed up on a couple of opportunities along the way because I was holding out for that "perfect" job. It took me 5 months before I realized I needed to hunker down and take anything I could get and that's where I am now, almost a year later.

I've read reviews about this book from others who criticize Caitlin and Dan for not trying hard enough but I think it's pretty easy to say that when you aren't in that situation. It takes a lot to give up your home and move everything you own clear across the country to a foreign place, and I think their story is a great one to read about. In Made For You and Me, we follow them on their journey to LA and then back to Maine about a year later. Along the way, they gain a family member and lose another. There are so many emotional moments in this book and I really enjoyed Caitlin's style of writing. There's such an inspirational message about perseverance and family values. There were many moments where I thought if I was in her shoes, I would have had a complete meltdown or flipped out at Dan, but the two of them always pushed past their differences.

I loved the parallels she drew between her life and that of Laura Ingalls Wilder in the Little House series so much, I'm actually planning to reread them myself. Also, the way she wrote so fondly about motherhood had me all teary eyed and excited about having children of my own someday. Her outlook on family is so bright, despite their imperfections. This memoir came about from Caitlin's blog which I definitely plan to read through since I still felt a sense of wanting more at the end. I'm hoping her blog will pick up where this memoir left off.


My rating: 4 stars

Review: My Favorite Band Does Not Exist by Robert T. Jeschonek

Book: My Favorite Band Does Not Exist by Robert T. Jeschonek
Published: Clarion Books, July 2011
Genre:  Fiction
Pages: 272 pages
Where I got it: e-book from NetGalley
Buy It: Amazon

Summary (from Goodreads): Sixteen-year-old genius Idea Deity believes that he exists only in the pages of a novel written by a malevolent, omnipotent author . . . and that he will die in chapter 64. Meanwhile, an older teen named Reacher Mirage sings lead vocals for the undercover rock band Youforia . . . a band that exists in Idea’s world only as an Internet hoax that Idea himself perpetuated. Then there’s beautiful and mysterious Eunice Truant, who links their destinies. When Idea and Reacher plunge into the reality of Fireskull’s Revenant, the twisted epic fantasy novel they’ve both been reading, chapter 64 bears down on them like a speeding freight train on an unstoppable collision course. Being trapped in a bad book can be a nightmare. Just ask Idea Deity.

My thoughts: Wow. This was one of those books that was just not for me. Going into My Favorite Band Does Not Exist, I expected something much more focused on music. I wasn't quite sure what was happening for much of the first half of this book. Once I caught on and was able to remember which character was which, I had pretty much lost any interest I had. I only finished it because of that nagging I get when I try to throw a book into a corner, forgotten. I attempted reading this on my Nook, but it kept crashing it and I think I should have gotten the hint when that first happened. I ended up having to read it on my laptop which made it much easier for me to get distracted. I've never played Dungeons and Dragons nor do I really know anything about it, but for some reason the premise of this book reminds me of what it would be like to play a game like that. For some, it may be an exciting adventure to read this book, but that was not the case for me.


In My Favorite Band Does Not Exist, Idea Deity believes he is trapped in the book he is reading, Fireskull's Revenant. In an alternate universe, Reacher Mirage is reading that same book. Both characters believe that they will die in Chapter 64. When Idea and Reacher's lives clash and they switch places, I thought it had potential to turn itself around for me, but I still couldn't get into it. I was hoping for something more than a sci-fi, Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy-esque story. The book is described as "School of Rock meets Alice In Wonderland" and the book cover is what got my attention in the first place. Sadly, this one fell flat for me.

My rating: 1 star 

Review: Greyhound by Steffan Piper

Book: Greyhound by Steffan Piper
Published: AmazonEncore, 2010
Genre: YA
Pages: 240 pages
Where I got it: ordered from Borders.com
Buy It: Amazon

Summary (from Goodreads): Ushered out from his Stockton, California home by his emotionally detached mother and her latest boyfriend, twelve-year-old Sebastien Ranes must fend for himself and travel two thousand miles across the country. He is on his way to live with his grandmother and sister in Pennsylvania. Along the way, he will learn that sometimes caring, guidance and understanding can come from some unlikely people.
Marcus, a fellow bus passenger, is a man who has been neglected more by society than his family. As a young black ex-con, he is not the epitome of the person most would pick as a chaperone for their child's cross country trip. Yet rather than be held apart by their differences, Marcus and Sebastien are drawn together by the things that make us all alike.
Along the way, he acts as both guide and protector, as Virgil was to Dante and Jim to Huck Finn. Imparting his own style of wisdom, he shows Sebastien that, despite the darker parts of the human condition, people can and do care for one another. This is a modern day journey not just from one house to another. This is a journey taken by a young boy into manhood, and by the reader into his world. Like every trip, there are many stops along the way. But this journey differs in the way young Sebastien arrives at his destination. Greyhound is the story of this journey.


My thoughts: I love reading about cross country road trips so when I heard about Greyhound, I was definitely interested in giving it a try. Then when I saw the book design featured an old cassette tape, I just knew I was going to love this. Sebastien Ranes was such a loveable leading character which made it all the more enjoyable to read his story. A day before his 12th birthday, his mother puts him on a bus to travel from California to Pennsylvania all by himself. Throughout the four days of his trip, Sebastien encounters more excitement and drama than many people do in a lifetime and also manages to do a lot of growing up in such a short amount of time.

Along the way, he befriends the ex-con Marcus, who takes Sebastien under his wing for the remainder of the trip and actually saves his life at one point. The adventures these two men have kept me on the edge of my seat and had me laughing out loud quite a few times. They may have been an unlikely pair but I thought the friendship they developed was so cute. I admired the way Marcus looked after Sebastien and let him in on some of life's little secrets. It was touching and sad thinking that this was the most genuine friendship Sebastien had ever had. For someone who came from such terrible parents, he was amazingly level headed and curious. If Sebastien's story had continued, I could definitely see him doing some wonderful things with his life.

In Greyhound, Piper did a great job of eliciting emotion from the reader. One minute I was so angry about the way Sebastien's mother treated him, the next I was disgusted by the creepy guy in the suit and then right after that I was oohing and ahhing at how adorable Sebastien was. I felt as though I was occupying the third seat in the back of that bus, right next to Sebastien and Marcus. I found myself very protective of him as well. Anytime there was a hint of danger, my senses were heightened, like I knew something bad was coming but I had the ability to keep him safe.

This was a nice change of pace from what I've been reading lately and I would highly recommend it to anyone who needs a quick fix for their wanderlust!


My rating: 4.5 stars

On where I've been for the last month

I hate when I get into these huge reading slumps. I feel off in general when I'm not taking the time to wind down at night with a good book. Growing up, I was a HUGE reader, spending so much of my free time at the library carefully selecting my next stack of reading materials or pouring over the latest Scholastic book club catalog. Around middle school my leisure reading dropped off as I started getting very busy with sports and spending time with my friends. This lasted throughout high school and the first couple years of college. I would buy a book on occasion for some fun reading, but the extent of my reading focused mostly on school related books (many of which I at least enjoyed). When my boyfriend moved away for his internship, I found myself alone in my dorm room many nights, waiting for our nightly phone calls. I turned to books during these times and quickly rekindled my love of reading. Since then, I've never really had such a major reading rut as the one I'd been in for the last couple of months. Usually at this time of year I'd have read double the books.

I've mentioned before my minor OCD habit of having to finish a book once I've started it. I hate giving up on a book because I feel like it sits in the back of my mind, taunting me. I had the hardest time getting through The Devil In The White City, which is why I'm not going to write a proper review for it. I think I've made it pretty clear here and on Twitter that I found it to be dreadfully boring. There is not much good I can say about it. It just wasn't my thing but at least I can say I finished it and I did learn a few things from it. Now that I'm done with that, my plan is to read a bunch of books that I've heard a fun, quick reads in order to get back on track to meet my goal of 50 books this year. I don't like when my reading feels like a chore, and that's exactly how it felt reading that last book. I actually had to schedule myself reading time and set goals, like 10 pages per night.

Sara, Noelle & me at The Bellagio

Sunset in Manhattan Beach while waiting for our dinner reservations

On top of the reading slump, my social life has been exhausting lately (but fun!). Living in Los Angeles, we are finding that we get a lot of visitors, which is great but it's hard to find the time to spend with everyone and continue working full time. I'm also looking for a new job because my place of employment is so chock full of drama, you would think I was back in high school but surrounded by so many more drama queens. It's very hard to find time for reading when I'm having so much fun doing other things. I went to Las Vegas for a weekend a couple of weeks ago and had an absolute blast. It was definitely a great example of how the people you surround yourself with can make things so much better. We came away with plenty of "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" stories, that's for sure. I also was able to have dinner with my cousin who lives in Las Vegas and who I haven't seen in about 2 years. Living so far away from where I grew up, it's really nice to see familiar faces once in awhile.

View at the Getty Center

Last week, my boyfriend's family came out for a visit. It was so nice to see them but it was incredibly exhausting! I wasn't able to get time off from work, so they entertained themselves during the days and then at night we took them out to some of our favorite restaurants. It made me a little bit sad that my family hasn't planned a visit out here yet. I loved showing them what our life is like out here on the opposite coast. During the time they were here, a college friend of mine was also out here so I had to find the time to visit with him as well. More college friends will be in town in a couple of weeks. I love my friends but it's really cutting into my reading time! The weather in LA is getting warmer and I'm looking forward to evenings on the roof with a good book. I'm already about half way through my next book so I should have a real review for you all in the next week. Thank you for sticking with me during this reading and blogging dry spell.

Review: Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Book: Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Published: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010
Genre: YA Pages: 336 pages
Where I got it: bought at Borders
Buy It: Amazon


Summary (from Goodreads): Vera's spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she's kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything. So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?


My thoughts: I put off reading Please Ignore Vera Dietz for quite some time because I was worried it was one of those books that got too much hype. I have to say that while I enjoyed it overall, I really thought this was going to be a 5 star book for me. I enjoyed the way the story was told, jumping between the present and flashbacks to her past with Charlie, with interjections thrown in from her Dad, Charlie from beyond the grave and the architectural anomaly that is the Pagoda. I like books that take awhile to tell the story, giving us a few tidbits at a time because it gives me that extra push to keep reading, even if I have something else I should be doing.


I thought the relationship between Vera and her father was very true to life for a single father/ daughter relationship. Throughout the book, they were struggling to get along with one another but in the end they had a huge breakthrough that was so inspiring. I feel like so many of the books I've read lately are chock full of spunky characters and this was no exception.

The main reason I had trouble with Please Ignore Vera Dietz was the way Charlie was portrayed. Vera was undoubtedly angry with him because of the way he treated her shortly before his death but she also was in love with him. Charlie seemed like a total creep to me and I couldn't get past that. I understand that he had issues at home and he was probably acting out and rebelling because he wanted the intention (at least that's what all of my psychology teachers would have told me) but selling your worn underwear to the neighborhood pedophile is severely messed up. However, I'm so so glad that he got to explain his side of things because it helped me see how Vera could have been in love with him. There was a lot of darkly humorous parts of this book, especially in the ways he would control little things to happen and Vera would know it was him.


I think Please Ignore Vera Dietz is the perfect example of learning from your mistakes and letting things work themselves out in their own time. Vera had to go through a lot of crap to get to where she ended up, but it was all worth it because she was able to clear her best friends name and make peace with him as well as with her Dad. We saw her grow from an overworked teenager who was unable to face her problems to someone who learned how to deal like an adult. There was a lot to take away from this once I was finished which is always a sign of a hype worthy book.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

Book: Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender
Published: Hyperion, 2009
Genre: YA/ Paranormal
Pages: 352 pages
Where I got it: bought at Borders
Buy It: Amazon

Summary (from Goodreads): When Alexis's little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks nothing of it. Kasey is a weird kid. Period. Alexis is considered weird, too, by the kids in her high school, by her parents, even by her own Goth friends. Things get weirder, though, when the old house they live in starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green and she speaks in old-fashioned language, then forgets chunks of time.
Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey's shoulder. The formerly gentle, doll-loving child is gone, and the new Kasey is angry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister — but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

My thoughts: Bad Girls Don't Die was one of those completely unputdownable books. It has the appeal of a classic ghost story with plenty of twists and turns in the plot. Our protagonist, Alexis, is somewhat of a self-proclaimed outcast at school and is notorious for causing trouble. Her parents don't pay much attention to her and her younger sister has been acting stranger everyday. When weird, unexplainable things start happening in their big, haunted looking house, Alexis begins to suspect the paranormal.


I've always loved scaring myself with ghost stories but it's been awhile since I've read one that really got me spooked. There is almost nothing creepier to me than a doll that comes to life or a child that is possessed. A child possessed by an evil spirit living in a tattered doll hidden somewhere in a creepy old house? It's like Alender looked into my worst nightmares. Needless to say I read Bad Girls Don't Die with the lights on and was spooked by every little noise I heard. I kept thinking about the old American Girl doll I have back at home in my closet and how I was really glad it wasn't at my apartment with me because I would probably have to throw it in the trash!

The characters also had more depth than a lot of the paranormal books I've read. Alexis hung out with the goth kids at school but didn't really fit in anywhere. It was refreshing to read about such a smart main character. I also felt a connection to her because of her interest in photography. It's always nice to read a book about such a likable character. Megan, the popular cheerleader, also turned out to be so much more than just a ditzy teenager and the friendship that develops between the two of them is really interesting. Kasey seemed like a realistic 13 year old girl struggling to hold onto her childhood. Despite her sister's odd behavior, Alexis is still very protective of her, even when she discovers Kasey is not really Kasey anymore. I loved that even though they weren't the picture perfect family, there was still such a sense of family values. Alexis is one of the most level headed characters I've read about.


Bad Girls Don't Die also stood out from other paranormal young adult books because there wasn't an overwhelming amount of sex. There was the flirtatious relationship between Alexis and Carter but it felt more realistic to the way high school romances often play out. It took some time for them to get to know each other and they had their share of setbacks. I love that Alender used a minimal amount of romance and was able to focus on the paranormal aspect of the story.


There is a sequel to Bad Girls Don't Die that will be released later this year. I'm interested to see the direction Alender takes the second novel and will definitely be running out to grab it right away!

My rating: 4 stars 

Also posted at The Broke and the Bookish.