Highlights of 2010- Part III: Let's get paranormal

For the purposes of this post, let’s take ‘paranormal’ to mean ‘non-contemporary’, thus encompassing both paranormal romance and urban fantasy. And sci fi! Though, sadly, there is no sci fi here, because I’m going to refrain from recommending the Hunger Games. THG requires no recommendation from lowly me. It gives out awesome vibes. There are a few titles with sci-fi elements that I’ve enjoyed recently, but none that I’ve reviewed yet (for example, Matched by Allie Condie.)

The Mortal Instruments series and Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

I stumbled upon the Mortal Instruments series earlier this year when I was looking for a book to take with me on my expedition to Mongolia. Four different people had read my copy of City of Bones, the first book in the series, by the time I landed back in London. Cassandra Clare has since been firmly cemented as one of my favourite authors, and her books are my go-to when I’m asked for a recommendation. In the Mortal Instruments series, she brings us an alternate version of New York populated not only by the usual vampires and werewolves, but also by demon-slaying Shadowhunters. In Clockwork Angel, we meet the Shadowhunters in Victorian London. The world building is meticulous, the drama ever-present and the sprinklings of romance are thoroughly absorbing. A must read for any urban fantasy fans!

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Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

I’ve been a huge fan of Lili St. Crow ever since I started following The Deadline Dames, a blog written by various urban fantasy authors, including St. Crow. Her no-nonsense attitude comes across perfectly in her young adult series, which follows Dru Anderson through a world populated by various, mostly evil, supernatural creatures. What I love most about Lili St. Crow’s writing is that her characters are perfectly flawed and very real to me—she isn’t afraid to blast apart your happy image of a love interest by repeatedly mentioning his mono brow. And that, in my opinion, is exactly the way it should be.

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Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

I held off from reading this series for a long time, sure that it was going to be another Twilight spinoff. It’s fast become my favourite guilty pleasure! The books are told from the viewpoint of Rose, best friend and bodyguard to Lissa, an orphaned vampire princess. There’s action, drama, romance and a healthy dose of girl power—one of the things I liked most is that we’re not living the story through the eyes of the princess for once! It also features great world building in the form of a highly structured and unique vampire society.

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White Cat by Holly Black

No one does dark like Holly Black. In White Cat, she tells the story of Cassel, the only unendowed member of a family who all possess the power to do 'curse work', and usually use for evil. Cassel's not your average 'good guy'- even though he can't 'work' anyone, he's still a conman in a world where people are murdered and manipulated, even by their own family members! The world building and character growth are both fantastic, and it ended with a bang that's made the sequel, Red Glove, top of my 2011 reading list. 

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Watch the book trailer






Thus ends my Highlights of 2010 series- hope it gave everyone some holiday gift ideas. See you next year for the 2011 installment!

Highlights of 2010, Part II: The Nitty Gritty

I don’t know about you, but I’m a huge sucker for a good coming of age story, and I found some favourites this year. Some of the best books, in my opinion, are those that delve into the hard parts of life; those featured below touch on anorexia, abandonment, and tough relationships. Perhaps not the best gift for teens under the age of 14 or so, but great for making older teens think a little.

Before I get onto the books, a small thought- in recent months there’s been a lot of talk around the blogosphere against banning books that are deemed to have content that is ‘inappropriate’ and thus seen to influence teen behavior in a negative way. I don’t know if anyone else shares my view, but I think that reading books that are gritty and real, however ‘inappropriate’ they are, has made me understand the consequences of risky behavior and made me a teen who’s less likely to engage in it. I think YA authors are generally great at illustrating the reality of a situation, and it’s good to be exposed to ‘the real world’ through literature instead of being thrust into it with no prior knowledge to influence your decisions. Just my two cents, but I’d love to discuss in the comments if anyone’s up for it :)

Wintergirls- Laurie Halse Anderson

I’ve adored Laurie Halse Anderson since I first read Speak, a book I sadly did not read in 2010, because it would be top of this list. She has a real knack for tackling the toughest situations in teen life with honesty, respect and wry humor, and Wintergirls is no exception. It follows the life of anorexic Lia, whose already fragile life falls apart after her best friend dies. It does a great job of de-stigmatizing eating disorders, and to steal a line from my review, our insight into Lia’s life banishes the view of anorexia as a distant, incomprehensible disorder, letting us see her as the mostly normal teenager she really is.

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Jellicoe Road- Melina Marchetta

Although I’m not usually a great fan of novels written in a very literary style, Jellicoe Road won me over. It’s the complex, time-spanning story of teens at an Australian boarding school and the surrounding area, told through ‘turf wars’ between factions and snippets of a story about another generation. Taylor Markham is the strong leader of her faction, but also an abandoned child in search of her mother, and both storylines mesh together perfectly. Jellicoe Road also touches on the realities of first love and family, and was one of those books that makes me go quiet for a while once I turn the last page, thinking, ‘I just read a really good book.’

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The DUFF: Kody Keplinger

Although this might fall into the ‘not for younger teens’ category due to sexual content, I thinks it captures edgy without being too crude or flippant.  When womanizer Wesley Rush nicknames Bianca Piper ‘The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend’, she throws her coke in his face. But when she needs to escape her crumbling home life, her mortal-enemies relationship with him turns into more of an enemies-with-benefits thing. Sounds implausible and gratuitous, right? But the thing is that it’s not; Keplinger’s progressions are beautifully sound and realistic, perhaps because she was a teen herself when she wrote this.  Despite her mistakes, Bianca is a strong heroine, and I think this a classic case where you learn from the character’s mistakes instead of following in their footsteps; by the end of the book, Bianca’s learned the value of friendship and that nothing comes without strings attached. Sweet and sassy.

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Highlights of 2010, Part I: For Hopeless Romantics

It’s that time of year again, and the recent spate of ‘recommended’ lists appearing on book blogs and media sites everywhere has prompted me to devise one of my own. I’m going to do things a little differently though, with those of you who haven’t bought Christmas gifts yet in mind—the books below will be sorted by who might enjoy them. I’ll also talk about why I did!


Keep in mind that seeing as I read mostly YA, this list is aimed at teens, but some of these would make great gifts for adults too! :)

For the Hopeless Romantic

2010 has indeed been a great year for hopeless romantics (myself included!)—We’ve had stunning debuts and a few amazing books brought to the attention of overseas readers like me. Here are a few of my favourites:

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

If anyone asked me which book I’m totally evangelical about, this would be it. Morgan Matson tells the tale of grieving and guarded Amy’s road trip across the US with Roger, my all time favorite book crush, not just through conventional narrative but also through receipts, doodles, playlists and other road trip paraphernalia. Not only did I love the incredible growth the characters experienced through the book, I also appreciated that in a bookworld full to the brim of torrid, fast paced affairs where people decide they’re in love after an average of 2.5 hours, the relationship in this book progressed realistically, was simple and incredibly sweet. An absolute winner!

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The Clearing by Heather Davis

This one held onto my heart for quite a while before ‘Amy & Roger’ stole it. Heather Davis mixes a time-travel edge with very real characters and relationships in a story that’s truly timeless. This time the protagonist (also called Amy!) meets and starts to fall for an old-fashioned, charming and genuinely nice guy named Henry. Problem is, on his side of the clearing behind her Aunt Mae’s house, it’s still 1944! There’s a tragic reason for the time gap that makes you feel for the characters even more than you already did, and you just desperately hope that it all works out for them.


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Read my review







Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.

What is it with dangerous, attractive guys named Alex in YA fiction today? In any case, it’s a trend I’m not complaining about. Mexican gang-member Alex Fuentes was my original Alex-crush, and still holds a special place in my heart- he's also the reason a friend of mine starting reading again! Perfect Chemistry is the story of his fractious relationship (they start out as enemies) with the pretty and perfect Britanny Ellis. Except, Brittany’s not as perfect as she seems, and Alex isn’t the arrogant and gun-toting guy she thinks he is. (In fact, he’s pretty darned sweet….) Both characters have their flaws, which made me love them even more! Elkeles also crafted a fantastic cast of supporting characters for her Romeo and Juliet-esque romance that asks some hard questions about social and racial divides.

Watch the book trailer for the sequel, Rules of Attraction (that’s what got me into the series in the first place!)
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Anna and the French Kiss- Stephanie Perkins

I absolutely had to edit this post to include Anna, because it's hands down the best romance I've read all year- with plenty of funny to go around! It follows the story of Anna Oliphant, who's shipped from Atlanta to a Parisian boarding school for her senior year, and her relationship with the gorgeous (and actually nice!) Etienne St. Clair. The romance is slow-going and realistic- there are awkward moments, mistakes are made, and characters embarrass themselves. This, added to a healthy amount of adventure, makes for a great mix of comedy, romance and coming-of-age-story. (Plus, I've mentioned it's in PARIS, right?) Highly, highly recommended.

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Read my review

That’s it for now, but sit tight; the best books for those who enjoy the nitty-gritty of life will be up soon!