Top Ten Tuesday | December 24, 2019

Happy Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is a Bookish Meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and this week’s theme is BOOKS I HOPE TO FIND UNDER MY TREE! (SPOILER ALERT: THAT’S NOT WHAT I DID!)

It’s been a little over a month since I’ve done a post about my recent #TBR additions, so I’m switching up today’s theme and doing that instead! And now without any further ado, here’s this week’s Top Ten Tuesday!

Skywatchers by Carrie Arcos
Published on August 18, 2020 by Philomel Books
Genres: Historical Fiction, YA
Pages: 368
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From National Book Award Finalist Carrie Arcos comes a thrilling, genre-bending mystery about the history of the Cold War and the UFO phenomenon. Perfect for fans of In the Woods by Tana French and Netflix's Stranger Things.
California, 1952. It's the early years of the Cold War, and the threat of invasion from the Communist-controlled Soviet Union has people in a panic. President Truman has put out a call to civilians to act as radar--and Teddy, John, Caroline, Eleanor, Bunny, Frank, and Oscar eagerly answer. The teens are members of their high school's "Operation Skywatch" club in an effort to protect the country from attack. Across the country, people of all ages are looking to the sky.
But they're not prepared for the strange green light they see when on duty, which looks like nothing they've been trained to look out for. And when the mysterious object lands in the forest, Teddy, John, Caroline, and Bunny go in to investigate. Then they go missing. Three days later, John, Caroline, and Bunny all emerge from the forest--with no memory of what happened. And without Teddy.
Told in alternating points of view, Carrie Arcos expertly explores the unbelievable-but-true history of "skywatchers" during the Cold War and the UFO phenomenon through the eyes of three teens, a man sent to determine the validity of what happened, and a town caught up in fear. Inspired by real events!

This Train Is Being Held by Ismée Amiel Williams
Published on February 11, 2020 by Amulet Books
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, YA
Pages: 336
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When private school student Isabelle Warren first meets Dominican-American Alex Rosario on the downtown 1 train, she remembers his green eyes and his gentlemanly behavior. He remembers her untroubled happiness, something he feels all rich kids must possess. That, and her long dancer legs. Over the course of multiple subway encounters spanning the next three years, Isabelle learns of Alex’s struggle with his father, who is hell-bent on Alex being a contender for the major leagues, despite Alex’s desire to go to college and become a poet. Alex learns about Isabelle’s unstable mother, a woman with a prejudice against Latino men. But fate—and the 1 train—throw them together when Isabelle needs Alex most. Heartfelt and evocative, this romantic drama will appeal to readers of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen.

Sword in the Stars by Amy Rose Capetta, Cori McCarthy
Series: Once and Future #2
Published on April 7, 2020 by Jimmy Patterson
Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Science Fiction, YA
Pages: 320
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In this epic sequel to Once & Future, to save the future, Ari and her Rainbow knights pull off a heist...thousands of years in the past.Ari Helix may have won her battle against the tyrannical Mercer corporation, but the larger war has just begun. Ari and her cursed wizard Merlin must travel back in time to the unenlightened Middle Ages and steal the King Arthur's Grail---the very definition of impossible.

It's imperative that the time travelers not skew the timeline and alter the course of history. Coming face-to-face with the original Arthurian legend could produce a ripple effect that changes everything. Somehow Merlin forgot that the past can be even more dangerous than the future...

Every Reason We Shouldn't by Sara Fujimura
Published on March 3, 2020 by Tor Teen
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, YA, Queer
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram

Warning: Contains family expectations, delightful banter, great romantic tension, skating (all kinds!), Korean pastries, and all the feels.
Fifteen-year-old, biracial figure skater Olivia Kennedy’s Olympic dreams have ended. She's bitter, but enjoying life as a regular teenager instead of an athlete... until Jonah Choi starts training at her family's struggling rink. Jonah's driven, talented, going for the Olympics in speed skating, completely annoying… and totally gorgeous. Between teasing Jonah, helping her best friend try out for roller derby, figuring out life as a normal teen and keeping the family business running, Olivia's got her hands full. But will rivalry bring her closer to Jonah, or drive them apart?

Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder
Series: Sentinels of the Galaxy #1
Published on November 19, 2018 by Harlequin
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, YA
Pages: 455
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Year 2471. A new discovery. Those three words thrill my parents - the galaxy's leading archaeologists - but for me, it means another time jump to a different planet. One so big, my friends will be older than my dad when we arrive. And I'll still be seventeen. Thanks, Einstein.
I really can't blame Einstein, though. No one expected to find life-sized terracotta warriors buried on other planets. So off we go to investigate, traveling through space and time. With my social life in ruins, I fill my days illegally worming into the quantum net - the invention that allows us to travel in space. Of course the only person close to my age is a hot-but-pain-in-the-neck security officer who threatens to throw me into the brig.
But when one of the warrior planets goes silent, we have bigger problems on our hands. The planet's entire population might be dead. And now my worming skills, along with a translation of an ancient alien artifact, might be the key to finding out why. But my attempts to uncover the truth lead to the discovery of a deadly new alien phenomenon, and also alert those who wish to keep it quiet. The galaxy is in real danger and time is not on our side…
A page-turning story of courage and determination in the face of the unknown.

Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway
Series: Glass Alliance #1
Published on February 5, 2019 by Tor Teen
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Pages: 480
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Aurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step up to the throne. Halfway around the world, Athan Dakar, the youngest son of a ruthless general, is a fighter pilot longing for a life away from the front lines. When Athan’s mother is shot and killed, his father is convinced it’s the work of his old rival, the Queen of Etania—Aurelia’s mother. Determined to avenge his wife’s murder, he devises a plot to overthrow the Queen, a plot which sends Athan undercover to Etania to gain intel from her children.
Athan’s mission becomes complicated when he finds himself falling for the girl he’s been tasked with spying upon. Aurelia feels the same attraction, all the while desperately seeking to stop the war threatening to break between the Southern territory and the old Northern kingdoms that control it—a war in which Athan’s father is determined to play a role. As diplomatic ties manage to just barely hold, the two teens struggle to remain loyal to their families and each other as they learn that war is not as black and white as they’ve been raised to believe.

Love Is for Losers by Wibke Brueggeman
Published on July 14, 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
Pages: 352
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In this wry and hilarious queer romantic comedy, fifteen-year-old Phoebe realizes that falling in love is maybe not just for losers.
Did you know you can marry yourself? How strange / brilliant is that?
Fifteen-year-old Phoebe thinks falling in love is vile and degrading, and vows never to do it. Then, due to circumstances not entirely in her control, she finds herself volunteering at a local thrift shop. There she meets Emma . . . who might unwittingly upend her whole theory on life.
This is a laugh-out-loud exploration of sexuality, family, female friendship, grief, and community. With the heart and hilarity of Netflix's critically-acclaimed Sex Education, Wibke Brueggemann's sex positive debut is required reading for Generation Z teens. Think of this as Bridget Jones' Diary, if it were written by Bridget's daughter.

Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan
Published on November 10, 2020 by Scholastic Press
Genres: Contemporary, YA, Queer
Pages: 320
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Zara's family has waited years for their visa process to be finalized so that they can officially become US citizens. But it only takes one moment for that dream to come crashing down around them.
Seventeen-year-old Pakistani immigrant, Zara Hossain, has been leading a fairly typical life in Corpus Christi, Texas, since her family moved there for her father to work as a pediatrician. While dealing with the Islamophobia that she faces at school, Zara has to lay low, trying not to stir up any trouble and jeopardize their family's dependent visa status while they await their green card approval, which has been in process for almost nine years.
But one day her tormentor, star football player Tyler Benson, takes things too far, leaving a threatening note in her locker, and gets suspended. As an act of revenge against her for speaking out, Tyler and his friends vandalize Zara's house with racist graffiti, leading to a violent crime that puts Zara's entire future at risk. Now she must pay the ultimate price and choose between fighting to stay in the only place she's ever called home or losing the life she loves and everyone in it.
From the author of the "heart-wrenching yet hopeful" (Samira Ahmed) novel, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali, comes a timely, intimate look at what it means to be an immigrant in America today, and the endurance of hope and faith in the face of hate.

Off Script by Kate Watson
Published on January 21, 2020 by Flux
Genres: Contemporary, Retellings, YA
Pages: 352
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Emma gets a Hollywood-tinged, feminist update in this funny and fierce retelling of Austen’s classic about a well-intentioned but tragically misguided matchmaker.
The summer after her first year of college, teen starlet Emma Crawford returns home to Manhattan to prepare for the role of a lifetime—and play career matchmaker to her friends. When Emma’s search for an assistant leads her to the wide-eyed Brittany Smith, Emma sees the big screen in the girl’s future. And because Emma knows best, she’s sure that steering Brittany onto the right path is all she needs to do to make her a star—even if Brittany doesn’t know it yet.
Emma’s plans start to unravel, however, when professional soccer player Liam Price re-enters her life. Not only is Liam her former best friend’s older brother, but he’s gorgeous, smart, and has no problem pointing out the (totally exaggerated) flaws in Emma’s plans. But as Emma comes in close contact with the darker side of Hollywood, she starts to question the glamorous world she’s always known and realizes her role in it needs to change—if she can find the courage to go off script.

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone
Published on July 1, 2020 by G. P. Putnam's Sons
Genres: Contemporary, Middle Grade
Pages: 320
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In this debut middle-grade girl-power friendship story, an eighth grader starts a podcast to protest the unfair dress code enforcement at her middle school and sparks a rebellion.

Molly Frost is FED UP...
Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top when she had to keep her sweatshirt wrapped around her waist.
Because Liza got dress coded and Molly didn't, even though they were wearing the exact same outfit.
Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a math quiz, her teacher gave her an F.
Because it's impossible to find shorts that are longer than her fingertips.
Because girls' bodies are not a distraction.
Because middle school is hard enough.
And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and soon her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what's right, and they're not backing down.

What books have you recently added to your #TBR? Let me know in the comments below and have a splendiferous week!

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